Songs of The Original Carter
Family
In 1998, I transcribed all of the lyrics of the Original Carter Family
from the Rounder Records CDs, Lps, and tapes. In 2000, Bear Family
Records released In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain, a 12 volume CD
compilation of all of the Original Carter Family's commercial recordings.
The CDs are accompanied by an extensive hardcover book by Charles Wolfe,
which includes all of the song lyrics as transcribed by Phil Wells. I
compared our work and found many places where I continue to differ with
the Wells transcriptions even after repeated listenings. Many of the
differences are minor, and may be illusory where a final -s or
-ed is concerned. I've enclosed differences in square brackets where
I don't have the full courage of my convictions! Because there was no
index to the Bear Family CDs or song lyrics, I compiled one of my own.
While neither the Wells transcriptions nor mine are currently
available on the WWW, the differences are listed here for the convenience
of those with the Bear Family collection. When a song was recorded more
than once, I looked only at the first version in the collection.
Each difference is presented according to the way I hear it. For
example, "and Jesus NOT in Jesus" means I hear "and Jesus" while the
Wells transcriptions contain "in Jesus". In all fairness, I made at least
as many corrections to my own transcriptions after reviewing the
recordings with the Wells transcriptions in hand. I'm eager to hear from
anyone who wants to weigh in on either side or present a completely
different take if we've both missed the mark.
Most differences are prefixed by a code of the form v# to
indicate the number of the verse in which the difference appears. Verses
are numbered according to the way the lyrics are printed in the Wolfe
volume. Some differences are prefixed by a ch to indicate the
difference appears in the chorus. On rare occasions, a difference is
labeled v#/l# or l#, where the number following the
l is a line number.
There are two collections of lyrics of the Original Carter Family on
the World Wide Web.
I have not compared them to the Wells transcriptions or mine or to
each other. If anyone does and posts the results, I'd be happy to link to
them.
- Anchored In Love
- v1: and Jesus NOT in Jesus
- v2: bless His dear name NOT blesses your name
- v3: and my last NOT of my last
- Behind Those Stone Walls
- v2: burglar NOT burglars
- v7: [you lost NOT you've lost]
- Birds Were Singing Of You, The
- Blackie's Gunman
- v2: left at night NOT left that night
- Broken Down Tramp, A
- v3: and the money NOT from the money
- Buddies In The Saddle
- Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow
- v4 violets blue NOT fallen spruce
- Cannonball, The
- v5: come back NOT be back
- Carter's Blues
- v3: if this flower NOT if that flower
- v3: cure this aching NOT last this aching
- Charlie and Nellie
- v3: I bore it one year NOT I've wore it one year
- Church In The Wildwood, The
- v2: are calling NOT a-calling
- v3: the love one NOT a loved one
- v3: sweet love sleeps NOT sweetly sleeps
- Coal Miner's Blues
- v2: a coal NOT the coal
- v3: soul blue NOT so blue
- Cowboy's Wild Song To His Herd
- v3: lamps NOT lights
- v4: it's memory NOT his memory
- v5: city noise NOT city and noise
- v5: [lamps NOT lights]
- v6: marriages, mountains and plays NOT narrow ridges, mountains and plains
- Cuban Soldier, The
- v1: but his kindness NOT but this kindness
- v1: called his comrades NOT called his comrade
- Cyclone Of Rye Cove, The
- v4: by life's strand NOT by life's friends
- v4: clasp with glad hands NOT plant this glad hand
- Darling Little Joe
- v2: frolics NOT frolic
- v3: he'll miss me, too NOT (mourn for me too)
- Darling Nellie Across The Sea
- l-2: creeping NOT grieving
- l-1: oh, lay me NOT there I'll lay me
- Engine 143
- v5: murdered upon a NOT murdered upon the
- Faded Coat Of Blue
- v1: a heart NOT the heart
- v1: lowly NOT lonely
- Faded Flowers
- ch: 'tis no wonder NOT it's no wonder
- v3: friends'll meet NOT friends meet
- Fate of Dewey Lee, The
- v5: but many beneath NOT put many beneath
- Fond Affection
- v1: was spent NOT was filled
- v2: mark the sun NOT toward the sun
- Forsaken Love
- v1: her tears NOT tears
- ch: be love but for NOT be loveless for
- v5: he seeks NOT he's reached
- Funny When You Feel That Way
- v1: how queer I felt NOT how far I fell
- Gathering Flowers From The Hillside
- v1: like the flower NOT like the flowers
- Gold Watch And Chain
- ch: you love me NOT you'll love me
- Goodbye To The Plains
- v1: pals of the plain NOT pals of the plains
- v4: that's fair NOT that's spare
- Grave On The Green Hillside, The
- v2: submission filled NOT so mission filled
- v3: darksome vale NOT dark, some fail
- He Took A White Rose From Her Hair
- v3: branch of NOT branch up
- Heaven's Radio
- v3: rescue you today NOT rescue today
- Hold Fast To The Right
- v2: to be tied NOT to be tried
- Home By The Sea
- v3: seashells NOT sea shell
- Honey In The Rock
- v1: He's a rock NOT He's the rock
- I Found You Among The Roses
- v1: I walked out NOT I walked here
- v1: I came here NOT we came here
- ch: a garden so fair NOT the garden so fair
- ch: I crave NOT I craved
- ch: it is out, dear NOT it was out here
- v4: it is out, dear NOT it was out here
- I Loved You Better Than You Knew
- v1: I loved you as I loved NOT I love you as I love
- I Never Loved But One
- v1: [mooing?] NOT flowing
- v4: harvest NOT hair is
- I Wouldn't Mind Dying
- v2/l2: I got to NOT got to
- I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
- v2: faulting NOT faultering
- v3: once't he smiled NOT once he smiled
- I'm Working On A Building
- liar,preacher: a-work NOT work
- If One Won't Another Will
- v2: almost spent, it is NOT almost ended, it's
- v3: come take this NOT I'll take this
- v7: did loved you NOT did love you
- v8: another way NOT some other way
- v8: it's sway NOT it's way
- In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain
- v2: and the cedar NOT and two cedars
- v2: great NOT gray
- v4: birds love NOT birds sing
- It'll Aggravate Your Soul
- v1: expect NOT expected
- v2: style books NOT styles go to
- v3: [hobble NOT hobbled]
- Jim Blake's Message
- v2: a dying woman with scarce a NOT the dying woman was scarce of
- Jimmy Brown The Newsboy
- v2: swear at me NOT look at me
- John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man
- v6: And it's now NOT And now
- Keep On The Firing Line
- ch: firin' line (oh line) NOT firin' line (firin' line)
- Keep On The Sunny Side
- ch: all the way NOT all our way
- v2: storm and NOT storm in
- v3: alway NOT always
- v3: keepeth NOT keep us
- Kissing Is A Crime
- Let The Church Roll On
- v3: (take their name off the books) NOT (take 'em in, watch 'em close)
- Let's Be Lovers Again
- v1: lingered to say NOT lingered to stay
- Little Log Hut In The Lane
- v1: live 'till night NOT live tonight
- Little Moses
- v5: it is victorious NOT in Him victorious
- Lonesome For You Darling
- v4: we could be true NOT you could be true
- Lonesome Pine Special
- v1: and she's coming NOT as she's coming
- Lonesome Valley
- v4: oh, sinners NOT all sinners
- Look Away From The Cross
- v3: the conflict, the battle NOT the conflicts, the battles
- ch,l3: (weary ones) NOT (weary ones, look away)
- Lover's Farewell
- v4: willow waves NOT willow wave
- Lover's Return
- v3: friend to friend NOT friend to friend to friend
- Mid The Green Fields Of Virginia
- v1: home-like airs NOT home-like air
- Motherless Children
- v2/l2: when the mother's NOT when mother's
- My Dixie Darling
- v1: in the society NOT in society
- v2: jelly roll growing NOT jelly roll's rollin'
- My Heart's Tonight In Texas
- v4: Texas lad NOT Texas lass
- v4: [dazzling NOT dizzling]
- My Home Among The Hills
- v2: in an old NOT in the old
- v3: a silver-haired NOT the silver-haired
- My Native Home
- v2: heart it rends NOT heart is rend
- My Virginia Rose Is Blooming
- v2: she's a girl NOT she's the girl
- No Depression
- v3: [midnight fierce NOT midnight fears]
- No More The Moon Shines On Lorena
- v1: he'd call NOT he called
- v1: supported Massy NOT fordid Massy
- No Telephone In Heaven
- ch: and a tear NOT and the tears
- v4: torn NOT tore
- On A Hill Lone And Gray
- ch: teardrops they start NOT teardrops do start
- v2: the multitude gazed NOT I'm only to gaze
- One Little Word
- Only Girl (I Ever Cared About), The
- v1: that lad NOT a lad
- v1: would plead in NOT was pleading
- Poor Little Orphaned Boy
- v2: a parting kiss NOT the parting kiss
- Rambling Boy
- v1: love my life NOT loved my life
- v3: pistols NOT pistol
- v4: with sad despair NOT in sad despair
- Reckless Motorman
- v2: [done NOT dying]
- v5: true an end NOT to and end
- Room In Heaven For Me
- v1: fades less glorious gleam NOT faith lives gloriously
- v1: the blissful ever more NOT will live evermore
- Schoolhouse on the Hill
- v3: glistened NOT glisten
- See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
- Something Got A Hold Of Me
- v1: the weak-minded NOT so weak-minded
- v5: learnt and NOT learnt there's
- Spirit Of Love Watches Over Me, The
- v1: seek there NOT seek thee
- v1: meadow and stream NOT meadowland stream
- v3: now companion NOT my companion
- v3: solitude NOT solace just
- Sun Of The Soul, The
- v4: judgement fire NOT judgement bar
- v4: oh what then NOT so what then
- Sweet Fern
- ch: is my darling NOT if my darling's
- Sweet Heaven In My View
- There'll Be No Distinction There
- There's Someone Awaiting For Me
- v1: the lakes NOT the lake
- v3: oh, the birds NOT all the birds
- This Is Like Heaven To Me
- Wabash Cannonball
- v4: L car number 2 NOT mail car number 2
- Wandering Boy, The
- Waves On The Sea
- l1: wave on the sea NOT waves on the sea
- We Shall Rise
- v2: shades of life NOT shade of life
- v2: His dead NOT its dead
- We Will March Through The Streets Of The City
- v1: Jesus sought NOT Jesus saw
- v2: you now are NOT you know how
- Western Hobo, The
- v1: wild western NOT wild and western
- When The Roses Come Again
- When The Springtime Comes Again
- ch: scattered NOT scatter
- v3: when the springtime NOT when springtime
- When The World's On Fire
- throughout: Rocks NOT Rock
- When This Evening Sun Goes Down
- v3: He will blind me to all NOT He will banish all
- Where Shall I Be?
- v3: Savior reigns NOT Savior aims
- Who's That Knocking At My Window?
- v1: [knocks so loud NOT knock so loud]
- Why Do You Cry Little Darling
- v1: feel so blue NOT still so blue
- Why There Is A Tear In My Eye
- v1: that nothing NOT and nothing
- Wildwood Flower
- v4: won and neglected NOT gone and neglected
- Will My Mother Know Me There?
- v2: mother's wrestled NOT mother wrestled
- v3: o'er the sea NOT for a sea
- Will The Roses Bloom In Heaven
- v1: 'mid the frosty NOT with the frosty
- v1: little mourn NOT little moan
- Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?
- v1: cease to beat NOT cease to be
- v2: sit along NOT sit alone
- v2: knot and wave NOT nod and wave
- v3: One sweet NOT Once we
- Winding Stream, The
- v2: doth leave NOT does leave
- You've Got To Righten That Wrong
- v2: do you hear NOT you hear
- v2: fleeting wway NOT flitting away
- v2: stricken NOT stick on
- Young Freda Bolt
- v5: the God NOT that God
- v5: surely NOT surely've
Jerry Dallal