Annotation:Trot along My Honey

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X:1 T:Trot along My Honey N:From the playing of Howdy Forrester (1922-1987, Vernon, Tenn.) M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel D:Stoneway Records STT-136, Howdy Forrester - "Big Howdy" (1974) D:https://www.slippery-hill.com/recording/trot-along-my-honey Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:C [Ec]-[_EB]-|:[=E2c2]AG EGAB|c2 AG EGAB|cBcG BcdB|[E6c6] [Ec]-[_EB]-| [=E2c2]AG EGAB|c2 AG ECEF|G2GA GDB,D |1C6 c-B:|2 C6|| |:cd|e2g2 edcd|ecdc AcGc|ABcA dcAG|[E6c6]cd| e2g2 edcd|ecdc AcGc| A2[d2g2][d3g3]-[eg]|[d8g8]| [dg]-[eg]-[e2g2] edcd|ecdc AcGc|ABcA dcAG|[E6c6][Ec]-[_EB]-| [=E2c2]AG EGAB|c2 AG ECEF|G2GA GDB,D |C6 :| (3EFG|A2A2B-c (3BcB|AcAG ECEG|A2A2 B-c (3BcB|ABcd [e4e4]| (3EFG A2(Bc) (3BcB|AcAG ECEF| Ee2g e2d2|c2 (3BcB A2||


TROT ALONG (MY HONEY). American, Reel (cut time). C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABC. The phrase "Trot along, my honey" is used in a "coon"[1] song called "Don't care if you never come back":

I don't care if you never come back,
Git a move on you, n....., do,
Lots of more coons in this here town,
So I won't grieve after you.
Lots of more n....s I can have
There's none of them half so black,
So trot along, my honey,
Because you've got no money,
I don't care if you never come back.[2]

The title for Forrester's reel may or may not have its origins in this offensive song, although it is just as plausible that 'trot along, my honey' was a once-common phrase of dismissal that found its way into both pieces.


Additional notes
Source for notated version : - Howard Forrester [Devil's Box/Phillips]. Forrester (1922-1987) was born in Vernon, central Tennessee, and was one of the highly regarded bluegrass and "contest" style fiddlers of the 20th century. He also had a repertoire of old-time tunes, a legacy from the fiddling of his father, grandfather and uncle.

Printed sources : - Stephen F. Davis (The Devil's Box), vol. 30, No. 2, Summer 1996; p. 46. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2), 1995; p. 154.

Recorded sources : - Stoneway Records STT-136, Howdy Forrester - "Big Howdy" (1974).

See also listing at :
Hear Howdy Forrester's recording at Slippery Hill [1]
Hear Patti Kusturok's version at youtube.com [2]
Read interviews with Howdy Forrester by Buddy Spicher (Devil's Box, vol. 21, No. 4, Winter, 1987, pp. 3-14), and by Tex Logan (Devil's Box, vol. 31, No. 3, Fall, 1997; pp. 4-21).

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  1. ↑ Some of items in the Traditional Tune Archive may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Such materials should be seen in the context of the time period and as a reflection of the attitudes of the time. The items are part of the historical record, and do not represent the views of the administrators of this site.
  2. ↑ Henry Parker Eastman, The Negro, His Origin, History and Destiny, 1905, p. 402.
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