[Mrs. Tailor (?)]: All right. [Mrs. Tailor speaks before Irene Williams sings]
Old Lady Goose
Old Lady Goose done turn a loose.
Where am that Old Lady Goose, goose, goose, goose?
Old Lady Goose.
Old Lady Goose.
Old Lady Goose, goose, goose, goose, goose.
Where am [audio distortion] that Old Lady Goose?
I look down the pasture.
Look down the main.
Can’t find no Lady Goose again.
Old Lady Goose.
Old Lady Goose.
Where am that Old Lady Goose?
I’s just like that Old Lady Goose.
Whenever I is turned a loose.
Old Lady Goose, goose, goose, goose, goose.
Can anybody find my Old Lady Goose?
Old Lady Goose was a sitting in the pasture.
And I went down right there at a her.
But Old Lady Goose. Goose. Goose. Goose.
Old Lady Goose. Where am that Old Lady Goose?
John A. Lomax: And hold it up Mrs. Tailor and let her sing that tra-la-la about the jaybird [disc scratch] jaybird that sings.
Jay Bird Singing
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
Jaybird sitting in the top of the tree.
Tra-la-la-la-lee.
Jaybird sitting in the top of the tree.
Tra-la-la-la-lee.
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
Jaybird sitting in the top of a tree.
Looking down at me.
Jaybird sitting in the top of the tree.
Looking down at me.
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
Jaybird sitting in the top of the tree.
With his fiddle on his knee.
Jaybird sitting in the top of the tree.
With a fiddle on his knee.
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
Oh, swing, swing, swing.
Oh, swing little Cora Lee.
John A. Lomax: Thank you.
Mrs. Tailor: ??? .
Irene Williams: I played we linked up. And one at the foot of start singing and I said, when I said “house” then one stood yonder and everybody go on each other arm. And go around in one another and then we link up again. Then we go singing.
Mrs. Tailor: ??? .
[Irene Williams’ singing is punctuated by a whistling steam engine]
Drink Water
[Red light. Red light roll over. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[Red light. Red light roll over. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[I come when the sun stood yonder. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[I come when the sun stood yonder. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[Red light I roll right over. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[Red light I roll right over. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[I come when the ??? stood yonder. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[I come when the ??? stood yonder. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[Old costume in the cold water. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
[Old costume in the cold water. Give me a cold of drink water (?)].
Mrs. Tailor: Is that all?
Irene Williams: Yes.
Mrs. Tailor: [in a voice barely audible] Say that this song was sung by, sung by Hattie Garce. This song was sung by ???
Irene Williams: This song was sung by Hattie Garce, at [Livingston (?)], Alabama. [a rooster crows]
Mrs. Tailor: I ??? .
Irene Williams: We ring up this play and one would get in the ring and we all go round and the one that get in the middle would start the singing.
[snorting steam engine rolls by while she sings]
Ring Go Round
All the way round the ring go round see that girl in the middle?
See that girl with the coal black hair kiss her and call her honey.
All the way round the ring go round see that girl on the middle?
See that girl with the coal black hair kiss her and call her honey.
All the way round the ring go round see that girl on the middle?
See that girl with the coal black hair kiss her and call her honey.
Mrs. Tailor: [Is that all (?)]?
Irene Williams: Yes.
Mrs. Tailor: [in a voice barely audible] Tell them that the song was sung by [Hattie Garce (?)].
Irene Williams: This song was sung by Hattie Garce, at [Livingston (?)], Alabama.
Irene Williams: The meeting day at Oak Grove Church. The first Sunday in August was a [gallant (?)] occasion for the Negroes on the place that was the day the big attractive meeting began, over at Oak Grove Baptist Church. A day of praise for the new dresses, the new suits, and new hats; for each Negro was dressed out in his Sunday best. About 10 o’clock in the morning they would be on their way to church and it looked as if the [di ??? vest (?)] of white, pink, blue, red, yellow and variegated colors had out-rivaled themselves in putting out the brightest colors in which, of which their dresses were made from. Every passing road on the place, was filled with those who were going to church. And the woods rang with their joy and happiness and their calls to each other:
“Morning there sister Macy, how you all?”
“Oh, I’s tired, but we’re [fine] thank you. How you all?”
“That sure am a pretty dress what you got on.”
“What you get, hee, hee, hee, hee you going out shine all them niggas in Oak Grove Church today. Yes, Ma’am, you sure is going out shine us all.”
“Now you shut your mouth, Gene. You knows you just poking fun at me. How’s your ma? Where’s Fannie?”
“Oh, she comming. She got herself all dressed up. She say she going to get [a (?)] hat today and beat the very stuffing out of that gal a Suzy. But I tell her if that’s the spirit she’s going to church in she got to stay at home. But she promise me that she behave herself and be one of the first mourners on the bench. And I tell her she can come on to church.”
This was only preliminary of what would take place when they all met under the big oak trees on the church grounds. All the [kit (?)] and kin, kin from miles around would be there in their gayest mood. Soon, those inside of the church would begin this, this song that would bring them in and start the worship, and the big meeting began.
Old Ship of Zion!
Tis that old ship of Zi-on.
Tis that old ship of Zi-on.
Tis that old ship of Zi-on.
Get on board. Get on board.
She have landed man-y thou-sands.
She have landed man-y thou-sands.
She haveb landed man-y thou-sands.
Get on board.
Get on board.
Yes, get on board I got good religion.
She have landed my own mother.
She have landed my own mother.
She have landed my own mother.
Well. Well. Well.
Get on board. Get on board.
Praise the Lord I got [salvation (?)] in my soul.
Between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon you would see them coming on their way back home. Now, the chickens in the barnyard had ??? for Bro. Andy and Bro. Pfeiffer had a mighty tooth for fried chicken when they were postulating the word, which meant in real terms, were preaching. Brother Andy, did the preaching. And Bro. Pfeiffer was the said brother and amen man. In the most tense moment when the [mornings (?)] mourners’ bench was filled full the mourners and the mightiest calls were being made for them to come through. Oh, brother Pfeiffer would go to the door and plead for the [Mrs. Irene Williams sings] Lord to come his self. Not to send his son. We got no time to fool with children here tonight. Come right through the cornfield. Don’t take time to come all the way around the road by Mr. John Coleman’s. Because these mourners are just about ready to come through.
Then the others would join in the prayers by singing–
John A. Lomax: Mrs. Irene Williams continues her singing on this record.
Irene Williams: Another very interesting thing in my early childhood was the Negro baptizing. All the candidates for baptism were standing on the bank of the pond over in Mr. Bailey’s pasture. Dressed in long white gowns with white caps on their heads ready to be buried in baptism. And the song as they were being led into the water by the minister was this:
Keep Your Lamp A Trimmed
Oh, brother, keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Just like the light of God.
Oh, sister, keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Just like the light of God.
Oh, mourners, keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Just like the light of God.
Oh, sinners, keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Keep your lamp a trimmed and a burning.
Just like the light of God.
And another thing that I remember on the plantation that we hadn’t mentioned before was this churn song, ‘Little Emma,’ the baby’s nurse. After the baby was tucked in bed was often called into the kitchen to do the churning. And this is the song that she sang to the milk:
Come Butter Come
Come butter come.
Mistess standing at the gate waiting for the butter cake to,
Come butter come.
Come butter come, Mistess awaiting.
Come butter come, Mistess awaiting.
Come butter come, the Mrs. awaiting.
Come butter come, the Mrs. awaiting.
Mrs. awaiting for the butter cake to,
Come butter come.
Come butter come.
Mrs. awaiting.
Mrs. Awaiting for the butter cake to,
Come butter come.
Mrs. awaiting.
Come butter come.
Mrs. awaiting.
And this chant would go on through until the churning was through. And the rich golden butter would come into a solid cake on the top of the milk.
John A Lomax: Well, I– [record skips]