Diane Staton interview with Della Nichols (part one)

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. This is the first of a two part recording. This part is difficult to understand because it is a recording of pre-recording audio in which Della Nichols sings and plays the following folk songs on the banjo: Barbara Allen 10:18 Wildwood Flower 13:50 The Preacher and the Bear 19:04 Wabash Cannonball 20:57 John Henry 25:08 Greenback Dollar 30:34 Spanish Fandango. fA FIII'LD 'rltIP TO CI,AYTON, GEORGIA Diane Staton I-larch 10, 1969 Folk Ballads 302 John Burrison \ I \ Ad.::!;"";.!:; /~~~(~BJiJA6()n:~~h~~h c\~~i~~ 'R--~4,-. ~ ~d:I!4'.}J;L _3i(311)j~1} A TI'ield TrJ.p to Clayton, Georgia 1-1y husband Ken B.nd I Hent to his home tmm, ClB.yton, Georgia, the ..reekend of January :31 ..rith plans to intervieH Mrs. Rockm-ray Mitchell, the mother of one of Ken's best grmring-up pals. vie got up to Clayton B.bout 9100 Saturday evening and told his parents, native Cl~tonians, about Ii\\' project. They did not knm1 any old-timey ballads themselves, but they did suggest many people as possible informants, anlOng them John Robert "Buchrheat" Smith. Hovrever, since our time ..ras limited, ,re decided simply to intervieH 1'1rs. HUchell, 11hose name Has on John I s card. I Hanted to phone her thB.t night, but since she had. no telephone, He decided to stop by after church on Sunday.' I1rs. J.litchell ,l8.S at hOlne on Dunlap St., but she said she could not remember any songs. JJuckily, I1rs. Della Nickols, the other lady mentioned on the card, lived only about three houses back do,ffi the hill on Dunlap, ..rhich is southHest of Clayton o;ff If41. lile Here having a difficult time maneuvering our HG around on the mud road. It HIlS pouring clo1'm rain, and our Hindshield Hipers Here not ''fOrking. "filen ,re did reach the tiny HhiLe fraln" house, He knocked at the door. In a Ininute, Mrs. Nickols, Irho lived alone, opened the door Hide and asked us in. She 'Jas a very attractive person about 65 or 70 years old, very gracefully aged. She stood about 5' 5" and had her Hhite hair pulled back in a bun. She Hare a bright lllRe-green apron over a Hhite dress ,rith large black polkadots.' Unfortunately, my little Bro,mie camera 1'!aS uncquipped to take indoor pictures, and the Heather outside prevented any outside shots.' Once \'Ie Here in the house, Mrs. Niekols sat us dmm on the sofa in her tiny livingroom and began to talk to us as if she had knOlm us all her life and had seen us only yesterday. Mrs.1 Nickols spoke of one thing and another for about ten minutes 'ilhen she interrupted herself to say to Ken, "You'rc one of the Staton boys, ain't ya '?" 'his gave Ken a chance to confirm his identity and to say what our purpose in visiting l,as. 1rlhile Ken ,/as speaking, I took in the room. It vIaS furnished 'lith tlVO sofas, directly aCross from each other "lith about a foot of "ralking space in bet1'leen, a television, an old "up _ right" piano and a very old Binger seNing machine and stand covered l,ith s. white cloth and used as a table. The ,valls were literally covered ,vith childish. keepsakes and tokens, probably sent by grandchildren. \"Irs. Nickols eagerly agreed to help us collect "Ihat songs she knel'r, so Ken l'rent out to the car to get the recorder. There Has barel" enough space on the floor to set it up. Ken picked up one of the perhaps half a dozen thrmrrugs. Underneath it 'ras a pile of red dirt as if this was her favorite rug under vellich to sweep. Ken brushed aside the dirt, trying not to make his action oonspicuous and proceeded to set ".p the recorder. Everything was running smoothly, but not for long. vie had forgotten the bag 'lith the microphones. Ken jumped in the car to return to his parents' house,' about seven miles ".,'my; to recovor the forgotten mikes, and I stayed \'lith 11rs. Nickols.' I thought I Vlould have a perfect chance to find out some folk information for my project, but, even though iny informant's hearing vTaS fine, she spoke of Vlhat she pleased, giving Hay-off anSHers to the right questions. 1 Evidently, from \-Ihat I g8.thered, she 'las quite noted for her musical talents. She said that she had sung on the Clayton radio station several times and also at the Hountaineer Festivals each SUlllJller. Nota fe", people, she informed us, had suggested she make a reoord, but she hadn't the necessary money to invest. She spoke of her children ,/ho have moved a\-my from Clayton long since and of her husband, clead many years nOH. Interestingly enough, she tolcl us that her children knovl none of the old songs she kno1:1s though they like to hear their mother sing them. She learned thelll all from her mother who ,-TaS born and raised in Clayton, as ,-ras she herself. i Ken finally returned vlith the lnikes, so 1:1e ,'Iere ready to go. Unfortunately, t1rs. Nickols said that she had been very sick lately and was short of breath. Also, she had a sore thumb--hw factors, together '1ith doctor's orders, vreighing heavily against 'her playing and singing for us. She ha~, however, recorded some songs she had sung a,bout a year earlier, and "Ie had no choice but to record from her little tapes. The tapes were not clear as liW recording Vlill indica.te. Her little recorder ,111S inadequate for precise tra.nscriptions, but she ,1as proud of it, "I paid $34 fa I this 'ere tape recorder, and I ain 't, regretted it' yet." She said she ,muld try to sing 8, little for us later, and she did; The fol1,0'1ing are the songs ,1e collected in our four hours ,11th Mrs.' Ntckols (12: 30-4: 30) I have played the tapes over very many times, but still I could not understand many of the H01:'(ls and even SOl1le of the songs recorded from her tapes. Some vlords I have included as they sound, though they make no sense; others I have had to leave out. I have done the best I vlaR able. The first ballad she sang for us \'/as "Barbra Allen,I! vlhich she called the IllOSt important song she knevl. She accompanied herself '1ith a banjo and sang in a. very forceful manner. As all is the month of May "lhen all saIne flm'rers blooming, Jim\ny Youne; "rith golden hair rid 'YJiI.love of Ba.rbra Allen 'fhey sHid observe... a.nd 1'11 to to"ffi To tell her to cO\ne to him. She listened to ... lIe said for yon to cOlne to me. Then slm-Ily, slo,.rly she did rise And slmrl.y she ran to him. She pUlled the curtains from the.wall. She said, llYoung man, you're dying." [I~J(, l~~ ".tir' He turned his ..J:ka(), uhto the Hall, And he bursted out to crying, (, \ , ft::s you, as you made it 'fell (}.lJI,oJi I 'I (jJ"",Q/cI tjlBarbra AHen. "I 'member "rhen the other night VJhen you "laS in tmm a-drinkin' . You filled a glass and passed it round And sHghted Barbra Allen. n W"Rt "I 'member "rhen the other night VJhen I's in tmm a-drinkin, , Oh, I filled a glass and passed it round And. slighted Barbra Allen. " Then she . mile to tmm She heard the neighbors talking Oh they 'fould talk and they Hould talk of Hardhearted Barbra Allen. ' She looked to the east and she looked to the ,'rest. She saH her pa.pa coming. Another week of that I may live ... And she fell to the ground a-crying, "Come pick me up and drag me home For I am gone dying." "Oh Father, Oh Father, go dig my grave. Go dig it long and narrow. Ji"'llny Young died for his true,love Aild.I shall die for sorrow;" "Oh Father, oh Father, .go dig my g;rave. Go digit long and narrOH. Jimmy Young died for.me today. I'll die for him tomo:crmr.'l Jin@y Young died on Saturday ni[;ht. And Barbra she on Sundee. Her mother died with She died on Easter morning.' Jimmy "laS buried in yonder grove And Barbra there beside him. From Jimmy Young's grave a blood-red rose, From Ba~)ra's a briar. Oh, the briar greH, and it greH, and it gre,; Till it could not r;rmf no higher. Oh the briar along the ground so 10\'1 5 Till it could not groH no higher. Oh . They lived and died together. This ballad is especially interesting in its shift from narrator to dialogue and bacll: to narrator. Also significant is the h~o line ending in oontrast to all the other stanzas of four lines. The ballad retains the traditional r'ose-and_briar ending. Aooording to Friedman in The Viking ~ of Fol1& )3allads;'Barbara Allen;' Child 84, is the "most vJidely and frequently sung of all the old ballads" (p,' 38), Some n~jor versions ef variants are from Rrunsay's Te~-~ Misoella! 1X. ed. 1750, frorQ Grief (Aberdeen) and from Cox (vJest Virginia). 1'Ihile He recorded her tapes, Mrs. Niokols, sitting rigidly in her straight-backed vlOeden chair, hands folded in her lap, legs crossed at the knees, listened attentively and asked us many times to replay vJhat He had reoorded "ta make shur ya' have it right." II The next song Sh~ SDf"Ig'lI.Jcz$ PAJlIdtu~FI"I/iO;,reroJ(Jd/l)i!llJ'I /Ii/wiS." Only a few Hords of the entire song are disoernable, espeoially sinoe muoh of the singing is done in a very high-pitohed voioe. I wa!tlnot-aJjlelo I/'In<:/;Z',Ciiipy 611 this one in any oolleotions of traditional banads,' After this, He reoorded some tunes JIll's. Niokols played on her "Frenoh harp.'" She told us she oould not play'the instrument at all, but somehow she did an exoellent ,job of "I-lome, S"Jeet llome," "Don't Cry, Little Bonnie"-- the song He know to this tune is "Popaye the Sai,lorman"--"Nellie Gray" and 11 'fhe Train." Ih _this last one, Hhieh, incidentally. I found listed in ~ Nusic from the U.S. JJiJorary of Congress, HI'S. Nickols imit8.ted the sounds of a train HUh her harmonioa. I might also add here that in the course of the afternoon our informant told us she could not play the banjo, though she proved she could do a nne ,job, I asked her also if she played the huge old piano in the room to Hhi,oh she ansvJered, "Not a bit." I vlOnder. 'fhe next sonL; on our tape is "'fhe Preacher and the Bear." Hhioh, again. is partly sung in a very high pitch. Is is sung very rapidly as well; as a result, I ~ra.s able to understand only a very feH 110rds, here and there. Significant is her use of the nonsense syllables "do-do_do..... " and her drart:atic performance--perhaps from the Negro tradition. She told us, "1'Ihen I gn.t ta the part about '\lent d010m toja.il on my knees,'1 I git dmm on my knees and sing." I found "The Preacher and the Bear" in Traditional l>\usic in Am,,!~hy Ira vI. Ford. It seems that this is a humorous song about a colored preacher.' The folloHing is the first stanza of Ford's version: A colored preacher went out a-hunting It was on a Sunday morn. Of course, it Vla.s against his religion, But he took his gun along. He shoots some quail, ducks and a. hare and ~s on his Hay home ,'fhen a grizzly bear chases him up a persimmon jlree. 'fhe bear begins to shake the tree 8J1d the preacher begins to pray: (Chorusl) 'Dh, LmRl, you deliv'ed li']' Dan'el frum de lion's den. IJi'l1 Jonah frum 'de belly ob de Vlhale, anI den, De Hebrew chillun 'rum de fl'y fu'ml.Ce, De good book do decleah. NOvT, LaVld, efln,You kain' he'p me, Fo' goodness sake doan he'p dat beah!1I Then occurs a spoken dialogue--actually the preacher to the bear. The parson falls out of the tree, pulling out his razor blade on the 11ay doim. He are told that a. fight Hill ensue, but '16 are given no outcome. I'll's.' 1'1 icleol' s version evidently has a different ending since the parson goes to jail. Next on my tape is a portion of the "Habash CannonbalJ," instrumental, II Jj fol1o,red by John Henr,V, >Thich is again very'difficult to understand. It begins: "Oh John Henry said to his ca.ptain,f IOh Gaptain, give my. 111 The hero clearly is a steel-drivin l man, and his Homan's name is Polly Ann.! 7 Hy husband knoHs several stanzas of the song Hhich he learned traditionall~r, and these he sang for her: John Henry Has a little biUy boy Settin' on his grandpa's knee Picks up a hammer and a little piece of steel Saiq'This hammer'll be the death of me, Lawd,'. LaHd, This hammer '11 be the death of me." John Hen!"] said to the boss man, "Boss man, please go to to,m. Bring back a hammer ueighin' 'bout hrelve pounds, And I'll beat that steam-drill d0;1I1, La,,-rd, l,a,vd, And I' n beat that steam-drill dm'll1. i' Some say he came from Kentucky. Some say he came from Spain. Was uritten on a tombstone at the top of his head, "John Henry vTaS a steel-dri'vin' man, Law!, Lm-rd, ,John Henry vTaS a steel-drivin ' man." J1rs. Nickols admitted that her version W1S quite different. In Native American Ballads Laws cites several written and sung records of 'JI 0 hn HenryIIJ..n FlorJ..da, Ir\entucky, Alaba.ma, A- rkanses, South Carolina, 'fennessee, Georgia, Hississippi, lhchigan, l:lashington, D. C. and Virginia. It vras recorded by B.L. Lunsford and at least 32 other singers. LaHs mentions hro exhaustive studies of the tradition, one by Louis \'I. Chappell, and the other by Guy B. Johnson. This last Nriter says that there probably Has a steel-driver at. the Big Bend Tunnel named' J olm Henry, that he competed Hith the steel-drill and that he probably died soon after, perhaps from a fever. The Big Bend Tunnel on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, nine miles east of Hinton, "lest Virginia, vlaS under construction from 1870-1872. (p.21j.6) Next, 14rs. Nickols sang "Greenback Dollar,'" certainly an older version than the Kingston Trio's. I Nas unable to find any mention of this song among traditional or folk songs and ballads in the many books I seaMed .... Her name is hea.ven to my soul Oh her heart is like . And her lips are rosy red. No nne knm-rs hoVl much I trust her 8 ... I'd rather be in some dark; i vfuere the stars don't ever shine As you know I don't 1'/ant a greenback dollar. I don't l'lant your watch and chain. All I l1ant is you my da,ding I,rith me to live and chanr;e your name. Papa said you cannot nlarry. Mamma said to let her be. If you ever I will run away to sea. Here Mrs. Nickols sings some high-" eeeeee t s" similar to a yodel, though a tight-throated one. I l1as born in I-lest Virginia And d01'm in Georgia I did go There I met a lady Her name is heaven to my souL Papa said yon cannot maJ'ry.' Mu@na said to let her be So. f 1'11 go home I'll go home. high "eeeeee's" again I don't want your greenback dollar. I don't want your watch and chain, All I I-rant is my little darling , ... After this, l"!rs. Nickols played'Spanish li'andango"on her banjo. Though I \'las interested mainly in ballads, I took this song d01m because she insisted, "N01'l I'm shur ya' 1'Tant this 'un. Itls an old, old song." The many_ talented 1'Toman follo1'Ted up this performance by playing "The Train" on the guitar. I did not take this one dOlm because I knew I had only tvlo tapes and 1'Tould do best to have thenl filled 1'lith ballads, especially ones I l'las su:ce l'lere ballads. - Actually, I could have easily filled 'five or more seveninch tapes, and lUy informant 1'Tould have been ,"ost \'Tilling, This first tape ends uith a spoken introduction to "Thirteen Steps Al'Tay," a very sentimentD,l song dating back to 19}+2 \'Then the lS-year-old hero of the ballad "/as executed for a crime he did not commit. Since I depended solely on my memory and the tape for information, I cannot be sure of this fact, but I believe she said the incident occurred in Kentucky. She shmred Ken and me a booklet she had Hhich ~l8.s m'itten by some preacher about the case as \1e11 as a songbook containing the song, 11hich she said she had learned from some other lady Hhose version 11as slightly different from her o~m. Evidently, my in:l'orn18.nt changed the song some~rhat. She ~ras very cren.tive., '.fhe song is introduced by the following words: Hello, this is Della now An' I \1anna tell you a little story About a boy and a mother. This mother could be you, As she lrent do~m to the prison to see a precious son. This son told the judge he was not guilty Of the crime that they accused him of, "You see there was me and three other boys Went out riding for fun. They said let's hold up the filing station and have a little fun. They got out of the car and' I stayed behind. They had a gun. I carried love (none?). They shot and killed thi::",'tn and then They 18.id the blame on me . The sheriff said, 'Boys, Hhat have you done?' The boys said, 'It wasn't me. It was the boy behind the bars.' They shot and killed this man and put the bla.me on me. You see, Sir, there lms three of them And only one of me." "I I'rent dmm to the prison to see my boy. I said, Sir, ~rhen I'rill this executd.on beT He said, 'Friday the thirteenth.' So I asked the boy through the screen. He said, 'I never robbed no one.' He said, 'l've never run in my life ..for my life in Ha.y. \ I"or something that I'd never done.' I cannot lead you by the hand. I said, Son, I cannot die for you. I..f I could, take your place I'd gladly do so. But I'll go the last thirteen steps I'rith you. I ~ril1 ascent the electric chair, But I cain't go no further, Son. God' s ~ratching over you no", Every step of the way 'sixteen I close my eyes and cry. Vlhenever Nrs. Nickols paused; I began a ne~r line. The follo~1ing ~rords make up the song's chorus: "Just thirteen steps m'ray, Lal1d. Just thirteen steps a~I8.Y. Eternity is Haiting me ,lust thirteen steps m1ay." 1.0 Part. of t.he preceding song is on my second tape. The first song completely on this tape, hmlever, is religious in nature, one that my infor_ mant composed herself. She told us of quite a feV! more songs she ~ITote, but, as I f<lentioned earlier, our tape space ~ras limited. Some of her expressions here are very interesting.,Note, for example, the gold cross: I sa.1 the I,ord n\y loved one a'"lay Last night as I VIaS praying He smiled cause I ~ms on my knees. I asked the I,ord up in heaven He said he'd give my heart ease. I ~lant to make my life shine so So that others may see. r vlant to tell others that Jesus He ga,ve so much to me. Oh Jesus died on the gold cross. He died for you and me. He came to stay He came to set you free. NOVI ~lhy' don't you come to Jesus?, The I,ord"VIi11 set you free. He'll give you a home up in heaven eternity.' There'll ,be no more crying and sorrml. There'n be no doubting there. So VIe Hill be revealed forever UntH the judgment day. Come horne, oh you Hicked people, Accept the Lord today. Don't put it off tin tomorro\1. TomorroH may 'be too late. NOH Hon't you come to Jesus? And let him set you free. He'll give you a horne up in heaven. For.. et.ernit.y. . r failed to r;et the title of the above Rang, but. PJl1 not eVAn sure she had one for it. Rather, she simply called it a "song I Hrote." Finally, ~lrs. Nickols said she ~1Ould try to sing a f811 numbers for us in person. (All of the preceding are from her tapes.) She brought out about a dozen old songbooks, one of Hhich I noticed especially because of its lar[;e, Rge-crisped, yellml pRges covered Hith songs such as "Red River Valley" and interspereed ~rith little jokes, one, for eXNllple i about t1'10 hus_ 11 bands, both mourning, "one because he had just buried his vlife, the other bemmse he had not." I also saH a song about Jesse James, ,'Ihich Hrs. Nickols did not knm,. I \'las reminded of the night Ken and I vlOnt to the drive-in to see "Jesse ,James verf3US Dracula" and Ken began singing an old ballad about the hero. All that day I had been trying to get him to sing some old songs for me, and he m')l1tioned nothing about "Jesse James." Urs. Nickols also brought out the ''Tords to some of the old songs she had Hritten dmm on notebook paper for fear of forgetting them. She seemed \'1el1 aHare of her tradition.' Next,'he came out \'lith a banjo. It had five strings and looked quite old. I made a remark about its antique appearance, to Vlhich she replied,' "Yea, it's old. But it don't make no difference if it vias brand nel'I, cause I cain't play it no ho~11 Vlhereupon, she proceeded to play and sing "Frankie and Albert" quite beautifully. She sat up straight in her chair and bee:an to pat her foot, but she had some trouble Hith the sound of the banjo because the instrument vias damp. "Oh "Iell," she said., \!l.11 you Hant' 13 the "101'0.13 anyho\'l." I ansvlOred in the negative. Her version is quite lone: and detailed I Albert and Frankie Oh Albert e:ot up one morningg Oh FranJd.e said put thm,) on (say O1m) Oh he stepped out on BroadHay Said, "Good_bye na' honey I'm gone." HeLs your man, but he's done you "rang. Frankie 1'1ent to Tcheecago. She rode on the train. She paid foty-one dollahs For Albert a "Talking cane. He's my man, and I love him so. Oh Frankie ha.d tHO children A bo-y and a girl. If you ever see your da.ddy again, You'll meet him in another vlOr1d. I-Ie I s my man, but he t s doin I rae "Trang. Frankie vlent auto ''laHking. She did not go for far. Up under her apern she carried a foty-one To kill her man 12 That done her v~ong. Frankie "lent to the barroom. She called for a glass of beer. She said to the bartenner, "Has Albert been dovm here? Hels my man, but he Hon't come home." The bartenner said to Frankie, "Oh I cain I 1', tell no lies. He passed by here bout an hour ago Hith a girl called Nellie Bly'. Hels your man, but he's doinl you t'~ong." Frankie ''lent in na poolroom. She saH Albert there. Oh he commenced praying, "Oh do not kill me nOH. 1 1m your man, your loving man." Shels standing on the co-ner As Albert he passed by.: Oh she pulled out a foty-one And shot him through the side And killed her man, her garablin I man. Oh Albert said to Frankie, "Go turn me over slm-I,' Go turn me on my other side For l~~r heart IS gonna overflo," For I'm your man, but I done you ~Irong." Oh Frankie looked ,d;;;~ BroadHay As far as she could see.; She couldnlt hear nothin l but someone Sing, "Nearer my God to Thee." Hels my man, but I laid him 101'1. Shels standin l on the co-ner All dressed in red A-1'Taitin' for the message boy To tell her that he 1~,S dead. He l s my man, but he done me tvrong. 1'11 rubber-tire my buggy. I In double-seat U1Y hack. 1 111 carry lim to the cemtery And a-bring his mamma back. He's my man, but I laid him 101'1. Oh I"rankie at the cemetery, She fell dmm on her knees Saying, "Speak to me Albert And "ive my poor heart ease. 11 "For I'm your man, and you laid me loCi." Oh l?rankie at the courthouse Along the stand. 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(1(': I ?;\-Lll,crc ~ '1-,1 \[\,t tnn"I.;,:1it ','(O1l. 1J.',LI:J!liJ. n,I"I,othCH' 1n',i,r': C) IC:':l..i~ "'(}ll '('1}:1.'1 c'1.::,n:) :1\')',:' 1.~,'1 ,j'Ollr.' :",:',\ ~,:: 'I," ll), ::.'\,1," 11.:::(' ()n'-I'~() 'l.~J ;i\/ /',/ too j \1),(: ~I:'/In n 1--!()';)'(~l" 1){),',,'O ~ :;1),';:, ~ ':\:\':',~ '(:',,", 'i,n ~; 1 '() )":i,nd. .'1/1(1, L:r:'ll,i) L:iLn 'i,.1'r) IHI!; ~'.rOll 'lnV'c:l 1)(,),'PO:','(;'[' 'I. ') "And is her step so soft and liU:ht, Her voice so meek and mild? And, Father, do you think she'll love Your blind and helpless chUd? "Her picture's hanOing on the 'rall. Her hooks are lying there. And there's the harp her fingers touched. And there's her vaccmt. chair. "The chair Hhere by her side I knelt To say my eveninu; prayers Fs:t.her, is she kind and true Like the one you loved before? NON let me kn~eJ,~I.~l\b~I!:aur side And to the saints ,T. pray That God's right hand n~.y Ouide you both Through life's long 'lear;\, days." 'fhe prayer Has murmured, s.nd she said, "I'm gr01ling weary nON." He turned and caught the last weak smile For his hlind child Has in heaven.' Then as he turned to leave the room, One joyful cry IfaS given. He turned and caught the last Heak smile For his blind child Has in heaven. He laid her by her mother's side And laid a marble stone And on the grave these simple l'lords: "'fhere'll be no b1ind ones there." LaHs excludes this song, besides "Little Rosel>/ood Casket," from his antholopy of native American ballads s.nd for the same reason. It is too sentimental and melodramatic for his collection. Beldon does, hOHever, include it in his Balls.ds and ~.K. and notes that it has been reported as traditional in Kentucl~, North Carolina, Arkansas, Alabauw., Illinois and Iowa. There are five copies of "The Blind Girl" in the Hissouri colleoticn, l>/hich, says Beldon, are all quite simila.r. !'lrs. Nickolh' is very simils.r to the version he has printed also. Next, she sang a part of a song she called "Come All You Fair and 1?ender Ladies." After much research, I found this to be the first line of a number called "Little Spar.ro\"1" in Beldon and "YounO Ladies" or "Young SparroH" in Eg1J Songs of ih2. South by Cox. Variants have been reported 16 in Virginia, I'Jest Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, N01'th Carolina, Ge0rgia, ,C Hississippi and Indiana. Hrs. Nickols sang in a very high voice: Come all you fair ancl tender ladies. Ta,ke Harning hOH you love young men. They're like a bright starin a summer's morning They first appear and then be gone. The narrator of this song, as reported in Beldon, goes on to say that she loved a man, but he deceived her for ;',nother Homan. She vd.shes she Here a sparrow:: so she could fly to her raIse lover (P. 278) I All in his breast I Hould flutter \\TUh my little tender Hings, Ask him vlhom he meant to flatter, \1hom he intended to deceive. After singing this song, HI'S. Nickols remarHed that she kneH "Old Dan Tucker ," "THO Little Orphan Children" and "The "keck of the Old 97," but she could not remember them. LikeHise, her memory of"r4ary fll3-garr' vIas fading. She could remember onLy the first stanza: Little 11ary Phagan, She vlent to t01'ill one day. She Hent to the pencil factory '0 get her Heekly pay. The history of this ballad is ve;ry interesting, perhaps more so to us since it centers in Atlanta. In Native American BalladrY (p. 202), LaHs staGes that the heroine here Has beaten in a pencil factbr'jr. by Leo Frank. Further, he quotes Carter in the ,Journal 2 American Folklore 46 (193:3), :39-1fO: " lJ~ittle Nary Phagan' is a neH balla,d based on the murder 0:1) Nary Phagan on August 5, 1913, in the National Pencil Co. factory, Atlanta, Ga. Leo M. Frank and Jas. Conley Here suspected of the murder. On August 26, 191:3, 1eo Frank viaS found guilty and sentenced to death, but many believed him innocent, and there 1ms vd.despread protest.'... " The sentence VIas comrl1lrlJBd to life term, bnt the suspect 1WOS lynched by a l1'ob August 17, 1915. 1'he 17 ballad has been recorded in Tennessee, Alabama, Geore;ia, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Utah. Hhile HI's. Nickols Has on the subject of songs she had forgotten either Hhol1,}' or partially, she happened to see "Knoxville Girl" on my list and said she had heard it before, but could not recall the tune. Ken came to her aid. I t seems he had learned the song from Buclu-/heat Smith as he had his other folksone;s. He remarked, hm/ever, that there l~ere a feH Hords of the ballad he had not understood and that his did not make much sense, but he sang it as it had sounded to him. Remembering some of the humorous dee;eneration of words vIS had heard in class, such as "Parsley, Sage, Rosema.ry ancl Thyme," I asked him "/hat his corrupted line VIas. It is not difficult to spot: I met a little girl in Knoxville A t01'ffi VIe all knoH vTell. And every Sunday evening Out in her home I dl-1S1led. He took a walk one afternoon About a mile from to,m. I picked a stick up off the ground. I knocked that fair girl dmm. She I-rent clolm to her bended knees '\'lith mercy," she did ory, "Oh Hillie dear, don't kill me here. I I m unprepared to die." She never spoke another l-lOrd. I only !'eat her more Until the ground around her Of ,/hich her blood did flow. I took her by her golden curls. I dragp;ed her round and round. I threH her in the river That flows through Knoxville tNm. Go d01'ffi, go d01m, little Knoxville girl, m.th the bright- -and globeless eyes. Go d01-ffi, go d01'ffi, you Knox.ville girl, You'll never be my bride. Ken sang unaccompanied in a smooth and good voice, having Hon several lUi. several singing contests and been president of his Habun County Glee 18 club. I told him about the probably original version of the song, "The Berkshire Tragedy," an elcght.eenth-century broadside in the Roxburghe collection, in 1fhich an illicit relationship had resulted in the girl's pregnancy, the reason for the narrator's kUling her. He replied that he HaS not sure VJhy the fellaH kills the girl, but that he had guessed as much. Ken I s text is very similar to those Hhich LavIs cites in American Balladr,y from British Broadsides as having been collected in l1ississippi and Tezas. There are, hOvlever, many versions and different titles for this ballad, i.e., "The JJexington Hiller," "The Lexington Burder," "THe Cruel 111.11er," "The \'Iexford Girl" and" The Oxford GirL" The song has been collected in America in Kentucky, Hississippi, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and Hest Virginia. vie had space on our tape for only one more t\Ulle and the day l'1aS getting late by this time, so He requested that 1'1rs. Nickols sing one last song, "Put Hy Little Shoes AHay," Hhich she did.' Hother dear, come bathe my forehead For I'm grmling very Heal< Please do let one drop of Hater Fall upon my burning cheek. You Hill do this, Han' t you, 1'lother, PlitLmy little shoes aHay Save them for lny little brother Soon they'll fit his little feet. ,'Ion't he look so neat and handsone As he Halks upon the street? Hother, dear, go tell nw playmates, I cannot play no more But give them all my toys, but Hother, Put m,Y little shoes 8.Vl8.y. Hother deal", come here beside me Place a kiss upon my bro1'/ For I think I've seen an angey<'lith a pair of golden l'rings You Hill do this, 1,ron I t you, Hother, Put my little shoes aHay. Santa Claus he brought them to me Hith a lot of other things. Save them for my little brother 19 Soon they'll fit his little feet vTon't he look so neat and handsome As he Ha1ks upon the street? Nother, dear, come kneel beside me l~or I'm gro,'ling very cold And I think I see an angel With Hings of purest gold. You Hill do this, Hon't you, Nother, Put my little shoes away. Save them for my little brother. Soon they'll fit his little feet. vTon't he look so neat and handsome As he Ha1ks upon the street? This song is included in Fred High's songbook and in Vf..wm.. Ra..nclolpl:, Just hefore >le left, 1'1rs. Nickols asked. that l'Ie play the tape over once for her, and we did. Then Ken closed up the recorder~' I notioed He Here all grinning as our informant signed the sheet so carefully, questioning Ken about the zip code of >lhich she ,'Tasn 1 t sure. The field trip H8.S very suooessful. 1'1rs. Niokols .'las a very likea.ble and charming person. Evidently, the feeling Has mutual: she told us in D.ll sinceriity to be sure and come back to see her next time ,Ie Here in Clayton and to Hrite her in the meantime. She Halked to the door with us--all of one step--and, after D. fe,1 remarks o.bout ho1'1 cute our car 1'1o.s, me said, "Hell, be sure and come back. I ain't rich, but I'm purty." Upon this statement, she giggled gleefully and, like a little girl, covel1lllJ;lg her mouth with her hand and raising her shoulders as if to say she shouldn't have said that, but did anyho1'1. vThen >18 got back to Ken's parents' home (the Lamar Bleckleys), l'le leo.rned from Ken's motheX' that our informant had called ahead of us to say l'lhat nice people she thought >le .'lel'e and to be SUl'e and have us .<rite. 20 BIB1IOGllAP]fY, Selected Beldon, H. H. Ballads and Songs.' Columbia: University of Hissouri Press, 1966. Cox, Jolm Harrington. Folk Sonp;s .2 ~~. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1925. Ford, Ira H. Traditional Nusie in America. lore Associates, Inc.-::L%5-.- ---- lIatboH, Pennsylvania:' l~olk- Fried~k~n, Albert B. Viking Press, ~ Vikin('; l!oo~ of ~ BaJ),ads. NeH York: The 1904.' High, Fred .QLcL, Old 1;-/1.; S<J/lJ}:E l.aHless, R.ay M. Folks:bnf~erfJ. and Folk~!!KfJ. in America. NeH York: Duell, Sloan and Pearoe, 1960. 1aHs, G. Halcolm. American Ballamry from British Broadsides. Philadelphia: 'fhe American Folklore Sooiety, 1957. 1mrs, n. Nalcolm. Nat~ Ameri~ Balladry. Philadelphia: The American Folklore Society, 1961,. A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us inaposition to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, andbias isreflected in our descriptions, whichmay not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materialsaccurately.Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment.We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created.Additionally,our work to use reparative languagewhereLibrary of Congress subject termsareinaccurate and obsolete isongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailingreference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.