Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl

Subject: Banjo Pickin' Girl???
From: Aoife
Date: 19 Nov 99 - 10:56 AM

Hey, y'all, I'm looking for a song sung by Hazel Dickens, I think, "I've been all 'round this world, I'm a banjo pickin' girl.. I'm a goin' to North Carolina, and from there I'll go to China ... " Something like that. Any help or reference to album it might be on appreciated! Th

Subject: RE: Banjo Pickin' Girl???
From: Allan C.
Date: 19 Nov 99 - 11:07 AM

Look here

Subject: RE: Banjo Pickin' Girl???
From: Dale Rose
Date: 19 Nov 99 - 01:23 PM

From the Folk Music Index ~~ most are no longer available or are at least ifficult to find, though you might be able to pick up used copies.

Banjo Pickin' Girl
Rt - Baby Mine; Goin' Around the World (Baby Mine); Going Away From Home (These are alternate titles)
1. Coon Creek Girls. Early Radio Favorites, Old Homestead OHS 142, LP (1982), cut# 10
2. Coon Creek Girls. Banjo Pickin' Girl, Rounder 1029, LP (1978), cut# 16
3. Coon Creek Girls. Going Down The Valley; Vocal & Instrumental Music from the South, New World NW 236, LP (1977), cut# 17
4. Fink, Cathy. Leading Role, Rounder 0223, LP (1985), cut#B. 05
5. Hazel And Alice. Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, Rounder 0054, LP (1976), cut# 11
6. Ledford, Lilly Mae. Banjo Pickin' Girl, Greenhays GR 712, LP (1983), cut# 1
7. Rutherford, Ernest; and the Gold Hill Band. Old Cap'n Rabbit, Heritage (Galax) 080, Cas (1989), cut# 9
8. Sexton, Lee "Boy". Whoa Mule, June Appal JA 0051, LP (1987), cut# 8 (Going Round This World)
9. Skirtlifters. Somewhere in Dixie, Skirtlifters, Cas (1987), cut#B. 06 (Goin' Around the World (Baby Mine))
10. Stamper, I. D. Red Wing, June Appal JA 0010, LP (1977), cut# 8 (Going Round This World)

Subject: Lyr Add: BANJO-PICKIN' GIRL (from Cari Norris)
From: Mark
Date: 19 Nov 99 - 07:40 PM

Lee Sexton's "Whoa Mule" should be available from Appalshop at www.appalshop.org

It seems to me I've heard Eric von Schmidt sing something with the same tune. Anyone know what it might be?

I'm pretty sure the following lyrics can be traced to Cari Norris, Lillie Mae Ledford's granddaughter:

1. Well, I'm going round this world, baby mine.
Well, I'm going round this world, baby mine.
Well, I'm going round this world. I'll be a banjo-pickin' girl.
Well, I'm going round this world, baby mine.

2. Well, I'm going to Tennessee, baby mine. (2x)
I'm going to Tennessee, but don't you follow me.
Well, I'm going to Tennessee, baby mine.

3. Well, I'm going to N. Carolina...(2x)
I'm going to N. Carolina and from there I'll go to China...etc.

4. Well I'm going to Chattanooga....
I'm going to Chattanooga and from there I'll go to Cuba...etc.

5. If you ain't got no money, baby mine (2x)
If you ain't got no money, get yourself another honey!...etc.

^Seems like it might be a geography teaching song and kind of invites the singer to make up new lyrics.

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


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: 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: Joe Richman
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:42 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: 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.

Subject: RE: Banjo Pickin' Girl???
From: Richie
Date: 14 Oct 08 - 11:54 AM

Hi,

I did a painting of Banjo Pickin' Girl. Cari Norris (Lily May Ledford's granddaughter) was at my art show performance this Saturday and played Banjo Pickin Girl with me.

There's a photo on my Blog: http://richardmattesonsblog.blogspot.com/

(Click the photo to make it larger) There are more details about the song: see earlier blog entries.

Richie

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Jun 21 - 07:03 PM

Joe - consolidate and clean up.

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=15436&messages=5

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: GerryM
Date: 15 Jun 21 - 03:13 AM

If you are of the male persuasion, you can sing,

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

Subject: RE: Origin: Banjo Pickin Girl
From: pattyClink
Date: 15 Jun 21 - 10:13 AM

For those unfamiliar with the song, this is a 'modern' version of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXF2SHvDkPc

and the 1944 Coon Creek Girls version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKLPIS3CFA