African American Choir Directing Styles In Arrangements Of "Ride On King Jesus"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides five examples of the African American Spiritual "Ride On King Jesus" with a special focus on the differences between the styles of the choir directors and the different arrangements of the renditions.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/06/two-examples-of-ride-on-king-jesus-ride.html for two examples of "Ride On King Jesus" (with the second line "Ride On King Emmanuel").

Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/06/five-additional-ride-on-king-jesus.html for historical versions of this Spiritual.

The content of this post is provided for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks also to all of the choir directors, vocalists, and musicians who are featured in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these YouTube videos.

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
In my opinion, arrangements of "Ride On King Jesus" with the combination of lyrics from the Spiritual "In That Great Gettin' Up Morning (perhaps also with perhaps lyrics from other Spirituals) are examples of what I call "Gospeled Spirituals". I define "Gospeled Spirituals" as African American Spirituals that are performed in a Gospel style. I'm not sure when these particular arrangements were first performed, but I think that it was probably in the 1980s.

These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting date on YouTube, with the oldest examples given first.

Example #1: In HIS Presence Gospel Choir - "Ride On King Jesus"



myfleshdiesdaily Uploaded on May 6, 2007

One of our or should I say the crowds favorites. We originally got this from Stoneybrook but we rock it. Harder? Well, you be tha judge lol...sing yall!!!
-snip-
Here's the beginning lyrics:
Lyrics:
Ride on King Jesus
No man can-a hinder Thee*
Ride on King Jesus
No man can-a hinder Thee (repeat multiple times)
-snip-
This line may be "No man can-a hinder me".
"No man can-a hinder Thee" means "No man (no one) can stop You (meaning "Jesus").
"No man can-a hinder me" means "No man (no one can stop me (from following Jesus).

I've always believed that "No man can-a hinder Thee" is the earlier version of that line as its meaning fits with the first line, but that may be because that is the way I learned this song. Lyrics to a 19th century version of this song or a closely related song are found in the Addendum to this post. In that song the line is given as No man can hinder me (we).

The "a" [pronounced "ah) at the end of certain words is just a rhythmic addition which has no meaning.

This arrangement combines "Ride On King Jesus" with the African American Spiritual "In That Great Gettin' Up Morning".

This arrangement of "Ride On King Jesus" also includes these floating verses:

When I get to heaven I’m gonna wear a robe
No man can a hinder me*
Walk all over those streets of gold
No man can a hinder me

See King Jesus sittin on the throne
No man can a hinder me
Goin to a land where I never grow old
No man can a hinder me
-snip-
Other floating verses from African American Spirituals that have been sung in renditions of this song:

One of these mornings and it won’t be long
Look for me and I’ll be gone

Goin up to glory gonna sing and shout
Ain’t nobody there gonna put me out
-snip-
"It has become a common practice to sing a verse or verses of “In That Great Gettin' Up Morning" with "Ride On King Jesus".

Here's a link to an arrangement of "Great Gettin' Up Morning" that was sung by Mahalia Jackson: http://www.metrolyrics.com/great-gettin-up-morning-lyrics-mahalia-jackson.html.
Note that this page indicates that "In That Great Gettin' Up Morning" was written by Mahalia Jackson. While this version of that Spiritual may have been written by Mahalia Jackson, the earliest version of that song was collected in 1874, its composer being an unknown enslaved African American man.

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Example #2: Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir sings Ride on King Jesus



dvejendla, Uploaded on May 7, 2007

Merced Apostolic Tabernacle Mass Choir singing Ride on King Jesus on Easter Sunday Morning '07
-snip-
This arrangement of "Ride On King Jesus" includes the same two floating verses that were sung in the rendition given as "Example #1"

Notice the number of women in that congregation who are wearing hats. Although it had long been traditional for females to wear hats during church services in many African American churches, that custom is dying or is rarely followed. This is even the case in many African American churches during the Easter church service, although probably more females wear hats on that Sunday service than during any other church service.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/04/why-fewer-african-american-women-wear.html for a pancocojams post on that subject.

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Example #3: Voices Of Testimony Ride On King Jesus



VoicesofTestimony, Uploaded on Jan 16, 2009

The Voices of Testimony minister during the Throw Back 80's Era with this favorite Ride on King Jesus!!!!

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Example #4: Wilmington Chester Mass Choir- Ride On King Jesus



FreLi77, Uploaded on Feb 17, 2008

This is a classic clip of the late Rev. Ernest Davis Jr.'s Wilmington Chester Mass Choir sing "Ride On King Jesus" back in 1988. This was recorded by a local Philly TV station for an annual show called "Gospel Extravaganza".
-snip-
This arrangement combines the Spiritual "Ride On King Jesus" with the Spirituals "In That Great Gettin' Up Morning" and The Spiritual "Ain't That Good News". Here are my transcription of the lyrics for that arrangement with the optional words given in brackets:

Lyrics:
Ride on King Jesus
No man can-a hinder me
Ride on King Jesus
[Ride on]
No man can-a hinder me (4x)

In that great gettin’ up morning
Fare thee well Fare thee well
In that great getting up morning
Fail thee well fair thee well

(repeat this verse multiple times)

No man can-a hinder me
No man can-a hinder me
No man can-a hinder me
No man can-a hinder me

I got a crown up in-a God’s kingdom
Ain’t-a that good news
I got a crown up in-a God’s kingdom
Ain’t-a that good news
I’mma gonna lay down this world*
[Gonna] Shoulder up my cross
Take it home to [my] Jesus
Ain’t-a that good news.
Take it home to my Jesus
Ain’t-a that good news.

(vamp)

*I think that the end of that line is usually sung as “this burden”.

The words "fare thee well" mean "farewell". "Farewell" is "used to express good wishes on parting." https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&gws_rd=ssl#q=farewell+meaning

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Example #5: Ride On King Jesus - Rev. Ernest Davis, Jr. & the Wilmington/Chester Mass Choir



Kadeem Graves, Published on Jun 21, 2012

This is from their 1991 video "He's Preparing Me: Live In Atlanta".

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Various (Somewhat Discreetly Worded) Meanings Of "Hog-Eye" and "Hog-Eye Man"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides discreetly worded definitions and excerpts from online discussions about the meanings of the vernacular American English terms "hog-eye" and "hogeye man".

This post also provides comments about the meaning of the word "navvy" as found in the song "Hog Eye Man" and in other folk songs.

In addition, this post showcases two YouTube examples of the song "Hog Eye Man".

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/06/sally-in-garden-siftin-sand-lyrics.html for the companion pancocojams post "Sally In The Garden" (Siftin Sand) Lyrics & Comments.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the collectors and the featured performers of this song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.

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DEFINITIONS
There are several definitions for the American English terms "hog-eye" and "hog-eye man". These meanings range from socially correct to what some consider to be quite obscene. I've presented these definitions in the chronological order that I think they were coined [based on my admittedly limited online reading on this subject.]

Hog eye & Hog-Eye Man
1. a barge used on the canals and rivers of the United States at the time of the Gold Rush in California (1850) ...hog-eye man being one of the crew of a hog-eye) [Captain Whall, "Sea Songs and Shanties", first printed in 1910, is perhaps the best collection of 19th c. sailors work songs. quote by Q in http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=11353 [23 May 08 - 01:56 PM]

2. Hog eye- a female's sexual parts (vulva or vagina); An equivalent African American Blues/Jazz vernacular term is "jelly roll".

Hog-eye man: a womanizer, a man who is very sexually active (with women) [These definitions & comments are found in the Mudcat post whose link is given above.]
-snip-
This description is very similar to "Jody", the African American folk character & the military cadence character.

3. hog-eye - a squint (eye) appearance; "Hog-eye man": a man who had a squint eye (similar to "popeye" and bug-eye - a person who has bulging eyes
From http://hogeyenavvy.com/the-band
Garry still swears by his grandfather's definition that sailors were called 'hogeyes' because they squinted in the sun (like pigs, and like Popeye!)."
-snip-
Read that article for more definitions of "hog-eye" and the word "navvy". That article and others mentions that "Hog-eye" is used as place names in the United States and elsewhere.

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Navvy - a semi skilled laborer [from the word "navigation"]

Subject: RE: I give up. What's a HOGEYE?
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 07 Jun 99 - 07:44 AM

The term Navvy has been around since the beginning of the 19th century, and has always been used to refer common laborers on any project which requires digging/excavation: canals, earthworks, pipelines, levees, railroads. Later, when a machine was developed to do this work, it was called--as one might expect--the steam navvy. The term was, indeed, taken from the word navigator, but not in any way limited to seafaring--more having to do with surveying.
The tow-path driver responsible for the draft animals which towed barges and canal boats on the old canal systems was known as the HOGGY; that possibly might be the basis for the term hog-eye, through folk etymology.
-snip-
Read Q [23 May 08 - 04:22 PM] in the above linked Mudcat post for a related song and term "ox-eyed man". And read the comments in that post about the sexualized meaning of "one eyed" and "dead-eye".

Also, read this comment about the racialized meaning of the term "hog-eye man" and the substitution of the terms "navy man" or "railroad man" for what is now known as the "n word" in other versions of the song.

Subject: RE: I give up. What's a HOGEYE?
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Mar 12 - 07:26 PM

I first heard this song a hell of a long time ago and it was sung as "railroad ni&&&r* with his sea-boots on". (Although why a railroad man be wearing sea-boots is beyond me!) The song was referred to as a "ni&&&r* shanty", lumped in with others like "Bullgine" and the cotton-screwing songs as being of African-American origin.
I always understood the Hogeye Man to be, firstly, Black. And secondly, one adept at getting some hog-eye.(more power to him!)
So many shanties have been sanitized. Agree with Guest, lighter, above that "navvy" was just cleaning it up.
Don't know the origin of the word but a navvy is a laborer.
-snip-
This word was fully spelled out in this quote.

That comment refers to these lines in versions of the song "Hog Eye Man":
"Railroad navvy with his hog-eye" and "railroad navy with his big boots on" or "railroad navy with his sea-boots on".

It's likely that the "sea boots on" phrase was coined to conform with the misapprehension that "navvy" meant a sailor.

However, read the comment by Matthew B : 06 Jun 99 - 08:43 PM who wrote that he was surprised to read that "railroad navy" was the original description that was used in that song.

I'm not sure which phrase whether "railroad navy" or "railroad ni&&&r" was the earliest phrase. However, "big buck ni&&&r with his sea boots on" was likely a later coinage.

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COMMENTS ABOUT THE TERMS "HOGEYE" AND "HOG-EYE MAN"
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=11353
Subject: RE: I give up. What's a HOGEYE?
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 19 Apr 12 - 01:18 PM

...To sum up: "hog's-eye" and "hogeye" had a both clean and dirty meanings. The various Mudcat minds that have discussed the matter over many years are essentially unanimous in their belief as to what the dirty meaning was.

I'm inclined to agree with Gibb's suspicion that at the moment of its creation, "The Hogeye Man" (or just a line about the "hogeye man") simply referred to a barge sailor. (If that meaning had not been both natural and probable, I can't imagine the strait-laced Whall publishing the shanty in any form.)

Dirty interpretations presumably didn't take hold for some singers till at least ten minutes later. If a sexual "hog's-eye" actually predated the shanty, that would only make reinterpretation inevitable.

**
Subject: RE: I give up. What's a HOGEYE?
From: Kim C
Date: 28 Mar 00 - 02:05 PM

I am a HUGE fan of shanties and this is one of my favorites. My, what a lively discussion! My conclusion is, like so many bawdy songs of old, hog-eye has a double meaning and those who get it, get it, and those who don't can still enjoy the song and not feel like they're out of the loop...
-snip-
Read that post for more comments about these terms song and also for various lyrics for the song "Hog-Eye Man".

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FEATURED EXAMPLES OF THE SONG "HOG EYE MAN"
Example #1: Martin Carthy & Family: Hog-Eye Man



wolfgpunkt, Uploaded on May 31, 2009

From: Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.

Explanatory liner notes by record label ANTI-:
A hog-eye was apparently a type of barge used in the canals and rivers of America from the 1850's onward. Thus, "hog-eye man" was used in derogation by the deep water sailors who used this chantey at the capstan. Many of the original verses to this chantey were far too obscene to have ever found their way into print.

Image: Miss Marjorie Joesting: Rock On: 1926.
Marjorie, the future Mrs. Arthur Lange, was both Miss Washington, D.C., and a Miss America runner-up at Atlantic City in 1926.
National Photo Company Collection glass negative, August 2, 1926.
Via Shorpy: http://www.shorpy.com/node/4282

Lyrics and annotations in http://ismaels.wordpress.com/2009/06/

Lyrics:

1. Oh, hand me down my riding cane,
I’m off to meet my darlin’ Jane.

Chorus: And a hog-eye!
Railroad navvy with his hog-eye,
Steady on a jig with a hog-eye-o,
She wants the hog-eye man!

2. Oh, the hog-eye man is the man for me,
Sailin’ down from o’er the sea. – Chorus.

3. Oh, he came to the shack where Sally did dwell,
He knocked on the door, he rung a bell. – Chorus.

4. Oh, who’s been here since I been gone,
Railroad navvy with his sea boots on. – Chorus.

5. If I catch him here with Sally once more,
I’ll sling me hook, go to sea once more. – Chorus.

6. Oh, Sally’s in the garden sifting sand,
Her hog-eye man sittin’ hand in hand. – Chorus.

7. Oh, Sally’s in the garden, punchin’ dough,
The cheeks of her arse go chuff, chuff, chuff! – Chorus.

8. Oh, I won’t wear a hog-eye, damned if I do,
Got jiggers in his feet and he can’t wear shoes. – Chorus.

9. Oh, the hog-eye man is the man for me,
He is blind and he cannot see. – Chorus.

10. Oh, a hog-eye ship and a hog-eye crew,
A hog-eye mate and a skipper too. – Chorus.

Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A hog-eye was apparently a type of barge used in the canals and rivers of America from the 1850′s onward. Thus, “hog-eye man” was used in derogation by the deep water sailors who used this chantey at the capstan. Many of the original verses to this chantey were far too obscene to have ever found their way into print.

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Example #2: The Morris Brothers - "Hog Eyed Man"



Cridantis Videos, Uploaded on Dec 1, 2009

I found this record, dusty and badly warped, in a box from the attic. According to my mother it was my older brother's favorite childhood record.

Arranged by John and David Morris
-snip-
Unfortunately, I don't feel capable of transcribing this rendition of "Hog Eyed Man".

Here are two comments from that sound file's discussion thread:
TamarZucker, 2012
"LOVE IT!!!! This is a sea shanty. Hog eyed man refers to the same thing as a one eyed snake.-a sexual allusion. I wonder if joining the Morris Brothers was Jim Carter (of Johnny Cash 's wife's family I believe) did the animal noises as he was well known for them?

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TamarZucker, 2012
"and "Cindy's in the bed with the hog eyed man." I love this recording!."

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Johnny Moore - "Early In The Morning". (sound file, lyrics, & information)

Edited by Azizi Powell

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.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/06/early-in-morning-prison-work-song-1947.html for a post about another version of the "Early In The Morning" work song.

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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
-----
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!'"....

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ADDENDUM -INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORK SONG "EARLY IN THE MORNING" AND ABOUT PRISON CROSS CUTTING WORK
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=121526

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"
-snip-
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.

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Early In The Morning (Prison Work Song 1947-1948, lyrics & sound file)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a version of the prison work song "Early In The Morning" that was sung in Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary and recorded by Alan Lomax in 1947-1948. This post includes an excerpt of Alan Lomax's notes about his collection of prison work songs and about "22", the nickname for the lead singer of this version of "Early In The Morning".

The addendum to this post presents comments about cross cutting work songs from Barry Finn, a Anglo-American (deceased) 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 commentary about those songs. In addition, thanks to the transcriber of these lyrics, thanks to Barry Finn for his comments, and thanks to MidtempoSoundLabs, the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/06/johnny-moore-early-in-morning-sound.html
for a pancocojams post about the Johnny Moore version of "Early In The Morning".

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EXCERPT OF THE RECORD'S NOTES
From http://clancybrothersandtommymakem.com/trad_1020_prison_songs.htm Negro Prison Songs — Mississippi State Penitentiary
1957 - Tradition TLP 1020 LP
recorded by Alan Lomax in 1947 at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Mississippi.
"These recordings were made in 1947 in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. The singers were all Negro prisoners, who, according to the practice of Mississippi, were serving out their time by working on a huge state cotton plantation in the fertile Yazoo Delta. Only a few strands of wire separated the prison from adjoining plantations. Only the sight of an occasional armed guard or a barred window in one of the frame dormitories made one realise that this was a prison. The land produced the same crop; there was the same work for the Negroes to do on both sides of the fence. And there was no Delta Negro who was not aware of how easy it was for him to find himself on the wrong side of those few strands of barbed wire...

I went back to the Mississippi pen with the first portable tape machine that came on the market, for I wanted to record the sounds that were always too rich to be well recorded by the disc machines of former years. Even in 1947 I could see that the custom of work-song singing was dying out at Parchman, where we had recorded our finest singing in the early '30's. The old-timers had lost their voices, and most of the young prisoners regarded the practice as "old fogeyism."
The young prisoner "22" was an exception; he had developed a new style, (contrast Band 1, Side B to Band 4, Side B) but he could not tell me whether he was "bopping" it or not. I suspected he was. In any case, his bunch produced a polyphonic style that seems remarkably African — perhaps yet another instance of the ever-fresh spirit of Africa at work in the New World. More importantly. these songs, coming out of the filthy darkness of the pen, still touched with exquisite musicality, are a testimony to the love of truth and beauty which is a universal human trait."..."

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UPDATE: June 6, 2014: EXCERPT FROM A RECORD REVIEW
http://www.poparchives.com.au/2225/the-purple-hearts/early-in-the-morning
[Early In The Morning is a] "Prison work song, also known as The Woodpecker and perhaps also as Ro-Berta.

Field recording made in 1947 by Alan Lomax (1915-2002) at Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman Farm), released on the album Negro Prison Songs in 1959. Lomax's field recordings were well-known and influential in the American and British folk scenes.

A number of prison worksongs entitled Early In The Morning have been collected by folklorists, but this one is clearly the source of the song recorded by British r&b bands in the 1960s. Lobby Loyde of Australia's Purple Hearts also knew this traditional song."...

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Prison Songs - Early In The Mornin'



MidtempoSoundLabs, Uploaded on Mar 26, 2009

Recorded over 60 years ago at Parchman Farm: "these songs belong to the musical tradition which Africans brought to the New World, but they are also as American as the Mississippi River."
- Alan Lomax

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LYRICS: EARLY IN THE MORNING (1947-1948 Parchman Farm version)
(sung by “22”, Little Red, Tangle Eye, and Hard Hair, accompanied by double cutting axes)

(1st Verse)
Well, it’s early in the morn –in the morning, baby
When I rise, Lordy mama
Well, it’s early every morning a-baby
When I rise well-a well-a
It’s early in the morning, baby
When I rise, Lordy baby
You have-, it’s I have misery, Berta,
Wa, in my right side
Well-a, in a my right side, Lordy baby-
R-in-a my right side,Lordy, sugar.
Well, it´s I have a misery, Berta,
R-in-a my right side, well-a.

(Chorus)
Well-a, it's-a, Lordy,
Ro-Lordy-Berta,
Well, it's Lord (you keep a-talkin'), babe,
Well, it's Lord, Ro-Lordy-Rosie,
Well, it's, o Lord, Gal, well-a.

(2nd verse)
Well-a, whosonever told it, That he told a- he told a dirty lie, babe.
Well-a, whosonever told it, that he told a -he told a dirty lie, well-a.
Well-a, whosonever told it, that he told a -he told a dirty lie, babe.
Well the eagle on the dollar-quarter,
He gonna rise and fly, well-a.
He gonna rise and fly, sugar.
He gonna rise and fly, well-a.
Well the eagle on the dollar-quarter, He gonna rise and fly, well-a.

(Chorus)

(3rd verse)
Well-rocks ’n gravel make -a
Make a solid road
Well-a takes a-rock –a gravel make a
To make a solid road, well-a
It takes a good lookin woman to make a
To make a good lookin whore
Well-a It takes a good lookin woman, Lord, Baby
To make a good lookin whore, Lord sugar
It takes a good lookin woman to make-a
To make a good lookin whore, well-a

(Chorus)

(4th verse)
Boys, the peckerwood a-peckin' on the-
On the schoolhouse door, sugar.
Well, the peckerwood a-peckin' on the-
R-on the schoolhouse door, Well-a.
Well, the peckerwood a-peckin' on the-
On the schoolhouse door, sugar.
Well he pecks so hard, Lordy, baby,
Until his pecker got sore, well-a,
Until his pecker got sore, Lordy, baby,
Until his pecker got sore, Lord, sugar.
Well he pecks so hard, Lord, mama,
Until his pecker got sure, well-a.

(Chorus)

(5th verse)
Well, hain't been to Georgia, boys,
but, Well, it's I been told, sugar.
Well, hain't been to Georgia, Georgia.
But, it's I been told, well-a.
Well, haint been to Georgia, Georgia.
But, it's I been told, Lord, mama.

[End]

Source: http://www.reubenroth.com/papers/Early%20in%20the%20Mornin.pdf

****
ADDENDUM -INFORMATION ABOUT PRISON CROSS CUTTING WORK
From http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=121526
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"
-snip-
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.

Here's an excerpt from an earlier comment that Barry Finn wrote the night before about other "Early In The Morning" prison work songs:
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"...
-snip-
Read that Mudcat post for more commentary about and lyrics of versions of "Early In The Morning" prison work songs.

****
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Examples Of Subversive Rhymes From Thomas W. Talley's 1922 Book " Negro Folk Rhymes"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post presents text (word only) examples of subversive rhymes from African American scholar Dr. Thomas W. Talley's Negro Folk Rhymes, Wise & Otherwise, With A Study (originally published in 1922).

This post isn't meant to be a comprehensive compilation of the rhymes from Talley's collection that I believe are subversive.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Thomas W. Talley for collecting and publishing these examples. Thanks also to Project Gutenberg for publishing a digital edition of this compilation November 7, 2008 [EBook #27195].

****
DEFINITION OF "SUBVERSIVE"
From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subversion
"the act of subverting : the state of being subverted; especially : a systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a government or political system by persons working secretly from within"
-snip-
In the context of this post, "subversive African American slavery rhymes" are those which directly or indirectly refer to African Americans contemplating, encouraging, or engaging in acts and/or ideas that benefit themselves and are therefore counterproductive to the institution of slavery, and/or the wellbeing of their slave masters/mistresses.

****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
From http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-0.txt
These examples are presented in alphabetical order by their titles that are found in The Project Gutenberg EBook of Negro Folk Rhymes, by Thomas W. Talley is also included in these examples.

A,B

BULLFROG PUT ON THE SOLDIER CLOTHES
Bullfrog put on de soldier clo's.
He went down yonder fer to shoot at de crows;
Wid a knife an' a fo'k between 'is toes,
An' a white hankcher fer to wipe 'is nose.

Bullfrog put on de soldier clo's.
He's a "dead shore shot," gwineter kill dem crows.
He takes "Pot," an' "Skillet" from de Fiddler's Ball.
Dey're to dance a liddle jig while Jim Crow fall.

Bullfrog put on de soldier clo's.
He went down de river fer to shoot at de crows.
De powder flash, an' de crows fly 'way;
An' de Bullfrog shoot at 'em all nex' day.

I saddled dat mule to go to town.
I mounted up an' he buck'd me down.
Den I jumped up from out'n de dust,
An' I rid him till I thought he'd bust.
i-snip-
I added this example to this post on September 8, 2014 after re-reading it and just realizing that it might be about more than bullfrogs and crows.

C,D
DESTITUTE FORMER SLAVE OWNERS
Missus an' Mosser a-walkin' de street,
Deir han's in deir pockets an' nothin' to eat.
She'd better be home a-washin' up de dishes,
An' a-cleanin' up de ole man's raggitty britches.
He'd better run 'long an' git out de hoes
An' clear out his own crooked weedy corn rows;
De Kingdom is come, de Ni&&&rs* is free.
Hain't no Ni&&&r*
slaves in de Year Jubilee.
-snip-
* This word was completely spelled out in this book.

**
DIE IN THE PIG-PEN FIGHTING
Dat ole sow said to de barrer:
"I'll tell you w'at let's do:
Let's go an' git dat broad-axe
And die in de pig-pen too."

"Die in de pig-pen fightin'!
Yes, die, die in de wah!
Die in de pig-pen fightin',
Yes, die wid a bitin' jaw!"

E,F

G,H

I,J
JACK AND DINAH WANT FREEDOM
Ole Aunt Dinah, she's jes lak me.
She wuk so hard dat she want to be free.
But, you know, Aunt Dinah's gittin' sorter ole;
An' she's feared to go to Canada, caze it's so cōl'.

Dar wus ole Uncle Jack, he want to git free.
He find de way Norf by de moss on de tree.
He cross dat river* a-floatin' in a tub.
Dem Patterollers** give 'im a mighty close rub.

Dar is ole Uncle Billy, he's a mighty good Nigger.
He tote all de news to Mosser a little bigger.
When you tells Uncle Billy, you wants free fer a fac';
De nex' day de hide drap off'n yō' back.

[Note written by Thomas W. Talley]:
"The writer wishes to give explanation as to why the rhyme "Jack and
Dinah Want Freedom" appears under the Section of Psycho-composite Rhymes as set forth in "The Study----" of our volume. The Negroes repeating this rhyme did not always give the names Jack, Dinah, and Billy, as we here record them, but at their pleasure put in the individual name of the Negro in their surroundings whom the stanza being repeated might represent. Thus this little rhyme was the scientific dividing, on the part of the Negroes themselves, of the members of their race into three general classes with respect to the matter of Freedom."...

*The Ohio River.

**White guards who caught and kept slaves at the master's home.

**
JACKSON, PUT THAT KETTLE ON!
Jackson, put dat kittle on!
Fire, steam dat coffee done!
Day done broke, an' I got to run
Fer to meet my gal by de risin' sun.

My ole Mosser say to me,
Dat I mus' drink [10]sassfac tea;
But Jackson stews dat coffee done,
An' he shō' gits his po'tion: Son!

K,L

M,N
MASTER KILLED A BIG BULL
Mosser killed a big bull,
Missus cooked a dish full,
Didn't give poor Ni&&&r* a mouf full.
Humph! Humph!

Mosser killed a fat lam'.
Missus brung a basket,
An' give poor Ni&&&r* de haslet.
Eh-eh! Eh-eh!

Mosser killed a fat hog
Missus biled de middlin's,
An' give poor Ni&&&r* de chitlin's.
Shō! Shō!
-snip-
* This word was completely spelled out in this book.

**
MASTER IS SIX FEET ONE WAY
Mosser is six foot one way, an' free foot tudder;
An' he weigh five hunderd pound.
Britches cut so big dat dey don't suit de tailor,
An' dey don't meet half way 'round.

Mosser's coat come back to a claw-hammer p'int.
(Speak sof' or his Bloodhound'll bite us.)
His long white stockin's mighty clean an' nice,
But a liddle mō' holier dan righteous.

**
NOBODY LOOKING
Well: I look dis a way, an' I look dat a way,
An' I heared a mighty rumblin'.
W'en I come to find out, 'twus dad's black sow,
A-rootin' an' a-grumblin'.

Den: I slipped away down to de big White House.
Miss Sallie, she done gone 'way.
I popped myse'f in de rockin' chear,
An' I rocked myse'f all day.

Now: I looked dis a way, an' I looked dat a way,
An' I didn' see nobody in here.
I jes run'd my head in de coffee pot,
An' I drink'd up all o' de beer.

O,P
OFF FROM RICHMOND
I'se off from Richmon' sooner in de mornin'.
I'se off from Richmon' befō' de break o' day.
I slips off from Mosser widout pass an' warnin'
Fer I mus' see my Donie wharever she may stay.

**
PROMISES OF FREEDOM
My ole Mistiss promise me,
W'en she died, she'd set me free.
She lived so long dat 'er head got bal',*
An' she give out'n de notion a dyin' at all.

My ole Mistiss say to me:
"Sambo, I'se gwine ter set you free."
But w'en dat head git slick an' bal',
De Lawd couldn' a' killed 'er wid a big green maul.

My ole Mistiss never die,
Wid 'er nose all hooked an' skin all dry.
But my ole Miss, she's somehow gone,
An' she lef' "Uncle Sambo" a-hillin' up co'n.**

Ole Mosser lakwise promise me,
W'en he died, he'd set me free.
But ole Mosser go an' make his Will
Fer to leave me a-plowin' ole Beck still.

Yes, my ole Mosser promise me;
But "his papers" didn' leave me free.
A dose of pizen he'ped 'im along.
May de Devil preach 'is fūner'l song.
-snip-
*bal' = bald

** "co'n" - corn

Q,R

S,T
SAIL AWAY, LADIES!
Sail away, ladies! Sail away!
Sail away, ladies! Sail away!
Nev' min' what dem white folks say,
May de Mighty bless you. Sail away!

Nev' min' what yō' daddy say,
Shake yō' liddle foot an' fly away.
Nev' min' if yō' mammy say:
"De Devil'll git you." Sail away!

**
SONG TO THE RUNAWAY SLAVE
Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My Love!"
Go 'way from dat window! I say.
De baby's in de bed, an' his mammy's lyin' by,
But you cain't git yō' lodgin' here.

Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My Love!"
Go 'way from dat window! I say;
Fer ole Mosser's got 'is gun, an' to Miss'ip' youse been sōl';
So you cain't git yō' lodgin' here.

Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My Love!"
Go 'way from dat window! I say.
De baby keeps a-cryin'; but you'd better un'erstan'
Dat you cain't git yō' lodgin' here.

Go 'way from dat window, "My Honey, My Love!"
Go 'way from dat window! I say;
Fer de Devil's in dat man, an' you'd better un'erstan'
Dat you cain't git yō' lodgin' here.

[Talley's Note: The story went among Negroes that a runaway slave husband returned every night, and knocked on the window of his wife's cabin to get food. Other slaves having betrayed the secret that he was still in the vicinity, he was sold in the woods to a slave trader at reduced price. This trader was to come next day with bloodhounds to hunt him down. On the night after the sale, when the runaway slave husband knocked, the slave wife pinched their baby to make it cry. Then she sang the above song (as if singing to the baby), so that he might, if possible, effect
his escape.

**
THE BANJO PICKING
Hush boys! Hush boys! Don't make a noise,
While ole Mosser's* sleepin'.
We'll run down de Graveyard, an' take out de bones,
An' have a liddle Banjer pickin'.

I takes my Banjer on a Sunday mornin'.
Dem ladies, dey 'vites me to come.
We slips down de hill an' picks de liddle chune:
"Walk, Tom Wilson Here Afternoon."

"Walk Tom Wilson Here Afternoon";
"You Cain't Dance Lak ole Zipp Coon."
Pick "Dinah's Dinner Ho'n" "Dance 'Round de Room."
"Sweep dat Kittle Wid a Bran' New Broom."
-snip-
Mosser = master

**
THE RASCAL
I'se de bigges' rascal fer my age.
I now speaks from dis public stage.
I'se stole a cow; I'se stole a calf,
An' dat hain't more 'an jes 'bout half.

Yes, Mosser!--Lover of my soul!--
"How many chickens has I stole?"
Well; three las' night, an' two night befo';
An' I'se gwine 'fore long to git four mō'.

But you see dat hones' Billy Ben,
He done e't more dan erry three men.
He e't a ham, den e't a side;
He would a e't mō', but you know he died.

U,V

W,X

Y,Z
YEAR OF JUBILEE
Ni&&&&s*, has you seed ole Mosser;
(Red mustache on his face.)
A-gwine 'roun' sometime dis mawnin',
'Spectin' to leave de place?

Ni&&&r* Hands all runnin' 'way,
Looks lak we mought git free!
It mus' be now de Kingdom Come
In de Year o' Jubilee.

Oh, yon'er comes ole Mosser
Wid his red mustache all white!
It mus' be now de Kingdom Come
Sometime to-morrer night.

Yanks locked him in de smokehouse cellar,
De key's throwed in de well:
It shō' mus' be de Kingdom Come.
Go ring dat Ni&&&r field-bell!

[Talley's Note: Kingdom Come = Freedom.]
-snip-
* This word was completely spelled out in this book.

****
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Lord Invader - Crisis In Arkansas (sound file & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases the Lord Invader song "Crisis In Arkansas". A sound file of and lyrics for that Calypso song are presented in this post along with notes from that recording about that song. In addition, this post provides information about Lord Invader and information about the historical event that song refers to.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the musical legacy of Lord Invader. Thanks to John Cowley, the author of the record notes that are quoted in this post and thanks to cvbagva, the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT LORD INVADER
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Invader
Lord Invader (Rupert Westmore Grant; 13 December 1914 – 15 October 1961) was a prominent calypsonian with a very distinctive, gravelly voice.

He was born in San Fernando, Trinidad. He became active in calypso in the mid-1930s, and was considered a country bumpkin by his contemporaries, because of his humble beginning. It was Grant's tailor who gave him his moniker by commenting, "I tell you, Rupert, you should call yourself Lord Invader so when you go up to the city you be invadin' the capital." With a new name, in 1937 he went to the capital city of Port of Spain and began his career in earnest.

He competed in many calypso competitions (including the very first Calypso King competition) and recorded for RCA Bluebird. Lured by Decca Records, he travelled to New York City in 1941 with other calypsonians such as Roaring Lion and Atilla the Hun to make records and promote calypso music. He wrote many calypsos; his most famous lyrics, "Rum and Coca-Cola", were plagiarised by Morey Amsterdam and became a hit for the Andrews Sisters. Invader travelled to New York and sued, eventually winning compensation, although the final settlement allowed Amsterdam to retain his copyright. Ironically, In the early 1940s, radio stations in the USA would not play his own version on the grounds of its using the copyrighted name, Coca-Cola, and its references to prostitution and alcohol. He stayed in New York for a few years because of the lengthy court case. During his tenure in New York City, he became a fixture in the local calypso scene and recorded many tracks for Moses Asch. Eventually, he won his court case, but would not see his settlement check for seven years, so he returned to Trinidad in the meantime"...

****
From http://www.folkways.si.edu/TrackDetails.aspx?itemid=39832
Calypso in New York; Lord Invader SFW40454, Year of Release 2000
"Inspired improvisation and compelling rhythms, created by piano, small orchestra, and sometimes a drum and hand clapping, characterize these performances, which Lord invader (Rupert Westmore Grant, 1914-1962) recorded for Moses Asch in the 1940s and 1950s. Whether recounting events in Trinidad, describing his experiences in New York City, performing traditional songs, or criticizing American racism, Lord Invader combines rhythms and ideas in his unique calypsonian fashion. Thirteen of the 26 tracks are released here for the first time. Extensive annotations by John Cowley include lyrics, bibliography, and discography. 73 minutes. 32-page booklet. Compiled and annotated by John Cowley."

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "CRISIS IN ARKANSAS"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Nine
"Little Rock Nine were a group of African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Orval Faubus, the Governor of Arkansas. They then attended after the intervention of President Eisenhower."...

Several segregationist councils threatened to hold protests at Central High and physically block the black students from entering the school. Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to support the segregationists on September 4, 1957. The sight of a line of soldiers blocking out the students made national headlines and polarized the nation"...

By the end of September 1957, the nine were admitted to Little Rock Central High under the protection of the U.S. Army (and later the Arkansas National Guard), but they were still subjected to a year of physical and verbal abuse (being spat on and called names) by many of the white students"...

****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: Crisis in Arkansas- Lord Invader



cvbagva, Uploaded on Jul 18, 2010

****
LYRICS: CRISIS IN ARKANSAS
(Lord Invader)

Yes, Governor Faubus, are you delirious?
If not, show me the reason why you against us
Governor Faubus, are you delirious?
If not, show me the reason why you against us.
Negroes not wanted with Whites in the same school
If I had my way, I'd surely go down with a chain tongue
And break that governor’s tongue.

Chorus:
Please take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You're calling us names, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.

If you ever stop to think that we are all human
You will be a humanitarian.
Instead, you are encouraging segregation
And do not believe in integration.
But God made us all and in him we trust.
Nobody in this world is better than us.
One day you will be made to realize
Six feet of earth makes us all of one size.

So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.

Some said it's for political reason
Why you are such a naïve person,
But of late you have studied, everyone knows,
That you have a fear for us Negroes.
That's why you are violating every law,
And closing up the schools in Arkansas.
I think that is high class ignorance
You are afraid of the Negroes' intelligence.

So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.

In my opinion, there's nothing but gorilla action
Depriving the kids of their education
When they can become eminent lawyers
Politicians, scientists and doctors
Like Clayton Powell or Bustamante
Doctor Ralph Bunche or Doctor Maloney
Then they can climb the ladder of fame
And utilize their atomic brain.

So take off that black bowtie, lay-o!
And that black tuxedo.
You hate all us blacks, yet you're wearing black.
Please take off everything black off your back.
-snip-
Lyrics and notes from John Cowley about that song from http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40454.pdf
[Song #23 in the record "Calypso In New York"] :

[Information about the crisis in Arkansas]
..."With [Lord Invader's] civil rights credentials established by his interpretation of “God Made Us All”, Invader used lines from the earlier song in the second verse of “Crisis In Arkansas”. Trenchantly, he points to inconsistencies in the segregationist position and identifies the benefits of education to Black people in the United States and the Caribbean. "

Adam Clayton Powell 1908-1972 an outspoken advocate of civil rights, and US representative (1945-67 and 1969-71)

Alexander Bustamante- Jamaican labor leader and politician who served as chief minister (1935-55) and prime minister (1962-67)

Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche (1904-1971), First African American to be a division head in the US Dept of State, he later served with the United Nations

Dr. Alfred Hamilton Maloney, (1888-1955), a Trinidadian who became Professor and Head of the department of Pharmacology of Howard University, Washington, D.C. He was also author of books on race and politics.

****
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Seven Songs Performed By Clifton Chenier & His Bands

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides seven examples of Zydeco music by the renown African American musician and vocalist Clifton Chenier. Information about Zydeco music & Clifton Chenier is also included in the post.

The content of this post is provided for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the musical legacy of Clifton Chenier. Thanks to all other musicians who are featured in this post and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these YouTube sound files and videos.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT ZYDECO MUSIC
From http://www.scn.org/zydeco/nwczHISTORY.htm
Origins of Zydeco and Cajun Music by Tom Dempsey, Seattle, WA. May 1996
"My love for zydeco dancing inspired me to dig into the history of zydeco music. I discovered that over several generations, Acadians became “Cajuns,” and the word “Creole” changed meaning several times. In rural isolation, the music of Creoles and Cajuns evolved roughly in parallel until about the 1940’s. After the end of World War II, rural Creole musicians of Southwest Louisiana adapted urban blues and jazz to their La La house party music and gave birth to what we now call zydeco. The roots of zydeco grow deep in the history of the various groups who have intermixed in Southwest Louisiana .". . .

**
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zydeco
Zydeco is a musical genre evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers[1] which blends Cajun music, blues and rhythm and blues....

Though disputed, it is commonly suggested that "zydeco" derives from the French phrase Les haricots ne sont pas salés, which, when spoken in the Louisiana Creole French, sounds as "leh-zy-dee-co nuh sohn pah salay". This literally translates as "the snap beans aren't salty" but idiomatically as "I have no spicy news for you." Alternatively the term has been given the meaning "I'm so poor, I can't afford any salt meat for the beans." The earliest recorded use of the term may have been the country and western musical group called Zydeco Skillet Lickers who recorded the song It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo in 1929.[2]

Initially, several different spellings of the word existed, including "zarico" and "zodico". In 1960, musicologist Robert "Mack" McCormick wrote liner notes for a compilation album, A Treasury of Field Recordings, and used the spelling "zydeco". The word was used in reviews, and McCormick began publicizing it around Houston as a standard spelling. Its use was also accepted by Clifton Chenier - who had previously recorded "Zodico Stomp" in 1955 - in his recording "Zydeco Sont Pas Salés", after which Chenier himself claimed credit for devising the word.[3]"...

Usually fast tempo and dominated by the button or piano accordion and a form of a washboard known as a "rub-board," "scrub-board," "wash-board," or frottoir, zydeco music was originally created at house dances, where families and friends gathered for socializing.

As a result, the music integrated waltz, shuffles, two-steps, blues, rock and roll, and other dance music forms of the era. Today, zydeco integrates genres such as R&B, soul, brass band, reggae, hip hop, ska, rock, Afro-Caribbean and other styles, in addition to the traditional forms."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT CLIFTON CHENIER
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifton_Chenier
"Clifton Chenier (June 25, 1925 – December 12, 1987),[1][2] a Creole French-speaking native of Opelousas, Louisiana, was an eminent performer and recording artist of Zydeco, which arose from Cajun and Creole music, with R&B, jazz, and blues influences. He played the accordion and won a Grammy Award in 1983.[1] In 1984 he was honored as a National Heritage Fellow [3] in 1989 was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame,[4] in 2011, The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame, and in 2014, a Grammy recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was known as the 'King of Zydeco',[1][2][5] and also billed as the 'King of the South'.[4]"
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting date on YouTube, with the oldest examples given first.

Example #1: Clifton Chenier -- Josephine Par Se Ma Femme



Charlie McTruth, Published on Sep 4, 2009

Zydeco...

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Example #2: Clifton Chenier I'm a Hog for You



nyekurity Uploaded on Jul 11, 2009

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Example #3: Clifton Chenier - Bon Ton Roulet



zydecodave1 Uploaded on Nov 18, 2009

A rare video of the King of the South, the King of the Bayous, the King of the Zydeco. With CJ Chenier on sax, Cleveland Chenier on rubboard, and the late Harry Hypolite on guitar.

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Example #4: Clifton Chenier - The King of Zydeco



Arhoolie2, Uploaded on Jun 7, 2011
Scenes from the documentary film Clifton Chenier - The King of Zydeco produced and directed by Chris Strachwitz..

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Example #5: Clifton Chenier - Jambalaya



FredCDobbs00 Uploaded on Jul 4, 2011

From the King of Zydeco album. Recorded live at the Montreaux jazz festival, Switzerland

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Example #6: Clifton Chenier - Louisiana Blues



montella111, Uploaded on Aug 24, 2011

LYRICS:

C'est pas la peine brailler
Oh moi j'suis gone
C'est pas la peine brailler, 'tite fille
Oh oh moi j'suis gone
J'ai donné tout mon argent
Tu prends mon argent là t'es gone

Woh!
Tous les jours je parle les mêmes choses
Oh et moi je te dit,
Tous les jours je parle les mêmes choses
Tu connais moi j'te l'aime,
Quo' faire tu fais les choses tu fais?

Hey toi, Hey toi!

Woh!
Tous les jours je parle les mêmes choses
Woh!
Tous les jours je parle les mêmes choses
Moi j'te l'aime, avec tout mon Coeur

-snip-
Google Translate's English translation of this song from French:

Oh me J'suis gone
It is not worth bawling, lil girl
Oh oh I J'suis gone
I gave all my money
You take my money there you're gone

Woh!
Every day I speak the same things
Oh and I told you,
Every day I speak the same things
You know I love j'te,
Quo 'make you do things you do?

Hey you, Hey you!

Woh!
Every day I speak the same things
Woh!
Every day I speak the same things
J'te I love with all my heart

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Example #7: I'm Comin Home - Clifton Chenier (Live 1973)



Eric Cajundelyon, Published on Jul 9, 2012

The King of Zydeco on this classic Blues song also called "Bring It On Home" covered by so many bands and also by Gene Vincent, another King. (isn't it ?) Enjoy !!!

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