DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)

To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café ^TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=141095
20 messages

DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)

26 Oct 11 - 02:45 PM (#3245176)
Subject: DTStudy: Moving Day
From: Joe Offer

This is an edited DTStudy thread, and all messages posted here are subject to editing and deletion.
This thread is intended to serve as a forum for corrections and annotations for the Digital Tradition song named in the title of this thread.

Search for other DTStudy threads

Here's the version in the Digital Tradition:

MOVING DAY C The landlord said this mornin' to me G7 C Let's have that key, this rent ain't free C I can't live on nothin', you see G7 C C7 Pack up your bags and skidoo, you F C I'm just waitin' for my Bill to get home C D7 He's my honey from the honeycomb D7 G He said that he'd never leave me alone this mornin', because it's C D CHORUS: Movin' day, movin' day G Rip the carpet right off of the floor [1/2 barre + 5 Get on your overcoat and get out the door C F It's movin' day, pack up your bags and get away F If you can't pay your rent you got to live out in a tent G C It's moo-oo-oovin' day Bill come back all covered with snow I said, "Hello. Let's have some dough. Here's the landlord waitin' for rent." Bill says, "I ain't got a cent. No." Try and catch me, mister landlord man, I'll be leavin' just as soon as I can I'm goin' back to Dixieland this mornin', because it's ... @country From Delaware Water Gap; Charlie Poole filename[ MOVINDAY TUNE FILE: MOVINDAY CLICK TO PLAY RPf

Roud says this song was recorded by Charlie Poole, written by A. Sterling & H. Von Tilzer, with a possible publication date of 1906.

26 Oct 11 - 03:45 PM (#3245211)
Subject: ADD Original: Moving Day (Sterling / Von Tilzer)
From: Joe Offer

Here's the original. As you can see, it's a "coon" song. Good thing it's been changed in modern usage.

MOVING DAY
(Words by Andrew B. Sterling, Music by Harry Von Tilzer, 1906)

1. The landlord said this morning to me,
"Gimme your key, this flat ain't free,
I can't get no rent out of you,
Pack up your bags and skidoo."
I said, "Wait until ma Bill comes home,
He's ma honey from the honeycomb,
He'll have money 'cause he told me so this morning."
Landlord said, "I gave you lots of show,
Wants ma rooms or else I wants my dough,
I'll wait for Bill,
If he don't pay, why out you go."
Because it's....

CHORUS:
"Moving day, moving day,
Rip that carpet up from off the floor,
Take your oil stove, coon, and there's the door,
It's moving day,
Pack your folding bed and get away,
If you've spent every cent, You can live out in a tent,
It's moo-oo, oo, oo, ov-ing day."

2. Bill came in all covered with snow,
I said, "Hello, gimme some dough.
Here's the landlord waiting for rent."
Bill said, "I ain't got a cent.
Here's two chickens I brought home for stew,
Landlord take them for the rent that's due";
Landlord said, "Ma chicken coop was robbed this morning,
Two black hens are missing from ma coop,
They're the ones you just brought in for soup,
Get busy, coon,
And put your things down on the stoop."
Because it's.....
[CHORUS]

From the 1906 sheet music at the Lester Levy Sheet Music Collection

PDF of sheet music: http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/levy-cgi/datastream.cgi?id=148.098;type=pdf

Words by Andrew B. Sterling, Music by Harry Von Tilzer, 1906
"Dedicated to the Landlords of America"

I learned this song from a recording by my neighbor and former boss, Debby McClatchy, on her CD titled Sweet Sunny South: The Legacy of Charlie Poole. Debby uses lyrics very similar to those in the sheet music, with the "coon" references removed.

26 Oct 11 - 04:03 PM (#3245222)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

Bob Davenport used to do a version of this with different words. I'm busy just now, but I'll look it up later and post it.

I've just had a quick look at the Levy pdf and it looks like a similar tune (from memory).

Mick

26 Oct 11 - 04:26 PM (#3245233)
Subject: ADD Version: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Joe Offer

Here's the Charlie Poole version, transcribed by Kinney Rorrer:

IT'S MOVIN' DAY
(composed by Andrew Sterling and Harry von Tilzer in 1906, it was "Dedicated to the Landlords of America.")

Landlord said this morning to me,
"Give me your key, this lot ain't free;
I can't get no rent out of you,
Pack up your bags and skiddoo, you."
"I've been waiting till my Bill comes home,
He's my honey from the honeycomb,
He'll have money for he told me so this morning."

Because it's moving day, moving day.
Rip the carpet up off the floor,
Load your oil stove and out the door.
Because it's moving day,
Pack your bed quilts and get away.
If you spend every cent you can live out in a tent,
It's moving day.

(Repeat chorus)

from Rambling Blues: The Life & Songs of Charlie Poole, by Kinney Rorrer, 1982 (page 93).

26 Oct 11 - 04:35 PM (#3245236)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Joe Offer

I'll leave it to you to post the Bob Davenport version, Mick. It's quite different from anything else I've heard....and I'm sure you'll understand it better than I can.

There's a new Mudcatter named "bochtan" who's interested specifically in the Bob Davenport version. His inquiry was my motivation for starting this thread.

-Joe-

26 Oct 11 - 04:53 PM (#3245244)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

Joe

Here's the words for the Bob Davenport version.

I've had a proper look at the Levy pdf now and Bob Davenport uses more or less (parts of) the same tune. I'll try and post an abc for it later (though probably not tonight). I'm pretty sure I've got a recording of Bob on an old reel-to-reel spool doing this, but I'm not sure I have any other recording of him. This means two things - I may have to post his tune from memory (not to bad yet!) and I can't see if he credits any source for it. (I note on the Bob Davenport & The Rakes page on Reinhard Zierke's site that the credit is traditional on the first recording and Von Tilzer later. But I don't know the source for his words; he often had songs from an older generation of British singers).

Mick

MOVING DAY

The landlord said this morning to me, "Get out this house it isn't free
I can't get no rent out of you, pack up your bags and skidoo, you"
"Now then Jack, just listen to me: I'm getting money from the P.A.C.
They said my shares were doing well this morning"

  "Because it's moving day, it's moving day.
  Load the cart, let's depart, this'll break the landlord's heart.
  He'll have a fit when he sees we've done the moonlight flit
  No bugs, no rent when you live in a tent. It's moving day"

When you get a council house, first you get a carbolic delouse
You can't go for a pint at night - there isn't a pub in sight.
Next, the cruelty man comes up your path, he heard you put coals in the bath,
Slums were bad but you know you had a bit freedom.

  "Because it's moving day, it's moving day.
  Kick the means-test man out the door, feed him to your mother-in-law.
  It's moving day, load the cart quick and get away
  No books, no rent when you live in a tent. It's moving day."

Source: Bob Davenport

26 Oct 11 - 05:08 PM (#3245250)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

Looking at a bit of this that Dr,Price posted Dr Price is moving house!, it looks as if No books might be No bugs, which might make better sense. I think the rest is OK.

Mick

This has been amended in the lyrics post - MCP

26 Oct 11 - 05:35 PM (#3245258)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Paul Burke

PAC = Public Assistance Committee - the buroo.

I've heard it sung as "I've got friends on the BBC", and "kick the rentman out the door, send him to the mother-in-law".

26 Oct 11 - 10:35 PM (#3245375)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Amos

Famously (but later) done by the Holy Modal Rounders.

A

27 Oct 11 - 12:01 AM (#3245382)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Charley Noble

These are my notes from a draft of the Housing Songbook:

The theme of this song is the classic one of eviction. Written back in 1906 by the prolific "Tin Pan Alley" team of Harry Von Tilzner and Andrew B. Sterling, this song was movingly prefaced as "Respectfully dedicated to Landlords". The song title "Moving Day" describes the 19th century practice of mass exodus on May 1st for many urban tenants:

The first of May to New Yorkers did not mean the traditional spring revels associated with the day, but instead was the time leases expired, rents for lack of effective controls increased, and people went into the red to remain in their homes or went out into the streets in search of less costly lodgings. One Samual Woodsworth, Esq., writing in 1831, was hard pressed to describe the annual event: "May-Day in New York must be seen, and heard, and felt, and tasted, in order to be known and appreciated...about one-third of a population of two hundred thousand souls change their residence annually." Like a game of musical chairs in which "each must change his place, uncertain if he gets a seat or no..."

This song was successfully revived by old-time stringbands such as Charlie Poole's in the 1920's, and continues to be revived to this day. Clearly, there is a universal theme here which appeals to more transient members of our society. The present version was adapted and arranged for ragtime guitar by Ray Kamalay of Lansing, Michigan.

Music by Harry Von Tilzer
Words by Andrew Sterling © 1906
As adapted by Ray Kamalay 1983
Recorded on We Won't Move, Folkways Records FS 5287
In American Manners & Morals, pp. 190-191

Moving Day

The landlord said this morning to me,
"Give me your key, this rent ain't free;
I can't live on nothing, you see,
Pack up your bags and skidoo, you!"
"I'm just waitin' for my Lill to come home,
She's my honey from the honey cone;
She told me she'd never leave me alone, this morning."

Chorus:

'Cause it's moving day, moving day,
Rip the carpet right off of the floor,
Pull on your overcoat, and get out the door;
'Cause it's moving day,
Pack up your gear and get away;
If you can't pay your rent,
You got to live out in a tent,
'Cause it's moo-ho-oving day!

Lill come in all covered with snow,
I said, "Hello, you got any dough?
Here's old landlord waitin' for rent."
Lill says, "I ain't got a cent."
"Come and get me, Mr. Landlord man,
I'll be leaving just as soon as I can,
I'm heading back to Dixieland, this morning." (CHO)

I should add that I co-produced We Won't Move back in 1979 while resident in Michigan and it is now available in CD from Smithsonian.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

27 Oct 11 - 06:07 AM (#3245436)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: banjoman

I once heard this played on a Popeye cartoon where the words of the chorus were changed slightly to "I havn't told the Landlord but I'm moving today" sung by non other than Olive Oyle

27 Oct 11 - 01:00 PM (#3245633)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: bochtan

Hi everyone ,this is my first post!
Many thanks for all the info on this song and the lyric.

Thanks again
Jack

27 Oct 11 - 01:39 PM (#3245650)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)

Here is a transcription of the tune for Bob Davenport's version. I haven't been able to check back to a recording of Bob Davenport, so this may not be exactly what he sings, but it's more or less how I used to sing it (I haven't for many years) and it came originally from him.

I've put it in F for comparison with the Von Tilzer tune in the pdf. It's clearly derived from that.

Mick

05 Mar 12 - 10:25 PM (#3317973)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Ross Campbell

I first heard this (in the UK) on The Holy Modal Rounder's first album, issued here on Transatlantic, late '60s.

A few years later I heard Bob Davenport sing a very similar song at Blackpool Folk Club (King's Arms, Talbot Road in the early '70s). When I asked him about it, he said he had adapted the song from a version by Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers. First clue I had that the Rounder's eccentric music style had real roots. Next visit to Collett's and Dobell's in London produced a couple of Charlie Poole albums (maybe Uncle Dave Macon as well?) and an introduction to American old-time music which continues to be one of the pleasures of my listening (and singing/playing) life.

Thanks to Bob Davenport for all that, and I hope he continues to be well. According to his Facebook page he'll be 80 on 31st May. All the best, Bob!

Ross

06 Mar 12 - 07:52 AM (#3318108)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: GUEST,John Hertford

The Blinkin Buzzards (House band at the Kalmazoo Klub, King's Head Crouch End) do Moving Day cobbled together from the Charlie Poole, Holy Modal Rounders and Bob Davenport versions - and some topical lines of our own.

MOVING DAY
(Sterling/Von Tilzer) - as performed by The Blinkin' Buzzards

Landlord said this morning to me
Give me your key
This ain't free
I can't live on nothing you see
Pack up your coat skidoo, you
I'll be waiting till my Belle comes home
She's my honey from the honeycomb
She said she'd never leave me all alone this morning

Chorus
Because it's moving day, moving day
Rip the carpet up off the floor
get on your overcoat, out the door
Cos it's oving day
pack up your coat get away
If you can't pay your rent
Got to live out in a tent
Cos it's moo-a-hoo- a- hooving day

The rent's been due since middle of May
What can I say,going away
Gas my Ford up new today
Get on the road and I'll go, slow.
Come and get me Mr Landlord man
True fine mama take me by the hand
I'll be going back to Birmingham this morning

The country's broke and the money's spent on
Bankers' bonus, city gents
Ain't got cash to pay the rent
Notice to quit this morning
Pile your stuff up on the cart
We're going to break the bailiff's heart
Moonlight flit and we'll be gone by morning

Chorus

You don't pay rent when you're living in a tent ...

14 May 21 - 12:55 PM (#4106048)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: The Sandman

https://youtu.be/2V4llHEQif4

Moving Day 1906 Zonophone Record - Sung by Ragtime Bob Roberts

15 May 21 - 05:14 AM (#4106112)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: GUEST,jim bainbridge

Glad you posted this, Dick, Patrick sent it to me too & it was a revelation that it was older than Charlie Poole.
Bob Davenport's words can be heard on the LP he did with the wonderful Boldon Banjo Band- his words are the ones I use & very much his own adaptation of Charlie Poole's.
Shouldn't be any surprise that he would rewrite words of old songs- several examples on his 'Red-Haired Lad' CD & good for him....

15 May 21 - 11:54 AM (#4106149)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: The Sandman

i think you do a great version Jim

15 May 21 - 12:00 PM (#4106150)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: The Sandman

bob did a great version as well

15 May 21 - 12:23 PM (#4106154)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: Moving Day (Sterling/Von Tilzer)
From: Stewart

A great video by Seattle blues player Del Rey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XXIHyBrikU
"Seattle needs rent control! Join Belle and her ne'er-do-well feller Bill, as they try to escape their landlord in this cover of one of Charlie Poole's classic songs, "Moving Day". Film by Sage Lee"

Enjoy!

Cheers, S. in Seattle