Lyr Add: Rosie's Gone Again (Jim Fullen)

Subject: Lyr Add: ROSIE'S GONE AGAIN (Jim Fullen)
From: Mark Clark
Date: 11 Jul 06 - 12:18 AM

ROSIE'S GONE AGAIN
(Jim Fullen, 1957)

   (From a recording by The Greenbrier Boys ca. 1961)

Snore… whistle

Spoken: "You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, fer, fer, Rosie's gone again."

   (Banjo pickup)

Saw a great big Cadillac just pull up in the lane
Rosie jumped out the window, ran right through the rain
Oh she's actin' goofy, she wore a nasty grin
You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

   Spoken: "Again?"   "Again."

You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, when Rosie wants to smooch
A man just ain't safe, Pa, when Rosie's on the loose
She wants to marry, settle down, you'd better get her in
You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

   Break: (banjo/fiddle)

She never washed dishes, Pa, she throwed 'em in the sink
She never went to milk the cow, what will the neighbors think
Oh she don't mind about a fall for all she thinks is men
You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

   Spoken: "Again?" "Again."

You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, you know she ain't just right
Well she was a tellin' Ma and Pa 'bout a different one each night
I don't know where she gets 'em all but she's a man's best friend
You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

   Break: (fiddle/banjo/mandolin/guitar)

Well she's a wearin' lipstick, Pa, and rouge upon her face
Well I think we'd be better off just to run her off this place
I'm afraid to tell the folks that she's my next of kin
You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

Oh you'd better call the sheriff, Pa, when Rosie's on the loose
A man just ain't safe, Pa, when Rosie wants to smooch
She wants to marry, settle down, you'd better get her in
You'd better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

   Spoken: "Aw no, not again?" "Yup, Rosie's gone again."

   (Banjo tag ending.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rosie's Gone Again
From: Cool Beans
Date: 11 Jul 06 - 05:26 PM

It's been oh, 40 years, but I recall the line in the next-to-last verse as:

I'm afraid to tell the folks that she's not extra kin.

That'd make more sense, don'tcha think? The boys've been passing Rosie off as their long lost cousin or something, so they can keep her around. The folks would know she's not anyone's next of kin.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rosie's Gone Again
From: Mark Clark
Date: 11 Jul 06 - 11:16 PM

Actually, I've never learned the lyrics to this song so I don't have to recall them. I just dug out The Greenbrier Boys' LP and played the track over and over until I was sure I understood the words and had it all down correctly. I did this last night.

I'm quite certain the line is "I'm afraid to tell the folks that she's my next of kin." The phrase is sung quite clearly. Rosie is evidently the sister of the narrator and their Pa is the one that must call the sheriff. They live in the same house and are in fact "next of kin."

The only line about which I have any uncertainty at all is the one I've posted as "Well she was a tellin' Ma and Pa 'bout a different one each night." I know I have the sense of the line right but I'm not absolutely certain about the words "'bout a." I have the right number of syllables but the singing is muffled (and my LP is 46 years old) so even though I played that over and over and over, I wound up thinking I had only approximated those two words.

Now whether or not those lyrics are exactly the ones Jim Fullen had written in 1957, I have no idea. You can see that the last verse is merely a slight rearrangement of a previous one. I don't know whether Fullen wrote it that way or The Greenbrier Boys just needed one more verse for their arrangement and recording. The Greenbrier Boys are my only source for the song. My efforts to find even a poor rendetion of the lyrics on the Net produced nothing.

      - Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rosie's Gone Again
From: Cool Beans
Date: 12 Jul 06 - 09:10 AM

Mark, I'll defer to you on that one. As for the line you're wondering about I recall it as,
'Cause she's been tellin' Ma and Pa a different one each night.'
I take it to mean she's been tellin' Ma and Pa a different untruth nightly.
As I say, it's been a while and memory isn't 100 percent reliable. Can it really be 46 years? Wow.
--CB

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rosie's Gone Again (Jim Fullen)
From: GUEST,Joe Locker
Date: 11 Jul 13 - 12:37 PM

The first recording of this was by Jimmie John and the Pleasant Valley Boys 1957 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwf7wzKVsck , in real "hillbilly" style.
Some of the JJ words are obscure and were changed by the Greenbriers, but the 3rd line of verse#2 (3rd stanza above) shown as "Oh she don't mind about A FALL for all she thinks is men"
is "Oh she don't mind about US PAW for all she thinks is men".

The 2nd line in the penultimate stanza has been changed by Bob/John/Ralph- it's indecipherable on the JJ recording.
Joe Locker.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rosie's Gone Again (Jim Fullen)
From: Mark Clark
Date: 11 Jul 13 - 01:37 PM

Joe, That's great information. Thanks for the link to the original recording. I see Jim Fullen is active once again after retiring from his college teaching career. He has a Web site called Jim Fullen Music. I'm guessing we could just ask him what the lyrics are.

My friend and former bandmate, Dr. Richard Hood, taught at Dennison and lived in Newark, OH, before joining the faculty of the Bluegrass Music program at ETSU in Johnson City, TN. It's likely that Richard and Jimmie John crossed paths. I'll ask him.

      - Mark

Subject: Lyr Add: ROSIE'S GONE AGAIN (from Jimmie John)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 16 Jul 13 - 09:59 AM

YouTube doesn't have the recording by the Greenbrier Boys, but it does have this one. I have marked the differences in boldface; I believe a couple of these make more sense than the Greenbrier Boys' version. Also note the verses are in a different order, and a different verse is repeated. I have also changed spelling in a few places to reflect the dialect pronunciation, but I have not put these in boldface.


ROSIE'S GONE AGAIN
Written by Jim Fullen
As recorded by Jimmie John with the Pleasant Valley Boys, 1957.

[Snore, whistle]

[Spoken:] Hey, ya better call the sheriff, Pa, fer, fer Rosie's gone again.

[Banjo pickup]

[1] Pa, a great big Cadillac just pulled up in the lane.
Rosie dove out the winder, an' ran right th'ough the rain.
Oh, she was actin' goofy; she wore a nasty grin.
Ya better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

[Spoken:] "Again?" "Again!"

[2] Ya better call the sheriff, Pa; you know she ain't just right,
Fer she was a-tellin' Ma, Pa, a differ'nt one each night.
Don't know where she meets 'em all, but she's a man's best friend.
Ya better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

[Break: banjo, fiddle, guitar]

[3] She ne'er washed dishes, Pa; she'd throw 'em in the sink.
She ne'er went to milk the cows; what will the neighbors think?
She don't mind about us, Pa, fer all she thinks is men.
Ya better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

[Spoken:] "Again?" "Again!"

[4] Ya better call the sheriff, Pa; you know she loved to smooch.
Well, a man just ain't safe, Pa, when Rosie's on the loose.
Wants to marry, settle down; ya better get 'er in.
Ya better call the sheriff, Pa, fer Rosie's gone again.

[Break: mandolin, guitar, fiddle, banjo]

[5] She was wearin' lipstick, Pa, an' rouge upon 'er face.
She looked just like Mule's barn, Pa, with none to right 'er face(?).
I'm a-feared to tell the folks we 'un's sisters by kin.*
Ya better call the sheriff, Pa, 'cause Rosie's gone again.

[Repeat verse 2.]

[Spoken:] "Oh, no, not again?" "Yeah, Rosie's gone again."

[Banjo tag ending.]


[* This line is sung by a female voice.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rosie's Gone Again (Jim Fullen)
From: Mark Clark
Date: 16 Jul 13 - 12:05 PM

Thanks for posting that, Jim. The YouTube link you provided is the same recording that Joe Locker linked last week but with a different video overlay. The group on the recording, Jimmie John and the Pleasant Valley Boys, is in fact led by Jim Fullen (AKA Jimmie John) the author/composer of the song so I think these lyrics are authoritative.

Fullen (Jimmie John) had a long career in academia as a college professor in Ohio so he not just some hillbilly. (heh)