Annotation:She oughta been a Lady

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X:1 T:She oughta been a Lady S:Vesta Johnson M:C| L:1/8 D:MFFA 1001, Vesta Johnson – “I’m Old but I’m Awful Tough” (1977). F:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nO6UgUyS9I Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:D F-A2B A2AA|BABd e2d2|f2 af e2fe|dBA2Bd A2| F-A2B A3(A|B)ABd e2d2|faaf ef e2|d3d d2 (dB| A2)F2A3(A| B)ABd e2d2|faaf e2fe|dBA2Bd A2| F-A2B A3(A|B)ABd e2d2|faa2 ef e2|d3d d2|| (f2|a2)a2a2f2|gfga b2a2|f2af e2 fe|d2 ed Bd A2| F-A2B A3(A|B)ABd e2d2|faa2 ef e2|d3d d2((3A/B/c/| d2)f2a2f2|gfga b2a2|f2af e2 fe|dded Bd A2| F-A2B A2A(A|B)ABd e2d2|faa2 ef e2|d3d d2||



SHE OUGHTA BEEN A LADY. AKA and see “Hell on the Wabash (4)," “Pussy and the Baby,” “Silver Lake (4).” American, Reel (cut time). D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA’BB’. “She Oughta Been a Lady” is the title by which the tune is generally referred to in Missouri. It is related to the Irish Hornpipe "<incipit title="load:Beaux" width=850 link="https://tunearch.org/wiki/Beaux of Oak Hill (1)">Beaux of Oak Hill (1)</incipit>"/"<incipit title="load:Bluehill" width=850 link="https://tunearch.org/wiki/Boys of Bluehill (The)">Boys of Bluehill (The)</incipit>," and probably a version of that tune (see note for "annotation:Beaux of Bluehill (The)" for more). Source Vesta Johnson’s mother played the tune, and claimed it had been in her family for generations. Her mother also remembered a neighbor playing the tune and singing words to it. A similar Ozarks tune, points out Drew Beisswenger (2008) is the Stonekings’ “Birdie in the Snowbank.”

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - Vesta Johnson (b. 1922, Mo.) [Beisswenger & McCann].

Printed sources : - Beisswenger & McCann (Ozarks Fiddle Music), 2008; p. 72.

Recorded sources: -Missouri Friends of Folk Arts MFFA 1001, Vesta Johnson – “I’m Old But I’m Awful Tough” (1977).



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