Remembering the Old Songs

These articles are a monthly feature of INSIDE BLUEGRASS, the publication of the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association. They document links between bluegrass and old-time music and the traditional music of Appalachia, the British Isles, and elsewhere.

[Bob Waltz is editor of Inside Bluegrass, as well as the Traditional Ballad Index, a comprehensive listing and cross-index of ballads as well as more modern songs in the old-time tradition. If you have comments, corrections, or anything else you'd like to discuss about traditional music, contact Lyle at lylelofgren@visi.com.]

• A True Lover of Mine (Child #2) by Bob Waltz (11/1995)
• The Cherry Tree Carol (Child #54) by Bob Waltz (12/1995)
• The Wind and Rain (Child #10) by Bob Waltz (1/1996)
• Papa, Papa, Build Me a Boat (Laws K12) by Lyle Lofgren (2/1996)
• Barbara Allen (Child #84) by Bob Waltz (3/1996)
• The Raging Sea, How It Roars (Child #289) by Lyle Lofgren (4/1996)
• The Storms Are on the Ocean by Bob Waltz (5/1996)
• The Wild Hog in the Woods (Child # 18) by Lyle & Elizabeth Lofgren (6/1996)
  
• Didn't He Ramble by Bob Waltz (7/1996)
  
• Johnson-Jinkson (Laws L4) by Lyle Lofgren (8/1996)
• The Lily of Arkansas (Child #92A) by Bob Waltz (9/1996)
• Henry Lee (Child #68) by Lyle Lofgren (10/1996)
• Pretty Polly (Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight) (Child #4) by Bob Waltz (11/1996)
• The Little Carpenter by Lyle Lofgren (12/1996) [Exciting New Information: 6/11/2011]
• Pretty Polly (Laws P36) by Bob Waltz (1/1997)
• A Rose in Grandma's Garden (Laws M4, etc.) by Lyle Lofgren (2/1997)
• The Banks of Claudy (Laws N40) by Bob Waltz (3/1997)
• Little Margaret (Child #74) by Lyle Lofgren (4/1997)
• The Death of Queen Jane (Child #170) by Bob Waltz (5/1997)
• The Two Soldiers (Laws A17) by Lyle Lofgren (6/1997)
• Charles Guiteau (Laws E11) by Bob Waltz (7/1997)
• The Burial of Wild Bill by Lyle and Elizabeth Lofgren (8/1997)
• The Holland Handkerchief (Child #272) by Bob Waltz (9/1997)
• The Three Babes (Child #79) by Lyle Lofgren (10/1997)
• Herod and the Cock (Child #55) by Bob Waltz (11/1997)
• The Fatal Flower Garden (Child #155) by Lyle Lofgren (12/1997)
• Lizie Wan (Child #51) by Bob Waltz (1/1998)
• Little Yellow Dog (Edward) (Child #13) by Lyle Lofgren (2/1998)
• The Leaving of Liverpool by Bob Waltz (3/1998)
• Barney McCoy by Lyle Lofgren (4/1998)
• Wait Till the Clouds Roll By by Bob Waltz (5/1998) [New information: 6/4/2007]
• The Wreck of Old 97 (Laws G2) by Lyle Lofgren (6/1998)
• The Homespun Dress by Bob Waltz (7/1998)
• The Faded Coat of Blue by Lyle Lofgren (8/1998) [New information: 8/31/2011]
• Little Joe the Wrangler (Laws B5) by Bob Waltz (9/1998)
• The Lonesome Valley (Two Cruel Brothers) (Laws M32) by Lyle Lofgren (10/1998)
• Deep Elem Blues/Black Bottom Blues by Bob Waltz (11/1998)
• Rhinordine (Laws P15) by Lyle Lofgren (12/1998)
• Saint Helena by Bob Waltz (1/1999)
• When First To This Country a Stranger I Came by Lyle Lofgren (2/1999)
• The Joys of Mary by Bob Waltz (3/1999)
• Prison Cell by Lyle Lofgren (4/1999)
• The Wild Colonial Boy (Laws L20) by Bob Waltz (5/1999)
• Fod! by Lyle Lofgren (6/1999)
• The Swapping Boy by Bob Waltz (7/1999)
• The Highwayman (Child #95) by Lyle Lofgren (8/1999)
• The Rocky Banks of the Buffalo (Child #14) by Bob Waltz (9/1999)
• The Gypsy Davey (Child #200) by Lyle Lofgren (10/1999)
• Clayton Boone (Child #200) by Bob Waltz (11/1999)
• Don't Let Your Deal Go Down by Lyle Lofgren (12/1999)
• My Bonnie Black Bess (Laws L9) by Bob Waltz (1/2000)
• The Lady of Carlisle (Laws O25) by Lyle Lofgren (2/2000)
• Billy Taylor (Laws N11) by Bob Waltz (3/2000)
• Claude Allen by Lyle Lofgren (4/2000)
• Nobody's Darling On Earth by Bob Waltz (5/2000)
• Cave Love Has Saved The Day by Bob Waltz (6/2000)
• My Gypsy Girl by Lyle Lofgren (7/2000)
• Omie Wise by Bob Waltz (8/2000)
• The Wreck of the Number Nine (Laws G26) by Lyle Lofgren (9/2000)
• The Victory Won At Richmond by Bob Waltz (10/2000)
• Willie Moore by Lyle Lofgren (11/2000)
• The Coventry Carol by Bob Waltz (12/2000)
• Babes in the Woods (Laws Q34) by Lyle Lofgren (1/2001) [New information: 11/19/2013]
• The Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee by Bob Waltz (2/2001)
• Factory Girl by Lyle & Elizabeth Lofgren (3/2001)
• Goodnight by Bob Waltz (4/2001)
• George Collins (Child #85) by Lyle Lofgren (5/2001)
• Kitty Alone by Bob Waltz (6/2001)
• I Truly Understand You Love Another Man by Lyle Lofgren (7/2001)
• Hop Along Peter by Bob Waltz (8/2001)
• A Gay Spanish Maid (Laws K16) by Lyle Lofgren (9/2001)
• Logan County Jail (Laws E17) by Bob Waltz (10/2001)
• Railroading on the Great Divide by  Lyle Lofgren (11/2001)
• Pretty Peggy-O (The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie-O) by Bob Waltz (12/2001)
• Little Sadie (Laws I8) by Lyle Lofgren (1/2002)
• Bonnie George Campbell (Child #210) by Bob Waltz (2/2002)
• Katie Dear (Laws G21) by Lyle Lofgren (3/2002)
• John o' the Hazelgreen (Child #293) by Bob Waltz (4/2002)
• Jimmy Randall (Child 12) by Lyle Lofgren (5/2002)
• We Be Soldiers Three by Bob Waltz (6/2002) [New information: 8/17/2010]
• Will The Weaver (Laws Q9) by Lyle Lofgren (7/2002)
• Poor Ellen Smith by Bob Waltz (8/2002)
• Three Men Went A-Hunting by Lyle Lofgren (9/2002)
• Jack Haggerty (Laws C25) by Bob Waltz (10/2002)
• Gideon's Band by Lyle Lofgren (11/2002)
• Remember O Thou Man by Bob Waltz (12/2002)
• My Wife and Baby Run Away by Lyle Lofgren (1/2003)
• Springfield Mountain by Bob Waltz (2/2003)
• The Gypsy's Warning by Lyle Lofgren (3/2003)
• Driving Saw-Logs on the Plover by Bob Waltz (4/2003)
  
• Rose Connoley (Laws F6) by Lyle Lofgren (5/2003) [New information: 2/25/2007]
• Tom Dooley by Bob Waltz (6/2003)
  
• I'm Going to the West by Lyle Lofgren (7/2003)
• Zeb Turney's Gal (Laws E18) by Bob Waltz (8/2003)
  
• Nottamun Town by Lyle Lofgren (9/2003) [Corrections: 7/18/2011]
• When the World's On Fire by Bob Waltz (10/2003)
  
• When the Moon Drips Away Into Blood by Lyle Lofgren (11/2003)
• Joseph Dearest by Bob Waltz (12/2003)
  
• Frankie Silvers (Laws E13) by Lyle Lofgren (1/2004)
• Row Us Over the Tide by Bob Waltz (2/2004)
  
• The Cat's Got the Measles and the Dog's Got the Whooping Cough by Lyle Lofgren (3/2004)
• The Life of Geordie (Child #209) by Bob Waltz (4/2004)
  
• Angeline The Baker by Lyle Lofgren (5/2004)
• When This Cruel War Is Over by Bob Waltz (6/2004)
  
• Harvey Logan (Laws E21) by Lyle Lofgren (7/2004) [New information: 10/15/2012]
• Oh Mary Don't You Weep by Bob Waltz (8/2004)
  
• Jordan Is a Hard Road to Travel by Lyle Lofgren (9/2004)
• Richmond Is a Hard Road to Travel by Bob Waltz (10/2004)
  
• The Palace Grand by Lyle Lofgren (11/2004)
• The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy by Bob Waltz (12/2004)
  
• Dear Companion by Lyle Lofgren (1/2005)
• Banker Brown by Bob Waltz (2/2005)
  
• The Blackest Crow by Lyle Lofgren (3/2005) [Correction: 10/1/2008]
• [No article was published in the April 2005 issue]
• I've Always Been A Rambler by Lyle Lofgren (5/2005)
• The Butcher Boy by Bob Waltz (6/2005)
• The Baltimore Fire by Lyle Lofgren (7/2005)
• Bloody Waterloo by Bob Waltz (8/2005)
• New Prisoner's Song by Lyle Lofgren (9/2005)
• Botany Bay by Bob Waltz (10/2005)
• Bolakins(Child #93) by Lyle Lofgren (11/2005)
• The Corpus Christi Carol by Bob Waltz (12/2005)
  
• Swannanoa Tunnel by Lyle Lofgren (1/2006)
• Lady Franklin's Lament (Laws K9) by Bob Waltz (2/2006)
  
• Shut Up in the Mine of Coal Creek by Lyle Lofgren (3/2006)
• The Ship that Never Returned (Laws D27) by Bob Waltz (4/2006)
  
• Kenny Wagner's Surrender (Laws E8) by Lyle Lofgren (5/2006) [New Information: 12/10/2010]
• Last Winter Was a Hard One by Bob Waltz (6/2006)
• Hard Times in the Mill (Cotton Mill Blues) (Laws E8) by Lyle Lofgren (7/2006)
• The Farmer Is the Man by Bob Waltz (8/2006)
• Penny's Farm by Lyle Lofgren (9/2006) [New Information: 12/22/2009]
• The Banks Of Newfoundland by Bob Waltz (10/2006)
• The Poor Tramp Has To Live by Lyle Lofgren (11/2006)
• What Was His Name? by Bob Waltz (12/2006)
• The Golden Vanity (Child # 286) by Lyle Lofgren (1/2007)
• Michael, Row The Boat Ashore by Bob Waltz (2/2007)
• On The Dixie Bee Line (In That Henry Of Mine) by Lyle Lofgren (3/2007)
• Seeing the Elephant by Bob Waltz (4/2007)
• Last Payday at Coal Creek by Lyle Lofgren (5/2007)
• By The Hush by Bob Waltz (6/2007)
• Old Shoes and Leggings by Lyle Lofgren (7/2007)
• The Warranty Deed (Laws H24) by Bob Waltz (8/2007)
• Bandit Cole Younger (Laws E3) by Lyle Lofgren (9/2007)
• Jefferson and Liberty by Bob Waltz (10/2007)
• The Newmarket Wreck by Lyle Lofgren (11/2007)
• The Harry Hayward Song by Bob Waltz (12/2007)
• Bill Mason by Lyle Lofgren (1/2008)
• Marching Through Georgia by Bob Waltz (2/2008)
• Goodbye Mary Dear by Lyle Lofgren (3/2008)
• Sweet Bessie From Pike (Laws B9) by Bob Waltz (4/2008)
• Those Cruel Slavery Days by Lyle Lofgren (5/2008)
• The Jam on Gerry's Rocks (Laws C1) by Bob Waltz (6/2008)
• Rolling Mills are Burning Down by Lyle Lofgren (7/2008)
• Billie Johnson of Lundy's Lane by Bob Waltz (8/2008)
• From Jerusalem to Jericho by Lyle Lofgren (9/2008)
• [No article was published in the October 2008 issue]
• Say, Darling, Say by Lyle Lofgren (11/2008)
• Personent Hodie by Bob Waltz (12/2008) [Correction: 12/25/2011]
• Billy Grimes, the Rover by Lyle Lofgren (1/2009)
• In Good Old Colony Days by Bob Waltz (2/2009) [New Information: 2/12/2012]
• Dry Bones by Lyle Lofgren (3/2009)
• Mary Phagan (Laws F20) by Bob Waltz (4/2009)
• The Old Miller's Will (Laws Q21) by Lyle Lofgren (5/2009)
• The Swapping Song by Bob Waltz (6/2009)
• Little Moses by Lyle Lofgren (7/2009)
• The Red River Valley by Bob Waltz (8/2009)
• Step Stone by Lyle Lofgren (9/2009)
• Some Little Bug by Bob Waltz (10/2009)
• The Man Who Wrote the Home Sweet Home by Lyle Lofgren (11/2009) [Correction: 7/15/2010]
• [No article was published in the December 2009 issue]
• The Georgia Hobo (Laws H2) by Lyle Lofgren (1/2010)
• The Broom of Cowdenknows (dance tune) by Bob Waltz (2/2010)
• Hold That Woodpile Down by Lyle Lofgren (3/2010)
• The Little Busy Bee by Bob Waltz (4/2010)
• Rock About My Saro Jane by Lyle Lofgren (5/2010) [New Information: 6/7/2013]
• [No article was published in the June 2010 issue]
• Diamond Joe by Lyle Lofgren (7/2010)
• A Dollar Down and a Dollar a Week by Bob Waltz (8/2010)
• Blues in a Bottle by Lyle Lofgren (9/2010)
• [No article was published in the October 2010 issue]
• The House Carpenter (Child 243) by Lyle Lofgren (11/2010)
• The Story of Christmas Carols by Bob Waltz (12/2010)
• Ginseng Blues by Lyle Lofgren (1/2011)
• [No article was published in the February 2011 issue]
• Buddy, Won't You Roll Down The Line by Lyle Lofgren (3/2011)
• [No article was published in the April 2011 issue]
• Henry Clay Beattie by Lyle Lofgren (5/2011)
• [No article was published in the June 2011 issue]
• Johnny Grey by Lyle Lofgren (7/2011)
• [No article was published in the August 2011 issue]
• Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair (Laws K12) by Lyle Lofgren (9/2011)
• [No article was published in the October 2011 issue]
• Have A Feast Here Tonight (Rabbit in the Log) by Lyle Lofgren (11/2011)
• [No article was published in the December 2011 issue]
• Long John Green (Lost John) by Lyle Lofgren (1/2012)
• [The series was discontinued after the January 2012 issue of Inside Bluegrass.]
• Fare Thee, Titanic, Fare Thee Well by Bob Waltz (4/2012). Special article in observance of the centenary of her sinking.