I've known this one for a long time via hillbilly string band recordings, and assumed that it had origins in ragtime or earlier minstrelsy, and that it originally had verses which actually referred to the stealing of chickens. The texts I knew all consist mostly of sexual banter among anthropomorphized domestic fowl.
Now I have the great anthology "Lost Sounds" on Archeophone, which contains 2 wonderful recordings of the song, both made in the 1890's. The notes on the CD set trace the song to "Who Picked the Lock" (Monroe and Mack, 1893). I tracked the sheet music down-- the tune and chorus are closely related to all the 19th and 20th century recorded versions, and the written verses are indeed about the expected subject.
The two versions on "Lost Sounds", though, have no references at all to chickens which I can hear. The similar, but very differently-assembled texts of those two seem to be the recounting of a ball recently attended by the first-person protagonist, who is first impressed by the dancing and the food and is then beaten up by several of the other partygoers...
As might be expected on recordings that old, the words are difficult to hear (impossible in places). Anyone know of other recorded or written sources...
BTW, if you haven't heard that side by Cousins and DeMoss (or "Poor Mourner", their other known recording) you're in for a shock-- They are a unique anachronism, recorded nearly 30 years before anyone else cut anything remotely approaching their style (and power)! It has to be the earliest recording we have of an african-american playing a guitar, and it could well be called the first old-time string band recording (black or white). I hear strong echoes of their style in the 1927-29 records of the Cofer Brothers (who also recorded as the Georgia Crackers)-- yes they were white and from Georgia....
Dan
