American Ballads and Folk Songs

Alan Lomax

Courier Corporation, Jan 1, 1994 - Music - 625 pages

"A book to cherish permanently." "The New York Times.
"With this ample collection of authentic ballads and songs, you can immerse yourself in the rich tradition and heritage of American folk music. Discover the diversity, spontaneity, free-flowing melody, and sheer invention of scores of songs sung by cowboys and convicts, lumberjacks, hobos, miners, plantation slaves, mountaineers, soldiers, and many others.
One of the remarkable features of this collection is its authenticity. Many of the songs were recorded "on location" by noted folklorist John A. Lomax and his even more famous son, Alan, as they traveled around the United States. The results are firsthand versions of music and lyrics for over 200 railroad songs, chain-gang songs, mountain songs, Creole songs, cocaine and whisky songs, "reels," minstrel songs, songs of childhood, and a host of others. Among them are such time-honored favorites as "John Henry," "Goin' Home," "Frankie and Albert," "Down in the Valley," "Little Brown Jug," "Alabama-Bound," "Shortenin' Bread," "Skip to My Lou," "Frog Went a-Courtin'," and a host of others. An excellent introduction, notes on each song, a bibliography, and an index round out this extensive and valuable collection.
Musician, musicologists, folklorists, singers anyone interested in American folk music will welcome this treasury of timeless song gathered in one handy, inexpensive volume.
"

Contents

• John Henry: 3
• Steel Laying Holler: 10
• The HeavyHipted Woman: 13
• Tie Shuffling Chant: 14
• Tie Tamping Chant: 17
• Paddy Works on the Erie: 20
• Mike: 23
• The Gila Monster Route: 24
• Hallelujah Burn Again: 26
• Ten Thousand Miles from Home: 28
• The Wreck on the C O: 31
• NachulBorn Easman: 34
• Casey Jones: 36
• The Wreck of the SixWheel Driver: 39
• Ol John Brown: 40
• Charley Snyder: 41
• THE LEVEE CAMP: 43
• Shack Bully Holler: 45
• Reason I Stay on Job So Long: 46
• Gwineter Harness in de Mornin Soon: 47
• Levee Camp Holler: 49
• Shot My Pistol in de Heart of Town: 52
• SONGS FROM SOUTHERN CHAIN GANGS: 55
• Ain No Mo Cane on de Brazis: 58
• Black Betty: 60
• The Hammer Song: 61
• Rosie: 62
• Ol Rattler: 66
• Stewball: 68
• De Midnight Special: 71
• Long Gone: 75
• Great Godamighty: 79
• Jumpin Judy: 82
• Goin Home: 84
• NEGRO BAD MEN: 87
• Bad Man Ballad: 89
• Po Lazus: 91
• Stagolee: 93
• Old Bill: 100
• Frankie and Albert: 103
• Ida Red: 110
• Big Jim: 111
• De Ballit of de Boll Weevil: 112
• Bill Martin and Ella Speed: 117
• Railroad Bill: 118
• WHITE DESPERADOES: 121
• Spanish Johnny: 123
• John Harty: 124
• Sam Bass: 126
• Jesse James: 128
• Quantrell: 132
• Sam Hall: 133
• Jim Haggertys Story: 135
• Billy the Kid: 136
• The Cryderville Jail: 138
• Po Boy: 142
• SONGS FROM THE MOUNTAINS: 145
• Down in the Valley: 147
• Every Night When the Sun Goes In: 149
• The Roving Gambler: 150
• I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground: 152
• Sugar Babe: 153
• When I Was Single the Woman: 154
• When I Was Single the Man: 156
• Darlin: 158
• Polly WIlliams: 159
• The Bear in the Hill: 162
• The Little Mohee: 163
• COCAINE AND WHISKY: 167
• Drink That Rot Gut: 169
• Rye Whisky: 170
• The Drunkards Doom: 174
• Little Brown Jug: 176
• Adieu to Bon County: 178
• Good Ol Mountain Dew: 180
• Lulu: 182
• Willie the Weeper: 184
• Honey Take a Whiff on Me: 186
• THE BLUE: 189
• Cornfield Holler: 191
• Dirty Mistreatin Women: 192
• Dinks Blues: 193
• Dinks Song: 195
• Woman Blue: 196
• Go Way fom Mah Window: 198
• Shorty George: 199
• The Cholly Blues: 201
• Fare Thee Well Babe: 204
• AlabamaBound: 206
• CREOLE NEGROES: 211
• Michie Preval: 213
• Remon: 215
• Criole Candjo: 216
• Un Deux Trois: 218
• Aurore Pradere: 220
• Ou Som Souroucou: 222
• Salangadou: 223
• Reels: 225
• Foller de Drinkin Goud: 227
• Run Nigger Run: 228
• Pick a Bale o Cotton: 231
• Hard to Be a Nigger: 233
• Shortenin Bread: 234
• Sandy Lan: 236
• Pattin: 237
• a Little Gal at Our House: 238
• c Das All Right Baby: 239
• Cotton Field Song: 240
• De Grey Goose: 242
• Julie Ann Johnson: 244
• My Yallow Gall: 245
• De Black Gal: 246
• MINSTREL TYPES: 249
• The Ballad of Davy Crockett: 251
• Raise a Rukas Tonight: 253
• When de Good Lord Sets You Free: 254
• Old Dan Tucker: 258
• CottonEyed Joe: 262
• BREAKDOWNS AND PLAY PARTIES: 265
• The Arkansas Traveller: 267
• Groun Hog: 271
• Cumberland Gap: 274
• Sourwood Mountain: 276
• Old Joe Clark: 277
• The Gal I Left Behind Me: 280
• a That Pretty Little Gal: 281
• b A cowboy version: 282
• Ol Mother Hare: 283
• Liza Jane: 284
• BlackEyed Susie: 286
• Louisiana Girls: 288
• Weevily Wheat: 290
• Way Over in the Blooming Garden: 293
• Skip to My Lou: 294
• Shoot the Buffalo: 296
• Going to Boston: 297
• ShooShooShooLye: 298
• SONGS OF CHILDHOOD: 301
• What Folks Are Made of: 303
• All the Pretty Little Horses: 304
• The Old Gray Goose: 305
• Long Time Ago: 306
• Three Pigs: 307
• Tale of a Little Pig: 308
• Frog Went aCourtin: 310
• Crows in the Garden: 314
• The Connecticut Peddler: 317
• Billy Boy: 320
• Paper of Pins: 323
• Hardly Think I Will: 325
• I Love Little Willie: 327
• MISCELLANY: 329
• The Factory Girl: 331
• Hard Times: 332
• On Meeshegan: 334
• Tearin Outa Wilderness: 336
• The Man on the Flying Trapeze: 338
• Ye Ballade of Ivan Petrovsky Skevar: 341
• Beautiful: 344
• The Highly Educated Man: 346
• Darky Sunday School: 351
• The Old Bachelor: 354
• Rattle Snake: 356
• VAQUEROS OF THE SOUTHWEST: 359
• Alla en el Rancho Grande: 361
• El Amor Que Te Tenia: 362
• El Abandonado: 364
• Cuatro Palomitas Blancas: 366
• Tragedia de Heraclio Bernal: 368
• COWBOY SONGS: 373
• From the Chuck Wagon: 375
• The Old Chizzum Trial: 376
• When I Was a Cowboy: 379
• Cowboy to Pitching Bronco: 381
• Other Cowboy Boasting Chants: 382
• Goodby Old Paint: 383
• Git Along Little Dogies: 385
• The Buffalo Skinners: 390
• The Stampede: 392
• Mustang Gray: 395
• Hell in Texas: 397
• Arizona: 401
• The Killer: 403
• Snagtooth Sal: 405
• Tying a Knot in the Devils Tail: 406
• Susan Van Dusan: 409
• The Cowboys Dream: 410
• Red River Shore: 412
• Roy Bean: 413
• An Idaho Cowboy Dance: 415
• In Town: 416
• Bucking Bronco: 417
• Poor Lonesome Cowboy: 418
• SONGS OF THE OVERLANDERS: 419
• Joe Bowers: 421
• Sweet Betsy from Pike: 424
• Crossing the Plains: 427
• Coming Around the Horn: 429
• The BullWhacker: 430
• Brighten Young: 432
• Greer County: 434
• THE MINER: 435
• The HardWorking Miner: 437
• The Dreary Black Hills: 438
• Just from Dawson: 440
• THE SHANTYBOY: 443
• The Lost Jimmie Whalen: 445
• The ShantyBoy and the Farmers Son: 446
• Gerrys Rocks: 448
• Bung Yer Eye: 450
• The Banks of the Pamanaw: 451
• THE ERIE CANAL: 453
• Ballad of the Erie Canal: 455
• The Erie Canal: 457
• The Erie Canal Ballad: 459
• Erie Canal: 464
• A Trip on the Erie: 465
• Low Bridge Everybody Down: 467
• The Erie: 470
• The Raging Canall: 471
• THE GREAT LAKES: 475
• Red Iron Ore: 477
• SAILORS AND SEA FIGHTS: 481
• Johnny Come Down to Hilo: 483
• Heave Away: 485
• Whisky Johnny: 486
• The Rio Grande: 488
• The Black Ball Line: 489
• Blow the Man Down: 491
• Get Up Jack John Sit Down: 493
• Jack Wrack: 494
• The Boston ComeAllYe: 496
• The Wonderful Crocodile: 498
• Captain Robert Kidd: 501
• The Flying Cloud: 504
• Constitution and Guerriere: 507
• Siege of Plattsburg: 510
• The Buccaneers: 512
• Destroyer Life: 514
• WARS AND SOLDIERS: 519
• Yankee Doodle: 521
• Braddocks Defeat: 526
• John Browns Body: 528
• Hold On Abraham: 529
• Dixie: 531
• War Song: 534
• Good Old Rebel: 535
• Benny Havens Oh: 540
• The Wild Mizzourye: 543
• Shenandoah: 546
• Damn the Filipinos: 547
• A Rookies Lament: 548
• The Company Cook: 551
• Weve Done Our Hitch in Hell: 552
• If You Want to Know Where the Privates Are: 554
• The Hearse Song: 556
• Hinky Dinky ParleyVoo?: 557
• WHITE SPIRITUALS: 561
• Bear the News Mary: 563
• Parting Friends: 564
• Burges: 565
• Few Days: 566
• Wedlock: 567
• Wicked Polly: 569
• Now Our Meetings Over: 571
• The Other Shore: 572
• Amazing Grace: 573
• NEGRO SPIRITUALS: 575
• Many Thousands Go: 577
• Mone Member Mone: 578
• Moanin: 579
• Healin Waters: 581
• Ligion So Sweet: 582
• Dives and Lazus: 583
• Set Down Servant: 584
• Oh Lawd How Long?: 586
• Never Said a Mumbalin Word: 587
• Hell and Heaven: 588
• Man Goin Round: 591
• Goodby Mother: 592
• This Train: 593
• Deep River: 594
• Blin Man Stood on de Way an Cried: 596
• Dese Bones Gwine to Rise Again: 597
• Hard Trials: 600
• Dat Lonesome Stream: 602
• Woe Be unto You: 604
• Tone de Bell Easy: 605
• Swing Low Sweet Chariot: 608
• When My Blood Runs Chilly and Col: 610
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 614
• INDEX: 623

Bibliographic information

• Title: American Ballads and Folk Songs; Dover books on music; [David Lewis Crosby collection]
• Author: Alan Lomax
• Editor: John Avery Lomax
• Translated by: George Lyman Kittredge
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Courier Corporation, 1994
• ISBN: 0486282767, 9780486282763
• Length: 625 pages
• Subjects: Music / General; Music / Genres & Styles / Pop Vocal; Music / Instruction & Study / Voice; Music / Printed Music / General