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07 Sep 01 - 10:31 PM (#544911) Subject: Oh, Mona From: GUEST,Jeepman I havn't heard this in a long spell.Can anyone help? Jman |
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07 Sep 01 - 11:18 PM (#544932) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Sorcha Found a Rolling Stones song by that name, also a fighter/bomber plane......need a little more info, here, Jim. Lyric snippet? Date? |
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07 Sep 01 - 11:41 PM (#544956) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: GUEST Thanks, Sorcha.This song if from the fifties and I remember this much. DOWN IN THE HENHOUSE ON MY KNEES I THOUGHT I HEARD A CHICKEN SNEEZE IT SNEEZED SO HARD WITH THE WHOOPING COUGH IT SNEEZED IT'S HEAD AND TALE RIGHT OFF. CHORUS ??? OH MONAH,YOU SHALL BE FREE WHEN THE GOOD LORD SETS YOU FREE. This Really is a good old song. Very popular in its day. I think I could work up a nice little kids song. J |
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08 Sep 01 - 12:02 AM (#544974) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: GUEST,Jeepman Sorcha I think I found one version, calle theHenouse Blues. I found it in the DT. I still think the Monah version is the one I want. Jim |
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08 Sep 01 - 09:36 AM (#545125) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: GUEST,Gern I don't have the lyrics, but can tell you it has varied titles and is older than the 50s. Perhaps this is the same Mona that made Bo Diddley's heart go bumpety-bump, although the song is completely different. Uncle Dave Macon recorded it in the 30s, I believe as "Shout Monah (Ye Shall be Free.)" I've also heard it remade by Hot Rize, under their alterego Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. The "henhouse" rap quoted hear was pilfered for this song from Gid Tanner's "Who Broke the Lock on the Henhouse Door:" "Down in the henhouse on my knees/I thought I heard a chicken sneeze/ Was nothing but a rooster saying his prayers/ singing out hymns to the hens upstairs." As to Mona, I too would be interested to see these lyrics. Anybody know them? |
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17 Sep 01 - 02:21 PM (#552439) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: fat B****rd I seem to recall my parents having a 78 of someone like Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters doing a tune called Oh mOnah. Mayne the All Music Guide will help. All the best from the fB. |
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17 Sep 01 - 06:25 PM (#552653) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Snuffy Behind the barn upon my knees Polly wolly doodle all the day I thought I heard a chicken sneeze Polly wolly doodle all the day
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21 Jan 02 - 11:16 PM (#632718) Subject: Lyr Add: YOU SHALL BE FREE From: Jim Dixon Found at http://home.t-online.de/home/alexx/youshall.htm This version doesn't have the name Mona in it, but it does have the phrase "You shall be free when the good Lord sets you free." The attribution to Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie come from the web site; I can't confirm them.
YOU SHALL BE FREE
In the morning, you shall be free.
I was down in the hen house other night.
Jump together. You shall be free.
Chicken and the rooster had a terrible fight.
Let me sing, "You shall be free."
I was down in the hen house on my knees.
"Here," says the preacher, "you shall be free."
Oh, some folks say, times is hard.
Let me sing, "You shall be free."
Well, some people say a preacher won't steal.
In the morning, you shall be free.
Well, you see that preacher a-settin' on a log,
Getting a hog eye. You shall be free. |
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21 Jan 02 - 11:21 PM (#632720) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: wysiwyg You will find references to related songs in THIS THREAD and others linked in it... and if you go there, would you be kind enough to add a link, there, back to here? It's sort of a general reference thread for the Mona's-- Oh, Po', and otherwise. And hello, Most Jeeply One! ~Susan |
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22 Jan 02 - 04:22 PM (#633274) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Rustic Rebel There is a band from Minneapolis,Minnesota called "The Front Porch Swingin' Liquor Pigs" www.liquorpigs.com They do a tune called "You Shall Be Free Monah" by Weems/Washburne. Verse followed by the chorus your looking for. (The cd title- Forget your truffles and dance!) |
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22 Jan 02 - 05:32 PM (#633328) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: dick greenhaus "Mona" was likely a dialect pronunciation for "Mourner". As I recall (dimly) the song was published in Carl Sandbag's American Songburg. |
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22 Jan 02 - 05:43 PM (#633337) Subject: Lyr Add: WHO BUILT THE ARK? From: Jerry Rasmussen My Gospel group does a song about Noah's Ark, with the "Oh, Mona" line as a chorus:
Tell me, who built that ark?
Adam was the first man ever invented
Along come Noah and he stumbled in the dark
Along come Caine and he looked like his Mother
and I wrote another verse
God sent Jonah to deliver the mail
The song will be on the CD the Gospel Messengers are currently recording. NortonL has heard it... |
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24 Jan 02 - 09:00 AM (#634531) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Jim Dixon Jerry: What will you call your song? |
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24 Jan 02 - 09:06 AM (#634534) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Jerry Rasmussen It's called Who Built The Ark,? Jim. Other than the verse I added, we sing it just like it was sung onthe recording I learned it from. It was recorded by the Governor of Tennessee and his "Old Limber Quartet." If you'd like to hear it, pm you mailing and e-mail address and I'll send you a tape. I wrote a song called Dixon, too, by the way... about Dixon, Illinois. Found out years after I wrote it, that Ronald Reagan grew up there.. Jerry |
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22 Jan 03 - 09:53 PM (#872535) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Mr Happy oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy when the good lord sets you free i was gwine down the road, oh monah with a tired team an' a heavy load,oh monah oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy, oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy when the good lord sets you free i was down behind the henhouse on my knees, oh monah when i thought i heard a chicken sneeze, oh monah oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy, oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy when the good lord sets you free sneezed so hard with hooping cough,oh monah he sneezed so hard his head fell off, oh monah oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy, oh monah, oh you shall be free, oh lordy lordy when the good lord sets you free more? |
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22 Jan 03 - 10:28 PM (#872547) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: GUEST,Q Almost every humorous or wry bit of doggerel used by Negroes was combined with O Mourner or The Good Lord Will Set You Free. Here is one from Florida, collected in the MS. of H. C. Abbot, 1915, and included in Newman L. White, American Negro Folk Songs. The Lord made an elephant, He made him stout; The first thing he made was the elephant's snout. He made his snout nigh long as a tail, The next thing he made was the elephant's tail; He made his tail to fan the flies, The next thing he made was the elephant's eyes. He made his eyes to see green trees, The next thing he made was the elephant's knees. Oh, elephant, you shall be free, Oh, elephant, you shall be free, When the good Lord sets you free. Another: Yonder comes Noah stumbling in the dark With hammer and nails for to build the ark. Yonder comes the animals two by two The hippopotamus and the kangaroo. Shout, mourners, you shall be free When the good Lord sets you free. Another: My old lady done gone and lef' me here, An' she didn't even leave me a dime for beer. Po'mourner, we shall be free. Po' mourner, we shall be free. Both the above also from White. A book could be filled with these verses. In one of the threads, there is a more complete version of Noah building the ark. Finally- Po'moner, in de morn we shall be free, When de good Lord will make a little angel of me. |
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22 Jan 03 - 10:36 PM (#872551) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Gene The version of Oh Mona you seek may be the one recorded by: Bob Wills w/Tommy Duncan Pee Wee King w/Red Stewart Wilburn Brothers |
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23 Jan 03 - 06:05 AM (#872694) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: GUEST,Bystander A "Tin Pan Alley" version of this song was poular in the USA around 1941. The best selling record in the UK was by hot-trumpeter/vocalist Nat Gonella and his Georgians on Col-FB2581. |
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18 Apr 05 - 09:10 AM (#1464269) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: wysiwyg Indexed. ~S~ |
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18 Apr 05 - 11:07 PM (#1464941) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Stewie See also Dicho's addition of a version of 'You Shall Be Free' in this thread: CLICK. Meade, 'Country Music Sources', includes 'Mourner, You Shall Be Free' as the first song in his section titled 'Songs of Black Origin'. Recordings by white artists include: Land Norris, under the title 'You ought to be arrested and put in jail', in 1924; Uncle Dave Macon, 'Shout Mourner, You Shall Be Free', in 1926; Carolina Tar Heels, 'When the Good Lord Sets You Free', in 1927; Jules Allen, 'Po'Mourner, in 1928; Bill and Belle Reed, 'You shall be free', in 1929; and Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers, 'You Shall Be Free, Monah', in 1936. As song 1(a)in this section, under the title 'Oh Monah!', with earliest reference 'Ted Weems-Humphrey Washburn 1931, he gives two recordings: by the Maple City Four in 1933; and by Sons of the West in 1939. Has any one here heard either of these? I have posted the lyrics to Uncle Dave Macon's version in the Uncle Dave lyrics thread: CLICK. I posted the lyrics to Jules Allen's 'Po'Mourner' in the thread linked to by Susan above [21 Jan 02 - 11:21 PM]. Bill Boyd's version is distinguished mainly by some wonderful (and wild) piano and fiddle breaks by Smokey Wood and J.R. Chatwell respectively. Here are the lyrics: YOU SHALL BE FREE, MOURNER Me and my gal walkin' down the street (Oh Monah) She was nice and she was neat (Oh Monah) She stooped over to tie her shoe (Oh Monah) The wind blue up Fifth Avenue (Oh Monah) (Ah Monah, you shall be free, hallelujah Ah Monah, you shall be free, praise the Lord When the good Lord sets you free) Oh I'm down in the hen house on my knees (Oh Monah) Thought I heard old Bruno sneeze (Oh Monah) Only a rooseter saying his prayers (Oh Monah) Tryin' to make love to the hens upstairs (Oh Monah) (Ah Monah, you shall be free, hallelujah Ah Monah, you shall be free, praise the Lord When the good Lord sets you free) I went to see my girl last night (Oh Monah) It was dark and I had no light (Oh Monah) Her bulldog met me at thegate (Oh Monah) He jumped on me with all of his weight (Oh Monah) (Ah Monah, you shall be free, hallelujah Ah Monah, you shall be free, praise the Lord When the good Lord sets you free) As I was going down the road (Oh Monah) With a hungry team and a heavy load (Oh Monah) I cracked my whip and the lead horse sprung (Oh Monah) The back horse broke the wagon tongue (Oh Monah) (Ah Monah, you shall be free, hallelujah Ah Monah, you shall be free, praise the Lord When the good Lord sets you free) Source: transcription of Bill Boyd and His Cowboy Ramblers 'You shall be free, Monah', recorded in San Antonio, Texas, on 27 October 1936 and issued as Bluebird B6694 in February 1937. There is also a beaut 1934 recording by the Sons of the Pioneers, under the title 'Oh Mona', that does not appear in either the Meade or Russell discographies because it was a radio transcription. The band included the great Karl Farr on fiddle. It went like this: OH MONA As I was goin' down the road (oh Mona) Tired team and a heavy load (oh Mona) Cracked my whip and the leaders sprung (oh Mona) The horse run away with the wagon tongue (oh Mona) (You shall be free oh lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, When the good Lord sets you free) I came to the river and I couldn't get across (oh Mona) Jumped on a darky and I thought he was a horse (oh Mona) The horse wouldn't go and I sold it for a hoe (oh Mona) The hoe wouldn't dig and I sold it for a pig (oh Mona) (You shall be free oh lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, When the good Lord sets you free) The pig wouldn't squeal and I sold it for a wheel (oh Mona) The wheel wouldn't run and I sold it for a gun (oh Mona) The gun wouldn't shoot and I sold it for a boot (oh Mona) The boot wouldn't wear and I sold it for a bear (oh Mona) (You shall be free oh lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, When the good Lord sets you free) Behind the barn down on my knees (oh Mona) I thought I heard a chicken sneeze (oh Mona) He sneezed so hard with the whooping cough (oh Mona) He sneezed his head and tail right off (oh Mona) (You shall be free oh lordy, lordy, lordy, lordy, When the good Lord sets you free) --Stewie. |
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18 Apr 05 - 11:32 PM (#1464947) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: Stewie In the Bill Boyd transcription in my previous post, the fourth line of the first stanza of course should have read: 'The wind BLEW up Fifth Avenue'. --Stewie. |
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19 Apr 05 - 07:23 PM (#1465892) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: wysiwyg Thanks, Stewie. All of the above titles have been entered for indexing in the AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUALS PERMATHREAD. If songs with new TITLES are added to this thread, please take a moment to post that title and this thread's ID number (or full URL) in the AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPIRITUALS PERMATHREAD, so it can be included next time the index is updated. Thanks! ~S~ |
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22 Oct 10 - 11:10 PM (#3013475) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: GUEST,jer sutton There was a young man who had the blues. His feet were so big he couldn’t get shoes. The shoe clerk said, “Come back again. I’ll fit you with box that the shoes came in.” O my Mona, O you shall be free. Yes, you shall be free, when the good Lord sets you free. this song was from the early forties or maybe the late thirties by Ted Weems and his band. Weems was famous for his whistling of the song Heartaches. Perry Como got his start with Weems. |
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15 May 16 - 04:55 PM (#3790481) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh, Mona From: GUEST,Joseph Scott In E.C. Perrow's notes, this is typewritten beneath the long version of "Oh, Mourner!": "THIS BALLAD WAS GOTTEN FROM A NIGRO NAMED RASMUS MOORE February 24 1909." |