You know, I want to write a book about my life... I don't want to tell you too much until I've got a chance to have it printed. Apart from my music, my main interests are fishing and making bicycle rides - Tampa Red's excuse to Jacques Demetre and Marcel Chauvard for not wanting to talk to them in any great detail, October 1959
Hi all, David McCarn was a cotton mill worker and part-time musician who made his first recordings for Victor in Memphis in 1930. He was an excellent guitarist and played harmonica really well off of a rack. Most especially, he was a wonderful songwriter with a gift for lyrics. He could write complicated lyrics that scanned perfectly, were funny and that delivered social commentary at the same time. He was in a class with people like Roger Miller and Chuck Berry as a lyricist, and that's some pretty tall corn. David McCarn is one of the stars of the Old Hat re-issue, "Gastonia Gallop", which is named for one of his instrumentals. "Cotton Mill Colic" was recorded at McCarn's first session. He would re-use the melody twice more, for "Poor Man, Rich Man" and "Serves 'Em Fine", each time with a different set of lyrics. For "Cotton Mill Colic", he backed himself out of G position in standard tuning, and did not use his harmonica. Here is "Cotton Mill Colic":
When you buy clothes on easy terms, The collectors treat you like measly worms "One dollar down", and then, Lord knows, If you don't make a payment they'll take your clothes When you go to bed, you can't sleep You owe so much at the end of the week No use to colic, they're all that way Peckin' at your door 'til they get your pay REFRAIN: I'm a-gonna starve, everybody will 'Cause you cain't make a livin' at a cotton mill
When you go to work, you work like the devil At the end of the week, you're not on the level Payday comes, you pay your rent And when you get through you've not got a cent to buy Fatback meat, pinto beans Now and then you get turnip greens No use to colic, we're all that way Cain't get the money to move away REFRAIN: I'm a-gonna starve, everybody will 'Cause you cain't make a livin' at a cotton mill
Twelve dollars a week is all we get How in the heck can we live on that? I've got a wife and fourteen kids We all have to sleep on two bedsteads Patches on my britches, holes in my hat Ain't had a shave since the wife got fat No use to colic, every day at noon The kids get to cryin' in a different tune REFRAIN: I'm a-gonna starve, everybody will 'Cause you cain't make a livin' at a cotton mill
They run a few days and then they stand Just to keep down the working man We cain't make it, we never will As long as we stay at a lousy mill The poor are gettin' poorer, the rich are gettin' rich If I don't starve, I'm a son of a gun No use to colic, no use to rave We'll never rest 'til we're in our grave REFRAIN: I'm a-gonna starve, nobody will 'Cause you cain't make a livin' at a cotton mill.
Hi all, David McCarn recorded "Everyday Dirt" at his first session, in May of 1930, in Memphis. For the song, McCarn accompanied himself expertly out of C position in standard tuning, showing an eccentric hot guitar style that brings to mind Sam Collins' raggy numbers in C, pretty darn wild. The notes to "Gastonia Gallop", the re-issue CD on which McCarn's performance can be found, describe the song as a re-working of "Will The Weaver", an 18th century Anglo-American comic ballad, centered on cuckoldry. Mike Seeger recorded a fine version of "Everyday Dirt" on "The New Lost City Ramblers, Volume 2", and Doc Watson also did an excellent version on the old "Watson Family" album on Folkways. David McCarn did a great job on the vocal, for this one, singing it with a perfectly flat affect; he trusted the words to tell the story without him hamming it up, and he was right to trust them. Here is "Everyday Dirt":
SOLO
John come home, all in the wonder Rattled at the door, just like thunder "Who is that?", Mr. Henley cried. "It is my husband, you must hide."
She held the door 'til Old Man Henley Jumpin' and jerkin' went up the chimbley John come in, looked all around, but Not a soul could be found
John set down by the fireside a-weepin' Up the chimbley he got to peepin', There he saw the poor old soul Settin' astraddle of the pot-rack pole
SOLO
John built on a rousing fire Just to suit his own desire His wife cried out with a free good will, "Don't do that, for the man you'll kill!"
John reached up and down he fetched him Like a raccoon dog he catched him He blacked his eyes and then he did better He kicked him out upon his setter
His wife, she crawled up and under the bed He pulled her out by the hair of the head He said, "When I'm gone, remember this!", And he kicked her where the kicking is best
SOLO
The law come down and John went up He didn't have the chance of a yaller pup They sent him down to the old chain gang For beatin' his wife, the dear little thing
When he got home he went back to court His wife, she got him for non-support John didn't worry and John didn't cry But when he got close he socked her in the eye
They took John back to the old town jail His wife, she come and paid his bail, "It won't be long 'til he'll be loose, I could tell you more about him but there ain't no use."
Hi all, David McCarn was back in the studio, around May of 1931, this time in a session with a fellow mill worker, Howard Long. For "Serves 'Em Fine", the duo was billed as Dave and Howard. The song has the same melody and chord progression as McCarn's "Cotton Mill Colic", and for the record of "Serves 'Em Fine", David McCarn played harmonica on a rack while accompanying himself out of G position in standard tuning. Howard Long played kazoo in the instrumental interludes and sang harmony on the second and fourth verses.
This is one of my very favorite social commentary/protest songs. It lacks the piety, simplicity and self-righteousness of many of the protest songs of the '60s. It is funny and serious at the same time and adopts the very unusual lyric stance of saying, "We're every bit as much to blame for the plight we're in as anybody else. We did it to ourselves." It's balanced in it's viewpoint. What's up with that? Here is "Serves 'Em Fine":
Now, people in the year nineteen and twenty The mills ran good, everybody had plenty Lots of people with a good free will Sold their homes and moved to a mill "We'll have lots of money", they said, But everyone got hell instead It was fun in the mountains, a-rollin' logs But now when the whistle blows we run like dogs REFRAIN: It suits us people, serves us fine For thinking that a mill was a darn gold mine
Now in the year nineteen and twenty-five The mills all stood but we're still alive People kept coming when the weather was fine Just like they were going to a big gold mine As time passed on, their money did too Everyone began to feel kind of blue "If we had any sense up in our dome We'd still be living in our mountain home." REFRAIN: It suits us people and it serves us fine For thinking that a mill was a darn gold mine
Now in the year nineteen and thirty They don't pay nothin' and they do us dirty When we do manage to get ahead It seems like all of the mills go dead We're always in the hole, gettin' deeper every day If we ever get even it'll be Judgement Day There's no use to colic, there's no use to shirk For there's more people loafing than there are at work REFRAIN: It suits us people and it serves us fine For thinking that a mill was a darn gold mine
Now all you mountaineers that's listened to me Take off your hats and shout "Whoopee!" I'm going back home to the Land of the Sky Where they all drink moonshine and never do die I'll take my dogs while the moon shine bright Hunt coon and possum the whole darn night If you can't get the money to move away It's too bad, folks, you'll have to stay REFRAIN: It suits you people, serves you fine For thinking that a mill was a darn gold mine
Hi all, David McCarn recorded "Take Them For A Ride" at a session in Memphis on November 19, 1930. For the song, he backed himself out of C position in standard tuning, sounding in E (capoed at the fourth fret). This song has been alluded to a couple of times in the "Gastonia Gallop" review thread, by uncle bud and banjochris, with both of them commenting on McCarn's wild guitar playing on the song. The solos he takes on the number really are crazy hot guitar (especially after the third verse), and they are all different from each other, making it possible, or even more likely, that he improvised them all. McCarn's lyrics are droll, as per usual for him. The whole impression communicated by the song is one of light-hearted nuttiness, which is just fine in my book. Here is "Take Them For A Ride":
I taken my girl for a ride one night, We rode in a Cadillac But I don't think she liked to ride 'Cause she wanted to walk back And then we went again one night, Rode in a rattletrap We rode all night 'til the break of daylight And then I had to throw her out
SOLO
Now, all these Carolina girls They're easy on the hook But when you take them out you've got to Watch your pocketbook They used to stroll in daytime And chew their chewing gum But now they ride around at night and Drink ten-cent bay rum
SOLO
Now, some girls like to drive your car And some, they like to snooze But my girl likes to pet the best When she's full of booze Her Daddy loved her Mama Her Mama, she loved men Now her Mama's in the graveyard And her Daddy's in the pen
SOLO
Two girls and I went riding Their names were Jack and Jill I soon found out they loved to pet In a new Ford automobile Now, one of these were wonderful She danced and she could sing But the other one had a hump on 'er back From shakin' that doggone thing
Hi all, David McCarn recorded ""Bay Rum Blues" with Howard Long in the "Dave & Howard" duo format. For the song, McCarn backs himself out of C position in standard tuning and plays harp off of a rack. Howard Long's role is even more circumscribed than it was on "Serves 'Em Fine", for he just sings harmony on the first and last lines of the refrain, harmonizing with David McCarn in falsetto--you would never think "doo-doo-doo" could sound so cool. The rhyme scheme and structure here is complicated even by David McCarn's standards. Each verse is followed by a long refrain, the interior of which differs from one time to the next. There are a couple of places I could use corroboration/correction of what I was able to hear. I hope that any of you who have been impressed with David McCarn's lyrics will make an effort to hear his versions of these songs, for his renditions are every bit as strong as the songs are themselves. Every song discussed thus far in the thread can be found on the Old Hat release, "Gastonia Gallop", available from County Sales. Here is "Bay Rum Blues":
I got the Bay Rum Blues, I've had them times before I got the Bay Rum Blues, I'm longing for the ten-cent store Any old time I can rake up a dime, I'm goin' back and get some more REFRAIN: I got the Bay-ay Rum Blues And when I get in jail, there's no one to come and bring me a bottle of old bay rum There's no use trying, for I can't lose them long, tall, Bay Rum Blues Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo
Now some call it bay rum and some call it bay hoss Some get a dozen bottles and some get it by the gross So when I drink a dime bottle, I foam at the mouth like a hoss REFRAIN: I got the Bay-ay Rum Blues And when I get thirsty there's no one to thank, for giving me a dime so I can drink There's no use trying, for I can't lose them long, tall, slim-neck Bay Rum Blues Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo
For when you can't get liquor and you can't get no gin Don't get disgusted, for you have a chance to win Get a long, goose-necked bottle, and you'll never be sober again REFRAIN: I got the Bay-ay Rum Blues Now some use bay rum just for a tonic, but take it from me, it's best for your stomach There's no use trying, for I can't lose them long, tall, slim-neck Bay Rum Blues Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo
Now, Uncle Sam has taken our liquor away from us When we make home brew, he raises an awful fuss We're all afraid of the ginger, but we drink bay rum or bust REFRAIN: We got the Bay-ay Rum Blues There's no use stopping us anymore, so you'd better look out, Mr. 10-Cent Store There's no use trying, for I can't lose them long, tall, good ol' goose-necked Bay Rum Blues Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo
In that second verse of Bay Rum Blues, I hear "Some get a DOZEN BOTTLES and some get it by the GROSS". I see a similar take at mudcat.org http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=95795 where they also have "Some call it Bay Rum and some call it Bay HOSS". Which sounds about right to me though I haven't found a result for Bay Hoss yet.
Thanks very much for the help, uncle bud. Re-listening made it clear that "dozen bottles" and "by the gross" are dead on the money. You're right, too, Gumbo, that is sure enough another reference to jake in there. All best, Johnm
I think it's also "I foam at the mouth like a HORSE", which, pronounced more like HOSS, makes the rhyme and makes sense as an image.
What a great song. McCarn is a blast and has the whole package: great singing, guitar, rack harp, songwriting. The Clarence Ashley/Gwen Foster tune of the same name (but a different song) is pretty great too, while we're on the subject of Bay Rum.
I think you're right about that "hoss", uncle bud. I don't think hogs are notable for foaming at the mouth under most circumstances. I will make the change. All best, Johnm
Hi all, On November 19, 1930, David McCarn recorded "Poor Man, Rich Man", a follow-up to "Cotton Mill Colic" that shared it's melody and accompaniment with that song. I get the feeling that David McCarn could have continued to come up with new lyrics in this mold as long as he was moved to do so. It's amazing how timely much of what he's saying seems. This is the last of the McCarn songs included on "Gastonia Gallop". I hope to get an opportunity to hear his other recordings. Here is "Rich Man, Poor Man":
Let me tell you people something that's true When you work in a mill they tell you what you have to do You get up every morning before daylight You labor all day until it gets night You work a few days, get pale in the face From standing so long in the same darn place Along comes a boss, hard as he can tear He wants you to think he's a grizzly bear REFRAIN: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust So let the poor man live and the rich man bust
When you go to dinner, you have to run Or they'll blow the whistle before you're done Payday comes, you won't have a penny When you pay your bills, 'cause you got so many Sometimes you hear a racket like a peckerwoods But it's only fellers tryin' to sell their goods The merchants there, all just about gray From studyin' how to get the poor man's pay REFRAIN: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust So let the poor man live and the rich man bust
Now, some people run the mill man down But the cotton mill people make the world go 'round They take a little drink to have a little fun Whenever they can manage to rake up the mon' Now, I left the mountains when I was a strip I never will forget that awful trip I walked all the way behind a apple wagon When I got to town the seat of my pants was a-draggin' REFRAIN: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust So let the poor man live and the rich man bust
When wintertime comes there's hell to pay When you see the boss, you'll have to say, "I want a load of wood, a ton of coal, Take a dollar out a week, or I'll go in the hole." You have to buy your groceries at some chain store 'Cause you can't afford to pay any more If you don't starve I'm a son of a gun 'Cause you can't buy beans without any mon' REFRAIN: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust So let the poor man live and the rich man bust
BTW all that he recorded that isn't on "Gastonia Gallop" is:
Hobo Life The Bashful Bachelor Mexican Rag (unissued, but it's Victor, so it may be around) My Bone's Gonna Rise Again [!!!] Fancy Nancy (Every Day Dirt No. 2)
Hi Chris, Those do sound like winners. One thing I really like about the McCarn songs I've heard thus far is no parlor song, sentimental material. All best, Johnm