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10 Dec 02 - 11:02 PM (#845083) Subject: Lyr Add: OLD HAT (from Leake County Revelers) From: Richie I was trying to transcribe the Old Hat on Honkingduck and need some help with this version of "Goin' Down to Town/Lynchburg Town." Here is the music: http://www.honkingduck.com/BAZ/baz_side.php?meth=t&letter=o&title=The%2520Old%2520Hat&cuid=20133A Old Hat by Leake County Revelers Columbia 15205 - D Side A Recorded: Unknown Issued: November 1927 (Fiddle intro) When you hear your cow a-mooing You know it's milkin' time, Lift your leg ol' Gurnsey Let some milk come down, Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg town To lay my banjo down. (Fiddle break) Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg Town To lay my banjo down. I went up to see my gal See my one in all, She jumped up beside me? And we went to the ball? Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg Town To lay my banjo down. (Fiddle break) I never saw? He's already left this town ? to see him He already coming down? Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg To lay my banjo down. (Fiddle break) Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg Town To lay my banjo down. Raccoon up the Simmon tree Possum on the ground Possum said to the raccoon Shake some simmons down. Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg Town To lay my banjo down. (Fiddle break) Raccoon on the main line Possum on the swing The rabbit ain't no railroad man? son of a gun? Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg Town To lay my banjo down. (Fiddle break) Flyin' on down town Flyin' on down to town Flyin' on down to Vicksburg Town To lay my banjo down. |
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11 Dec 02 - 12:11 AM (#845107) Subject: RE: Lyr. Cor: OLD HAT From: Richie Found this on the web: First verse goes: "When you hear your cow a lowin', You'll know it's milkin' time So back your leg old Jersey And let your milk come down." Chorus: Gwine on down town Gwine on down to town I'm going on down to Vicksburg town To make my banjo sound. Richie |
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11 Dec 02 - 10:35 PM (#845723) Subject: RE: Lyr. req: OLD HAT From: Richie I guess nobody can understand what they are singing either! -Richie |
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12 Dec 02 - 01:18 AM (#845763) Subject: RE: Lyr. req: OLD HAT From: Joe Offer Hi, Richie - just because you haven't received any response, don't think people aren't paying attention. You did a great job of transcription, and picked the words out a lot better than I could. This is good stuff. -Joe Offer- |
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20 Jun 09 - 02:28 PM (#2661028) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: OLD HAT From: GUEST Sorry to respond to this thread years later but I've been focusing on gathering verese for this one lately & found this discussion via google. I really like this Leake Co Revelers take on Goin Down to Town/Lynchburg with its interesting collection of charming floater verses, gorgeous rolling fiddle style & lovely fingerpicked banjo. But where in the world is the "old hat" of the title? The melody's quite similar to Lynchburg Town as well as the southern coastal plain favorite, Shear'em/Sharem (parts of which later morphed into into Walkin in My Sleep &Take Me Back to Tulsa). I'm putting together my assemblage of verses from the Leake Co. Revelers & substituted ones I've heard around here. The chorus, at least around here, is generally about tobacco trading. The Mississippi one was probably about tobacco as well. GWINE on down town, gwine on down to town I'm gwine on down to Vicksburg town( & in these parts they'll put in various tobacco towns-Joe Thompson sings "Reidsville" & others sing" Lynchburg") For to take my TOBACCO (or 'BACCA) down. And I like these verses (in no particular order): I went down to shoo fly's house, shoo fly wasn't at home Ate up all of shoo fly's meat And gave his dog the bone. You have got the cow one right--& it's too wonderful to leave out: When you hear that old cow lowin You know it's milking time Throw back your leg ol jersey And let your milk come down. Then there are the coon & possum & train verses: Raccoon up a simmon tree Possum on the ground Raccoon says you son of a gun Better throw some simmons down. Raccoon on the main line And possum on the swing Raccoon said there ain't no railroad man (LEAKE CO REVELERS SINGER MUFFS WORDS to the last line) To tell me anything (is what we sing). Gail Chapel Hill |
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01 Sep 09 - 02:26 PM (#2713884) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Old Hat (Leake County Revelers) From: maeve Your raccoon up a persimmon tree verse is very close to part of "Bushy Tail". maeve |
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02 Sep 09 - 10:33 PM (#2715113) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Old Hat (Leake County Revelers) From: Jim Dixon I've been listening to this song at Honking Duck. It sure is a tough one. Here's what I think I can hear. The time in brackets indicates the point where each verse (or the chorus) begins. I have not bothered to show repetitions of the chorus. OLD HAT As sung by the Leake County Revelers 1. [0:15] When you hear your cow a-lowing, You know it's milkin' time. ... ol' Jersey. Let your milk come down. CHORUS 1: [0:23] Gwine on down to town, Gwine on down to town, I'm goin'* on down to Vicksburg [or Lynchburg?] town For to use my banjo sound. 2. [0:58] I went up to the ... house. The ... wasn't at home. I ain't gonna ... find me, ... bone. 3. [1:26] ... stole a punkin. He tolled it away to town. An' he couldn't ... An' he throwed his punkin down. 4. [2:08] Raccoon up the 'simmon tree, Possum on the ground, And the possum said to the raccoon: Will you shake some 'simmons down? 5. [2:36] Raccoon on the main line, Possum on the swing; The rabbit ain't no railroad man But a runnin' son of a gun. [*In some repetitions of the chorus, he uses "gwine" in place of "goin'".] |
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02 Sep 09 - 11:07 PM (#2715130) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Old Hat (Leake County Revelers) From: Jim Dixon Perhaps I should explain why I used the word "tolled" in verse 3. To "toll" an animal means to lead it by tempting it with something it wants. You can toll a cat into the house by dragging a string along the ground. You can toll a horse or cow into the barn by offering it something it wants to eat. That's a usage I learned from my mother, but I haven't heard it in years. Some examples from Google Books: "Borrowed a calf from me to toll a cow home" (1910) "as you may toll a pig into a butcher's shop with one ear of corn" (1900) "will we have some kind of feed in there to toll the cow?" (1903) "'...and tell Ferdinand to toll the horses here as fast as he can.' Ferdinand coaxingly approached the refractory steeds, shaking the pail...." (1871) Now, I know tolling a pumpkin doesn't quite make sense, but it sure sounds like "tolled". |
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03 Sep 09 - 02:16 AM (#2715187) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Old Hat (Leake County Revelers) From: MGM·Lion I learned from Tom Paley a Lynchburg version, which he called Goin'·Down·Town, whose first verse was 'I went Down to town To get me a bottle of wine. They hitched me to the whipping-post And give me 49. Goin' down town [2] I'm goin' down to Lynchburg Town, Gonna carry my tobacky down.' Second verse: 'I went back to town To get me a drink of gin. They hitched me back to the whipping-post And give me hell agin'. Then any of the usual this·sort·of·song floaters, incl old hat, possum/racoon, girl-on-shelf, needle&thread/up the road &c; concluding 'Times is gettin' hard boys, Money's gettin' scarce. Just pay me for my tobacky boys, I'm a-goin' to leave this place'. The first two, 'whipping-post' verses bring the version in with a swing, & do not appear to be quoted in any of the versions noted above on this thread. |
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03 Sep 09 - 02:21 AM (#2715188) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Old Hat (Leake County Revelers) From: MGM·Lion In fact, I find by searching, a similar version, Lomax Ky 1937, appears on DT as Lynchburg Town, with the 'whipping post' verses at the end. |
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06 Sep 09 - 08:44 PM (#2717726) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Old Hat (Leake County Revelers) From: Peter M Yes, this is a hard one! Here's my current interpretation: The Old Hat as recorded by the Leake County Revelers When you hear your cow a-lowing You know it's milking time Move back your leg old Jersey And let your milk come down (Chorus) Gwine on down to town Gwine on down to town I'm goin' on down to Vicksburg town To make my banjo sound I went up to Shoofly's house Shoofly wasn't at home I ate all of Shoofly's meat And I left Shoofly the bone The Devil stole a pumpkin And he rolled it away to town And the Good Lord happened to see him And he throwed his pumpkin down Raccoon up a simmon tree Possum on the ground And the possum said to the raccoon You should shake some simmons down Raccoon on the mainline Possum on the switch But the rabbit ain't no railroad man But he's a running son of a gun Peter |