| Summary: | Folder contains 9 pages of Alabama folklore compiled for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s...eeK endin", y 7, 1937
-203 Lhter Listory
3-242 ther folklore-dress.
U;;U-,J""" fu.T , Ck;AE
JamerE. Hicks,
Ident!fication '0. 0145-4214.
Federal .Jriters' Project, Dist12.
~ Project 3014, obile, A1a~
f/I'f;,
UNTY, DI::;T"ICT '0.2.
(Co :,.ile d by Jam s C. Hicks.)
...r••:illio.m .,. arrison, 78, .no lives west of Grove Hill, ..la., in
Clarke ounty, wears a ~at 44 years old. Lx. L~rison bou_~t the hat in
189) from the late Jesse • Doyle, when he vros clerkino in the general store
of omas unnin", at what was then known as Dixon's J.:11.cs. The hat has been
worn on state occesions continuously since that date.
e style of the hat is still ",ood. "Cow Boy" is the trade mark of the
t, and insi~e on the ori",inal satin linino is still the picture of a cowand.
The hat is still in pretty good shap , havino with-stood the rava~es of
moths and alust •
• • Harrison is president of the Clarke County Union inging Convention,
which mee every fifth unday at the court house in Grove Hill, and on ot er
occasions e leads the Scared .lsrp. sin ing in various churches of Clarke
County. Besides wearino this unuswcl old h~t on state occasions,
also wears the hat to 11 "sings."
• Harrison
'flY: Gem :ews, published by the obile Press, nprll 27, 1537 •
•
•
-15- •
•
•
•
Taken from an essay: Folklore
by Barb~a Williamson,
Marengo County.
•
•
•
'l'be oountl')' one bull" wet. and other
hall" (Jry,
All will be one thing bye and bye,
1IaIte your law. and eat. the be.t.
Then leunch $Our boat. lIn~ t.eIte
your reet.
For we're going too do the be.t. .. oan
While we're on t.h1. God-send land .
Oh, I got. the n. F. C., t.he R. F. C. blue••
. .
• Go on Roo.evelt. you know your .t.ut't
You've proved too the warld you aren't
no blut't,
" Go on Roosevelt you're in the t'1ght.
You believe in treat.1ng your people
right.. " .
Pleue Roosevelt. don't. leave ue now
We'll obey the law. snd t.o God .. '11
bow,
Ob, I ~ot. the R. F. C., the R. F. C. blue.,
Oh, I got. the R. F. C., t.he R. F. C. blue••
•
•-•
;
NOTEI Word. composed by Annie Brewer, a Jilegress •
• •
Conault.ant.1 Ann1e Brewer, Sew1ng room, Cbiil!lerce St.
Lagg1e Boswell
OLD 60J«;S.
(Clarke County).
On IlI3 v1B1t.e too the old people of t.h1s count.y I find JIllIIly songe
t.bat. were very popular bere 50 und 75 years ago. They t.ell me that.
no gathering waR cons1dered any tun at. all w1thout. .1~ing. 'l'be
g1rl.s pJ.a.yed p1anos where t.hey could, and 1t. .eema that a surpris1ng
number ot' t.hem st.udied mus1c.
I find JDaJl¥ SODgll t.hat. have been rev1ved in recent year., eo I
will only send t.he words of 1:I few that. t.bey usure me are really old.
One old lady has 8 book of s~s she cop1ed when she was a young
g1rl. She says t.hat. she ht18 .eeb the mus1c of none of t.h6se, aM ahe
does not think t.hey havs ever had lOus1c wr1t.ten to the words - ahe
knows t.be t.unes too nl.l of them o.nd could still Bing qu1et. a few •
but. of course I Clin tell you nothing about t.hem for t.hey lU'e very
unfamiliar t.o me.
•
•
•
••
•
•
-18-
•
So when he ac11es upon her
•
Aa once he am11ed on _, .
They know not what I've suttered,
They've tound no change in lIlII •
ChOl'Ull.
And when the dane COlltlllUDces,
Oh how I will rejoice,
I'll sing the aonga he taugtlt me,
Withput one taltering voice,
When tlatters COlllll around _,
Thsy will think lfJ¥ heart 1& llgtlt,
For, though lfJ¥ baart lll8.Y break tolllDrrow.
I'll be all scHes ton1c;ht. •
•
•
. And when the dance 11l6ver,
And all have gone to rest,
o
I'll th1nk ot him, dear mother
ot him who I love best.
He once d1d love be11eve me,
But now baa .;rown cold 6nd strllIl6e.
He southt not to deve1ve me,
False triends have wrOlJ<)lt this change.
This song (I'll be all sm11es ton1ght) seel:l8 to have been a
very popular t.ype of song through this cowlty in old doya. They
..ere almost. all old love songs. I can f1nd any number ot these
old love eonge and lll8.Ybe some that. you wouldn't l1ke much bet.ter.
o
Th1& one 1s rather BIDllS1ng nnd the tune reminds one of "Colll1ng
t.hru the a,ye."
•
• •
-20-
•
Wb&~ another's business is1 .
Whether i~ U or whether i~ ian'~,
•
I shoulc1 really like w know,
'lor I'll certain ot i ~ ian' \
There are some who IIIBke i ~ ao. •
•
••
•
•,•
•
Thia nex~ aong ia 0 ne al1ll1ya aung to the prodigal re~urning·
. home. Or rather th1e particular twn1l)' use i~ tor t.ha~. Thia is
a pra~t.)' melody, the ~une rem1nd~ you Jua~ a little ot "Home
•
Swee~ HOJIIlI,"
H~ NJAm
Home asain, 1JGme again, tram a tClZ'eJ,gn ahara,
And ob, i~ tUla ~ heart with Joy,
To meo~ I¥' triends once more,
Jiere I dropped tho parting ~ar,
To cross the ocoan'll toac•
.
But. now I'1lI once egain with thoGe,
Who IdnlU.Y gree~ JDlI home.
Chorus.
HapPY' hearts, hapN" hearts, tlith Iltne have
J.aughed in £lee,
But. Ch, t.'le trienda I loved in youth,
Seemed happier to me.
And it my gut&! ehould be tho tnte,
\'1hich bids me lorlger rO&lll,
But. ~ath alone can break the ~ie,
That. bind. Jr.T heart to hOlll8. (Chorus)
•
Home egain, hOlUl e,ga1n, troc a foreien lIhore,
•
And Oil, it. tll.l5 Ir.y heart with Joy,
To .at. my tr1enda once more.
-121- •
•
•
•
•
•
Ilualo ....t. lllUio ~tt.. 11nBera rOWld the p1Ml••
•
AZI4 oil. I hal .th. oIlU4hood Ohann.
1'bat time Cl&I1Ilot .ttacel
1'heD 4fiw me but tlIiI homoatead root.
I'll uk DO palaC. daDe,
¥or 1 CWl 1.1w a hapPT lit••
tilth tho. ~ love at ~.
All 014 1&l';y 86 reara old, gave IrA the tollowing JlOUIl written
on A\lBUat 10. 1863. bT 1lE'. Iialcolm A:ol4od. 1IIbUe in CIIlIIP JlIIar -_
ton. lliaaiadppi. '1'hia .... cJed1cated to 1oIr. -cloeod'a wit. and
children. Additional intere£t 18 lent the poem beCBUS. 01' the
tact that he nall,y IUd give hie 11fe tor hia country.
'1'he old lds,y aa,ya tida IllIID wall bel' tirat 8chool teacher and
because he wall ~ w811Uked in the coJ:JllWl1t.Y. the 1ad188 some of
them, ma&l muaie to the W)rdB ot hie poem, and aang it at th.ir
•
•
IoiY triends and Jl8it:bbora all tamell•
Your k1nd:aoas ~ adOi'll,
~ut. ret the S01e1llll truth 1 tell.
1 &hall CON heme no more.
Adieu, acU.eu, a long fareI7811.
1AT tac. Tou will ..e no more.
So plain It la within II\Y view.
I Ihall come home no more•
•
•
O'er hills IIlld dales alOIll: the road,
~ JlIIV8r Illlll before.
One rolling flood and rarring wave,
I'Iben I'U return DO mol'll ••
1 DOW _ in a diatant. land,
•
|
|---|
