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05 Mar 06 - 08:32 PM (#1686058) Subject: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: GUEST,JL, Bennington College Hello all, I am doing a mini-unit comparaing the "Sweet Sunny South" to "Darling Nelly Gray" at a local school in a few days. I found tons of info on DNG, but not a lot on SSS, or, at least, there seem to be many songs by that title. I'm looking for into on the song: Take me back to the place where I first saw the light To the sweet sunny south take me home Where the mockingbirds sing me to rest every night Oh, why was I tempted to roam? And so on. Can anybody tell me from when this song dates? Who wrote it? Was it a minstrel show song? I'd appreciate your knowledge or sources you can point to. Thank you, Jonathan |
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05 Mar 06 - 08:41 PM (#1686062) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Peace Info here. I will dig further. |
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05 Mar 06 - 08:55 PM (#1686065) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Peace Interesting bit at the bottom of the page. The writer seems to be saying that the lyrics were 'corrected' for PCness. Therefore, the version in which the Massa is in the ground seems to give foundation to your remark about minstrel shows, etc. Sweet Sunny South (Take Me Back) * Take me back to the place where I first saw the light To the sweet sunny south take me home Where the mockingbird sang me to sleep in the night Oh, why was I tempted to roam? Well, I think with regret of the dear home I left Of the warm hearts that sheltered me then Of the loved ones and family of whom I'm bereft And I sigh for the old place again Take me back to the place where the orange trees grow To my cot in the evergreen shade Where the flowers on the river's green margin did grow And spread their sweet scents through the glade Oh, the path to our cottage they say has grown green And the place is quite lonely around And I know that the faces and forms I have seen Now lie deep in the cold mossy ground Take me back to the place where my little ones sleep And my parents are buried close by O'er the graves of my loved ones I long for to weep And among them to rest when I die Oh, and yet I'll return to the home of my birth Where my children have played 'round the door Where they plucked the wild flowers that bloomed from the earth That will echo their footsteps no more Take me back, let me see what is left that I knew Can it be that the old house is gone? Oh, the friends of my childhood indeed must be few And I must be left all alone Take me back to the place where I first saw the light To the sweet sunny south take me home Where the mockingbird sang me to sleep in the night Oh, why was I tempted to roam? Oh, why was I tempted to roam? _________________________________________________________________ * I wrote this out from memory, not from any particular version. I originally got my version from the "official" lyric in the book "Heart Songs", but modified it to modernize it, gender- neutralize it, and/or make it more politically correct. Since then, I've probably forgotten or garbled it some. When I perform this, I sing the verses in pairs, with solos between pairs of verses. For that reason, I repeat the first verse at the end, so it'll come out even. (Also, that warns people that the end is coming.) |
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05 Mar 06 - 09:03 PM (#1686067) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Peace Sweet Sunny South Take me back to the place where I first saw the light To that sweet sunny south take me home Where the mockingbird sings me to sleep every night Oh why was I tempted to roam I think with regret of the dear home I left Of the warm hearts that sheltered me there Of wife and of children of whom I'm bereft Of the old place again do I sigh Take me back to the place where the orange trees grow To my plot in the evergreen shade Where the flowers from the river's green margins did grow And spread their sweet scent through the glade Take me back let me see what is left that I know Could it be that the old house is gone Dear friends from my childhood indeed must be few And I must face death all alone The path to our cottage they say has grown green And the place is quite lonely around I know that the smiles and the forms I once knew Now lie beneath the cold mossy ground But yet I return to the place of my birth Where the children have played ‘round the door Where they gathered wild blossoms that grew ‘round the path Twill echo their footsteps no more Take me back to the place where my little ones sleep Where poor massa lies buried close by O'er the graves of my loved ones I long for to weep and rest there among them when I die |
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05 Mar 06 - 09:31 PM (#1686085) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Peace "to a Civil War ballad ("The Sweet Sunny South")." From http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:Gqlu5AP-bYsJ:www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1124875/a/Shady%2BGrove.htm+Sweet+Sunny |
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05 Mar 06 - 10:14 PM (#1686111) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Stewie Meade et alia 'Country Music Sources' cites: 'W.L. Bloomfield 1853/Raymond ca 1850s'. Earliest printed source given is 'Buckley's New Orleans Serenaders Song Book For the Parlour (NYC: P.J.Cozans 1855, pp59-60)'. [Info from Meade p343]. --Stewie. |
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06 Mar 06 - 01:08 AM (#1686194) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Q (Frank Staplin) American Memory has fiddle versions. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html American Memory (Click on Music and enter Sweet Sunny South in the search blank). There are two songs with this title, so check the notes in The Traditional Ballad Index. SWS (II) is the one you are looking for. Traditional Ballad Index Enter "Sweet Sunny South" in the Search blank. The notes given there may help you to other references. Music for a folk version collected in North Carolina is given in Brown, North Carolina Folklore, vol. V, The Music of the Folk Songs, pp. 264-265. One verse given (perhaps more lyrics and versions in vol. II): Take me home to the place where I first saw the light, To the sweet sunny south take me home, Where the mockingbird would sing me to rest ev'ry night; Oh, why was I tempted to roam? Take me home, take me home. To my sweet sunny south take me home, Where the mockingbird would sing me to rest ev'ry night; Oh, why was I tempted to roam? |
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06 Mar 06 - 01:14 AM (#1686195) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Q (Frank Staplin) See the versions and notes in thread 53767 here at Mudcat. Some useful information. Sweet Sunny South |
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06 Mar 06 - 09:28 AM (#1686369) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: Bob the Postman The Da Costa Woltz recording has recently been reissued on Legacy's Charlie Poole compilation entitled "You Ain't Talkin To Me". It is the ultimate source of the Garcia/Grisman cover on "Shady Grove". |
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03 Sep 09 - 05:44 PM (#2715746) Subject: sweet sunny south From: The Sandman here is some lovely banjo.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQTB0wBk-04 |
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03 Sep 09 - 07:40 PM (#2715818) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: GUEST,Gerry Nicely sung by Joan Baez, circa 1970, on the One Day At A Time album (I think). |
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04 Sep 09 - 07:37 PM (#2716476) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: The Sandman heres a version using a up picking, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6of6YhTxlNM I havent been playing very long but hope you enjoy |
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09 Sep 09 - 07:34 AM (#2719664) Subject: RE: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: The Sandman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDIs_50cLyU |
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13 Jun 19 - 01:39 PM (#3996294) Subject: Origins: Sweet Sunny South From: GUEST,Jimmy Mahone, Seneca, SC I know I'm a few years late joining this thread. For the origin of the song known as "Sweet Sunny South," suggest you see the Library of Congress image for "Take Me Home" (published 1853) on https://www.loc.gov/resource/sm1853.710410.0?st=gallery. The lyrics of that song should answer your question.
Thanks. -Joe Offer, Mudcat Music Editor- |