More Obscure 19th Century Songs, with Hints Quiz

Answer: The Arkansas Traveler

There are endless variations of The Arkansas Traveler, from the mid 19th Century to, probably, yesterday. The earlier versions are about a city slicker traveling in Arkansas, where he meets an old squatter playing the fiddle. The city slicker offers to play the second half of the same song, and suddenly, with something in common, the two become friends. Currier and Ives published lithographs in 1870, based on 1859 paintings by E. P. Washburn. One shows the old squatter playing to the listening city slicker on horseback, while the second shows the squatter happily dancing as the traveler, still on horseback, finishes the fiddle tune. Sanford C. (Sandy) Faulkner (1806-1874), an Arkansas politician, fiddler and teller of tall tales, is supposedly the original author, basing it on something that happened while he was campaigning, or he may just have made the song famous.

There are other claims of early singers and/or originators. Many versions of the song center around the joke that a man can't fix his roof when it's raining, and when it's sunny, it doesn't leak. Hints: razorback hogs/team, little rock(s) city, diamond/state nickname.

Answer: Ching a Ring Chaw

The Library of Congress dates the song circa 1833, with the earliest sheet music published by George Willig, Jr. in Baltimore. The song was included by Aaron Copland in his "Old American Songs" from the 1950s but really is not well known today. The nonsense sounds, that seem tacked on out of nowhere, are said by some to imitate the twanging of banjo strings.

Digression: The sound of minstrel/bluegrass music has changed. When softer-sounding gut strings were used along with a natural leather head, the banjo had less of a harsh, twanging sound, compared to now when steel strings and often non-natural heads are used.

Answer: Uncle Gabriel

The song, published in 1848, mixed up details of both slave revolts. Nat Turner, in 1831 Southampton, and Gabriel in 1800 Richmond, are clearly recognizable. But in the song, Gabriel supposedly led the Southampton revolt and was betrayed by a "little boy by the name of Danel." In real life, Gabriel was betrayed by two adults, neither named Daniel, and the line doesn't fit Turner any better.

There also was another song titled "Uncle Gabriel," 1847, apparently unrelated, about hunting. Hint: Gabriel was no angel.

Answer: Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me

I hope the fly was enough of a clue, but for those familiar with the words, probably through the children's version, there are lines about "I thought I heard the angels sing." As far as authorship, about all that can be said with confidence is that Bryant's Minstrels began performing the song in 1869-70. Whether T. Brigham Bishop was involved in writing it is possible but unknown, because he claimed to be involved in other songs for which his authorship is questionable, such as "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" or "John Brown's Body." It's hard to say for certain.

Answer: United States It Am De Place

The song, from Rice's 1858 "Method for the Banjo," made clear there would be great wisdom dispensed, after the first two lines, which told us "United States it am de place/ Where old Columbus first did land." It's full of cleverness, such as "If I were rich, I'd have money," and if the singer were a soldier, "I'd beat de fife and blow de drum." Despite it being no sillier than other minstrel songs and seemingly as clever, it doesn't seem to have been very popular, not often reprinted or mentioned.

Answer: Alabama Joe

"Alabama Joe" appears in sheet music published 1840 by Henry Prentiss, Boston, at the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection. It was written by R. W. Smith, who was going to perform the song as part of the Guinea Minstrels shows in Rhode Island and Massachusetts in 1846, and he was a "champion tamborine performer." His solo on the tamborine "stands unrivalled.

It must be seen to be appreciated," according to a broadside in Harvard Library. Sounds like one definitely shouldn't miss hearing Smith play a solo on such a challenging instrument as the tamborine.

Answer: Lubly Fan

A white blackface performer, with the stage name of Cool White and the real name of John Hodges, published sheet music for a song in which he requested his "lovely Fan" (Fanny?) to come out tonight and dance by the light of the moon, in 1844. The song could be easily transposed to specific locations, wherever singers were performing. Audiences loved to hear names they recognized in songs.

In 1848, Bowery gals was a popular version. After traveling through most large cities in the eastern U.S., calling Philadelphia, Alabama, Charleston, etc. gals to come out, the song settled on Buffalo gals, replacing lovely Fan or the Bowery gals, and has stayed with that as the most popular words ever since.

Answer: Old Joe

"Old Joe," like many of these songs, had multiple versions, but the key was the lively chorus, in which he and the gal kicked up their heels close by each other. One version has Joe trying to get in the garden gate but he'd come too late. Another, the 1844 Ethiopian Serenaders' sheet music version, described Joe's whole love at first sight, marriage and death together with the woman he danced with.

Some musicologists point out that the unimaginative tune is little more than a fancy version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," but played with banjo, violin and tambourine, it hardly could be mistaken for a lullaby.

Answer: Lincoln and Liberty Too

The song was supposedly based on a generic anti-slavery song, "Liberty Ball," written by Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. (1813-1853) of the famous Hutchinson Family, who had toured singing anti-slavery songs for years. "Liberty Ball" was meant to be sung to the tune of "Rosin the Beau," the same as "Lincoln and Liberty Too," but theren't many other similarities.

The Lincoln song included a lot of specifics about where he lived, his debates with Stephen Douglas and so forth. The Hutchinsons would be thrilled that a viable anti-slavery candidate was possible, and would emphasize that side of Lincoln, although others downplayed it, trying not to make Lincoln seem too extreme, so he could get the moderates' vote also.

The bright little tune was hard to forget once you heard it, though.

Answer: The Rose of Alabama

"Away from Mississippi's vale [valley]," the protagonist uses his hat as a sail to float upon a cotton bale, to Rose of Alabama. He plays his banjo to draw her shyly out of the shadows. But then he loses it as he's hugging her, and unfortunately must spend an hour every night with Rose, looking for that darn banjo.

There aren't many wildly different lyrics, but the original ones are full of lots of sly cleverness, so they would be hard to beat. I didn't know Bobby Horton sang it until I looked up more on the song, but even his lyrics start out similar to the original S. S. Steele words almost 150 years later.