"Swing And Turn Jubilee" Play Party Song (sung by Jean Ritchie)

collageweekly, Dec 18, 2012

Here's Jean Ritchie- Jubilee. I couldn't find it anywhere on YouTube so I made my own. Enjoy!

No copyright infringement intended.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest update - April 20, 2026*

This is Part III of a multi-part pancocojams series on the word "jubilee" .

This post showcases a YouTube audio file of folk singer Jean Ritchie singing the Appalachian play party song "Swing And Turn Jubilee" (also given as "Jubilee").

This post also presents information about (White) American singer Jean Ritchie as well as general information about play party songs, information about the song "Swing And Turn, Jubilee" and information about the word "Jubilee" in this song.

This information is provided from selected comments from a Mudcat folk music discussion thread (in which Jean Ritchie provides a comment), selected comments from the discussion thread of this post's showcase YouTube sound file, as well as from Wikipedia,  from two AI Overview write-ups, and from other websites. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/07/mcintosh-county-shouters-jubilee-black.html for Part I of this series. That post presents YouTube videos, information about, and lyrics for the ring shout "Jubilee" ("Jubilee In The Morning"). That pancocojams post was published on July 5, 2023.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/information-about-original-fisk-jubilee.html for Part II of this series. That post presents information about the original Fisk Jubilee singers and information about six other Black American singing groups with the word "jubilee" in their names.

The links to any other parts of this series will be added as they are published.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Jean Ritchie for her musical legacy. Thanks to the unknown composer of this song and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
This post may depart from this pancocojams blog's mission of showcasing the music, dances, language practices, & customs of African Americans and of other people of Black descent throughout the world.

I wrote "may" because the composer of this Appalachian play party song is unknown.

I'm aware that Jean Ritchie was a White American woman from the state of Kentucky and Kentucky is part of the Appalachian region of the United States. However, contrary to widely held beliefs in the United States, Black people historically have lived in Appalachia and Black people still live in Appalachia.

Furthermore, contrary to the beliefs of some folklorists and others who know this play party song "Swing And Turn Jubilee" Jean Ritchie publicly indicated that neither she nor her family composed this play party song. Read comment #7 Mudcat Selected Comments" in this pancocojams post. In that comment, Jean Ritchie wrote that she got "Swing And Turn Jubilee" from someone in her community and that it was well known in that community. Whether or not there were any Black people in Ritchie's community, my point is that "Swing And Turn Jubilee" could have originated with a Black person. and/or "Swing And Turn Jubilee" could have been part of the cross racial music composing and music performances that occurred in Appalachia and elsewhere in the United States at that time and later.  

Be that as it may, I'm showcasing "Swing And Turn Jubilee" because I'm interested in learning more about and sharing information and examples of play party songs.

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TWO AI OVERVIEW WRITE-UPS ABOUT THE WORD "JUBILEE" IN THE PLAY PARTY SONG "SWING AND TURN JUBILEE"

from AI Overview #1 [These AI write-ups are  the results of my April 19, 2026 query on this subject. I numbered these write-ups for referencing purposes only. I asked the question two times to see if there were any differences to the results.]

"In the folk song and singing game "Swing and Turn/Jubilee," Jubilee represents a joyful, high-energy dance celebration, often signaling a time of release, fun, and communal togetherness. Rooted in Appalachian tradition, the term implies a festive, chaotic "whirlwind" dance reel rather than just a formal anniversary.

Musical/Dance Meaning: "Jubilee" functions as a vibrant refrain in the singing game, encouraging dancers to swing partners with energy.

Cultural Context: In Appalachian folklore, it signifies a lively party or community gathering where "swingin' in the true love's arms" is the "easiest work".

Alternative Significance: While in some contexts, "Jubilee" in African American folk traditions refers to freedom from hardship or slavery, in the context of "Swing and Turn," it is primarily a term for joyful, often impromptu, celebration.

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AI Overview #2

"In the Appalachian folk song "Swing and Turn, Jubilee," the word Jubilee serves as a euphemism for a dance or a joyous celebration.

Historically, this term was used to bypass religious restrictions on dancing in Kentucky mountain communities.

Key Meanings in the Song

The "Play-Party" Euphemism: In many strict Appalachian religious communities, dancing to instruments like fiddles was considered sinful. To get around this, communities created "singing games" or "play-parties" where participants sang the music themselves while performing dance movements like "reeling" or "swinging". Calling the event a "Jubilee" made it socially and religiously acceptable.

A Biblical Reference to Freedom: The word originates from the biblical "Year of Jubilee" (Leviticus 25), a time every 50 years when slaves were freed and debts were forgiven. In the context of folk music—especially African American spirituals and later Appalachian music—it symbolizes a time of deliverance, future happiness, and communal joy.

Musical Style: In a broader folk context, "jubilee" also refers to a specific style of up-tempo, rhythmic performance, often associated with spirituals or quartets that emphasize celebration and exultation.

 Origin and Popularity

The song is a traditional "gamesong" famously recorded by Jean Ritchie in 1952. It describes a reel where dancers face each other in lines and "swing" down the length of the formation, with the word "Jubilee" acting as a rhythmic call for the dancers to move."

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INFORMATION ABOUT PLAY PARTY SONGS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_party_(United_States)
"A play party is a social event in which toddlers gather to sing and dance. Play parties began in the 1830s in the United States as a route around strict religious practices banning dancing and the playing of musical instruments. The areas most influenced by the practice were the Southern and Midwestern parts of the United States. Folk songs, many of European and English origin, were used as means to give the attendants choreographed movements for each phrase. No instruments were played at the events, as they were banned by the religious movements of the area. Singing and clapping were used to convey each song. Because dancing was banned, the movements took on the quality of children's games. Though the performance of play parties dwindled in the 1950s, music educators use them as ways to incorporate music and dance in their classrooms.[1]

Some traditional examples of play-parties are: Skip to My Lou, Buffalo Gals, Bingo, Pop Goes the Weasel, Old Dan Tucker, Coffee Grows on White Oak Trees, and Shoot the Buffalo."

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INFORMATION ABOUT JEAN RITCHIE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Ritchie
"Jean Ruth Ritchie (December 8, 1922 – June 1, 2015) was an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player,[1] called by some the "Mother of Folk".[2] In her youth she learned hundreds of folk songs in the traditional way (orally, from her family and community), many of which were Appalachian variants of centuries-old British, Scottish and Irish songs, including dozens of Child Ballads.[3][4] In adulthood, she shared these songs with wide audiences,[5] as well as writing some of her own songs using traditional foundations.[4]

She is ultimately responsible for the revival of the Appalachian dulcimer, the traditional instrument of her community, which she popularized by playing the instrument on her albums and writing tutorial books.[4]

She also spent time collecting folk music in the United States and in Britain and Ireland,[6][7] in order to research the origins of her family songs and help preserve traditional music.[4]

She inspired a wide array of musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Shirley Collins, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and Judy Collins.[5][2][8]"

Out of Kentucky

Family

Jean Ritchie was born to Abigail (née Hall) Ritchie (1877–1972) and Balis Wilmar Ritchie (1869–1958) of Viper, an unincorporated community in Perry County in the Cumberland Mountains of southeastern Kentucky.[1] Along with the Combs family of adjacent Knott County,[a] the Ritchies of Perry County were one of the two "great ballad-singing families" of Kentucky celebrated among folk song scholars"...

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM MUDCAT DISCUSSION FORUM ABOUT THE PLAY PARTY SONG "SWING AND TURN JUBILEE" (Including a comment from Jean Ritchie)

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=31807

1. Subject: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: banjogal
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 11:26 AM

"Anyone know the history of this tune? Who wrote it or if it's traditional, any other verses, where it came from....

Thanks"

**
2. Subject: RE: Help: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 12:21 PM

"It's from Jean Ritchie, and is probably under copyright. She's an occasional Mudcatter, so she can answer your question better than anyone else! Come on in, Kytrad!"

**
3. Subject: RE: Help: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 01:05 PM

"Looks to me from the DT like there are a number of floating verses from Shady Grove, Get Along Home, Cindy, I'm Goin' Down to Lynchburg Town et al; my favorite verse of this type is:

 

Love it is a killing thing,

Beauty is a blossem,

If you want your finger bit,

Poke it at a possum.

 

But then there's also:

 

I'm gonna get some sticks and stones,

Build my chimney higher,

So when that old tom cat comes by,

He won't put out my fire."
-snip-
"The  DT" is the "Digital Tradition", a repository of folk song lyrics that is housed on the online Mudcat folk music forum.

**
4. Subject: RE: Help: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: Pinetop Slim
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 01:48 PM

"Sandy, from her last postings, I'd guess Jean Ritchie still has another week or so on her 50th anniversary Caribbean cruise. Alan Lomax, in Folk Songs of N. America, says she recorded it for him in 1949. "A composite of stanzas from many play-party and square dance songs. Last two verses added from the record Southern Singing Games, Elektra EKLP 2."

**
5. Subject: RE: Help: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 03:22 PM

"I haven't looked, but isn't the song included in her Singing Family of the Cumberlands? Granted, it's a "zipper verse" type of song, but if Alan included it in Folk Songs of North America, you can bet your boots that someone has this particular version copyrighted.

I remember Frank Warner singing the "get your finger bit" verse in one of his songs. True, too!"
-snip-
"Zipper verse type of song" = a song that has some floating verses from other songs that can be added to [zippered into] its lyrics. ["Floating verses" are song/rhyme verses that are found in more than one song or rhyme.] 

**
6. Subject: RE: Help: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 04:03 PM

"It's not in "Singing Family," Sandy, but it is in Jean Ritchie's Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians, which I think is still in print. Jean says the song was copyrighted in 1939 by Lynn Rorhbough. Jean says her mother and father used to sing and play this party game when they were courting. I'll send Jean a personal message and ask what she can post about the song."

**
7. Subject: RE: Help: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: kytrad (Jean Ritchie)
Date: 10 Mar 01 - 06:05 PM

"Hello all, and welcome, Banjoperson! Well, Jubilee IS a Ritchie Family gamesong, but I never did a "protective" copyright on it because it was collected from another source in the community- everyone around knew it. A lady named Marian Skein wrote it down at Ary, KY, and it was published by (Mr.) Lynn Rohrbough, Cooperative Recreation Service, Delaware, OH in 1939. Now has become World Around Songs and has a different address (will look it up if anyone REALLY wants to know!).

The verses we sing are pretty well set, as we sang just the number to get us through one turn of the game (circle for as many as will, but our living rooms would hold just about six or seven couples). There's a reel down between the lines at the end, then another couple leads out, as in the Virginia Reel. If anyone needs my verses, holler.

 

Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians was reissued last year by University Press of KY; this year they reissued, The Swapping Song Book. It's like having a second family, very pleasing."...
-snip-
The remainder of this comment refers to the cruise that she had just gotten home from.

**
8. Subject: Origins: Swing and Turn Jubillee
From: lefthanded guitar
Date: 26 Dec 12 - 04:22 PM

"Recently added this song to my playlist and I'm wondering if anyone knows its origins. And what the title is referencing?

There's more than one version of the song btw, I do the one that starts

All Along the Old Railroad."

**
9. Subject: Origins: Swing And Turn, Jubilee
From: MickyMan
Date: 20 Jan 17 - 02:02 PM

"Anybody have some info about the background of this song? Is it traditional or composed?

    I've always been under the impression that it was written by Jean Ritchie, and the version on the digitrad looks like hers in every way. It's not listed with credit for Jean Ritchie, however, but it also doesn't say "Traditional"

    The other day I heard a nice Youtube version by Alyson Kraus on Youtube that was much slower (listed simply as "Jubilee"). It used the same refrain as Ritchie's "Swing and turn, Jubilee    Live and learn, Jubilee. The verses were different, however.

    Are they both writing new verses to an earlier traditional refrain?   What's up?"

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10. Subject: RE: Origins: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Jan 17 - 02:58 PM

"Hi, MickyMan-

I've moved you over to the existing origins thread. See the message above (click) from kytrad (Jean Ritchie). She says it's from her community and her family - not her composition."

**
11.  Subject: ADD Version: Swing and Turn Jubilee (Ritchie)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Dec 20 - 12:53 AM

JUBILEE

All out on the old railroad,
’S’all out on the sea,
’S’all out on the old railroad
Far as eye can see.

     Swing ’n’ turn, Jubilee!
     Live ’n’ learn, Jubilee!

Hardest work I ever done
Working on the farm,
Easiest work I ever done
Swinging my true love’s arm.

      Swing ’n’ turn, Jubilee!
     Live ’n’ learn, Jubilee!

Coffee grows on the white-oak tree,
Sugar runs in brandy,
Boys as pure as a lump of gold,
Girls as sweet as candy.

     Swing ’n’ turn, Jubilee!
     Live ’n’ learn, Jubilee!

If I had me a needle and thread
Fine as I could sew,
Sew my true love to my side,
And down this creek I’d go.

     Swing ’n’ turn, Jubilee!
     Live ’n’ learn, Jubilee!

If I had no horse to ride,
I’d be found a-crawling,
Up and down this rocky road
Looking for my darling.

     Swing ’n’ turn, Jubilee!
     Live ’n’ learn, Jubilee!

All out on the old railroad,
’S’all out on the sea,
’S’all out on the old railroad
Far as eye can see.

     Swing ’n’ turn, Jubilee!
     Live ’n’ learn, Jubilee!

 

Copyright 1940 by Lynn Rohrbough (Cooperative Recreation Service)

From Jean Ritchie's Swapping Song Book (1952 & 1999), page 26"

**
12. Subject: RE: Origins: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: cnd
Date: 19 Oct 22 - 02:01 PM

"From American Square Dance (Dec 1979, p. 15), the dance seems to be "similar" to that of the Virginia Reel. Recall that any "flirtatious" movements like swinging.

"Coffee grows on a White Oak tree,
Sugar runs in Brandy.

Girls as sweet as a lump of gold,
Boys as sweet as candy."

The coffee from the White Oak tree in these lyrics from the play party "Jubilee" refers to the pioneers making coffee from acorns. One verse of "Jubilee", the steps of which bear considerable resemblance to the Virginia Reel, tells of the delight taken in the games.

Haven't been able to find any videos or anything more direct, but that's at least a start."

**
13. Subject: RE: Origins: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: cnd
Date: 19 Oct 22 - 02:02 PM

... "flirtatious" movements like swinging were not allowed."
-snip-
This is cnd's complete comment.

**
14. Subject: RE: Origins: Swing and Turn Jubilee
From: cnd
Date: 19 Oct 22 - 02:06 PM

"Here's something a little more concrete:

This play party game comes from Jean Ritchie’s family tradition.

 

Children stand facing a partner in two lines holding hands. The ends of the lines also hold hands so they can circle to the left until back in their original position in two lines. Hands are dropped and the pair at the head of the line skips sideway to the bottom of the set as the others clap. Once they reach the foot the game continues as before.

via http://www.singinggamesforchildren.com/A%20Cluster%202.2%20Awaywego/20%20Follow%20my%20leader%20and%20other%20games%202.htm
-snip-
This is the latest comment on that Mudcat discussion thread as of April 19, 2026 at 9:27 PM EDT.
That discussion thread is still open for comments.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD OF THIS SHOWCASE YOUTUBE AUDIO FILE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v_jhm0hMZY 

1. @morrigankasa570, 2016
"this song is very catchy and makes me think of a square dance"

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Reply
2. @sandramorey2529, 2021
"Morrigan KASA: not a square dance, but close.  It is a Play Party song.  Not allowed to dance, but you could sneak in a dance to it.  Sung at parties."

**
3.@reynardinegreencastl, 2017
"This was the first song I ever heard her sing. It was broadcast on a folk song program when I was a kid, some six decades back... (Yes, radios had tubes back then!)"

**
4.@spillthatwine, 2020
"It's all out on the old railroad,

It's all out on the sea,

All out on the old railroad,

Far as I can see.

 

chorus:

Swing and turn, Jubilee,

Live and learn, Jubilee.

Swing and turn, Jubilee,

Live and learn, Jubilee.

 

Hardest work I ever done,

Workin' on the farm,

Easiest work I ever done,

Swingin' my true love's arm.

 

If I had a needle and thread,

As fine as I could sew,

I'd sew my true love to my side

And down this creek I'd go.

 

If I had no horse to ride,

I'd be found a-callin'

Up and down this rocky road

Lookin' for my darlin'.

 

Some will come on a Sat'day night,

Some will come on Sunday;

If you give 'em half a chance

They'll be back on Monday.

 

I won't have no widder man

Neither will my cousin,

You can get such stuff as that

For fifteen cents a dozen.

 

Coffee grows on a white oak tree,

Sugar runs in brandy,

Girls are sweet as a lump of gold,

Boys as sweet as candy."

**
5. @sandramorey2529, 2021
"Great play party song.  I've been teaching my singing class this song for 49 years in the SF Bay Area.  Now on Zoom.  Jean Ritchie was a source singer having learned her songs within her family and Kentucky community.  Thanks for posting"

**
6. @midnightcasino,2024
"Randomly remembered tihs, they had us sing this in 2nd grade music class lol"

**
Reply
7. @jshowers01, 2024
"Shout out to your music teacher"

**
8. @bigcountryV, 2025
"I picked up an old time banjo a few months ago.  Now I've been going down the rabbit hole. I am in love with this stuff.  This is the first song I've ever heard of hers.  Im definitly gonna listen to more."

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This completes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Information About The Original "Fisk Jubilee Singers" And Information About Six Other Black American Singing Groups With The Word "Jubilee" In Their Name

Fisk Jubilee Singers-a History ..."Swing Low Sweet Chariot" (1909)

Jay Sweet, Jul 8, 2020

A History of The Fisk Jubilee Singers.  A History of American Music 1750-1950. Included is the earliest recording of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot." Presented by Jay Sweet

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest updates - April 20, 2026

This is Part II of a multi-part series on the word "jubilee".

This pancocojams post showcases the original Fisk Jubilee Singers' 1909 recording of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". 

This post also presents information about The Fisk Jubilee Singers & six other Black American singing groups with the word "Jubilee" in their name.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/07/mcintosh-county-shouters-jubilee-black.html for Part I of this series. That post presents YouTube videos, information about and lyrics for the ring shout "Jubilee".("Jubilee In The Morning").That pancocojams post was published on July 5, 2023.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/swing-and-turn-jubilee-play-party-song.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases a YouTube audio file of folk singer Jean Ritchie singing the Appalachian play party song "Swing And Turn Jubilee" (also given as "Jubilee").

That post also presents information about White American singer Jean Ritchie as well as general information about play party songs, information about the song "Swing And Turn, Jubilee" and information about the word "Jubilee" in this song.

The links to any other parts of this series will be added as they are published.

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remained with their owners.

Thanks to the legacies of all those groups that are mentioned in this post. Thanks to all those who quoted in this post.

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ONLINE EXCERPTS

SOURCE #1
From https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/jubilee-2016-12-15
"What It Means

1 : (often capitalized Jubilee) a year of emancipation and restoration provided by ancient Hebrew law to be kept every 50 years by the emancipation of Hebrew slaves, restoration of alienated lands to their former owners, and omission of all cultivation of the land

2 : a special anniversary; especially : a 50th anniversary

3 : a period of time proclaimed by the Roman Catholic pope ordinarily every 25 years as a time of special solemnity

4 : a state of joy or rejoicing : jubilation

5 : a religious song of black Americans usually referring to a time of future happiness

[…]

Did You Know?

According to Leviticus, every 50th year was to be a time when Hebrew slaves were set free, lands were given back to their former owners, and the fields were not harvested. This year of liberty was announced when a ram's horn was blown. In Hebrew, that ceremonial horn was called a yōbhēl, and the celebratory year took its name from that of the horn. As the Bible was translated into other languages, the concept of the yōbhēl spread around the world, as did its name (albeit with spelling modifications). In Latin, yōbhēl was transcribed as jubilaeus (influenced by Latin jubilare, meaning "to let out joyful shouts"). French-speakers adopted the word as jubilé, and English-speakers created jubilee from the French and Latin forms."

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SOURCE #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_quartet
"Jubilee quartets were popular African-American religious musical groups in the first half of the 20th century. The name derives from the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a group of singers organized by George L. White at Fisk University in 1871 to sing Negro spirituals. The members of the original Fisk Jubilee Quartet (1909–1916) were Alfred G. King (first bass), James A. Myers (second tenor), Noah W. Ryder (second bass), and John W. Work II (first tenor).[1] Students at other historically black schools, such as Hampton Institute, Tuskegee Institute and Wilberforce University, followed suit. Many independent jubilee troupes also found inspiration in the Fisk Jubilee Singers, such as the Original Nashville Students.

The early jubilee quartets featured close harmonies, formal arrangements and a "flatfooted" style of singing that emphasized restrained musical expression and technique derived from Western musical traditions. Early quartets reinforced their respectable image by adopting uniforms that a university glee club might wear and discouraging improvisation.

In time, however, the popularity of the jubilee style spread from the universities to black churches, where quartets, singing before audiences with a tradition of enthusiastic response, began to absorb much of the energy and freedom of Gospel music coming out of Holiness churches. Groups such as the Golden Gate Quartet—originally named the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet—infused their performances of spirituals with the rhythmic beat of blues and jazz and gradually began including gospel standards written by Thomas A. Dorsey and others in their repertoire. The Gates and other jubilee quartets gained nationwide popularity through radio broadcasts, records and touring in the 1930s and 1940s.

Other groups, such as the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama (formally known as the Happyland Jubilee Singers) that had begun singing in the conventional jubilee style went further, creating the more improvisational and fervent style of quartet singing known as "hard Gospel". That new style largely eclipsed jubilee singing by the 1950s”…

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SOURCE #3
From https://www.fiskjubileesingers.org/overview
"The Fisk Jubilee Singers are vocal artists and students at Fisk University in Nashville, TN., who sing and travel worldwide.

The original Fisk Jubilee Singers introduced ‘slave songs’ to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals.

They broke racial barriers in the US and abroad in the late 19th century and entertained Kings and Queens in Europe. At the same time, they raised money in support of their beloved school."

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SOURCE #4
From https://www.fiskjubileesingers.org/history
"Fisk University opened in Nashville in 1866 as the first American university to offer a liberal arts education to “young men and women irrespective of color.” Five years later the school was in dire financial straits.

George L. White, Fisk treasurer and music professor then, created a nine-member choral ensemble of students and took it on tour to earn money for the University. The group left campus on October 6, 1871. Jubilee Day is celebrated annually on October 6 to commemorate this historic day.

The first concerts were in small towns. Surprise, curiosity, and some hostility were the early audience response to these young black singers who did not perform in the traditional “minstrel fashion.”

One early concert in Cincinnati brought in $50, which was promptly donated to victims of the notorious 1871 fire in Chicago. When they reached Columbus, the next city on tour, the students were physically and emotionally drained. Mr. White, in a gesture of hope and encouragement, named them “The Jubilee Singers,” a Biblical reference to the year of Jubilee in the Book of Leviticus, Chapter 25"

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SOURCE #5
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pace_Jubilee_Singers
"The Pace Jubilee Singers were a gospel group founded by Charles Henry Pace in Chicago in 1925, and one of the first gospel groups to be recorded. They recorded more than 40 songs for Victor and for Brunswick Records in 1926–29, including spirituals arranged by Pace, and songs and hymns by Pace and Charles Albert Tindley and others. They performed in close harmony style, usually accompanied by piano or organ. Thomas A. Dorsey was briefly associated with them. In their later recordings, Hattie Parker is identified as soloist.[1]"...

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SOURCE #6
From  https://arts.alabama.gov/traditional_culture/folkwaysarticles/BIRMINGHAMSOUND.aspx "BIRMINGHAM SOUND" HAD PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC"
by Henry Willett (no publishing date given)
"In Jefferson County, Alabama, beginning in the first quarter of the twentieth century, there developed a tradition of African-American a cappella quartet singing that was to have such widespread influence on the recorded gospel music industry that numerous record companies applied "Birmingham" to recording artists who were not even from Alabama, hoping to take advantage of that city's reputation as the heartland of gospel quartet music.

With a rich, fluid and mellow intertwining of voices, the Birmingham Sound" is a direct-line ancestor to the most popular versions of African-American harmony singing, from the Ink Spots and the Platters to the Temptations, Take Six and Boyz 2 Men.

In 1926, the Birmingham Jubilee Singers traveled from Jefferson County to record in Atlanta, after being discovered by a Columbia Records talent scout. They achieved popularity nation wide and back home through their live radio broadcasts over stations WAPI, WVRC and WJLD.

In the following two decades, a number of other Jefferson County Quartets--the Famous Blue Jay Singers, the Dunham Jubilee Singers, and the Four Great Wonders--followed in the footsteps of the Birmingham Jubilees as immensely popular recording artists."

The "Birmingham Sound" was nurtured by the historical migration of African-Americans from the farm to the industrial mill and mine settlements of Jefferson County in the early twentieth century.

Quartet "trainers," such as Charles Bridges, R. C. Foster, Son Dunham, and Gilbert Porterfield, products of music teachers from Tuskegee and Fisk, in turn taught legions of quartet singers, combining those traditional harmony lesson stressing timing and articulation with many of the more modern influences of jazz. The result was a dynamic new sound which emerged from Jefferson County's mining camps and mills towns and became immensely popular in urban areas across the country, from New York to Los Angeles.

The "Birmingham Sound," characterized by close harmony, a stressing of vocal attack and release, exchanging lead vocals from singer to singers, and a "pumping" rhythmic bass vocal, set the standard for gospel quartet music."

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SOURCE #7
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Jubilees
"The Pilgrim Jubilees, also known as The Pilgrim Jubilee Singers, was an American traditional black gospel music group originally from the cities of Jackson, Mississippi and Chicago, Illinois, where they were established by Elgie Graham and Willie Johnson, in 1934. The group have released 25 albums with six record labels Nashboro Records, Peacock Records, Savoy Records, Malaco Records, MCA Records, and Benson Records. Five of those albums charted on the Billboard magazine charts.

Background

The Mississippi and Illinois-based traditional black gospel group, The Pilgrim Jubilees, were established in 1934 by Elgie Graham and Willie Johnson, as a duo at that time in Houston, Mississippi. They added three more members to the duo in 1946:"...

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SOURCE #8
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selah_Jubilee_Singers
"The Selah Jubilee Singers were an American gospel vocal quartet, who appeared in public as a gospel group but who also had a successful recording career as a secular group in the 1930s & 1940s.

 History

Around 1927, Thermon Ruth (1914–2002) founded the Selah Jubilee Singers, a group drawn from the membership of a church choir, while he was the disc jockey at WOR in Brooklyn, New York. He later based the group in Raleigh, North Carolina when he moved his radio show to station WPTF. The Selah Jubilee Singers first recorded on April 28, 1938 for Decca, a session which included popular songs such as "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" (DE 7598), and in February 1941, "I'll Fly Away" (DE 7831).[1] The group made the first recording of "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" (Decca Records 7872), recorded on October 8, 1941 in New York City with Thermon Ruth and John Ford, lead vocal; Fred Baker, lead baritone; Monroe Clark, baritone; J. B. Nelson, bass vocal; and Fred Baker on guitar.[2]

By the late 1940s, the members were Ruth, Alden ("Allen") Bunn, Junius Parker, Melvin Coldten, and Jimmy Gorham. In 1949, Ruth and Bunn decided to form a secular vocal group, which became The Larks.[3] The Larks recorded most successfully for Apollo Records, a New York City area record company, but split up in 1952.[4]

The Selah Jubilee Singers became the first gospel group to play in the famed Apollo Theater, known for its vaudeville acts, after Therman Ruth convinced the owner, Frank Shiffman, to allow a gospel act. On December 15, 1955, the Selah Jubilee Singers debuted at the Apollo, the first gospel group to play at any commercial theater. Ruth ensured that a variety of music including gospel, jubilee, and spirituals was featured in order to broaden the appeal, though the emphasis was on rhythm as well as the emotional components of gospel.[5]"

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Visitor comments are welcome. 

Play Party Songs (General Information & Information About White Default, Color Blindness, & African American Influences On Play Party Songs)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams post about the play party song "Great Big House In New Orleans" (also known as "Great Big House"). 

This post presents information about American play party songs, with a focus on White default, Color Blindness, and African American cultural contributions to play party songs and their performance activities.

The Addendum to this post presents information and/or my opinions about "White default, color blindness, and those subjects in reference to play party songs and other folk songs.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/great-big-house-in-new-orleans-play.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcases seven YouTube videos of the play party song "Great Big House In New Orleans" (also known as "Great Big House"). 

This pancocojams post also includes general information about play party songs. 

That post also presents the history of "Great Big House In New Orleans" as well as the lyrics & performance directions for this play party song.. 

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, socio-cultural, and recreational and purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to  to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to all of the collectors of play party songs.

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DISCLAIMER
Publishing these online write-ups and these excerpts does not mean that I agree with everything that is written in those excerpts and doesn't mean that I believe that these write-ups and excerpts provide a complete summary of these subjects..

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PLAY PARTY SONGS

SOURCE #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_party_(United_States)
"A play party is a social event in which toddlers gather to sing and dance. Play parties began in the 1830s in the United States as a route around strict religious practices banning dancing and the playing of musical instruments. The areas most influenced by the practice were the Southern and Midwestern parts of the United States. Folk songs, many of European and English origin, were used as means to give the attendants choreographed movements for each phrase. No instruments were played at the events, as they were banned by the religious movements of the area. Singing and clapping were used to convey each song. Because dancing was banned, the movements took on the quality of children's games. Though the performance of play parties dwindled in the 1950s, music educators use them as ways to incorporate music and dance in their classrooms.[1]

Some traditional examples of play-parties are: Skip to My Lou, Buffalo Gals, Bingo, Pop Goes the Weasel, Old Dan Tucker, Coffee Grows on White Oak Trees, and Shoot the Buffalo."

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SOURCE #2
From https://balladofamerica.org/play-party-appreciation/ "The American Play Party: An Appreciation" by Cecilia Riddell, PhD

..."Origins of the Play Party

The origin of the term "play party" is interesting, Some rural religious communities didn't approve of dancing or music of the fiddle, which they considered the "Instrument of the Devil." …. The Church code of conduct read that unruly song and dance was a social evil. Specifically mentioned was the forbidden swinging of arms and legs. … rural Americans agreed on an acceptable cover-up for dancing. It was a new term: play party. These two words together suggested healthy recreation to the authorities who might otherwise have objected. After all, there would be no fiddling since everyone sang the music. Approved conduct rules fell into place, such as no alcohol, no carousing, and no swinging by the waist.

The play party traveled with pioneer families across the United States in the 1850s and onward. Settlers and immigrants sang about cities and states. such as "Goin' to Boston," "Alabama Gal," and "Great Big House in New Orleans." I note, however, that they were only singing about these urban places, not wanting to move to them.

In the "old days," play parties needed some non-musical organization. There was a need to accommodate parents with babies or small children. Volunteer hosts provided extra rooms for the youngest while parents danced. Hosts (girls or women) secured a place such as a living room, parlor, or barn. They found room to tie up horses or to park buggies and wagons for those who didn't walk to the events. If the weather was fine, dances might take place in someone's field or front or back yard, perhaps under moonlight.

[…]

Play Party Songs

"Songs were catchy and provided an easy verse form to which new lines could be made up," notes Ives in The Wayfaring Stranger. One of those catchy songs was "Skip to my Lou," a favorite of Lincoln's. Others were well-known folk and popular songs of the time, such as "Yankee Doodle," "Pop Goes the Weasel," "Oh! Susanna," and "I've Been Working on the Railroad."...

I enjoy the melodies and lyrics of American personalities, such as "Old Joe Clark," "Sally Down the Alley," and "Captain Jinks." 

[...]

Play Parties and Other Dance Forms

In many books and on recordings, the play party is listed as, or implied to be, a "singing game." Janet E. Tobitt described it as a "singing game for recreation." She writes that her examples are American play parties but refers to them as "singing games for recreation." Elsewhere in her publications, she uses the term "song dances." Notably, she was born and educated in the U.K., where the term play party is not generally recognized.

[…]

Reviving the Play Party

Music educators have become known for promoting play parties in journals and at national and local conferences and meetings, particularly by the American Orff Schulwerk Association. Martha Riley, a prominent music educator, wrote in the Orff Echo:

Accompanied only with singing, play parties use simple footwork with the emphasis on social and 'game' aspects. Children experience movements and concepts found in traditional folk dances . . . While you may think play parties are more difficult than dancing to recorded music because the children must do two things at once: sing and move. But the words of the song often include dance instructions, so that singing makes the game easier to play. Furthermore, when children are singing, the beat is internal… Children are more aware of the beat, phrase, and form when making music themselves."...
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The portion given in italics was written that way online.

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AFRICAN AMERICAN INFLUENCE ON PLAY PARTY SONGS  

SOURCE #1
AI Overview [result of my April 18, 2026 query]
"African American influence on play party songs—a genre of folk dance/games popular in the 19th/20th centuries—brought intense rhythmic energy, syncopation, and call-and-response structures derived from work songs and spirituals. These songs bridged traditional African melodies with American culture, introducing dynamic, game-focused rhythms into community dancing.

Key elements of African American influence include:

Rhythmic Syncopation: Moving away from rigid European rhythms, African American play parties introduced "swing," "swung," and "rocked" rhythms that characterized community social dances.

Call and Response: Play parties often utilized this traditional musical form, crucial for interactive, group participation.

Incorporation of Game Songs: Specific game songs with roots in African American communities, such as "Mary Mack," "May Go 'Round the Needle," and "Plantation Dance," were key to these social gatherings.

Cultural Adaptation: The melodies and rhythms were directly influenced by plantation traditions and the music of African descendants in America, adapting African traditions to new contexts.

These, alongside religious music, blues, and later funk, formed the foundational rhythmic elements of many American celebratory practices and popular dances. "

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SOURCE #2
AI Overview [This write-up is the result of my query on April 19, 2026]
"Identifying Black American elements in American folk songs involves recognizing specific musical, rhythmic, and lyrical traditions that originated from African musical practices and the African American experience, particularly during slavery. Key elements include the call-and-response structure, heavy use of syncopation, the pentatonic scale, blue notes, and lyrical themes focused on work, sorrow, liberation, and resilience.

Here are the primary Black American elements found in American folk music:

1. Rhythmic & Melodic Characteristics

Call-and-Response: A leader sings or plays a phrase, and a group or instrument responds, mirroring West African communal music.

Syncopation & Polyrhythms: Layering different rhythms on top of each other, emphasizing the "off-beat." This is the foundational rhythm behind ragtime and early jazz.

Blue Notes and Melisma: "Bent" notes, usually the 3rd or 7th degree of the scale, that fall between major and minor. Melisma involves singing multiple notes on one syllable.

Pentatonic Scale: Frequent use of a five-tone scale, reflecting both West African and European influences.

"Shout" Style: Spirited, rhythmic, and often improvised singing style associated with spirituals.

2. Performance Practices

Improvisation: Individual creativity is prioritized within the structure of a song.

Roughness/Noise: A preference for a "dirty" or "stank" sound—varying vocal timbre, raspy vocals, or vocalized "groans" and "hollering" to heighten emotional impact.

Body Percussion: Accompanying music with handclapping, foot-stomping, and dancing (e.g., the Ring Shout).

3. Lyrical and Structural Themes

Spirituals and Freedom Songs: Songs filled with double meanings, using biblical imagery (like Moses or Jordan) to discuss escaping slavery or political, social, and religious liberation.

Work Songs/Sea Chanteys: Rhythmic, repetitive songs designed to coordinate manual labor, designed to lift spirits and keep a steady pace while working on plantations or docks.

Blues/Ballads: Often focus onpersonal hardship, sorrow, love, or the stories of "trickster" figures who outsmarted authority.

4. Instrumental Influences

The Banjo: An instrument with direct roots to the West African akonting, brought over during the Middle Passage and initially played entirely within Black communities before being adopted into white Appalachian music.

The "Bones": Percussive, rattling sounds created by holding animal bones between the fingers.

Examples of Songs:

"Follow the Drinking Gourd": A spiritual containing coded instructions for escaping slaves.

"John Henry": A ballad celebrating a strong black work song leader.

"Deep River": A traditional spiritual showing the expressive, soulful melodic structure.

"Shortnin' Bread": Features the rhythmic patting/syncopation techniques.

Note: Many American folk songs are a result of "creolization," or the blending of African and European musical traditions, particularly in the South, making the African influence fundamental to American vernacular music.
-snip-
These fonts are the way that this write-up is given online.
-snip-
I'd add that the text (words) and the textual structure also may suggests that a particular play party song or other folk song originated with African Americans.

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SOURCE #3
From https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/game-songs-play-songs
"African American children worked beside their mothers in the field and other settings, where they were exposed to the singing of adults. Leisure time mutually engaged children and adults in various play/game activities of both African and European origin and was broadly categorized as: baby games and plays, handclapping plays, jumps and skips, singing plays, ring plays, dances, house plays and home amusements, and outdoor games. Games/plays frequently were played in a ring or line formation. Despite a segregated society, the traditions of both cultures passed back and forth and were modified. In keeping with African practices, performers added individual signatures to these traditions through minor changes in melodies, rhythms, words, and/or movements. They also created songs to accompany new games and forms of play that became part of the broader repertoire. 

[...]

Musical Features/Performance Style

The African American tradition is distinguished from its European-derived counterpart by its distinctive imagery and complex dance steps, accompanied by rhythmic (often syncopated) handclapping, and foot-stomping. The singing employs call-and-response structure and repetitive choruses also associated with African musical practices.

Lyrics

Game and social or play songs derived text from various sources: the game itself; folktales; children’s fantasies and experiences; popular songs of the time; and television commercials, along with their interpretation of local events and the world around them (often using their colloquialisms)."...
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Italics added to highlight that sentence.

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ADDENDUM #1: PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT WHITE DEFAULT, COLOR BLINDNESS, AND PLAY PARTY SONGS 
People who teach play party songs or other folk songs may think that they are being "color-blind" by not mentioning race. However, by not mentioning race they are actually reinforcing the viewpoint that only White people are responsible for composing those songs. This is because both online and offline "White" is the default race (just as "male" is the default gender). When no race is mentioned for an individual (unless the discussion is about some criminal act or something that is stereotypically considered to be the purview of a particular race/ethnicity), people automatically assume that that person is White (just as people automatically assume that people posting online are male).

Regardless of their race or ethnicity, children shouldn't be led to believe that White people were the only composers of play party songs or other folk songs.

White default means to automatically assume that the creators everything good were White people, and particularly White men.

This automatic assumption hits home for me because I'm a seventy-eight year old Black woman who remembers going to an elementary school (in Atlantic City, New Jersey) in the 1950s when all the teachers were White except for two Black teachers. And I remember one of those White teachers saying "Black people didn't have any culture".

That statement may have been what eventually led me decades later to start and work on this pancocojams blog which focuses on sharing information about and celebrating examples of Black cultures in the United States and elsewhere around the world.

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ADDENDUM #2- AI OVERVIEW WRITE-UPS ABOUT WHITE DEFAULT  
AI Overview  [This write-up is a result of my April 19, 2026 query about the meaning of "White default"]

"White Default: Examining Racialized Biases Behind AI ..."White default" refers to the societal, cultural, or media-driven assumption that whiteness is the standard, normal, or neutral state. It means that white characters, experiences, or behaviors are assumed unless specified otherwise, often centering Western perspectives and perpetuating racialized biases in literature, media, and AI.

Key Aspects of "White Default"

Media and Fiction Representation: In Western fiction, characters are often assumed to be white unless their race is explicitly stated, largely due to historical trends and author demographics.

AI and Societal Bias: Generative AI tools often reproduce this bias, creating images that reflect a white default, which can reinforce stereotypes.

Perception and Normalization: This concept suggests that whiteness is treated as a "litmus test" for normal, with other races often defined by their difference from this norm.

The Power Dynamics: Critics analyze this phenomenon to understand how power structures and cultural biases are upheld, often highlighting how it marginalizes other experiences.

Countermeasures: Many are actively working to break this pattern by ensuring diverse representation in literature and avoiding the assumption that unspecified characters are white.

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Excerpt Of Wikipedia Article About Racial Color Blindness
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_color_blindness
"Racial color blindness refers to the belief that a person's race or ethnicity should not influence their legal or social treatment in society.

The multicultural psychology field generates four beliefs that constitute the racial color-blindness approach. The four beliefs are as follows: (1) skin color is superficial and irrelevant to the quality of a person's character, ability or worthiness, (2) in a merit-based society, skin color is irrelevant to merit judgments and calculation of fairness, (3) as a corollary, in a merit-based society, merit and fairness are flawed if skin color is taken into the calculation, (4) ignoring skin color when interacting with people is the best way to avoid racial discrimination.[1]

 The term metaphorically references the medical phenomenon of color blindness. Psychologists and sociologists also study racial color blindness. This is further divided into two dimensions, color evasion and power evasion. Color evasion is the belief that people should not be treated differently on the basis of their color. Power evasion posits that systemic advantage based on color should have no influence on what people can accomplish, and accomplishments are instead based solely on one's own work performance.[2]

 At various times in Western history, this term has been used to signal a desired or allegedly achieved state of freedom from racial prejudice or a desire that policies and laws should not consider race. Proponents of racial color blindness often assert that policies that differentiate by racial classification could tend to create, perpetuate or exacerbate racial divisiveness. Critics often believe it fails to address systemic discrimination.[3][4][5]"...

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ADDENDUM #3 - "GREAT BIG HOUSE IN NEW ORLEANS" PLAY PARTY SONGS AND WHITE  DEFAULT, COLOR BLINDNESS, AND THE PLAY PARTY SONG 

Most online examples of the play party song "Great Big House In New Orleans", the lyrics refer to "every room that I been in/filled with pumpkin pie."

The replacement of the words "chicken pie" with pumpkin pie" may seem an innocuous way of substituting something familiar for something that is unfamiliar. But terms that are familiar in one population may be unfamiliar in another population.

That substitution effectively "White-wash" that play party/folk song because-generally speaking- pumpkin pie is much more familiar to White people than Black Americans and the opposite is true for Black Americans.

"Pumpkin pie" is largely a dessert that White Americans and may be unfamiliar to Black Americans who are much more familiar with the similar looking, but different tasting "sweet potato pie".  The opposite is true for White Americans.

Click https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2022/1122/What-s-in-a-pie-History-culture-and-a-taste-of-home for the article "What’s in a pie? History, culture, and a taste of home" by Kendra Nordin Beato, November 22, 2022

"If you grew up in the northern United States, it’s likely you associate pumpkin pie with Thanksgiving. But travel south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and another orange-colored pie reigns supreme on the holiday table – sweet potato pie.

Historically, pumpkins don’t grow well in the Southern heat. But that’s not the only reason for the absence of pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving was originally perceived as a holiday forced on the South by the victorious North after the Civil War. The arrival of pumpkins was just another pie in the face.

There’s more to the story. Sweet potatoes are also central to Black Southern cuisine; they’re tied up in the history of the slave trade, the yam, and plantation cooks.

[...]

Maia Harrell, who grew up in Georgia, is a self-described pie nerd. She started working in a pie shop in high school, studied the history of Black women and pie-making in graduate school, and then launched her own business, Lord of the Pies.

Today, she makes more than 100 pies a week and sells them at farmers markets around Atlanta. Ms. Harrell, whose family traditions lean more toward cake, didn’t even have her first piece of pumpkin pie until she worked in the pie shop. She found it bland.

“I was raised with ... ‘Black folk don’t eat pumpkin pie’ kind of thing,” she says. “If it’s an orange pie, it’s always sweet potato.”

[...]

Even more surprising, she says, are her white customers who have never seen a sweet potato pie before. “I got a lot of questions like ... ‘Is it sweet?’ ‘Is it savory?’ I’ve never had to explain to somebody what a sweet potato pie is!” Without fail, she adds, they grew up in the North."... 

-end of quote-
The replacement of the words "chicken pie" with "pumpkin pie" also erases important elements of pre-emancipation American history and culture, particularly with regards to the history of the scarcity of food for enslaved African Americans. African American originated songs about "chicken pie" reveal how that population coped with food scarcity by baking chicken pies that would last for several meals. The lyrics to some of those songs that referred to "chicken pie" revealed their desire for food and a life when they wouldn't have to worry about being hungry.

Read this excerpt from https://matadornetwork.com/read/classic-southern-pies. Why pie flourishes in the South [no author or publishing date given]
"So many of the most iconic pies in the country have Southern roots: sweet potato in North Carolina and Alabama, pecan in Oklahoma and Texas, key lime in Florida, and coconut cream in South Carolina. Other styles have barely caught on in the rest of the country and remain Southern secrets deeply rooted in the region’s culinary culture…

A history of Southern pie would not be complete without mentioning its ties to slavery. This is especially true for enslaved women, who were responsible for all of the cooking in the homes of wealthy white families. Slaves might also be responsible for popularizing another favorite Southern pie: sweet potato pie. Antebellum cookbooks are packed with recipes for this Southern favorite, but slaves likely cooked most of these pies in plantation houses. Sweet potato pie rarely appeared in their own homes until stoves became more affordable, according to food writer and historian Adrian Miller.

After the Civil War, many recipes were adapted during times of food scarcity. NPR reports that one 1863 recipe details how to make an apple pie without apples. In a story for The Washington Post, writer and pastry chef Lisa Donovan explains that a freed slave who made a living selling pies in 19th century Alabama might be responsible for one of the first ever chess pies. In 1881, a former slave named Abby Fisher published her remarkable cookbook, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Southern Cooking, which features recipes for custard pie (similar to chess pie), as well as sweet potato pie. Chess pie is another pie that grew out of need — it replaces citrus with vinegar and fresh milk with buttermilk.

Burdett of Crook’s Corner thinks that creating meals, not just pie, with easily obtainable and inexpensive ingredients is an essential piece of Southern cuisine.

“With most food when you’re in the South, when you’re broke you just kind of pull ingredients, and that’s where new things develop and that’s how Southern cuisine stays alive,” Burdett says. “My grandmother just made what she had available, and those dishes morphed into something amazing. That’s just ‘what’s in the kitchen’ kind of cooking. Being broke and not having any money and trying to cook for a family.”...

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome. 

"Great Big House In New Orleans" Play Party Song (Videos, Information, And Lyrics)

Great Big House in New Orleans | Music Class Lessons

@mrkylesonthetrack, June 5, 2023

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams post about the play party song "Great Big House In New Orleans" (also known as "Great Big House"). 

This post showcases seven YouTube videos of the play party song "Great Big House In New Orleans" (also known as "Great Big House"). 

This pancocojams post also includes general information about play party songs. 

This post also presents the history of "Great Big House In New Orleans" as well as the lyrics & performance directions for this play party song.. 

Addendum #1 lists some folk songs that I believe are related to "Great Big House In New Orleans" 

Addendum #2 to this post presents my thoughts about the significance of the lyrics "chicken pie" instead of "pumpkin pie" in the song "Great Big House In New Orleans".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/04/play-party-songs-general-information.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about American play party songs, with a focus on African American contributions to play party songs and their performance activities.

The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, socio-cultural, and recreational and purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the performers of this song, thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
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Some of the content of this pancocojams post was published in this 2014 post: ""Great Big House In New Orleans" (Play Party Song) Information, Lyrics, Origins" 
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/02/videos-of-great-big-house-in-new.html. That post has seven comments (including my replies)as of April 18, 2026 and that 2014 post is still available on this pancocojams blog. 

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INFORMATION ABOUT "PLAY PARTY SONGS"

AI Overview (result of my April 18, 2026 question: What does "play party songs mean?)  

"A play party song is a traditional American folk song used for social gatherings featuring singing and dancing, popular from the mid-1800s to 1930. These songs allowed young people to dance and socialize without instruments, which were often banned by strict religious practices. They functioned as a combination of music, dance, and choreographed games.

Origins: Originating in the 1830s, particularly in the Southern and Midwestern US, they were a "route around" religious bans on dancing to music.

Performance: No instruments were used; instead, songs were accompanied by clapping and singing to guide movements.

Content: Many songs derived from British and European folk games, often taking on the quality of structured children's games or dancing games.

Modern Context: While the social events faded, they are still used by music educators to teach movement and song in classrooms."

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLAY PARTY SONG "GREAT BIG HOUSE IN NEW ORLEANS"

AI Overview #1 [This AI write-up is a result for my April 18, 2026 question "What is the oldest documentation of the play party song "Great Big House In New Orleans?"]

"Great Big House in New Orleans" is a traditional American play-party song that originated and was commonly sung by settlers during the 1850s onward. While rooted in 19th-century folk tradition, it was frequently documented throughout the 20th century in collections of American folk music, including recordings in the 1960s.

Origin: The song was popular during the 1850s as a play-party song—a form of sung game popular among pioneers.

Context: It is part of the African American folk tradition, later commonly used in children's music education and, often in Kodály-based curriculum, to teach musical elements.

Documentation: Variants of the song were recorded and collected throughout the mid-20th century. 

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AI Overview #2- [This AI write-up is a result for my April 18, 2026 question "What is the African American influence on the play party song "Great Big House In New Orleans"  

" "Great Big House in New Orleans" is a traditional American folk song and play-party game rooted in African American musical traditions, often featuring a pentatonic scale and rhythmic, interactive dance. The song reflects the cultural landscape of 19th-century New Orleans, frequently used in educational settings to teach folk music and rhythmic play.

Folk Song Context: It is frequently categorized as an "American Play party" song or a traditional children's folk song.

Performance Structure: The song involves interactive, call-and-response style performances where children (or performers) personalize the lyrics—specifically the "filled with..." line—to include various flavors like pumpkin pie, banana, or chocolate.

Cultural Roots: The song embodies the playful, rhythmic, and communal music traditions of New Orleans, which were heavily influenced by the cultural blending of African Americans.

African American Rhythms: It fits within the tradition of rhythmic, educational music frequently associated with African American musical contributions to folk culture in Louisiana.

While often sung in classrooms, it is related to the broader history of African Americans in New Orleans, particularly the musical, festive culture associated with social gatherings, which flourished in sites such as Congo Square."
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It's interesting that this AI write up didn't include any mention of "chicken pie" in its sentence that the "filled with..." line—to include various flavors like pumpkin pie, banana, or chocolate."

This is especially note worthy since "chicken pie" is the type of pie that is given in the oldest documented lyrics for this song and "chicken pie" may be equated with African Americans more than the other flavors of pie that were mentiones.

As an aside, most of the contemporary examples of this song have the "pumpkin pie" referent I have also come across "apple pie" but haven't come across any "banana pie or "chocolate" pie. I also haven't come across any examples of sweet potato pie which is probably because those syllables don't fit the beat of this play party song.

However, it should be noted that pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie look very similar but don't taste the same. As an African American,  I believe that we strongly prefer "sweet potato pie" to "pumpkin pie and generally consider sweet potato pie to be an African American dessert and pumpkin pie to be a White American dessert.

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LYRICS AND PERFORMANCE INSTRUCTIONS: "GREAT BIG HOUSE IN NEW ORLEANS"

1. Great big house in New Orleans,

Forty stories high;
Ev'ry room that I been in,
Filled with chicken pie.

2. Went down to the old mill stream,
To fetch a pail of water;
Put one arm around my wife,
The other 'round my daughter.

3. Fare thee well, my darling girl,
Fare thee well, my daughter;
Fare thee well, my darling girl,
With the golden slippers on her.

Movements:
1. First verse: students form a circle, holding hands, walk keeping a steady beat, then stop.
2. Went down to the old mill stream,
(every other student moves to the center, holding hands with arms below waist)
To fetch a pail of water;
(outside circle moves behind inner circle, placing arms over the shoulders of the inner circle and holds hands)
Put one arm around my wife,
(keeping hands held, outside circle raises arms to ceiling, bringing them down behind the back of the inner circle)
The other 'round my daughter.
(keeping hands held, inner circle rises arms to ceiling, bringing them down behind the backs of the outer circle)
3. Third verse: keeping arms around the outer circle, the whole circle walks to a steady beat.

Source: http://musicnotes.net/SONGS/04-GREATB.html

Origin: USA - Louisiana Play Song
-snip-
Other performance instructions are given with the videos below.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS 
With the exception of Showcase Video #1, these examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting dates with the oldest dated examples given first.

Multiple versions of a song are presented to showcase some of the different ways this singing game is sung and played.

Showcase Video #2:G3 Great Big House in New Orleans



ESMusicISB, Sep 19, 2012

Watch as Ms. H's class sing and dance to the American folk song "Great Big House in New Orleans."
-snip-
Here's instructions for this singing game written by Anthony Meehl, 2014 from a video that is no longer available:
1st vs [verse]
march to beat around circle

2nd vs
#1's march to middle and join hands (went down to the old mill stream)
#2's march to middle and join hands over the top of #1's. (to fetch a pail of water)
#2's bring hands over the top (put one arm around my wife)
#1's bring hands over the top (the other round my daughter)

3rd vs
keep hands joined and slide feet to the beat around the circle. Hope this helps :)

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Showcase Video #3: Great Big House In New Orleans



HelenIn Harmony, Published on Sep 9, 2013

Midwest Play-Party Singing Dance

Filmed November, 2010 - 3rd Grade

Great Big House in New Orleans
Forty stories high
Ev'ry room that I've been in
Filled with pumpkin pie.

Went down to the old mill stream
To fetch a pail of water
Put one arm around my wife
The other round my daughter

Fair thee well, my darling girl
Fair thee well, my daughter
Fair thee well, my darling girl...
With the golden slippers on her

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Showcase Video #4: MUSIC TEACHER RESOURCES - Great Big House



Kate Fellin, Published on Oct 18, 2013

TEACHING TIPS: Students stand in a circle alternating between boys and girls. (We used lanyards to differentiate between the groups, which also works). Boys go in four steps and back out; girls go in four steps and back out. Boys go in four and hold hands, then girls go in four steps and hold hands in front of boys. Girls raise arms over the boys' heads and put them behind their backs, then boys raise their arms and put them behind the girls' backs. The interlocked circle moves clockwise (to the left) for eight counts, then they raise their arms and step back to their original positions. For a more advanced version (that we did), the outer circle moves clockwise one window so that they are standing next to a new person for the dance. The words are "Great Big House in New Orleans/Forty stories high/Every room that I've been in/Filled with pumpkin pie./Went down to the old mill stream/To fetch a pail of water./Put one arm around my wife/The other round my daughter./Fare thee well, my darlin' girl/Fare thee well, my daughter/Fare thee well, my darlin' girl/With golden slippers on her."

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Showcase Video #5 - Tinder Great Big House game

LincolnMusic185, Apr 14, 2016

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Showcase Video #6-Great Big House-Younger Group

Kristine Schaeffer, Jun 11, 2019

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Showcase Video #7 - Ms. Amy's singing “Great Big House in New Orleans”

Morgan Co. R-1 School District

Feb 4, 2024

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ADDENDUM #1 - SOME RELATED SONGS
The "Great Big House In New Orleans/forty stories high/filled with chicken pie" lines in the song "Great Big House In New Orleans" reminds me of the African American old time song "Riding In A Buggy Miss Mary Jane".

Sally got a house in Baltimo',
Baltimo', Baltimo'
Sally got a house in Baltimo'
And it's full of chicken pie.

I got a gal in Baltimo',
Baltimo', Baltimo'
I got a gal in Baltimo',
And she's sixteen stories high.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/12/riding-in-buggy-miss-mary-jane-video.html for a post about that song.

"Great Big House's" verses also could serve as floaters for versions of "Li'l Liza Jane".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/02/five-examples-of-song-lyrics-for-lil.html for a post about that song.

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ADDENDUM #2 - WHAT "CHICKEN PIE" INSTEAD OF "PUMPKIN PIE" MIGHT SUGGEST IN BLACK AMERICAN ANTE-BELLUM SONGS

Unlike the song "Li'l Liza Jane" ("Little Liza Jane") and many other folk songs, with one interesting exception*, all the lyrics to online versions of "Great Big House In New Orleans" are the same. I'm not sure if this is because each of these websites used the same source or not. I would be very surprised to learn that there weren't any variant forms of this song when it was a naturally occurring part of children's and youth's social play and not as it is taught to students in school as is done nowadays.

*The exception to the lyrics is the substitution of "pumpkin pie" for "chicken pie", giving the lyrics "Ev'ry room that I been in/Filled with chicken pie."

The "chicken pie"* lyric is important because among 19th century African Americans, chicken was considered a luxury. As such, the reference in the song "Great Big House In New Orleans" to the each room of a forty story high house being filled with chicken pie is a grandiose image that reflects more than the singer's desire for comfort and good living. In that song, to fantasize about chicken pie is important because the singer might have experienced a number of days without adequate food. 

Chicken pie would have satisfied the hunger of the enslaved people singing that song much more than a dessert would, particularly a dessert that he or she might not have been that familiar with. The change in the lyrics of this song from "chicken pie to pumpkin pie" might still have cultural implications in the 21st century United States  as it appears from online discussions (and from my experience) that  pumpkin pie isn't a dessert that African Americans are familiar with. My sense is that we African Americans prefer the similar dessert of sweet potato pie - a dessert which many White Americans apparently aren't that familiar with.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-cultural-regional-racial.html for a post about the cultural, regional, and racial associations of sweet potato pie.
-snip-
It's also important to note that when chicken was available during slavery in the southern United States, it appears that it was served as a pie and not fried as is stereotypically attributed to Black Americans. Nowadays, "chicken pie" is most commonly known in the United States as "chicken pot pie".

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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

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