Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Update: November 5, 2019
This post showcases two sound files of the prison work song "Old Dollar Mamie" (also known as "Dollar Mamie"). Information about "Old Dollar Mamie" and a transcription of this song's lyrics are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to the identified and the unidentified men who sang this work song in the examples which are featured below. My heart goes out to all those who sung such an emotionally moving song under such terrible conditions. My thanks also to the John and Alan Lomax, the collectors & recorders of this song. Thanks to the publishers of this song on YouTube.
Hat tip to Julia Glanville whose comments about "Dollar Mamie" in July 1, 2016 on a pancocojams post about the song "Rock Island Line"a reminded me about this song.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/06/o-berta-prison-blues.html for another prison work song from Parchman Farm, Mississippi
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SUMMARY STATEMENT ABOUT "DOLLAR MAMIE"
"Old Dollar Mamie" is an African American call & response work song that was recorded being sung by prison chain gang workers in South Carolina (1922).
"Dollar Mamie" was also recorded being sung as a work song by prisoners in the infamous Parchman Farm prison in Mississippi. (1959). The percussive sound of the singers' swinging their axes is the only accompaniment to the men's voices in this song.
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LYRICS - OLD DOLLAR MAMIE
Old Dollar Mamie told-a,
Old Dollar Bob well-a
Old Dollar Mamie told-a,
Old Dollar Bob well-a
Old Dollar Mamie told-a,
Old Dollar Bob well-a,
Well the dress she wanted cost-a,
Dollar a yard, well-a,
Dollar a yard, baby,
Dollar a yard, well-a.
Well the dress she wanted cost-a,
Dollar a yard, well-a.
Well, you hush, hush, Mamie, don't you,
Don't you say nary a word, well-a,
Well, you hush, hush, Mamie, don't you,
Don't you say nary a word, well-a,
Well, you hush, hush, Mamie, don't you,
Don't you say nary a word, well-a,
Well you shall have it, if it's,
In this world, well-a,
In this world, baby,
In this world, well-a,
Well you shall have it, if it's,
In this world, well-a.
Old Dollar Mamie turned her,
Turned her head and cried, well-a,
Old Dollar Mamie turned her,
Turned her head and cried, well-a,
Old Dollar Mamie turned her,
Turned her head and cried, well-a,
You could hear her call, well-a,
For a level mile, well-a,
For a level mile, well-a,
For a level mile, well-a,
You could hear her call, well-a,
For a level mile, well-a.
Well, I'm going to Memphis, well-a,
When I get my 'role, well-a.
Well, I'm going to Memphis, well-a,
When I get my 'role, well-a.
Well, I'm going to Memphis, well-a,
When I get my 'role, well-a.
Stand on the levee, well-a,
Hear the big boats blow, well-a,
Hear the big boats blow, well-a,
Hear the big boats blow, well-a.
Stand on the levee, well-a,
Hear the big boats blow, well-a.
The Katy left Memphis with-a,
With a hundred men, well-a.
The Katy left Memphis with-a,
With a hundred men, well-a.
The Katy left Memphis with-a,
With a hundred men, well-a.
In Arkansas City, well-a,
Didn't have but ten, well-a.
Didn't have but ten, well-a,
Didn't have but ten, well-a,
In Arkansas City, well-a,
Didn't have but ten, well-a.
Well you raise 'em higher, let 'em,
Let 'em drop on down.
Well you raise 'em higher, let 'em,
Let 'em drop on down.
Well you raise 'em higher, let 'em,
Let 'em drop on down.
You won't know the difference, when the,
When the sun goes down, well-a.
When the sun goes down, well-a,
When the sun goes down, well-a.
You won't know the difference, when the,
When the sun goes down, well-a.
From Alan Lomax's Prison Songs, Historical Recordings from Parchman Farm, 1947-48, Volume One: Murderous Home.*
[posted by Roger in Baltimore; http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=14515
-snip-
Here's some information about the 1947-1948 recording from http://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/get-audio-detailed-recording.do?recordingId=4245
James Carter [axe, vocal]
Ed Lewis [axe, vocal]
Henry Mason, [axe]
Johnny Lee Moore [axe, vocal]
Setting: Parchman Farm, Camp B (Mississippi) 9/19-9/20, 1959
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Lyrics #2:
Old Dollar Mamie / Benny Will "22" Richardson and Group (Hoe Song)
...Mamie told her old Dollar Bob, well
Old Dollar Mamie told her old Dollar Bob, well
Old Dollar Mamie told her old Dollar Bob, well
The dress she want cost a dollar a yard, well
Oh dollar a yard, baby, Oh a dollar a yard, well
The dress she want cost a dollar a yard, well
Well you hush hush, Mamie, don't you, don't say no word
Hush hush, Mamie, don't you, don't say no word, when you
Hush hush, Mamie, don't you, don't say a word baby
You shall have it, if it's in this world*
If it's in this world, if it's in this world
You shall have it if it's, well in the world, well
[can't make out next verse]
I'm going to Memphis when I get parole, well
Oh come to Memphis when I get parole, baby
I'm going to Memphis when I, well get parole, well
Stand on the levee hear those big boats blow, well
The big boats blowin', the big boats blowin'
Go to the levee and hear, those big boats blow, well
Well the Katy left Memphis with a, with a hundred men, well
Well the Katy left Memphis with a, with a hundred men, well
Well the Katy left Memphis with a, with a hundred men, well
In [?] City she didn't have but ten, well
Didn't have but ten, didn't have but ten, well
In [?] City she didn't have but ten, well
Raise up higher, let 'um, drop 'em down, well
Well Raise up up higher, let 'um, drop 'em down, well
Well you Raise up up higher, let 'um, drop 'em down, well
Well, you won't know the difference when the sun goes down, well
When the sun goes down, baby, when the sun goes down, well
Well, you won't know the difference when the sun goes down, well
*Lomax quotes this as Vicksburg
posted on https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=6221.0 by TSF
Re: Negro Prison Blues and Songs, March 23, 2016 [along with transcriptions of a number of other prison songs]
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Both of these examples replace the two sound files which are no longer available on YouTube.
Example #1: 22 - Old Dollar Mamie
Grammercy Records, Oct 31, 2012
[...]
Old Dollar Mamie
Artist
22 With Group
Album
Blues From The Big House
-snip-
"22" is Benny Will "22" Richardson (and group)
from Lomax's Global Jukebox, here:
Parchman Farm 1947:http://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/get-audio-ix.do?ix=recording&id=10268&idType=sessionId&sortBy=abc
Parchman Farm 1948: http://research.culturalequity.org/rc-b2/get-audio-ix.do?ix=recording&id=10265&idType=sessionId&sortBy=abc [cited in https://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=6221.0 WeenieCampbell.com
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Example #2: Long John & Old Alabama & Old Dollar Mamie
South Carolina Chain Gang - Topic, Jan 7, 2019
Provided to YouTube by Daredo
Long John & Old Alabama & Old Dollar Mamie · South Carolina Chain Gang
Jumpin Judy
℗ Editione Jazz IT
Released on: 2018-07-21
Music Publisher: Edizione Jazz
Composer: South Carolina Chain Gang
-snip-
"Old Dollar Mamie" is sung from 3:02-6:27 in this sound file.
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Could somebody talk about the meaning of this song?
ReplyDeleteFor those who don't know american slang it is not easy to understand. I also guess there are some hidden meanings about freedom as in negro spirutuals?
Thanks in advance
Unknown, thanks for your request.
ReplyDeleteThe words to Negro (I prefer the term: African American) prison aren't really considered "American slang" or African American slang. Instead, I would refer to these lyrics as mostly "vernacular [informal] English" with many informal words from the 1940s/1950s aren't used any more in everyday American English, or aren't used in the same way they were then.
Some African American prison work songs have references to prison. But I don't think that the ones in "Old Dollar Mamie" are coded (have hidden meanings).
Also, I don't think that African American spirituals always had hidden meanings (about escaping from enslavement). But that's another subject.
By the way, as a matter of information, "Negro" is an out dated term for African Americans/Black Americans which hasn't been used since around the late 1960s. Spelling that word with a small "n" is considered very offensive.
(I mention this just for your information. I'm sure you didn't mean any harm.)
My attempt at explaining the words to "Old Dollar Mamie" is in my next comment.
Here's my attempt at explaining the song "Old Dollar Mamie" based on the first lyric transcription that is given in this pancocojams post [additions and corrections are welcome)
Deleteverse #1- "Old Dollar Mamie" and "Old Dollar Bob" are nicknames for a woman and a man who may not actually be "old". They are a couple (in a romantic relationship together).
A "dollar" is a unit of money in the United States.
Old Dollar Mamie wanted a dress that cost a dollar a yard.
verse #2 - Old Dollar Mamie is crying because she wants that dress. Old Dollar Bob tells her to stop crying (hush) because he will buy it for her if it is at all possible (if it's in this world)
Verse #3- Old Dollar Mamie cried so loud you could hear here crying for a mile (a level mile is probably flat ground without hills or mountains).
My guess is that implication is that Old Dollar Bob was taken to prison.
verse #4- The lead singer says that when he gets his parole (gets out of prison) he's going to stand on the levee (a landing place next to a river) and watch the boats go by blowing their (signal) horn.
verse #5 -The Katy is a nickname for a boat. My guess that this boat is carrying men who are being taken to prison. It started with 100 men but when that boat reached a certain city it only had ten men.
Verse #6- This verse instructs the singers who are in a prison chain gang how to lift and then drop their hoes. The lead says no matter how hard they work and how much they cut, they won't really notice the difference at the end of the day (when the sun goes down).
Wow these lyrics are so heavy…. I’ve loved this song for years but never understood the meaning. My attempts to understand were woefully wrong, but I could hear the spirit in the song of the desire for a better life. I am white, but still have had many feelings of being marginalized and wanting a better life. I could hear this in their voice, and thanks to your “translation” I can better understand the meaning. thank you for doing this :’)
Delete