Newest Songs
Hell Bound Train
A cautionary tale of damnation and redemption
You know about the train that was "bound for glory". Well, this train was going the other way on the opposite track.
Jolly Roving Tar
A sea song from Newfoundland
I found this jolly sea song from Newfoundland on one of the old 'American Folksay' albums produced on Stinson records by Moses Asch, performed by Frank Warner.
No Peas No Rice
A Bahamian jazz song
A Bahamian song recorded in the 1930s by big band leaders such as Mart Brit and Count Basie and in the Bahamas by Blind Blake Alfonso Higgs.
Thorneymore Woods
A song of the noble poacher, and mean gamekeepers
An English poaching ballad as performed by Louis Killen.
La Bruja
Vampire story from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Boo!
La Bruja is a song and traditional dance in the Huapango tradition from the state of Vera Cruz. The dance usually involves a number of women with lighted candles on their heads.
The Devil and Bailiff McGlynn
The devil takes his due
What a fine old Irish tale. But it derives from a history that is not so jolly - the mass evictions and house levelings that took place during the Irish famine of the mid-nineteenth century. No wonder the mother in the story cries "May the devil take that awful Bailiff!".
Spotted Cow
A naughty little English folk song
Here is a traditional English song, at least I think so, I heard it from Steel Eye Span, that parcel of rogues who brought fuzz-tone electric guitar to English folk music.
Italian Carol
A christmas song from Italy
An Italian carol adapted by Pete Seeger from an old tradition in Naples in which shepherds come down from the Calabrian mountains for a festive stay in that city during the Christmas celebration.
Wild Women Don't Have No Blues
A blues for strong women
This song was recorded by Ida Cox in 1924, Ida was one of great, if lesser known, female blues singers in the era of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Sippie Wallace.
Mean Old Bedbug Blues
A blues from Bessie Smith
Each of these are classic blues performance in their own right and provide an interesting contrast between country blues and early jazz band styles. I always favored Bessie's rendition. I think her slower tempo with piano and guitar accompaniment captured the true creepiness of bedbugs.
Uncle Joe Gimme Mo
Calypso from Trinidad
This great Trinidadian Calypso song comes from an early recording by Wilmuth Houdini. I love the way these Calypsonians took "uncle joe and his old ban-jo", a common stereotype in minstrel shows, and transformed him into a rock star.
Monsieur Banjo
A creole song for kids
This children's song in Louisiana Creole. My version is an adaptation of Pete Seeger's English language version on 'American Favorite Ballads' and a French language version from the Magnolia Sisters on their delightful children's album 'Lapin Lapin'
Featured Songs
Hopalong Peter
An old time banjo song
This was recorded by J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers in the 1930's. I learned it from the NLCR.
I Ride an Old Paint
My favorite cowboy song
This is, of course, one of the great standard cowboy songs. My father used to sing me to sleep with it. Well, that was my Daddy. There were far less appropriate songs he sung to his kids.
Goodbye Old Paint
A classic cowboy song. With "Woo-ha!" lessons.
One day, "I Ride an Old Paint" and "The Waggoner's Lad" were grazing in the back pasture and this song is the result of their acquaintance. The the tune and words I sing here are the same as in Tex Ritter’s 1933 recording. Not that this is any different from traditional versions, but it gives me an excuse to mention Tex.
Lady Margaret
A ghost ballad
Pete Seeger played ths variation of "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (Child 74) on his his Folkways 'American Favorite Ballads' albums. A recording session from the period that Pete describes in his musical autobiography, ‘Where have all the Flowers Gone:’
Swing and Turn, Jubilee
A slightly updated version of a mountain play-party song
An old standard appalachian party song that Jean Ritchie sang on her classic album with Doc Watson. Another nice version was sung by Carolyn Hester on one of her early Columbia records. Carolyn is a great Texas singer who never seemed to get the attention she deserved. The minor key in the chorus is from Carolyn.
Roll Down the Line
Miners, prisoners, exploitation: this story has everything
You'll find some good notes on the song and the struggle on Folklorist.org
The Swapping Song
A song of free wheeling commerce
This appalachian song has versions going back many generations in England and Scotland. I got it from the singing of Paul Clayton on 'American Folk Tales and Songs' on Tradition records, jewel of an album featuring the singing of Paul Clayton and Jean Ritchie as well as story telling by Richard Chase.
Green, Green Rocky Road
A ring game song from New Orleans
A classic children's song circle from New Orleans. I learned it from the playing of Dave Van Ronk, a signature piece for Dave.
Make me a Pallet on Your Floor
A famous old blues/ragtime piece
This song has been a standard for blues, ragtime, jazz, folk and country musicians since before the turn of the century (the 20th, that is).
Jay Gould's Daughter
A railroad song.
Here's one version of a classic railroad song. I got it from Pete Seeger. It has been around in many other variations such as Charlie Poole's "Milwaukee Blues" recorded in the twenties.
The Wreck of Old Number Nine
A sappy train wreck ballad
"The Wreck of the Old Nine" was written by Carson J. Robison, and popularized by Vernon Dalhart in the 1920's. Carson J Robison was one of the earliest radio show singing cowboys.
Choucoune
A song from Haiti
This Haitian song started as a poem written by Oswald Durand in 1883. He wrote the poem while jailed for criticizing political leaders in Cap-Haitien. Inspired by a lovely bird that lit on his cell window he was reminded of a girl whom he had met and admired. You may recognize the melody as 'Yellow Bird'