During the early years of this country there was no TV or Internet. In many cases people learned what was going on in the world from traveling acts, music was a way to pass on stories and tall tales from strange places. Many of these songs told stories that could be sung from one generation to another to keep the oral history alive. Because oral history relied on being passed on many times the stories would change thus always evolving. It is kind of like playing the game telephone. There are many different versions of songs, lyrics, and histories. We play the ones we enjoy and generally have a positive message, even though the original version might have had a different meaning.Keep On The Sunny Side Of Life
Song No. 67 from 1903 Song Book
KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF LIFE - Copyright 1899 - Words by Ada Blenkhorn
Music by J. Howard Entwisle"
Early in Ada Blenkhorn's life, she was given the task of caring for an invalid nephew who always wanted his wheel chair to be pushed 'down the sunny side of the street.' His constant repetition of this phrase inspired her to write the gospel Keep On The Sunny Side Of Life. [1899] -Phil Kerr (In Evangelism, 1944)
Ain't No Bugs On Me
This song was written in the late 1800's by a fun Georgian fiddler named John Carson. He wrote songs that echoed controversy in those days. Eventhough this song is sung in a fun way, it was originally written to make fun of the scientific community and the theory of evolution. Carson went so far as to write, "there may be monkey in some of you guys, but there ain't no monkey in me!" But over time, the words to many folk songs were changed to reflect the times. This song even became a call and response song for the boy scouts of America. One side side would sing and the other side would echo, try to come up with insults that rhymed, "there may be lobsters on some of you mobsters, but there ain't no lobsters on us."Wabash Cannonball
There are many theories of the origin of "The Wabash Cannonball". Utah Phillips states that hobos somewhere imagined a mythical train called the "Wabash Cannonball" and created the lyrics and music to go with the myth. Another theory states that the song is based on a tall tale in which Cal S. Bunyan, Paul Bunyan's brother, constructed a railroad known as the Ireland, Jerusalem, Australian & Southern Michigan Line. After two months of service, the 700-car train was traveling so fast that it arrived at its destination an hour before its departure. Finally, the train took off so fast that it rushed in to outer space, and for all is known, it is still traveling through space. When the hobos learned of this train, they called her "The Wabash Cannonball" and said that every station in America had heard her whistle. Read more about Wabash Cannonball at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.This Land is Your Land
History of an American Folk Song
By Kim Ruehl, About.com
In 1940, American folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie penned what has become one of the most memorable and timeless American folk songs in the history of the craft. As legend has it, Guthrie wrote the song in response to the hugely popular Irving Berlin song, "God Bless America." He was so tired of hearing the song on the radio and the blatant jingoism it promoted. Guthrie had seen much of America by this time, had experienced the Dust Bowl exodus of the 1930s and the racism and classism that followed emigrant workers and the blue collar working boys around, as they searched for work during the Great Depression. With all of that in mind, Woody Guthrie wrote a new song of patriotism, with the refrain line, "God blessed America for me." The song includes rather poignant lyrics that were considered subversive in their time. Lyrics to the song tackle the definition of liberty, individual rights and property ownership. The original version of the song included two controversial verses that were edited out in consequent versions and recordings, although, if you see Arlo Guthrie in concert these days, he'll generally include these two verses in his performances.Georgia Rose
Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe defined a hard-edged style of country that emphasized instrumental virtuosity, close vocal harmonies, and a fast, driving tempo. The musical genre took its name from the Blue Grass Boys, and Monroe's music forever has defined the sound of classical bluegrass. (from About.com)
After signing with Decca Records in 1949, Monroe teamed with Jimmy Martin, and entered into his golden age for compositions. He wrote "Uncle Pen," "Roanoke," "Scotland," "My Little Georgia Rose," "Walking In Jerusalem," and "I'm Working On a Building," the last two being religious 'message' songs, always part of the Monroe tradition from the earlier days. Bill Monroe was elected to the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1970. His contribution to country music is inestimable. On August 13, 1986, one month to the day before his 75th birthday, the US Senate passed a resolution recognizing "his many contributions to American culture and his many ways of helping American people enjoy themselves." It also said, "As a musician, showman, composer, and teacher, Mr. Monroe has been a cultural figure and force of signal importance in our time."Old Joe Clark
Old Joe Clark is a folk song, originated in Irish Creek in the Blue Ridge Parkway near South River Virginia, in the 1800's. Joe Clark had a daughter who jilted her lover. The young man was said to have written the song out of spite and jealously. This mountain ballad was also sung during World War I and later by soldiers from eastern Kentucky. An early version was printed in 1918, as sung in Virginia at that time. Joe Clark was born in 1839, a mountaineer who was murdered in 1885 by his daughters jilted lover. There are about 90 stanzas in various versions of the song.
