Alan Lomax Archives, Feb 21, 2014
Retired gandy-dancer and work-song leader George Johnson sings some track-lining verses on the railroad outside Greenville, Mississippi. Shot by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long, August 31, 1978. For more videos from the American Patchwork fieldwork and information about Alan Lomax and his collections, visit: http://research.culturalequity.org . [02.16.08]
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series about "Jack the rabbit, Jack the bear" lyrics in early 20th century African American (railroad) track lining song.
This post showcases a 1978s film clip of retired gandy dancer and work-song leader George Johnson s that include the lyrics "Jack the rabbit. Jack the bear". A transcription of that song is also included in this post.
This post also showcases a 1969 rendition of a track lining song that includes the lyrics "Jack the rabbit, Jack the bear". A transcription of that song is also included in this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/12/information-about-two-word-only.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents some information bout gandy dancers their track lining songs. That post also presents some information about the fictional folk characters "Jack the rabbit" and "Jack the bear".
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyright remains with their owners.
Thanks to George Johnson and other former gandy dancers for their cultural legacies. Thanks to Alan Lomax for his cultural legacy and thanks to the singer whose rendition of this track lining song is given in Example #2 in this pancocojams post. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/examples-of-up-and-down-road-i-go.html for the 2013 pancocojams post entitled "Examples Of The African American Track Lining Song "Up And Down The Road I Go" (Up & Down This Road I Go)" .That post includes two sound files and lyrics of that track lining song, including a verse with the words "Jack the rabbit/Jack the bear/can't you line 'em just one hair.".
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHOWCASED FILM CLIP THAT IS EMBEDDED IN THIS POST
From https://archive.culturalequity.org/node/1577
"George Johnson: Jack the Rabbit (1978)
Date recorded: August 31, 1978
Contributor(s): Recordist: Bishop, John; Recordist: Long, Worth; Recordist: Lomax, Alan; Performer: Johnson, George
Description: Retired gandy-dancer and work-song leader George Johnson sings some track-lining verses on the railroad outside Greenville, Mississippi. Shot by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long, August 31, 1978.
Subject(s):
Genre: track-lining song, work song
Location: Greenville, Washington County, Mississippi, United States
Track Number: 142
Archive ID: wV9jy3NgiAA
Belongs to: Mississippi Delta and Hill Country (1978)"
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PANCOCOJAMS NOTES ABOUT THE TRANSCRIPTIONS THAT ARE FOUND IN THIS POST
These lyrics are an amalgamation of YouTube's auto-generated lyrics for these songs and my transcription from the recorded YouTube example. My transcription for these two songs are informed by some lyrics for track lining songs that are given in Part I of this pancocojams post.
YouTube's auto-generated lyrics are notoriously faulty. Admittedly, the lyrics for these two songs are difficult to understand, in part because of the singers' "country" accents. However, instead of using a question mark for words that the auto-generated function didn't understand, that function either presented its "best guess" or used the words "applause" or "music" are given in place of sung or spoken words.
Here are the faulty lyrics for the auto-generated transcript for the song given as Showcase Example #1 and the words that I replaced them with.
"no line this track now John ahead" changed to "We gonna line this track now. Join ahead"
"bell" changed to "bear"
"of" changed to "oh"
"water bank done died" changed to "Walter Banks done died"
-snip-
The auto-generated transcript for the song given as Showcase Example #2 gives the word "music" or "applause" instead of certain words. I've written those words in italics to the lyrics given below. Those words are based on what I believe I hear in that YouTube video. I've included an editorial note under those lyrics about one of those lines.
In addition to those missing lyrics, I believe the words "heave it" is the correct transcription instead of the words "keep it" that are given in that auto-generated transcript for Example #2.
Additions and corrections are welcome for these lyrics.
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LYRICS FOR SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #1
Spoken: We gonna line this track now
Join ahead
Begins singing
Alright, alright
Jack the rabbit Jack the bear
Jack the rabbit Jack the bear
Jack the rabbit Jack the bear
Jack the rabbit Jack the bear
Oh, all right
Can’t you move it on
Just one hair
Well, old lady says won’t you calm me down
She put one hand on her hip
And the other on her thigh
Good Lord have mercy
Good Lord have mercy
Good Lord have mercy
All right, Walter Banks done died
Other side
Yes, oh God
Just died
Other side
Yes, oh God
Other side
Just died
Other side
Just died
The other side
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: Alan Lomax: Jack the Rabbit (track-lining song) (1969)
Alan Lomax Archives, Jan 31, 2022
Posted in honor of Alan Lomax's 107th birthday,
January 31, 2022. In April 1969, he gave a lecture and performance in Texas
City, Texas, which included this spirited "Jack the Rabbit," a song
based on track-lining chants by A.B. Hicks and others which he had recorded
with Zora Neale Hurston in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida, in 1935
-snip-
I don't know the name of the man who is recorded singing this song. Please share that information if you know it.
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LYRICS FOR SHOWCASE EXAMPLE #2
Singing
Jack the rabbit and Jack the bear
Oh, can’t your move it on
Just one hair
Heave it over
Hey, baby, can’t you line it.
And ah hey mama can’t you cry
Spoken
This is your cry
Begin singing again
Shaka laka Shaka laka
Shaka laka shaka laka boom
Heave it over. Heave it over
Hey, mama can’t you line it
And ah hey, daddy can’t you cry
Spoken
Let’s start that shaka lacka again.
This time, come on and sing it.
Begins singing again
Shaka laka shaka laka shaka laka
Shacka lacka shacka
lacka boom
Heave it over, and ah
Hey, daddy can’t you line it
And heeeey, mama can’t you crrrry. [extends the words "hey" and "cry"]
Oh, Johnny here comes a woman.
She got some real big legs
When she walks it like she walkin
on soft boiled eggs
Heave it over
Hey, mama. Can’t you line it
And hey, daddy can’t you heave it?
And ah hey, mama can’t you cry
Now shaka laka shaka lakah shakah lakah boom
Heave it over
Hey, baby can’t you line it
and ah Hey, daddy can’t you try
Well, yonder come a woman
comin cross the field
with her pie feet stompin like an automobile
Heave it over
Hey, baby can’t you line it
and a hey mama can’t you cry
shaka laka shaka laka shaka laka
shaka laka shaka laka boom
Heave it over
Hey, mama can’t you line it
And ah hey daddy
can’t you try
-snip-
Referring to big feet as "pie feet" conforms to my recollection of reading about how Black
people would taunt country women who were used to wearing no shoes were taunted
by people living in the city as having “pie feet” that spread across the road.
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This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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