Annotation:Sweet Child

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X:1 T:Sweet Child M:2/4 L:1/8 N:AEae tuning B:Thede - The Fiddle Book (1967, p. 72) K:A A,(F/G/) [AA][AA]|(A/c/)B/A/ (F/E/)F/G/|[AA][A2A2] (A/B/|c)[ee] [ee][ee]-|[e2e2](af/ e/)(c/A/c/)| [ce][ee] [Ae](f/g/|a) a (e/f/e/)d/-|c(c/B/ A/)(A/A/c/)|B(A/B/ c/)A/B/A/|(F/E/)(F/G/)|[AA]!fermata![AA]|| P:Vocal: F|AA/A/ F/F/E/F/|A/A/A/A/ F>E|F/A2 A/B/|c/c/c B/A/A/B/| c/c/c/c/ c>B|c/e2e|e/e/e c/c/A/B/|c/c/c/c/ B/AA/| BB BA/B/|cA F>E|A/A/-A e/d/(^B/c/)|A3z||

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SWEET CHILD. AKA "Honey (Babe)," "Sugar Baby Mine," "Sweet Thing." American; Reel and song. USA; Missouri, Oklahoma, Louisiana. A Major. AEae tuning (fiddle). One part tune. "Sweet Child" is a member of a widespread and varied song/tune family, whose many members can be found in standard folksong collections. Volume III of the Frank C. Brown omnibus from North Carolina contains at least four songs which share elements of either verse or structure . The song family is thought to have derived from the British/Irish folksong "Frog and the Mouse (The), which itself has many variants, including numerous American ones as "Froggie Went a Courtin' (1)” These words sung to the tune were collected in Missouri by Marion Thede, who also printed the Louisiana version of the lyrics:

Standin' on a corner and I meant no harm my honey,
Standin' on a corner and I meant no harm my sweet child;
Standin' on a corner and I meant no harm
A big policeman took me by the arm my sweet child.

Rared and I kicked and I tried to get loose my honey,
Rared and I kicked and I tried to get loose my sweet child;
Rared and I kicked and I tried to get loose,
But he took me off to the calaboose my sweet child.

A little bit cloudy but it ain't a gonna rain my honey,
A little bit cloudy but it ain't a gonna rain my sweet Child;
A little bit cloudy but it ain't a gonna rain,
We'll take a trip on the north bound train my sweet child.

When I die don't bury me a tall my honey,
When I die don't bury me a tall my sweet child;
When I die don't bury me a tall,
Just lay me away in alcohol (al ky hol) my sweet child.

"The Crawdad Song" [Roud No. 4853] and "Old Mister Rabbit" are closely related songs/tunes. Songwriter Ben Harney's (1872-1938) "You've been a good old wagon, but you've done broke down" is a ragtime adaptation of the family. See also Mt. Airy, N.C., fiddler wikipedia:Tommy_Jarrell's (1901-1985) "Policeman."

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