Recorded at Ellis Unit Prison, Huntsville, Texas, March 24,
1966
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the African American prison work song "Jody".
This post includes a 1966 film clip of prisoners singing that call & response song as well as the lyrics to that song.
This pancocojams post also includes information about the fictional character "Jody" in American military cadences.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, and socio-cultural purposes,
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the unknown composer/s of this song and thanks to Benny Richardson & other men who were recorded singing this song in this film clip. Thanks to this song's collector and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
**** LYRICS - JODY (sung by Benny Richardson & other men, 1966)
I've been working all day long,
[Yeah Yeah]
Pickin' this stuff called cotton and corn,
[Yeah Yeah]
We raise cotton, cane and a-corn.
[Yeah Yeah]
'Taters and tomatoes and a-that ain't all,
[Yeah Yeah]
Back is weak and I done got tired,
[Yeah Yeah]
Got to tighten up just to save my hide.
[Yeah Yeah]
Boss on a horse and he's watchin' us all,
[Yeah Yeah]
Better tighten up, [if we] don't we'll catch the hall.
[Yeah Yeah]
Wonder if the Major will go my bail.
[Yeah Yeah]
Or give me twelve hours standing on the rail.
BRIDGE:
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
I see the Captain sittin' in the shade.
[Yeah Yeah]
He don't do nothin' but-a he get paid.
[Yeah Yeah]
We work seven long days in a row.
[Yeah Yeah]
Two sacks of Bull and a picture show.
[Yeah Yeah]
In the wintertime we get dont no lay,
[Yeah Yeah]
Cuttin' cane and makin' syrup every day.
[Yeah Yeah]
When it gets wet in the cane field.
[Yeah Yeah]
All the squads work around the old syrup mill.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Two more months and it won't be long.
[Yeah Yeah]
Gonna catch the chain 'cause I'm goin' home.
Goin' back home to my old gal, Sue,
[Yeah Yeah]
My buddy's wife and his sister, too.
[Yeah Yeah]
Ain't no need of you writin' home.
[Yeah Yeah]
Jody's got your girl and gone.
[Yeah Yeah]
Ain't no need of you feelin' blue,
[Yeah Yeah]
Jody's got your sister, too.
[Yeah Yeah]
First thing I'll do when I get-a home.
[Yeah Yeah]
Call my woman on the telephone.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Gonna settle down for the rest of my life.
[Yeah Yeah]
Get myself a job and get myself a wife.
[Yeah Yeah]
Six long years I've been in the pen.
[Yeah Yeah]
Don't want to come to this place again.
[Yeah Yeah]
Captain and the boss is drivin' us on.
[Yeah Yeah]
Makin' us wish we'd-a stayed at home.
[Yeah Yeah]
If we had listened what our mama say,
[Yeah Yeah]
We wouln't be cuttin' wood here today.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Captain and the boss is drivin' us on,
[Yeah Yeah]
Makin' us wish we'd-a stayed at home.
[Yeah Yeah]
We had listened what our mama say,
[Yeah Yeah]
We wouldn't (be) droppin' big timber here today.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
Yeah, yeah.
YEAH, YEAH.
-posted by@TheWarpedMan, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyhtsOAYHLU
-snip-
I added the words "Yeah Yeah" in brackets. The "group" sings these words after each line that is sung by the lead singer, except for the lyrics referred to as "the Bridge". This is an example of a "fixed" (unchanged) form of a call & response song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/06/did-you-feed-my-cow-yes-maam-example-of.html for information about the types of call & response songs and chants in this pancocojams post. "Did You Feed My Cow? Yes Ma'am" - An Example Of A Call & Response Children's Song With Fixed Responses -snip-
The prison work song "Jody" has the same tune as the song "Hambone Hambone (where you been)", but the tempo for "Jody" is much slower than that other African American originated song.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER "JODY" IN AMERICAN MILITARY CADENCES
From https://history.army.mil/Portals/143/Images/Research/Jody%20Calls/Jody-Call-Information-Paper.pdf?ver=SOHXf2BR3o_YqvkRaFSHMg%3D%3D
..."The Duckworth Chant
In 1944, Private Willie Lee Duckworth, a young Black Georgian stationed at Fort Slocum, New
York, introduced an innovation in military cadences which remains a core piece of the Army’s
traditions to this day: the jody call.
It was on a thirteen-mile road march back to base from a 24-hour bivouac that Pvt. Duckworth
introduced the Army’s first jody call, leading his all-Black unit in the iconic call and response:
“Sound-off; 1 - 2; Sound-off; 3 - 4; Cadence count; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4; 1 - 2 — 3 – 4.”
According to Ft. Slocum’s commander, Colonel Bernard Lentz, the rejuvenating effect of the
“Duckworth Chant” (also known as “Sound Off”) was immediately apparent:
“It was not long before the infectious rhythm was spreading throughout the ranks. Footweary
soldiers started to pick up their step in cadence with the growing chorus of hearty male voices.
Instead of a down trodden, fatigued company, here marched 200 soldiers with h the growing chorus of hearty male voices.
Instead of a down trodden, fatigued company, here marched 200 soldiers with heads up, a spring to their step, and smiles on their faces. This transformation occurred with the beginning of the Duckworth Chant.”
[From “The Cadence System of Teaching Close Order Drill and Exhibition Drills” (p. 70)]
Col. Lentz tasked Pvt. Duckworth with formalizing the lyrics to his creation; the finalized lyrics,
as copyrighted and disseminated by Pvt. Duckworth and Col. Lentz, also include the first official mention of the eponymous “Jody:”
“I had a good home, but I left (you're right)
Jody was there, when I left (you're right)
I left gal away out west
I thought this army life was best
Now she's someone else’s wife
And I'll be marchin' the rest of my life”
The ubiquitous presence of Jody, a fictional character who steals soldiers’ sweethearts and
represents the sacrifices made by soldiers in their personal lives, eventually lent the new breed of cadence calls its name.
The Origin, Benefits, and Spread of the Jody Call
Pvt. Duckworth’s innovation was a unique synthesis of the contemporary Army’s sterile
counting cadences and Black cultural innovations, particularly blues-influenced call-and responses popular among Black manual laborers of the day. The figure of Jody, for instance, originated in Black working cadences sung in the decades preceding the Second World War. “Joe the Grinder,” as he was originally known (eventually “Jody Grinder” and finally “Jody”), was a catch-all representation of a n’er-do-well who took advantage of the heroic, long-suffering everyman’s wife while he spent long hours laboring away from home.
Lyrics about Jody and the travails of the workingman’s life, set to the blues rhythms popular
amongst the Black community of the day, were often sung wherever large groups of Black men conducted repetitive manual labor. They served much the same purpose as the Army’s jody calls, ensuring coordination and bolstering both psychological and physical strength."...
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
..recorded with outside's work conditions in Mississippi
State Penitentiary at Parchman in 1947..
..produced by ALBATROS Records-1977..
..illustration'paint by Peter-Paul RUBENS (1577-1640)..
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a recording of the prison work song "Old Alabama" that was sung in Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary) and recorded by Alan Lomax in 1947.
The lyrics for this song are included in this post along with selected comments from the discussion thread for that YouTube sound file.
The content of this post is provided for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in this recording. Thanks also to Alan Lomax for collecting this and other songs. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube. -snip- This is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on 20th century African American prisoner work songs.
Ol Alabama j´nes the state of Floridy, Ol Alabama j´nes the state of Floridy, At Mobile, Lawdy, at Mobile.
Old Alabama is a hog-killing country,(2) Ev`y fal, Lawdy, Ev`y fall.
Did you hear `bout that water boy gettin` drownded(2) In Mobile Bay, Lawdy, in Mobile Bay.
Did you hear `bout the men all gonna leave you (3) Next pay day, Lawdy, next pay day?
Did you hear `bout Louella Wallace?(3) Poor gal dead, Lawdy, poor gal dead.
** [The following two comments are replies to another comment that gave the lyrics to this song]
** 2. Nelson MLK, 2021 "Someone knows what j’ines mean? And who’s Louella Wallace? I can’t find any informations on google"
** Reply 3. lillingtoncr,2020 "@Nelson MLK It means joins." -snip- The word "Joins" in this song means “borders” . Part of the state of Alabama is geographical next to the state of Florida. For instance, Mobile, Alabama is located very close to Pensacola, Florida. -snip- "Louella Wallace" was the name of a Black woman who died (probably tragically).
The lyrics for these African American work songs were probably not as important as their tunes, tempo, and their accompanying motions. As such, their lyrics weren't fixed and probably changed at least slightly different times that the song was sung. As such, my guess is that the name "Louella Wallace" could have been changed for the name of another Black female or for the name of a Black male who also died tragically. -snip- My guess is that the verse "Did you hear `bout the men all gonna leave you" was lifted from a song that women sung.
** 4. monQsurlaKomod "they were not litteraly 'working'....they were in a room of the penitentiary reproducing working conditions: that's what I translated from what was written in italian on the cover of the L.P"
** 5. Meufi1980 "Well, I copied the lyrics one to one from the booklet of my CD. I listen it twice after your comment and I guess they sing it like I wrote it, but I can be wrong - English is not my native language. And yes I agree with you: I forgot the end."
** 6. Steven Snowden "Thanks for sharing these. These are powerfully moving recordings from a period in our history that we should never forget.
** 7.jwalabama "I remember this, or at least chaing
gangs, through 1964-65. I saw them, Yes, the inmates sang.
Humans can make other humans do brutal
things."
**** 2010 7. SpeedyNeutrino43 "I remember seeing chain gangs alongside the roads in and
around Graceville, Florida, about 12 miles from the Alabama state line. Long time ago. I heard songs like this."
** 8. Ayaba Bey "When we just had each other and the G-d and ancestors
within. Powerful metaphysically, spiritually and all wises. When we had wooden
churches and wooden floors and feet and hands that actually stomped and
clapped. This is the energy spirit of that time . My grand and great grandparents sang this way
in the church and wherever the spirit hit them. Thanks for preserving the time."
** 9. polomaster9 (Alejandro) "Thanks for posting this, it has been a great discovery for
me, this song and others like it that are post it, are a great contribution to
african american roots and american history overall.
I wish people will stop making stupid racial comments (like
i've seen in other postings like this one), it only reflects their ignorance
and disrupts good clean informational comments."
** 10. theforgottenwork "i wonder how many innocent men toiled away under the hot mississippi sun singing these songs."
** 11. Daniel Jassim "Heart shattering."
2011 12.Jae Shep "this is beautiful. there are times in church
where the old folks sound just like this. I don't want this type of soul to die
with the older generation. its so beautiful"
** 13. mixmixsim "A great piece of Amercian history here. You can still get
some of these old cultral ties
to the motherland in my neck of the woods(north
mississippi/delta) by going to certain churches prayer services. These old ways
are fastly leaving us though. An african freind from Senegal told me these old ways are also
leaving there as well.
** 14. monQsurlaKomod "this was recorded IN the penitentiary during special
recording sessions, and the prisonners re-created outside work conditions and
sing as if they were working like every day."
** 15. paul wells-cutler "thank God someone recorded this ,so much to learn from and
so much blues"
** 16. Lila Sun "So powerful. Haunting"
** 17. DarkGift1 ... "Look up "Alan Lomax" on Amazon.
He did a lot of fantastic recordings of African American songs from the south.
There is a series of albums released called "Southern Journeys" or
chain gang songs, camp calls, and various other folk music and interviews. This
song is included on one of the albums, I can't remember which off hand. Lomax
also did extensive recording in the rural areas of Europe recording Italian,
Irish, etc. folk music. He was certainly way beyond his time."
** 18. Dee9158 "Thank you for sharing this song. I can feel my peoples pain
with every beat. Words cannot explain."
** 19. fozrockski "Art History time - The portrait was painted by Sir Peter Paul
Ruben several hundred years ago. The Black male was his slave who Ruben did
several composites on the same canvas that were later divided and old
separately . As for the previous racial slurs, just ignore them. American Black
History is mostly verbal and brought down through art, songs and verbal. If
anyone is guessing, I'm not black. Ty for your time and please get along
**** 2012 20. pnyxprez "I am from alabama to and I apprecaite one fact ya'll are missing the singing was by these guys for these guys to encourage each other and it is beautiful and soulful for that reason is so enjoy it best way to remember them now "
**** 2013 21.JD Nash "Alan Lomax was the greatest collector of original folk and
blues ever. He traveled all over the
world recording. This is from his stay
at Mississippi State Penitentiary also known as Parchman Farm to record the
origins of the blues. The original
recordings were made in 1947, but many were re-engineered with better audio
quality years later. Amazing stuff."
** 22. Neverglades ... "These songs were definitely for encouragement and to break the boredom.
However, prison songs (and the slave work songs that they stem from) were also
to keep workers swinging scythes, hammers, etc. at the same pace. Unfortunately
the current rate black incarceration today is a direct legacy of slavery (look
for the fine-print in the Emancipation Proclamation)"
** 23. Paleface "I bought this album (vinyl) in 1993 and I sill have it.
Trust me....it's 1947. This is about as real as music gets....."
*** 2014 24.CaramelRhapsody & Jesse's life "This is haunting my soul."
**** 2015 25. Franx K "We forgot too soon, we forgot too soon. Never forget your
history."
** Reply 26. C Best, 2020 "The problem is we are not supposed to forget. "Dwell on the past and you'll lose an
eye. Forget the past and you'll lose both eyes." Russian proverb
**** 2016
****
2017 27.Sarah .C "The black race has been through a lot.. They still stand
strong though 💪🏽"
*** 2018 28. roflmows "study the past"
**** 2019 29. PinckFloydEchoes ..."by the way, if any
of you haven't seen "The Green Mile", you have to see it!! It's
awesome!! Starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. And this song,
"Old Alabama" is right near the beginning of the film. From WIKI:The
Green Mile is a 1999 American drama film directed by Frank Darabont. The film
tells the story of Paul's life as a death row corrections officer during the
Great Depression in the United States, and the supernatural events he
witnessed."
****
2020 30.Yiannis Gioukas "Hair raising stuff. Total respect to those people."
** 31. Smoce Rolla "Still standing strong 2020 we will Survive"
**** 2021 32.BlackfyreHD "You do know... Chain gangs are still used in some American
prisons right? There is a documentary on it on Youtube -snip- Here's information about chain gangs from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_gang#:~:text=The%20system%20was%20notably%20used,states%20to%20abandon%20the%20practice. "A chain gang or road gang is a group of prisoners chained
together to perform menial or physically challenging work as a form of
punishment. Such punishment might include repairing buildings, building roads,
or clearing land.[1] The system was notably used in the convict era of
Australia and in the Southern United States. By 1955 it had largely been phased
out in the U.S., with Georgia among the last states to abandon the practice.[2]
North Carolina continued to use chain gangs into the 1970s.[3][4] Chain gangs
were reintroduced by a few states during the "get tough on crime"
1990s: in 1995 Alabama was the first state to revive them. The experiment ended
after about one year in all states except Arizona,[5] where in Maricopa County
inmates can still volunteer for a chain gang to earn credit toward a high
school diploma or avoid disciplinary lockdowns for rule infractions.[6]"
Uploaded by abanks47 on Jun 20, 2009 -snip- Here's a comment that was published in 2019 on this YouTube sound file's discussion thread by Elia Vincenzi "Just to clarify, "Long John" is the title of the
song. Lightning is the nickname with which the lead singer was called. He sang
with a group of Afro-American convicts at Darrington State Prison Farm, Sandy
Point, Texas, 1934. It was recorded by John and Alan Lomax."
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents a YouTube sound file & transcript for the song "Long John" ("Lost John") that were collected by White American folklorists John and Alan Lomax.
This post also presents the lyrics for two other examples of the song "Long John" ("Lost John") that were collected by John and Alan Lomax from Black American prisoners. Those folklorists and other folklorist collected different versions of "Long John" ("Lost John").
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Lightning and other singers at Darrington State Prison Farm. Thanks to John and Alan Lomax for collecting this work song and thanks to all others whose versions of "Long John" ("Lost John") have been recorded and/or collected in text form. Thanks also to Stevie from Mudcat Discussion Forum, an online folk music forum. Thanks also to all others who are quoted in this post. -snip- Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/long-john-lost-john-sound-files-lyrics.html for the 2012 pancocojams post entitled "Long John (Lost John) - Sound Files & Lyrics". That post focuses on two prison work song versions of "Long John" ("Lost John") that were collected by John & Alan Lomax.)
**** SOME INFORMATION AND LYRICS ABOUT THE SONG "LONG JOHN" ("LOST JOHN')
COMMENT Subject: RE: Lyr. and Origin: Long John/Lost John From: Stewie Date: 14 Dec 02 - 01:27 AM
"The following is from Paul Oliver:
In 1920, W.C. Handy published 'Long Gone' with words by
the black song writer Chris Smith, based on a Kentucky folk song, known
variously as 'Lost John', 'Long John' or 'Long John Dean'. The sheet music
claimed that it was 'Another Casey Jones' or 'Steamboat Bill'. Everyone was
singing its seven verses but 'eventually you will sing "Long Gone"
with a hundred verses' - an acknowledgment of the reworking of songs in oral tradition.
Abbe Niles stated that the song was based 'on an actual event' in which a black
trusty in the jail at Bowling Green, Kentucky, was to be the victim of a test
on the efficiency of a pack of new bloodhounds. John Dean fixed 'a steep trap
in a barrel on its side, over which he jumped as he started; the lead hound
followed the scent into the barrel and the trap; the rest stopped to
investigate', by which time Long John was well away. The story probably came
from Handy who had embroidered a version he had given to Dorothy Scarborough
which she retold in a paper to the Texas Folk-Lore Society. In this, Long John
was escaping from 'a Joe Turner' (presumably the legendary 'long-chain man' who
escorted convicts to prison) and made use of a barrel to decoy the dogs. The
incident did not appear in either the song as rewritten by Handy, or in the
versions collected or recorded.[Paul Oliver 'Songsters & Saints' Cambridge
Uni Press 1999 p68]
The sheet music is reproduced in Scarborough 'On the Trail
of Negro Folk-Songs' pp 266-268.
The Niles reference is in Abby Niles 'Notes to the
Collection' in Handy 'A Treasury of the Blues' p 251
--Stewie. -snip- Dorothy Scarborough's collection On the Trail of Negro Folk-Songs was originally published 1925.
****
LYRICS #1
Subject: Lyr Add: LONG JOHN (from John & Alan Lomax) From: greg stephens Date: 14 Dec 02 - 09:26 AM
"Here s a version from Lighning and a group of convicts,
Darrington State Prison Farm, sandy Point Texas. Recorded by John and Alan
Lomx,1934.
1 It's a long John He's a long gone Like a turkey through the corn Through the long corn
2: Well my John said in the ten chap ten If a man die He will live again Well they crucified Jesus And they nailed him to the cross Sister Mary cried My child is lost
Ch; Well Long John He's long gone He's long gone Mister John John Oh Big-Eye John O John John It's a long John
3: Says-uh Come on gal And-uh shut that door Says The dog's is coming And Ive got to go
Ch: Its a long John He's long gone Its a long John He's a long gone
4 WEll-a two three minutes Let me catch my wind In-a two three minutes I'm gone again
Ch He's long John He's long gone He's long gone He's long gone
5: Well my John said Just before he did Well I'm going home See Mary Lid
Ch: He's John John Old John John With his long clothes on Just-a skippin through the corn
6: Well my John said On the fourth day Well to tell my rider That I'm on my way
Ch: Hes long gone He's long gone He's long gone Its a long John
7: Gonna call this summer Aint gon' call no more If I call next summer Be in Baltimore" -snip- "Dog" in verse #3 probably refers to bloodhounds used to track escaping prisoners. "Long clothes on" may refer to him wearing long pants instead of shorter pants. "My rider" in verse #6 probably means "my woman" (i.e. my sexual partner)
**** COMMENT #2 [This is the transcript for the YouTube sound file that is given above.] Subject: Lyr Add: LONG GONE (from John & Alan Lomax) From: Stewie Date: 14 Dec 02 - 09:40 PM
"The Lomaxes also collected a chopping work song from
Lightnin' in a Texas prison farm that differs substantially from the one posted
above by Greg. The lines in square brackets are by the chorus:
LONG GONE
Leader:
Wid his di'mond blade
[Wid his di'mond blade] Got it in his han'
[Got it in his han'] Gonna hew out de live oaks
[Gonna hew out de live oaks] Dat are in dis lan'
[Dat are in dis lan']
Refrain:
He's long gone [He's long gone] He's Long John [He's long John] He's gone, gone [He's gone, gone] Like a turkey throught the corn [Like a turkey through the
corn] Wid his long clo'es on [Wid his long clo'es on] He's gone, gone
[He's gone, gone] He's gone John [He's gone John] He's long gone [He's long gone]
Stanzas:
Ef I had a-listened What Rosie said I'd a-been sleepin' In a-Rosie's bed
But-a I wouldn' listen Got to runnin' aroun' An' de firs' thing I knew I was jailhouse bound
Well, I got in de jail Wid my mouf poked out Now I'm in the pen An I cain' get out
Well-a John made A pair of shoes Funnies' shoes Dat ever was seen
Had a heel in front An' a heel behind Well, you couldn tell where Dat boy was a-gwine
Well-a, come on, honey Let me shet dat do' Well de dogs is a-comin' An' I got to go
Well-a, hear dat sergeant Just a-huffin' and a-blowin' Well, I b'lieve I hear Ol' Rattler moanin'
Well, I crossed that Brazos In de mornin' dew Well, I leave you, sergeant An de' captain too
Well-a, good mornin', Mary How do you do? Well I crossed dat river Jus' to see you
All dis summer Won' call no mo' Ef I call nex' summer Den I'm gone some mo'
He's long gone He's Long John He's gone, gone Like a turkey through de corn
Wid his long clo'es on He's gone, gone He's gone John He's long gone
Source: John A. Lomax & Alan Lomax 'American Ballads and
Folk Songs' MacMillan 1934 pp 75-79.
This post showcases a filmed rendition of a late 1960s African American prison work song entitled "Jody".
The lyrics to this version of this work song are included in this post along with a few selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
This post is part of pancocojams' ongoing series on African American songs and military cadences that include the male name "Jody". Click the "jodies" tag that is found below for other posts in this series.
Thanks to the composer/s of this song and thanks to Benny Richardson and others who sung this song. Thanks also to Bruce Jackson, the collector of this song in the late 1960s and thanks to the publisher of this song file on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO "Jody" (Prison work song)
Jody Rosen, Published on Jan 28, 2016
-snip-
Here are two comments from this sound file's YouTube discussion thread
Performed by Benny Richardson & fellow inmates
Recorded at Ellis Unit Prison, Huntsville, Texas, March 24, 1966
DeMarcus jones, 2017
this is truth this is our past . We are strong
**
Jane Doe, 2017
"The no b.s. origin of military cadence."
****
LYRICS
(Sung by Benny Richardson)
I've been working all day long,
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
Pickin' this stuff called cotton and corn,
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
We raise cotton, cane and a-corn.
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
'Taters and tomatoes and a-that ain't all,
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
Back is weak and I done got tired,
Got to tighten up just to save my hide.
Boss on a hoss and he's watchin' us all,
Better tighten up, (if we) don't we'll catch the hall.
Wonder if the Major will go my bail.
(Or) give me twelve hours standing on the rail.
From Wake Up Dead Man CD recorded by Bruce Jackson at Texas prisons in the mid-'60's.
Jody was sung by Benny Richardson in Ellis Unit, part of the Texas penitentiary system in Hendersonville, Texas in the 1960s. It was collected by Bruce Jackson and his scholarship matches the remarkable nature of the song itself."...
-snip-
Notice these verses that are also found in some form or another in "Jody" military cadences:
"Ain't no need of you writin' home.
Jody's got your girl and gone.
Ain't no need of you feelin' blue,
Jody's got your sister, too."
This post provides three 1930s sound file examples & lyrics of the African American folk song "Black Betty". Selected comments from the discussion thread of the example given as Version #2 are also included in this post.
The Addendum to this post also includes lyrics of another early example of "Black Betty". That example is from American Ballads and Folk Songs by John Lomax (originally published: January 1, 1934) [update April 28, 2016]
The content of this post is published for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer/s of the song "Black Betty", thanks to all those whose recordings are included in this post, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these sound files and the transcribers of these lyrics.
The information that is included in that post was partly gleaned from information found in this post and from comments to this post. Special hat tip to commenter slam 2011!
****
SEVERAL VERSIONS OF "BLACK BETTY"
These YouTube versions of given in chronological order based on their posting date.
Version #1: black betty (1939)
RosieKeepinthepromis, Uploaded on Apr 21, 2009
"I got this recording from the Library of Congress call number AFC 1939/001 2643b2.
This particular recording was done in 1939, Rev Mose 'Clear Rock' Platt is singing.
It was recorded in Texas (Taylor, Williamson County) by John and Ruby Lomax
The photograph is from the Library of Congress as well, call number LOT 7414-F, no. N11.
It has a handwritten note on the back"Moses Platt (Clear Rock) Sugarland, Tex. June 1934.", and the photographer is listed as John Lomax.
I am really interested in early recordings of this song. If you know of any recordings of Black Betty that were recorded 1939 or earler please let me know.
Also due to the quality of the recording I have some trouble making out the lyrics/conversation.
If you'd like to take a try at transcribing I'd love to see what you are hearing.
BlindBoyBlue has helped with some transcription (the whoa Black Betty isn't written because...well that's obvious):
Black Bettys in the bottom x2
just chewin' on the timber
Black Betty had a baby x2
well the thing went crazy
just drinkin' river water
Just jumpin' to a number x2
Just stewin' in the bottom
Just stewin' in the bottle
He then gets interupted and asked "who's this Black Betty?" to which he replies "Black Betty was an old n***** woman who...".
Can anyone else out there help make out that conversation at the end?"
[This is the end of that sound file's description.]
-snip-
That abbreviated form of the n word (with asterisks) was given in the sound file's review.
****
Version #2: Black Betty- Leadbelly
songs1994, Published on Mar 3, 2009
-snip-
The comments below are from the discussion thread for the sound file that was originally embedded in this post. That sound file which was published by RagtimeDorianHenry, on Apr 15, 2009, is not longer available.
-snip-
Here are some comments from this sound file's discussion thread.
Many of these commenters shared different theories about what (or who) Black Betty was.
These comments are given in relative chronological order based on the year that they were posted. However, they may not be in consecutive order. I assigned numbers for referencing purposes only.
By reading online sources such as Wikipedia (though that source may not be all that reliable), I've learned that there have been different meanings for the term "Black Betty". It occurs to me that the early meanings of the term "Black Betty" may have nothing whatsoever to do with "Black Betty" folk song (or folk songs). Furthermore, it's possible that the term "Black Betty" may have more than one meaning within the same song.
1. Mich, 2010
"@putz1113 Southerners have been calling whisky Black Betty since they came over from the old country."
**
2. uckybear3822, 2010
"@MonyVibescu1919 Black betty referes to a flintlock musket. In the US, black betty was a common term for a liquor bottle. In January 1736, Benjamin Franklin published The Drinker's Dictionary in the Pennsylvania Gazette offering 228 round-about phrases for being drunk. One of those phrases is "He's kiss'd black Betty''."
**
3. westernjen, 2010
"Encore Comment: Part of this tells something that doesn't seem to have much to do with whips or wagons or anything like that. It has to do with a real child, who was blind and ran wild, but wasn't none of his doing ... or so he claims. Sound familiar?"
**
4. RippvonShar, 2010
" "In 1976, the group Ram Jam scored a hit record with a hard-rock version of the obscure 1930's Leadbelly blues tune, "Black Betty". At the time, this recording was deemed by the NAACP and C.O.R.E as "insulting black women", and both groups called for a boycott of the song. The situation: Ram Jam was a white group, but the composer (Leadbelly) was a black man. One thing is for sure - Ram Jam's version kicks some serious butt, and it's a "classic rock" staple." "
**
5. NocturniaTX, 2010
[written in response to a commenter who wrote that Lead Belly recorded "Black Betty" first.]
"@ucwicket420 Incorrect.
Baker was the original recording. I didn't say he went into a recording studio.
Field recordings by musicologists are *not* uncommon. John and Alan Lomax recorded Baker in at a work (prison) farm in Sugaland, TX (I grew up near Sugarland) in 1933 performing "Black Betty" a capella while Baker was a prisoner. The Lomax recordings are available through the Library of Congress.
Lead Belly's version was recorded in 1936."
**
6. tubemagpie, 2011
"To me this doesn't sound at all like a Blues.... yes it's Black/African American and sounds like a work song It has a rhythm and the clapping imposes a beat. Listen to it again and close your eyes . Imagine using a hoe in a field or perhaps a hammer in a forge(dubious).
The great thing about Leadbelly for me is the way he links the late 19th and the 20th centuries... many of his songs will have come from his early days (true folk songs) while many later were influenced by other trends."
**
7. mixmastermeeks, 2011
"@DudeXMyster There realy isn't an "original" writer of this song. Most of the ones Leadbelly sang are old folk songs. It would kinda be like trying to figure out who wrote twinkle twinkle little star. Although there are a lot of songs that he recorded before anyone else. House of the Rising Sun, Black Betty, Midnight speical......ect."
**
8. krzykanuk3, 2011
"FYI black betty is a whip"
**
9. Epeolatry1, 2011
"@kimzilla No, a Black Betty is an old type of musket."
**
10. Per Rock, 2011
"It is supposed to be a whip for slaves that was nicknamed "black betty" according to Wikpedia. I thought is was about a black lady but it seems not to be so this time...well. well"
**
11. N0band, 2011
"There is a time signature here, actually: 8/8. Leadbelly claps his hand on the sixth beat, leaving out only one clap ("Jump steady, Black Betty") to enter the verse. The song is an old Afro-American work/slave-song, the topic being the whip in the supervisor's hands (nicknamed Black Betty). The lead singer sang the verses while the rest of the group joined in at the chorus. The clap signifies the fall of the pick, hammer or shovel that the group was using so that the work would proceed in unison"
**
12. Reply
david tillman, 2011
"@N0band so your saying "black betty" is a whip, that means the whip had a baby and the damn thing went crazy... thanks for the laugh."
**
13. Jae Shep, 2011
"it could've been about a whip, a 17th-18th century musket, a woman, a pentitentary wagon. Buts its very debatable. clearly one of those songs thats meaning has changed over time. but no one is really "wrong" about what it means"
**
14. IamDottieDandridge, 2011
"@tomterrific456 he is saying jump steady black betty its an old black saying our elders still say it here in the South"
**
15. MacBratt, 2011
"@apugarcia Lead Belly mixes up the lyrics, he doesn't remember the song - again, I'm a big Lead Belly fan, I researched where he got it from. The oldest recorded version is by James "Iron Head" Baker
That version is a lot better, backing vocals and lyrics that do make sense. I bet Huddie heard it in prison and added it to his repertoir to impress Lomax."
**
16. ShottyIZ, 2012
"This was a prison song back in 1933 by James iron head Baker and Group, at least its the first known recording. Also if no ones knows, (in this song) Its referring to a whip that the guards used to punish convicts, its also known to be a nick name for a bottle a whiskey which Benjamin Franklin came up with when he made his drunk dictionary back in the 1700's... Come on kids keep up!"
**
17. ToWatchMusic, 2012
"black betty is a gun not a woman."
**
18. Baddaby, 2012
No one really knows what black betty is about. And I doubt we'll ever find out unless black belly himself says it. From his grave.
**
19. gunslinginnunz69, 2012
just saying but ur comment is a disgrace to the song considering the song is about a black slave being raped by her owner and having a blue-eyed child
**
20. kyrastube, 2012
"this is why I love internet. I could have gone through lifr thinking this was written by ram jam.
its amazing. I dont think its the best old blues-song Ive ever heard, but it might grow on me. I have, either way, big respect for all these old blues-singers."
**
21. Chris Moos, 2014
"Thanks for all your posts, RDH. I'll chime in with this: all of us can enjoy music no matter where it comes from. But you have to understand the African-Americans who originated this style have paid a much higher price for the emotions we hear than the white artists.
To ignore the historical context is to miss a lot that's there in the music."
-snip-
"RDH" is RagtimeDorianHenry, the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
**
22. CPD0123a, 2014
"+Jamie Warrior Warlord McCallum +ValGray 1015 +Robert Parker McCollum According to the documentary on Leadbelly by the Smithsonian Channel, it's a stone-cutting song from his time in prison. The bam-a-lam part with the clap is when you hit the stone with your sledge. The rest is to keep time among the group while you ready your next swing. It's not really slavery, it's old-style hard time on a prison chain gang. (Bam-a-lam even sounds like the ring of men hitting it with their sledge hammers in a row when you think about it)"
**
23. Karl Lafollette, 2014
"This song is about rape white man raping black women back in the day and she gets knocked up with white mans kid , she has the baby and there comes out a blond out her ? am i missing something ?"
**
24. dwk67, 2014
"Ram Jam's version of this used to get played at sports arenas in the south awhile back but they stopped because of accusations of racism because of the mention of Betty being black. Those white boys in Ram Jam did a smokin' cover version in 1977 of this song that is a tribute to the black blues legend who wrote it, and not racist whatsoever. Political correctness is so asinine."
**
25. Michael Shapiro, 2014
"I took a music class in college where we listened to this song, and our professor told us that was the sound of leadbelly chopping wood. Maybe he's wrong or maybe he's right, who cares haha."
**
26. Baddaby, 2014
"Have you ever chopped wood? That sounds alot more like a man slapping his own thigh than chopping wood."
**
27. Michael Shapiro, 2014
"Or perhaps leadbelly was trying to emulate the sound of chopping wood/laboring while singing"
**
28. elliott nunez, 2015
"First recorded in the field by John and Alan Lomax in 1933. Also performed A Capella by convict James Baker and group at Central State Farm Sugarland Texas.Leadbelly recorded it later 1939 I believe..Lead Belly and the Lomax boys were longtime associates....In prison perhaps?"
**
29. Reply
Cool Breeze, 2015
"Thanks for the info. It appears that James "Iron Head" Baker was the first person to sing it acapella and have it recorded by the Lomaxes. The recording is also on YouTube."
**
30. Hans Josef, 2016
"+elliott nunez Yeah, and before it was recorded it was sung by sharecroppers around the turn of the century, whose parents taught it to them. "
**
31. Reply
Jennifer Thomas, 2016
"+elliott nunez Lomax Father and Son were traveling the south looking for more songs to add to their collection of music. They came across him in their travels. You are right with the acapella of James Baker and friends. By that time Lead Belly was out of jail. When he made his friendship with the Lomax's he went to visit prisons with them looking for songs to record for them...when he ran out of his own of course."
**
32. David Little, 2015
"Well actually lead belly's version of black betty is not an original song by any means, his is a version of a much earlier folk song which is apparently adapted from a marching tune used by british soldiers ( & possibly others??? ) who called their muskets black bettie's because they had black painted stocks....who knew ;-)"
**
33. Reply
Jen Wen, 2015
"+David Little everybody quotes the same quotes from wikipedia.(which we all know isnt a reliable source.) but always seem to overlook the facts that James Baker and his partner was the first to do it, Leadbelly was the 2nd. Waaaaaay before the talk of it being about a musket and ball, is was about a bull whip, used to whip prisoners."
**
34. Reply
David Little, 2015
+Jen Wen Well that is why I used the term "apparently" as I was opening a discussion on alternative possibilities to the origin of the music & reinforced it by subsequently stating that I was "philosophising" about it's origins & to categorically state that you know who did a particular song first is shall I say without trying to be offensive, sounds more dubious than any wikipedia page. There is also some references that link it it to heavy drinking & that black betty refers to a type of bottle. So basically I don't think anyone really knows. Although given that the blues partly originated from traditional songs then I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility that it has a long history & no single person invented it.
****
Version #3: James Iron Head Baker - Black Betty (1933)
Adelfred, Uploaded on Feb 9, 2010
"Black Betty" (Roud 11668) is a 20th century African-American work song often credited to Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material;[1] in this case an 18th century marching cadence about a flint-lock musket.
The song was first recorded in the field by U.S. musicologists John and Alan Lomax in 1933, performed a cappella by the convict James Baker (also known as Iron Head) and a group at Central State Farm, Sugar Land, Texas.
The Lomaxes were recording for the Library of Congress and later field recordings in 1934, 1936 and 1939 also include versions of "Black Betty". It was recorded commercially in New York in 1939 for the Musicraft label by blues artist Lead Belly, as part of a medley with two other work songs: "Looky Looky Yonder" and "Yellow Woman's Doorbells".Lead Belly had a long association with the Lomaxes, and had himself served time in State prison farms.
The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Some sources claim the song is derived from an 18th century marching cadence about a flint-lock musket with a black painted stock; the "bam-ba-lam" lyric referring to the sound of the gunfire. Soldiers in the field were said to be "hugging Black Betty". In this interpretation, the musket was superseded by its "child", a musket with an unpainted walnut stock known as a "Brown Bess".
In "Caldwells's Illustrated Combination Centennial Atlas of Washington Co. Pennsylvania of 1876", there is a short section describing wedding ceremonies and marriage customs on page 12. Caldwell describes a wedding tradition where two young men from the bridegroom procession were challenged to run for a bottle of whiskey. This challenge was usually given when the bridegroom party was about a mile from the destination home where the ceremony was to be had. Upon securing prize, referred to as "Black Betty" the winner of the race would bring the bottle back to the bridegroom and his party. The whiskey was offered to the bridegroom first and then successively to each of the grooms friends.
The earliest meaning of "Black Betty" in the United States (from at least 1827) was a liquor bottle.In January 1736, Benjamin Franklin published The Drinker's Dictionary in the Pennsylvania Gazette offering 228 round-about phrases for being drunk. One of those phrases is "He's kiss'd black Betty."
David Hackett Fischer, in his book Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (Oxford University Press, 1989), states that "Black Betty" was a common term for a bottle of whisky in the borderlands of northern England/southern Scotland, and later in the backcountry areas of the eastern United States.
In an interview conducted by Alan Lomax with a former prisoner of the Texas penal farm named Doc Reese (aka "Big Head"), Reese stated that the term "Black Betty" was used by prisoners to refer to the "Black Maria" — the penitentiary transfer wagon.
-snip-
Here's the lyrics to James Iron Head Baker - Black Betty (given without the bamalam exclamation) as published in the sound file review of this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiCEVl_9-MM , published by mokaey Uploaded on Dec 17, 2008. A commenter credited this version to James Iron Head Baker.
"Oh black betty (x2)
Black Betty where you come from (x2)
Well I come from.....?...
Well I'm going to Corsicana
Black betty what's your number (x2)
750 (x2)
Oh lord (lordy) black betty (x2)
Black betty had a baby (x2)
and the damn thing crazy
ah, she dipped it's head in gravy (x2)
Oh lord black betty (x2)
Black betty where she (you) come from (x4)
Oh lord (lordy) black betty (x2)
Now (oh) the baby had blue eyes (x2)
Well it must have been the captains (x2)
Oh lordy black betty (x2)
lyrics got from blindboyblue take a look at his page if you liked this video."
-snip-
Note: The publisher's review for this sound file includes profanity and the "n word" (fully spelled out). Those portions aren't quoted in this pancocojams post.
I'm not sure which blindboyblue page this publisher is referring to.
BLACK BETTY
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bam-ba-lamb,
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bamhalamb,
Black Betty had a baby,
Bambalamb,
Black Betty had a baby,
Bambalamb.
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bam-ba-lamb,
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bam-ba-lamb,
It de cap'n's baby,
Bam-ba-lamb,
It de cap'n's baby,
Bam-ba-lamb.
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bambalamb,
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bambalamb,
But she didn' feed de baby,
Bambalamb,
But she didn' feed de baby,
Bambalamb.
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bamhalamb,
Oh, Lawd, Black Betty,
Bambalamb,
Black Betty, where'd you come from?
Bambalamb,
Black Betty, where'd you come from?
Bambalamb.
Note given on that website with these lyrics: "Black Betty was the whip used in some southern prisons."
This pancocojams post showcases a sound file of the prison work song "Rosie". Song lyrics, information, and comments about this song 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 unnamed men who composed this song and those men from Mississippi State Penitentiary's Parchman work camp who were recorded singing this song. Thanks also to those who Alan Lomax for collecting this song, thanks to all those who are the quoted in this post, and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
"Rosie"
...Mississippi's Parchman Farm included 15 labor camps, where inmates were contracted out to chop trees and wood, hoe, lay track, cut cane, plough fields, shovel gravel, and perform other hard labor that benefited both the industries and the State that sold them. John and Alan Lomax had gone to Southern prisons in the early 1930s, looking for songs that might not have been touched by the outside world. According to Alan Lomax, "These songs belong to the musical tradition which Africans brought to the New World, but they are also as American as the Mississippi River … They tell us the story of the slave gang, the sharecropper system, the lawless work camp, the chain gang, the pen." Alan Lomax went to the Parchman labor prisons in 1947 and 1948, and found the equivalent of a plantation mind-set, with prisoners enduring harsh beatings and other forms of brutal and violent treatment. For this reason, it would be ten years before he released the first volume of prison songs.
Songs like "Rosie" not only coordinated the dangerous teamwork of several men chopping trees but also made the workers more productive and helped the time pass. As with slave songs, the work songs also helped prisoners give vent to intense pent-up feelings, whether the words were specifically about that or not. Such singing and chanting can also ease the spirit, bring harmony to the group, and can even bring some pleasure to the moment. "Rosie" must have been a well-known prison work song, since Lomax found former prisoners who still knew it in the 1970s. This recording was made onsite at the prison, and is sung by inmates who actually used it in their work gangs."...
..recorded at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman in 1947..
..taken from italian version'wax L.P. from 1977 ALBATROS Records..
-snip-
Selected comments from the YouTube discussion thread for the sound file given above https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ch5IWTavUc
leslie gilda, 2006
"Thank you for posting this song, it
is hard to learn about black history and this is one way to educate ourselves. So much have been lost, because it was not documented. Blacks need to know their history."
-snip-
As a friendly ammendment, I would write that non-Black people also need to know this history.
**
RhythmAddictedState, 2014
"Awesome! :D Now I see where Be My Husband by Nina Simone came from... I wonder if Rosie got credited for the inspiration?"
**
Bruce Brooker, 2015
"Give a listen to Led Zeppelin. OH ROSIE!! Everything's GOT to come from SOMEWHERE doesn't it?"
****
LYRICS WITH TEXT COMMENTS: ROSIE
(Recording of prisoners at Mississippi State Penitentiary's Parchman work camp, in 1947. Recorded by song collector/archivist Alan Lomax)
A stomp starts the song. The lead singer starts with a call, and the group/other workers respond with the second half of the phrase.
Lead Singer's Call: "Be my woman, gal, I'll-"
Group Response: " -be your man." (Ends like a melodic question.)
Repeat of the call and response. Ends with a resolution to the melodic question.
Second two-phrase unit begins, with the pattern continuing: Stomp-call, stomp-response.
Call: "Every Sunday's dollar-"
Response: "-in your hand."
Call: "In your hand, Lordy-"
Response: "-in your hand."
Call: "Every Sundays dollar-"
Response: "-in your hand."
Call: "Stick to the promise, gal, that-"
Response: "-you made me." This is sung three times, like the song's first line.
Call: "Wasn't gonna marry 'til-uh-"
Response: "-I go free."
Call: "I go free, lordy-"
Response: "I go free."
Call: "Wasn't gonna marry 'til-uh-"
Response: "-I go free."
Call: "Well, Rosie-" Notice how the melody is similar but adjusted to the new words; ornaments inflect the text.
Call: "-oh, lord, gal." A similarity in the polyvocal responses with slight variations. The vocal intensity changes with each statement, especially with the lead singer
Call: "Ah, Rosie-"
Response: "-oh, lord, gal."
Each of the next two call-and-response lines repeat twice; the two-phrase melodic units continue.
Call: "When she walks she reels and-"
Response: "-rocks behind."
Call: "Ain't that enough to worry-"
Response: "-[a] convict's mind."
A repeat of the "Well, Rosie/Ah, Rosie" lines from 1:17. There are few syllables here, so the lead singer can really modify the melody.
A repeat of the first four lines of the song: "Be my woman, gal, I'll be your man (three times)/Every Sunday's dollar in your hand."
"Well, Rosie/Ah, Rosie" lines return for the third time.
[Hold on gal]*
Fade out.
End.
Source: http://coastonline.org/mml/opus/opussearch_detail.php?id=120
-snip-
*This transcription doesn't include this last response to "Well Rosie/Ah Rosie". Instead of a "stomp" that is mentioned in this transcription, I believe that sound is that of work tools that the men are using hitting the ground.
Here's those lyrics without the comments, from this sound file's discussion thread posted by loolylooly81 (2014) and quoting https://board.freedomainradio.com/topic/17885-rosie-african-american-work-song/
Be my woman gal I'll
Be your Man (x3)
Everydays Sunday dollar in your hand
In your hand lordy, in your hand
Everydays Sunday dollar in your hand
Stick to the promise girl that
You made me (x3)
Won't got married til' uh
I go free
I go free lordy, I go free
Won't got married til' uh
I go free
Whoa Rosie, hold on gal (x2)
*When She walks she reel and
Rocks behind (x2)
Aint that enough to worry,
convicts mind (x2)
This post showcases a prison work song entitled "I Don't Do Nobody Nothin".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owner.
Thanks to the unknown composer and singer of this song for putting into words what is felt when people are unjustly treated because of their race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender orientation, and/or other things that some people wrongfully consider reasons for injustice.
Thanks also to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE - I don't do nobody nothin
RosieKeepinthepromis, Uploaded on May 5, 2009
***update*** I've turned off the comments for this video. I never thought I'd have to do that since I mainly just post historical music recording on this account. However, for some reason, this particular video drew ridiculous, and some racist, bickering in the comments. I just got tired of getting notices of comments on this video from the flame war back and forth. I hope to turn the comments back on in the future. Until then, maybe a time out will give certain people a chance to grow up, or at the very least to get a life.
This is a historical recording, and I feel it is important to our (everyone's) musical history. The reason why I post these on youtube is to make them easily accessible to everyone, particularly to people who might not have ever encountered it otherwise (from what I can tell, surfing youtube is a much more popular past time that surfing the Library of Congress website). Even if you don't enjoy this kind of music, or this song in particular, I hope that you will at least acknowledge that these kind of recordings are important from a historical standpoint.
This is a recording I got from the Library of Congress AFC 1939/001 2671b1. It is a recording of Rev. Nathaniel Hawkins, a.k.a. C.W. "Preacher" Smith and some other unidentified singers. Recorded in 1939 in Arkansas at the Cummins State Farm by John and Ruby Lomax.
Photo is also from Library of Congress call number LOT 7414-E, no. N137, may have been taken at Cummins State Farm 1934.
and here's the lyrics (roughly), if you hear something different, let me know!
Refrain: I don't do nobody nothin', Jesus
But they hates me just the same (repeat these two lines,) Oh, well, well, it's among that Christian family
That They cause my heart to pain
The sinner he don't know nothin' 'bout me oh lord
He don't carry my name;
****
-snip-
"State farm" is a referent for a state prison.
This post showcases two versions of the African American prison work song "Jumping Judy". Information about and lyrics for those songs are also included in this post.
This post is published for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
Read the highlighted sentences below to find out what African American prison workers meant by the phrase "jumpin' judy".
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers & singers of these songs. Thanks also to the collectors and publishers of this song, and to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE "JUMPING JUDY" SONGS
From http://www.earlyamericancrime.com/songs/jumpin-judy
"Crime and Prison Songs: “Jumpin’ Judy”
In 1933, John and Alan Lomax visited prison farms in the South in the hope of recording African-American songs that dated back to the time of slavery. Their visits were based on the theory that the best places to find songs of slavery preserved in their purest form were in prison camps, with their close resemblance to the conditions of antebellum plantations and their isolation from general society. What they found instead were original songs with themes that directly addressed contemporary prison life.
Here are the lyrics for two versions of the prison song “Jumpin’ Judy.” Both versions have different themes despite their shared name....
****
Version #1: JUMPIN JUDY
From http://www.earlyamericancrime.com/songs/jumpin-judy
"Prison Songs: Historical Recordings From Parchman Farm 1947-48.
This version of the song was recorded by Alan Lomax on Parchman Farm in Mississippi in 1947-48 and is sung by Tangle Eye, Fuzzy Red, Hard Hair, and others. The names of these lead singers are nicknames that were given to the singers when they first entered the prison farm.
Parchman Farm - 1911
Here, Jumpin’ Judy has a baby and abandons the prisoner by leaving on the Illinois Central railroad for Kankakee. Rosie then enters the picture. She is a common figure in prison songs and generally lends comfort to the prisoners. In this case, she arrives with a pardon."...
Negro Work Songs & Calls - Jumpin' judy.wmv
IP Susimies Uploaded on Jan 23, 2011
Between years 1933-1959 Alan Lomax recorded black inmates singing on chain gang. There is a theory about these songs and calls that they were sung by the first slaves while they were working and in the prisons these songs continued living after slavery (Black man in a prison at the time was much the same as a slave) From these songs blues is believed to be formed and this is probably the reason why blues was called "devil's music" like rock-n-roll later was.
-snip-
LYRICS: JUMPIN JUDY (Version #1)
O well, it’s jumpin’, jumpin’ Judy,
O well, it’s jumpin’, jumpin’ Judy,
O well, it’s jumpin’, jumpin’ Judy,
Boy, she was a mighty fine gal.
O well, she brought that jumpin’,
O well, she brought that jumpin’,
O well, she brought that jumpin’,
Baby, to this whole wide world.
O well, she brought it in the mornin’,
O well, she brought it in the mornin’,
O well, she brought it in the mornin’,
Baby, just a little ‘fore day.
You catch the Illinois Central,
You catch the Illinois Central,
You catch the Illinois Central,
Baby, go to Kankakee.
O Well, and yonder come old Rosie,
O Well, and yonder come old Rosie,
O Well, and yonder come old Rosie,
Baby, how in the world you know?
O well, I knowed her by her apron,
O well, I knowed her by her apron,
O well, I knowed her by her apron,
Baby, red’s the dress that she wore.
O well, she wore a Mother Hubbard,
O well, she wore a Mother Hubbard,
O well, she wore a Mother Hubbard,
Baby, like a morning gown.
O well, I heard her tell the sergeant,
O well, I heard her tell the sergeant,
O well, I heard her tell the sergeant,
“Sir, I’ve come for my man.
“Poor boy, he’s been here a-rollin’,
Poor boy, he’s been here a-rollin’,
Poor boy, he’s been here a-rollin’,
Baby, for the state so long.
“O well, I know he’s done got sorry,
O well, I know he’s done got sorry,
O well, I know he’s done got sorry,
Buddy, that he ever done wrong.”
-snip-
These lyrics were found at http://www.earlyamericancrime.com/songs/jumpin-judy
The original book sources for these lyrics are given on that page.
****
Version #2: JUMPIN JUDY
From http://www.earlyamericancrime.com/songs/jumpin-judy
From American Ballads and Folk Songs .
This version of “Jumpin’ Judy” was recorded by the Lomaxes in the early 1930’s in Chattanooga, TN and was sung by Allen Prothro. The Lomaxes found similar versions of the song in both Tennessee and Mississippi. Judy or Julie was a common name used in song throughout Southern prisons, and “Jumpin’” refers to how the prisoners respond to an angry prison guard. The song is about the prisoner being continually pushed in his work and ends with his escape.
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Italics given by me to highlight these sentences.
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Jumpin Judy
RosieKeepinthepromis, Uploaded on Oct 19, 2010
This is from the album Field Recordings, Vol. 2: North Carolina And South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas. The singer is Allen Prothro...
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Note: These lyrics aren't an exact replication of the above sound file in that some verses are sung in different order than those lyrics. I also hear the words "You can treat me and abuse me"...Transcription additions and corrections are welcome.
LYRICS: JUMPIN JUDY (Version #2)
Jumpin’ Judy, jumpin’ Judy, hanh!
Jumpin’ Judy, jumpin’ Judy, hanh!
Jumpin’ Judy, jumpin’ Judy, hanh!
All over dis worl’, hanh, all over dis worl’, hanh!
Well you kick an’ stomp an’ beat me,
Well you kick an’ stomp an’ beat me,
Well you kick an’ stomp an’ beat me,
Da’s all I know, da’s all I know.
Yonder come my cap’n,
Yonder come my cap’n,
Yonder come my cap’n,
Who has been gone so long, who has been gone so long.
Gonna tell him how you treat me,
Gonna tell him how you treat me,
Gonna tell him how you treat me,
So you better git gone, so you better git gone.
He got a 44,
He got a 44,
He got a 44,
In-a his right han’, in-a his right han’.
Gonna take dis ol’ hammer,
Gonna take dis ol’ hammer,
Give it back to jumpin’ Judy,
An’ tell her I’m gone, suh, an’ tell her I’m gone.
Ef she asks you was I runnin’,
Ef she asks you was I runnin’,
Ef she asks you was I runnin’,
You can tell I’s flyin’, you can tell I’s flyin’.
Tell ‘er I crossed de St. John’s River,
Tell ‘er I crossed de St. John’s River,
Tell ‘er I crossed de St. John’s River,
Wid my head hung down, wid my head hung down.
This post showcases the Johnny Moore version of the prison work song "Early In The Morning".
The addendum to this post presents Barry Finn's comments about various versions of the work song "Early In The Morning" and information cross cutting work songs. Barry Finn was an Anglo-American folk singer and blogger on Mudcat, an online Folk & Blues forum.
The content of this post is provided for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in this recording. Thanks also to Alan Lomax for collecting this and other songs & providing transcriptions & commentary about those songs. In addition, thanks to Barry Finn for his comments, thanks to other commenters, and thanks to theschmcc, the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Johnny Lee Moore - Early in the Mornin'
theshmcc Uploaded on Jul 8, 2011
Johnny Lee Moore from The Alan Lomax Collection: Southern Journey, Vol. 5 - Bad Man Ballads (Prison Songs)
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LYRICS: EARLY IN THE MORNING
(sung by Johnny Moore and other men)
Wake up in the mornin', well-a,
With a cup and a pan (2x)
Well, you say anything about it,
Well-a have trouble out the man. (2x)
Oh captain, captain, don'tcha,
Well-a, know my name? (2x)
Well, I used to be the porter, well-a,
On the southbound train. (2x)
I'm the same grand rascal, well-a,
Stole your watch and chain (2x)
Chorus:
Cryin' ol' Mamie, well-a, Oh Lordy, gal! (2x)
Well, Mamie in Meridian, livin' at ease, (2x)
Well, I'm on Parchman, got to work or leave. (2x)
I'll call Alberta from the woman's wall. (2x)
Chorus
Well, look over yonder, sun done gone, (2x)
Well, way over yonder, where the western sun. (2x)
Chorus
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transcription by Alan Lomax, with these comments by Mudcat blogger Ken Schatz, Date: 12 Jun 09 - 10:19 PM http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=121526
"Right. A couple of problems, though:
1. This transcription is a little loose. If you listen to the field recording, you'll hear a couple of small deviations.
2. Before "I'll call Alberta..." there is a whole other line that I can't quite make out, and which Lomax omits - I think because he couldn't make it out either. It's a veritable mondegreen festival, something like:
"I'm gonna holler like - [give a mighty good squall]?"
But it seems like that might not be it. I've done some cursory checking for the couplet in other references, books and recordings, and I can't find what it might be. Paging Dr. Finn! Barry might know.
PS About the shouts at the end, William Ferris, in Blues from the Delta, says:
"When a tree is cut or the hoers reach the end of a row, the caller signals the end of his chant by crying 'Mud! Mud! Mud!'"....
Subject: ADD Version: Early in the Morning
From: Barry Finn
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 11:48 PM
"There are 2 different distinct prison worksong by the name of "Early In The Morning". Both Ken & I do one, sometimes together, sorry it's not the one you're looking for.
The one you're looking for is found as you know on the Alan Lomax Collection--"Southern Journey, Vol. 5: Bad Man Ballads" recorded at Camp B Lambert, Miss on Sept, 1959 from the singing of Johnny Lee Moore & group.
It can also be found sung slightly different but used for the same type of work (logging-standinng on a felled tree after it's branches have been cleared & chopping down, with the axe between one's feet in order to cut the long log into small bits- a moderatly paced song) on "Prison Worksongs on the Arhoolie lable (CD-448) recorded at the Louisiana State pen at Angola by Dr Harry Oster 1959, ffrom the singing of Johnny Butler & group. Also on, & most recently collected by Bruce Jackson on Rounder records at the Ellis facility in Texas on March 1966. This recording can also be found in Jackson's accompanying printed collection under the same title name as the CD "Wake Up Dead Man" still very much available on CD (CD2013) & in print on page 269-273) published by Harvard University Press 1972. This was collected from the singing of Willie "Cowboy" Craig & group"..
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Prison Work Song
From: Barry Finn
Date: 16 Jun 09 - 07:46 PM
.... the "Early In The Morning " (you may have to scroll up a bit) song that Ken [Schatz] & I both do is a double cross cutting song, the fastest of the prison worksong. You might want to give that one a listen just to compare the differences between the 2 songs.*
Where logging the axe comes down between the legs making the arc that the blade trave[l]s longer [.] the cross cut is a sideways swing into a standing tree in order to fell the tree. The "double" comes in when instead of 4 men standing at the 4 compass points around the tree you have 8 man at the same compass points so the doubled up men are working back to back swing in opposite directions & as one swings into the tree the opposite is bring the axe back out [.] If they struck together, no problem but whenb [sic] they both brought the axes back out their axes would cross & clash. Newbies wen't [sic] allowed to just get in on the action, they had to be brought along so that they would learn the ropes in order to survive mishaps.
So the beat between a cross cut doubles in tempo when you double cross cut"
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The spelling & punctuation additions to this comment that I included are given in brackets. I think that those errors occurred for no other reason but a rush to type & share his thoughts online.
Read that Mudcat post for more commentary about and lyrics of versions of "Early In The Morning" prison work songs.
