Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl

Subject: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GUEST,Richie
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 08:57 AM

Hi,

I was looking for a song and found this, Baby Mine at American Memory. Here's a link:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mussm&fileName=sm/sm1875/06800/06803/mussm06803.db&recNum=1&itemLink=r?ammem/mussm:@

I seems to fit struture of "Banjo Picking Girl:"

I'm goin' around this world, baby mine
I'm goin' around this world, baby mine
I'm goin' around this world, I'm a banjo-picking girl
I'm goin' around this world, baby mine

What do you think?

I usually associate Banjo Pickin Girl with "I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground."

Richie

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GUEST,Richie
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 08:59 AM

Here's the correct link- sorry.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mussm&fileName=sm/sm1875/06800/06803/mussm06803.db&recNum=1&itemLink=r?ammem/mussm:@

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 10:30 AM

Different kind of "baby" than I was thinking! It sure does look related.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: Lyr Add: BABY MINE (Mackay/Johnson)
From: GUEST,Richie
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 10:47 AM

There are several songs that evolve from this song structure: Crawdad Song (You get a line)and I wish I was a Mole (Tempy). It's possible "The Crawdad Song" in particular also evolved from this song.

The song form is similar to the "Captain Kidd" family of songs that has a repeated part: ("Oh my name is Captain Kidd, as I sailed, as I Sailed"); "Sam Hall" ("My name it is Sam Hall, it is Sam Hall"); the hymn "Wondrous Love" ("Oh, what wondrous love this is, O my soul, O my soul"); and "Mademoiselle from Armentiers."

LRY ADD: Baby Mine
Words Charles Mackay; Music Achibald Johnson 1874

I've a letter from thy sire, baby mine, baby mine,
I could read and never tire, baby mine, baby mine;
He is sailing o'er the sea, he is coming back to me,
He is coming back to me, baby mine, baby mine,
He is coming back to me, baby mine.

Oh I long to see his face baby mine, baby mine,
In his old accustom'd place baby mine, baby mine,
Like the rose of May in bloom, like a star mid the gloom,
Like the sunshine in the room, baby mine, baby mine,
Like the sunshine in the room, baby mine.

I'm so glad I cannot sleep baby mine, baby mine,
I'm so happy I could weep baby mine, baby mine,
He is sailing o'er the sea, he is coming back to me,
He is coming back to me, baby mine, baby mine,
He is coming back to me, baby mine.

Richie

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 12:09 PM

I tend to associate the song with Lilly Mae Ledford and the Coon Creek Girls.

See Appalshop's "Lily May Ledford - Gems"

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: Fortunato
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 03:34 PM

Ritchie,

I may have this song or something like it on a Mike Seeger, I'll check
cheers, Chance

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: Stewie
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 08:44 PM

Hi Ritchie,

In their notes to the Rounder album, 'Banjo Pickin' Girl', Charles Wolfe and Patricia A. Hall mentioned the 'Baby Mine' song. It seems clear that Lily Mae Ledford and the Coon Creek Girls were responsible for entrenching 'Banjo Pickin' Girl' in southern tradition. The pertinent passage in the Wolfe/Hall notes is as follows:

Norm Cohen has described 'Banjo Pickin' Girl' as a song that 'conjures up the image of another fun-loving, wanderlusting mountain girl - the Appalachian equivalent of the jazz age's flapper'. In this respect, it shares much of the spirit of Roba Stanley's 'Single Girl', Moonshine Kate's 'Poor Girl's Story' and the Bowman Sisters' 'Old Lonesome Blues'. Parts of this song have been traced to the middle of the sixteenth century and the melody is related to a cluster of mountain banjo songs like 'Crawdad' and 'Sugar Baby'. The 'baby mine' refrain is found in a pop song from 1879 of that name. Another Kentucky variant of the song is performed by Dick Burnett on Rounder 1004.

The Burnett piece referred to is 'Going Around the World' (1929) for which he claimed authorship, albeit a parody of 'Baby Mine'. Emry Arthur recorded a song of the same title in 1928. I think I have that recording somewhere, but I cannot locate it at the moment - I can't recall its relationship to Burnett's. The Coon Creek girls recorded 'Banjo Pickin' Girl' in 1938.   

If you would like the lyrics to the Burnett song, I am happy to post them for you.

Cheers, Stewie.

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GUEST,Richie
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 09:14 PM

Hi,

Thanks all. Yes Stewie, I'd like the Burnett lyrics. If you have Mike Seegar's NLCR lyrics, Chance, please post them.

I learned the song as "Going 'Round The World Baby Mine." I can't remember who sang it (three sisters clawhammer banjo style). It was sung to the same melody as "Mole in the Ground."

Richie

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Nov 06 - 09:44 PM

I'm listening to "I'm going Back to Jericho."

I goes:

I'm goin' back to Jericho, sugar babe,
I'm goin' back to Jericho, sugar babe,
I'm goin' back to Jericho,
And I'm getting married 'fore I go, Sugar babe.

Same type of song.

Richie

Subject: Lyr Add: GOING AROUND THE WORLD (Dick Burnett)
From: Stewie
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:09 PM

Richie, here is how it appears on one of Dick Burnett's ballet cards.


GOING AROUND THE WORLD

I'm going across the ocean friend of mine.
I'm going across the ocean friend of mine
I'm going across the ocean if I don't change my
notion.
I'm going around the world friend of mine

I'll write my girl a letter friend of mine
I'll write my girl a letter friend of mine
I'll write my girl a letter friend of mine and I'll
write my girl a letter and I'll tell her that she'd
better
For I'm going around the world friend of mine.

Oh! Come and sit by me girl O mine
Come and sit down by me girl O mine,
Come and sit down by me, say you love no one
but me, and we'll go around this world friend O
mine

Oh, give to me your hand girl O mine,
Oh! give to me your hand girl O mine,
Oh! give to me your hand. Say you love no other
man, And we'll go around the world, Girl O mine.

I may cross the sea girl of mine
I may cross the sea girl of mine.
I may cross the sea.
Oh, come and go with me. I'm going around the
world girl of mine

I'm going around the world friend of mine
I'm going around the world friend of mine
I've been around the world, with a banjo picking
girl, I've been around the world friend of mine
        ---Composed By
                                      R. D. Burnett
                                              Monticello, Ky.

Source: Printed at page 7 of booklet accompanying 'A Rambling Reckless Hobo: The Songs of Dick Burnett and Leonard Rutherford' Rounder LP 1004.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:41 PM

"The Coon Creek girls recorded 'Banjo Pickin' Girl' in 1938."   

It's one of my ALL TIME favorite 78s. Flipside is "Little Birdie" on the OKeh release.(Also Vocalion?)
   

http://www.honkingduck.com/BAZ/honkingduck78s.php?qt=artist&ap=10&tp=14&artist=1088

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: Joe Richman
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:42 PM

OOPS Cookie not set.... sorry

Joe

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: Joe Richman
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:44 PM

Messed up the clicky... sorry

Joe

http://www.honkingduck.com/BAZ/honkingduck78s.php?qt=artist&ap=10&tp=14&artist=1088

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GUEST,Richie
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 10:03 PM

Thanks Stewie,

I noticed that the next to last verse is irregular. Is that right?

I may cross the sea girl of mine
I may cross the sea girl of mine
Oh! come and go with me, I'm going around the world, girl of mine

I appreciate it.

Richie

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: Stewie
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 11:00 PM

Hi Richie,

Yes. I reproduced it as printed including punctuation, or lack thereof, and the variations of 'of' and 'O'.

Cheers, Stewie.