Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Music Oi vision
Recording Laboratory AFS L8
Edited by B. A. Botkin
WASHINGTON .~.
AI-UNLOADING RAILS Walk to the car, steady yourself.
and has at various times been railroad section Walk to the car and steady yourself.
the Wiergate Lumber Company, where, accord Go back and get another one . ...
that most attempts are unsuccessful. In spite of Go back and get another one ....
and declamation style as much as for what is This is the safety first company.
fire monolog for unloading steel rails are given Head high!
below. Good-bye!
and compiled by John A. Lomax and Alan Now let's go back and get another one . .. .
John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax (New York, All the livelong day.
. . . All right now, listen to me right good. Well, work don't hurt me,
Walk up until you're almost to the car. Don't care where in the world I go.
Come on back and get another one now ... . That hurts my pride.
1
A3-HEAVING THE LEAD LINE Don't you change your mind.
Called by Sam Hazel at Greenville, Miss., Heave it in the water just-a one more time.
1939. Eight feet and a half, Mr. Pilot, will you
change your mind.
A4-MISSISSIPPI SOUNDING CALL 1 Run him on a slow bell,
AS- MISSISSIPPI SOUNDING CALL 2 Run him on a slow bell.
Called by Joe Shores at Greenville, Miss., Quarter less twain on the sta'board side.
1939. Recorded by Herbert Halpert. Mr. Pilot, will you change your mind.
Drap it on over on the left-hand side.
Tell me there's a buoy, a buoy right on the
This record will be interesting to all readers bar.
of Mark Twain, especially of his Life on the The light is twisted, and you can see just
Mississippi.
how.
On February 2, 1863, according to George pull a little over to the la'board side.
D. Lyman, in The Saga of the Comstock Lode Lawd, Lawd.
(New York, 1941) , p. 213, Samuel L. Clemens, Quarter less twain,
"Mark Twain. " This was originally the "nom de Lawd, Lawd, now send me quarter less
plume of one Capt. Isaiah Sellers, who used to twain.
write river news over it for the New Orleans Throw the lead line a little higher out.
Picay une" (according to a letter of Twain's I've gone low down, so mark twain,
dated June 24, 1874). "Mark twain" is the Mark twain.
sounding call for two fathoms, or 12 feet Come ahead, Mr. Pilot, a little bit strong.
"just enough draft for the boat to get over." In I've done got over, and I believe we're
his chant Sam Hazel, eighty-six years old, calls gonna
th e sounding calls the "old way," as he heard Throw the lead line over-
For the lead line drapped off right now. Nine feet,
Well, old deck hand, when you git on top Eight and a half feet.
Oh, etc.
He rambles in the dark.
Oh , etc.
Until he hear old Rover bark.
Oh, etc.
That's my baby, who-oh-oo-oo-oh'
Come on, boys, let's go to huntin'. 3. Go and get the dog man.
Dog in th e woods, and he done treed Go and get the dog man.
sump'n .
Come on, boys, let's go to huntin', [2]
4. Run that nigger to the riverside.
sump'n.
5. Go and call old Rattler.
Come on, boys, let's go to huntin', [2] Go and call old Rattler.
Al2- 0LD RATTLER 8. Oh, put that nigger right up that tree.
Sung by Mose (Clear Rock) Platt and Old Rock couldn't get to three.
John A. and Alan Lomax. Oh, run that nigger right lost his mind.
13. Oh, believe to my soul it's the Worldy Fair. 4. That if you work
Oh, they didn't 'low no black folks there. He'll treat you well,
right on,
82-HAMMER, RING
BI- GO DOWN, OLD HANNAH Sung by Jesse Bradley and group at State
Sung by James
(Iron Head) Baker, Will Penitentiary, Huntsville, Tex., 1934. Re
Crosby, R. D.
Allen, and Mose (Clear corded by John A. and Alan Lomax.
Rock) Platt at Central
State Farm, Sugar
Land, Tex., 1933.
Recorded by John A. The most dynamic of Negro work rhythms
and Alan Lomax.
are to be found in the hammer songs. Of "Ham
mer, Ring," John A. Lomax has written: "The
This is one of the best known of the slow men who drove the spikes that fastened the long
drag work songs sun g by Negro prisoners in steel rails to the wooden ties sang the most
South Texas. James (Iron Head) Baker says thrilling tune of all-the hammer song, song
that he first sang it in 1908, on long hot sum of the ten-pound hammer with its two heads
mer days when, about three o'clock in the scarcely more than a couple of inches in diam
afternoon, the sun (Old Hannah) seemed to eter, that was swung free from the shoulder in
stop and "just hang" in the sky. a complete circle about the head ... that song
For another version, sung to a sim ilar tune, with its own individual vibrant and stirring
see Our Singing Country, collected and com tune. "
piled by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax, The Bible story of Noah and the ark, which
Ruth Crawford Seeger, music editor (New York, is also the theme of spirituals, is here used to
1941) , pp. 356-58. dramatize the work, with echoes of ballad and
game-song usage.
1. Go down, old Hannah, For another version see American Ballads
Won't you rise no more? and Folk Songs, collected and compiled by
Go down, old Hannah, John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax (New York,
Won't you rise no more? 1934) , pp. 61-62.
5
(,HORliS LEADER AND CHORUS
Well. 1 wonder what's the matter
Won' t you ring. old hammer?
With my long time here.
Hammer. ring.
Awrillirr.
Won't you ring. old hammer?
Hammer. ring. LEADER
Boys, 1 woke up early this mornin'.
I. Broko the handl e on my hammer. CHORUS
Hammer. ring . Hey. Lawd!
Broke the handle on my hammer. LEADER AND CHORUS
Hammer. ring . Boys. 1 woke up early this mornin'.
AwriJ:hl, Qwrighl .
.., (101 to hammcrin' in the Bihlc.
) , GonIa talk aho ut Norah . LEADER AND CHORUS
4. Well. God told Norah. 'Bout the break of day.
~ . Y~ll1 is a-guill' in the timber.
T ile break of day .
(l, You argue some Bible . H ear iI, hear il.
7. Well. Norah got worried. LEADER
X. What you want with th e timber? Well . the big bell sho was tonin '.
9 . W on't YO li build me a ark. sir? CHORUS
10. Well. Norah asked God. sir. Oh--o, Lawd.
I I . How high do yo u want it? LEADER AND CHORUS
I~ . Build it fort y-t
wo cubits.
Well , the big bell sho was tonin'.
I~ . Every cubit ha
ve a window.
Silo WU.f. Good Lawd.
14. Well. it start ed in to r"inin ·
.
I ~ . Old Norah got
worried. LEADER AND CHORUS
I(,. He called in hi
s children. Just a while fa' day .
17. Well . Norah told
God. sir. Judge right.
I R. This is a ve ry
fine hammer. Oh, yah!
sociated wit h Negro sermons :md religious serv DOll' IIurt Ilobody.
is also a good example of the process of fitting Then we'll roll 'im along,
new words to an old tune ("Blow the Man Hey, ay, roll 'im along.
Down") which is just suited to them. More Give me some time for to slide 'im along,
over, its words are such as might have been Give me some time to slide 'jm along.
composed by a group.
8. Well , we jerk 'im along,
For two other Bahaman launching songs Well, we kick 'im along,
(versions of the shanties, "Round the Bay of Hey, ay, slide 'im along.
Mexico" and "Bowline"), sung by David Pryor Give me a little time for to kick 'im along,
and Henry Lundy, see album L5 in this series. Give me some time to pull 'im along.
Hey, ay, pull 'im along. Hey, ay, pull 'im along.
Now we pull 'im along from this old ship Give me some time for to pull 'im along,
the men sing about their troubles on the job and I'm gonna tell you something now.
their pleasures off it, with one biblical allusion. Oh, all I want-my navy beans,
Allen Prothero, himself a railroad worker, A big fat woman and a wheeler team.
died of tuberculosis in the Nashville penitentiary Hi, hi, won't you line 'em?
just before receiving his parole. Only a portion Hi, hi, won't you line 'em?
of his "Track-Lining Song" is reproduced here Ho, ho, won't you line 'em?
American Ballads and Folk Songs, collected Stand on the rock where Moses stood.
and compiled by John A. Lomax and Alan Oh, boys, in the morning,
THE ROCK ISLAND LINE I'd be standing there all the time.
CHORUS 3. Oh, boys, want to tell you something now.
Oh, way down yonder in the harvest field,
I says the Rock Island Line is a mighty
Angels working at the chariot wheel.
good road.
Oh, boys, won't you line 'em,
ride.
Oh, boys, won't you line 'em,
I. Well , Jesus died to save me in all of my sin. Hi, hi, he ain't blind.
Well-a, glory to God, we gain' to meet Him Hi, hi, got a Waterbury.
~
~
" Ii F
r·
~
0
'" L.
>0
'"'
f t, «