ALAN LOM AX I N times, and are sung to the accompaniment of dancing
T H E BAHAMAS and handclapping. They are closely linked by their
-AnnaL. Chalretakis, Ph.D.•
The round trip fare by sloop from Miami to Nassau cost
$19.50 in 1935, when Alan Lomax wrote to his father
appealing for more funds to extend his fie ld
explorations for the Library of Congress to the
Bahamas. Lomax was just twenty that year but was
already a seasoned collector, having begun recording
folksongs in Texas with his father, John A. Lomax, at
age seventeen. ln June of 1935 he had been working
with folklorists Zora Neale Hurston and Mary Elizabeth
Barnicle in Frederica, St. Simons Island, Georgia, and in
Eatonville, Chosen, and Belle Glade, Florida- during
which time he had exhausted the sum of $117 "and
some cents." In Belle Glade, then a center of a "great
bean and cabbage industry that feeds the northern
markets," and a town fueled by the labor of )housands
of black and white migrant workers from all over the
South, he recorded Bahamian music for the first time
and determi ned to arrive at its source. "The barrel
houses and gambling joints run all night long every
night, for the men are paid off every day," he wrote to
his father. "Out in-the country, where the Bahamian
Negroes live, the drum goes all night long and the
Bahamians dance just as they used to in Africa, and in
the fire dance they strip off all their clothes and the men
leap over the fire to get to the women.">
Even at this early stage of research, Lomax began to
discern a close kinship between Sea Island and
Bahamian style: "The ring shouts are the oldest spirituals
\Vomtm r.. orn Cut lsluntl , llnluuuus, July 19:35
we have yet recorded. [They) date back to slavery
PhOto courtesy ot lib<aoy of Congress
rhythms and their melodies to the Bahamian jumping
dances." Urging his father to send official letters of
Introduction, Lomax announced his intention •to sail
over to Nassau, which is only overnight from here, [ ... ]
to get the chanteys, the jumping dances and the African
songs which Miss Hurston says are so thick there."3 His
appetite for the expedition was sharpened by Hurston's
descriptions of her own field experiences in the
Bahamas conjoined with the importance the Lomaxes
placed on finding'and recording the earliest styles of
African American music - those that clearly linked
African Americans with West Africa.
From my contact with the Bahamian Negro, I should
judge that he has more songs than any other variety
of Negro we have so far encountered- English ballads,
English sea chanteys, Indigenous sea chanteys,
indigenous ballads, African songs, jumping dances,
etc.. . . You see, In the Bahamas, cut off completely
as he is from his white associates by the British
colonists' attitude, you have the mixing of the English
and the African cultures in Its earliest stage - a
condition probably duplicated in America at the end of
the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth
century. In the Bahamas, we can get at the root stuff.
and since it Is such a short distance away from us
here. it seems a pity not to go after it. Miss Hurston
tells us that on one island of the group - cat Island
- the plantations have been deserted for fifty years,
and the Negroes have lived in isolation and have
dropped back into their way of living in Africa. They
practice juju openly and sing many African songs.
I think the records and pictures 1Clln get tllere will
make a sensation in Washington•
Thus In July 1935, Lomax and Barnicle sailed to the
Bahamas. recording In New Bight and Old Bight, Cat
Island; the Sponge Dock, Nassau; the Lucerne Hotel,
Nassau; Grants, Mangrove Cay, Andros Island; and at
the home of Elisha Portier In Grantstown, Nassau. They
collected ring plays, jumping dances, round dances,
chanteys, launching songs, spirituals, anthems, rushing
songs'. toasts, work songs, ballads, and a wealth of
• otd story sings • (folktales with singing). In the
Bahamas, Lomax was elated to find that he could talk
with people or color in a relaxed and fraternal way, a
thing that was impossible in the Deep South.
"It was the greatest summer of my life because there I
could live freely and speak freely with blacks In a way I
could never do in the South," Lomax recalled in an
interview in 1993. "II was like Heaven.There were story
sessions every night. Or fire dances or sessions of sea
chanteys or something. It was just - lor me, Heaven
- for a Southerner to actually move freely past the
race line which had always held me backl"'
I N1' R O O UC T I ON - Guy Oroussatt
The wealth or soogs Alan Lomax and Mary Elizabeth
Barnicle collected for the Library ot Congress in the
Bahamas In 1935 are the earliest field recordings made
in the islands. While the first volume of these Bahamian
songs presents unaccompanied singers and rhyming
groups (Bahamas 1935: Chanteys and Anthems from
Andros and Cat Island, Rounder 1822), this second
volume collects the ring plays and the jumping dances
that are sung with handclapplng and drum
accompaniment, and the round dances pertonned by a
string band.
In his notes to the 1942 Library of Congress release of
a few of these songs, Alan Lomax described these three
distinct dance forms, as follows:
In Nassau, one may converse with old folks who Cllll
name the African tribe from which their parents were
ctescended. In 1935, I was able to record the repertrxy
of a woman who knew more than a dozen songs in an
African dialect. One is not surprised, therefore, to find
many African elements in the dances and dance
songs of the Islands.
The young folks go to the beach in the evening and
light a little fire of palm leaves. As it blazes up, the
drummer tunes his goatskin drum by passing It back
and fotth over the flames. Then the shrill-voiced girls
begin a ring play chorus. The group joins In, the boys
singing the refrain, the girls, the stanzas; all clap; the
drum signals for the dance to begin and a boy steps
out into the ring of singers. After a few steps around
the ring alone, he stops before one of the girls and
gestures her into the ring for his pattner. They dance
together for a few moments, a tJance of frank
couttship. The drum signals again; the boy slips back
into his place in the circle and now the girl chooses
her pattner. So the ring play runs for five or ten
minutes until the leader tires of the tune. Here the
form of the dance and the melody of the song have
been pattJy European in feeling, although the content
and the style ore IJeavlly African.
In a few minutes, however. our young singing leader
will taka up a different refrain, generally of shotter
compass and with a melodic quality that is somewhat
strange; the drum follows with a new broken rhythm;
now our first dancer leaps Into the circle in an angular
pose, his legs wide apart, his anns akimbo. Each rush
of the drum sends him spinning and leaping about the
circle in a wide arc of rapid and complex leaps at
the end of which the drum }elks him backward into
another angular posture. Presently he is signaled out
of the ring and his final leap carries him before a
young girt whom he violently gestures to begin. She
SPins out Into the circle alone and with whirling skirts
makes her solo •move• following the drum. This is
the "jumping dance. •
Recently, the songs of these two dance forms have
been adapted by the string bands that have recently
taken Nassau by storm with their foxtrot and two-step
rhythms. In crowded shanties over the hill in Nassau,
one finds t11e young folks performing the rather formal
AmeriCiln couple dance to tile music of a stringed
band of mandolins'llnd guitars. 88/JBmian music is
beginning to acquire sophistication, but as yet, it still
has a delightfully fresh and pristine character.'
Q UAU ICII. t E S, Jl O t KA S,
ANU F I II E OANCF. S,
HI NC CA~II~S A NO IC OUN O
OA NCF.S I N T llf; ll A II AM AS
-Nicolette Bethel, Ph.D., C<!llege of the Bahamas•
My father, E. Clement Bethel, a pianist, composer,
conductor, and ethnomuslcologlst, was director of
cultural affairs for the Bahamian government until his
death in 1987. His maslel"s lhlsis, the most~
examination of Bahamian music on record, Is the major
source for the following remarks.' Clement Bethel
divided Bahamian music Into two categories: the
religious - comprising anthems and rhyming spirituals
- and the broad spectrum of the secular, Including
dances and ring plays. Among the most remarksble of
these are the ring games, where the African influence
in the accompaniments Is primary, and round dances,
which Bethel characterized as "the closest fusion of
African and European traditions.' 10
Ring Games
The three kinds of Bahamian ring games - the lire
dance, the jumping dance, and the ring play- share
fundamental similarities. In each, participants form a
ring around a central performer who dances solo for
some time In the ring and then chooses a successor,
preferably one of the opposite sex, to follow him or her.
The other participants provide rhythmic accompaniment
for the dance, whether by the use ot a drum or by
chanting or handclapping.
Traditionally, either the goombay or frame drums
(tambourines) are used to accompany these dances."
The goombay, a goatskin or sheepskin drum, Is made
by stretching the wet skin of an animal over one end of
a barrel. Goatskins are preferred, as they are thinner
than sheepskins and consequently have a wider range
or tones. Until the past twenty-five years, goombays
were constructed from deeply resonant wooden barrels
in which rum or foodstulfs had been Imported. Today
these have been replaced by metal barrels used for
transporting oil, which yield a higher, ringing sound.
Once constructed, the drum Is left out In the sun while
the skin dries and shrinks to fit the barrel. When it Is
ready, it is •tuned" by heating the open end of the
barrel near a fire so that it expands and tightens the
skin at the other end. If seated, the performer places
the drum between his legs; If standing, he holds It
under one arm and It Is secured by a strap slung over
his opposite shoulder. Frame drums are constructed In
much the same way as goombay drums by stretching
an animal skin over one end of a frame. The frame,
constructed from wood, is far shorter than the goombay
drum, often only as deep as a typical tambourine .
Sometimes small holes are bored Into the frame and
metal jingles are attached.The frame drum, also known
as a hand drum, may be held In one hand and beaten
with the other, or else It Is held between the knees and
beaten In the same way as the goombay drum." Both
kinds of drums are played with the hands, and both lose
their tone during PJlrformance and have to be reheated
- which accounts for the continual presence of the fire
in each dance. Today, cans or sterno are fixed Inside the
barrels or larger drums and lit to keep the tone."
The sequence of events In the three types of ring
dance is similar. In all or them, a solo dancer begins.
entering the ring and •maki ng his movements• or
"showing her motion." He or she performs alone for a
time and then dances in front of the next dancer, often
at set moments in the accompaniment. At times, the
successor dances with the first performer for a while
and then takes his or her place; at other times, the
switch is swifter. This process continues until everyone
has danced in the center of the ring.
Within this general similarity, however, there are
distinct differences. In the fire dance, often considered
the most African of the three, the dancers, either naked
or partially dothed, formed a ring around a central fire.
which became an integral part of the performances.
The fire dance was accompanied by drumming chants
incorporating what were perceived to be African words.
Because of this, the dance was outlawed by the
colonial authorities and is now obsolete in this
particular form. Considered somewhat more acceptable
was the similar jumping dance, performed without fire
by adults who are generally fully clothed. The jumping
dance is accompanied by a distinctive rhythm. Ring
play Is often described as the children's version of the
jumping dance, though adults also participated.
Rin g play may be performed to a wid e range of
accompaniments, from drumbeats or handclapplng
that mirror the rhythm or the jumping dance to folk
songs borrowed In their entirety from the British. Of the
three, ring play is the most likely to be performed by
Bahamians today, most commonty by children on their
school playgrounds.
The Fire Dance
In a letter to his father describing Bahamian workers in
Florida in 1935, Alan Lomax wrote ' in the fire dance
they strip olf all their clothes and the men leap over the
fire to get to the women."" He was describing a fire
dance he saw performed on American soil; in the
Bahamas colony the dance was deemed immoral and
•savage • and was not only illegal (certainly in and
around the capital) but considered •unchristian· as
well. It was condemned not only by the colonial
authorities but also by Alrican-Bahamian ministers or
the gospel. As a result, when it occurred - especially
In New Providence - it usually took place in secret.
In 1888 the British circuit magistrate L. D. Powles wrote
of the custom in the following manner:
A form of open-air dancing •• . has a great hold on
them. Ills called a •fire-dance, " and is, no doubt, a
relic of savage life .... The people formed a cirde, and
a fire was lighted in their midst. The music consisted
of two drums that would not work unless frequently
warmed by the fire. Ti1e company clapped their hands
without ceasing all through ll1e dance, chanting all the
while In a sort of dreary monotone, 'Oh, kindoiah! kin-
doiahl Mary, come along!" When the dance was about
half ll1rough, 111e refrain was suddenly changed to
' Come down, come down," repealed over and over
again In ll1e same dreary monotone. Every now and
then a man or a woman, or a couple together would
rush Into the center of the circle and dance wildly
about. There appeared to be no step or idea of figure
about the performance, the aim and object of the
dancers, as far as one could make it out, being to
execute as many extravagant capers In and over.
and around, and about/he fire as !/Joy could without
burning lhemselves.•s
By the early twentieth century, public performance of
the fire dance was reserved for special occasions, such
as when shows were put on for tourists and other
visitors. In fact, virtually the only mention of the fire
dance during that time refers lo dances being
performed for visitors. Ouring the 1920s, for example,
when the Bahamas first tasted mass tourism (a boom
owed completely to Prohibition In the United States and
the Bahamians' wiHingness to supply legal liquor to
American visitors) fire dances were frequently arranged
specially for the tourists. In all likelihood, the autholities
probably overlooked the practice as long as it earned
tourist dollars. With the end of Prohibition, however, the
boom years or the 1920s also ended, and by mid-
century the fire dance had been relegated to solo
performances In nightclubs and was no longer
performed as a traditional ring dance.
The Jumping Dance
A ring dance without fire performed by adults, the
jumping dance Is distinguished primarily by specific
rhythm to which Il ls performed. Uke the fire dance, it
consists or soloperformances within aring, ending with
the choice of a pariner and successor. Although the
dancers wear European dress, their movements are
always sexual (' rude," In Bahamian terms), and the
chants that accompany them often emphasize this
suggestiveness. The jumping dance Is al)1lost always
accompanied by a drummer or drummers whose
broken rhythm, played in four-four time, consists, In its
simplest form, of four regular beats followed by a
strong one and then a period of rests. This Is repeated
until the climax of tho dance, when the regularity Is
extended over a coup le of bars, ending with a
particularly strong final beat. Drummers, In varying the
rhythm, add quavers or semiQuavers to the bars with
the regular beat but always leave the rests after the
final strong beat. Classic examples of this rhythm In the
present collection are found In "War Down the line•
(track 1), "Sand Gone In My Cuckoo-Eye" (1rack6), "The
Wind Blow East" (track 9), "Biddy, Biddy" (track 10),
"No Lazy Man· (track 15), and "The Mail" (track 16).
The dance that Is perfooned to this rhythm consists of
various steps or small movements of the hips, which
are carried oot to the regular four beats in each bar,
followed by a leap or thrust that falls on the final strong
beat. Each dancer establishes a pattern of his or her
own, which culminates during the final repetition with
the jump that gives the dance lis name, followed by a
series of gyrations ending on a final pelvic thrust that
serves to indicate the next person to enter the ring.
Cleveland Eneas, who witnessed jumping dances In
Bain Town during his childhood In the 1920s, describes
the dance in the following terms:
In the middle of the yard, tilers was kindled a massive
fire, which provided Illumination, as well as a spirit of
warmth and jollity, to tile event. It also served to tune
the goatskin drums. wlllch they used to provide the
rhythm for the dance. Tile adults formed a ring, and to
the rllythm of drums, augmented by folk songs, akin
to calypsos, they danced the night away. From the
ring, anyone- moved by the rhythm and music -
could jump into the center of the ring, and dance to
his soul's delight His movements were always lascivious
and directed to one of the opposite sex whom he
favored to take over from him. He then moved to this
person, who caused her movements to rllyme with
his in perfect co·orrlinatlon, until she look his place In
the ring. The process went on repeatedly until the
wee sma' hours of the morning when every body was
surfeited and exhausted from fatigue and rum. A
"jump-In • dance was fun out in the open, under a
hunter's moon."
Lomax, who was able to observe the dance during his
1935 visit, described ~ thus:
Our first dancer leaps into the circle In an angular
pose, his legs wide apart, his arms akimbo. Each rush
of the drum sends him spinning and leaping about the
circle in a wide arc of rapid and complex leaps at the
end of which the drum jerks him backward Into another
angular posture. Presently he Is signaled out of the
ring and his final leap carries him before a young girl
whom he violenlly gestures to begin. She spins out
Into the circle alone and with whirling skirts makes
her solo •move ·following the drum. This Is the ''lump·
Jng dance."''
Clement Bethel, commenting on the chants and songs
that traditionally accompany the jumping dance, states
that "texts are simple and deal with a single idea. llo use, New Bighl , Cnl Island, Bnhnmns, July 1935
Generally, this idea refers to a local character or event. Pholo courtesy or Ubrary ol Congress
Often they relate to matters of romance, have sexual
connotations; sometimes they are simply collections of
meaningless syllables. The rhythmof the words closely
approximate the drum patterns." " The following chants
demonstrate the potential sexual nature of the dance.
Sauchls
Sauchis [sausage)ln here
An' a wa/kln' stick in dere.
Take anothersauchts and stick it right in OEREI"
ONE, 1WO, THREE, FOUR, HOLD rSE'F,
One, two, three, four, hold y's8'f.
Oh, gal, go do that t'lng, hitch 'em up/111
What is perhaps most interesting about the jumping
dances in this present collection Is their almost
complete absence of suggestive lyrics. Why this should
be is undear, but the explanation may be that many of
the recordings were made at the Lucerne Hotel in the
middle of downtown Nassau. Significantly, the songs on
this disc whose sexual connotations are more evident,
such as "Little Sally Water· (track 5) and ' Oh, Baby,
Lick It Up" (track 26) were recorded In Cat Island
and Grantstown.
Ring Play
During her visit to the Bahamas In 1929, Zora Neale
Hurston described Bahamian ring play as a • more
elaborate form• or the jumping dance.2' Although It may
be argued that the dance that accompanies ring play Is
by no means as elaborate In movement as the jumping
dance, it is lair to say that the musical elements are
more complex, with more melody and more textual
content. Of the three ring dances practiced In the
Bahamas, ring play Is the most variable, and
Incorporates the widest range of possible styles.
Clement Bethel identifies two main categories of ring
play: that performed to African·style drum rhythms or
handclapplng, generally Involving adults; and that
which Is similar to European and North American
children's games, carried out, not unnaturally, by
children. While the movements that occur within the
ring and the songs sung in accompaniment may some·
times be suggestive (children are the most likely to
perlorm ' SauchiS'), the typical broken jumping dance
rhythm is usually replaced with something more
continuous. Again, while the textual content of the
songs may deal with courtship and marriage, their
sexual connotations are usually less explicit than those
used in the jumping dance.
As performed, adult ring play is almost identical to the
jumping dance. That is, a solo dancer begins the dance
and chooses a partner to replace him. The major
difference is that it is danced to a different rhythm, and
thus the movem~ots of the performance may be less
suggestive than those of the jumping dance. The songs
often lend themselves to can-and-response or antiphony;
many of them are fairly long, with tour-line stanzas,
during the last line of which the person in the center of
the ring chooses the next person to perform. Often, too,
the dancing in pairs is extended In ring play, whereas In
the jumping dance the performers are usually alone
except for during the final gyration that Indicates the
person who is to follow. At that time, both performers
join in that last •motion.' In ring play, once a partner Is
chosen, the two performers dance in the center of the
ring lor a period of lime, for either the length of a
stanza or a refrain, and then the previous performer
retires to the perimeter of the ring. These songs are
accentuated with offbeat clapping, unlike the jumping
dance, where clappinggenerally fails on the beat Often
the songs are performed antiphonally, or as call·and·
response. Good examples of dassic ring play songs in
this collection are · sail, Gal' (track 3), ' Sailin' in the
Boar (track 4), and "Utile Sally Water• (track 5).
Uke the adult ring play, children's ring play may be a
variation on the jumping dance. Equally often, however,
il ls a game where the players follow the movements of
the person In the ring. Though the movements carried
out In the ring may involve some hip motion, they are
almost invariably less suggestive than the •motion•
of the jumping dance, and indeed, the actions carried
out within the circle are often determined by the
song lyrics.
Perhaps because many of the children's ring play were
(and are) performed on school playgrounds, often under
the watchful eyes of English or colonially trained
teachers, many of the songs that accompany this kind
of ring dance are almost entirely European in style and
content. Even those that are not so obviously European
In content are more melodic than the ones that
accompany the adult versions of the same dance and
certainly more so than the jumping dance. Where the
jumping dance rhythm finds its way into children's ring
play, it Is often inserted between the verses of a song.
In some cases, the song Is harmonized, or performed
antiphonally. A possible example of this kind of ring
play might be ' All Day, All Night Long" (track 17).
Those ring play songs that are almost entirely
European In style, showing a lack of syncopation and
emphasizing regular meter, are almost exclusively the
province of children. The content of such songs are also
traceable to a European source, where the actions
performed by the central dancer are Imitated by the
children on the perimeter of the ring.
Although he makes a distinction between the ring play
performed by children and that performed by adults,
Clement Bethel shows how the two may be connected
by describing the way they might have been practiced
in traditional Bahamian •yards' (compounds Incorpo-
rating a group of houses and a common outside area)
in days gone by. In the late afternoon, children might
have gathered tor ring play. As lime passed, adults
would join In as they finished their dally tasks, and
gradually the ring play would take on more and more of
an adult character until, alter the children had been put
to bed, the ring dance would have been transformed
into adult ring play or even a jumping dance.
Of all the Bahamian ring dances, ring play is most
current In Bahamian society today. The fire dance,
absent from common practice by the middle of the
twentieth century, exists now as part of "native· floor
shows In hotels, where It has more In common with fire
eaters In urban street performances than with the
traditional Bahamian tire dance. Similarly, contemporary
Bahamians rarely perform the jumping dance
spontaneously, unless It occurs on one of the Family
Islands. Rather, the jumping dance Is a common theme
in stage performances that celebrate Bahamian
traditional culture, and some popular songs are based
upon one or several of the songs and chants that
accompanied the jumping dance In the past. Although
the repertoire of songs sung along with rlng play has
shrunk (several of the songs being more recognizable
to young Bahamians as popular songs than songs to
which to perform ring play dances), some of the
dances continue to be danced on playgrounds.
Round Dances
Round dances are one of a number of set dances
practiced in the Bahamas and throughout the New
Wortd. Based on the dances gracing earty nineteenth
century European ballrooms, these dances made their
way Into the lives of ordinary Bahamians and were
performed by the slaves, their children, and their grand·
children. As Clement Bethel observes, the Bahamian,
"having adopted this material, reserved the right to
treat It as his own and developed a new dance form,
which, while acknowledging Its debt to European
forerunners, became a unique artistic expression of
New Wortd peoples.•n
A number of nineteenth century ballroom dances were
adapted by Bahamian staves and their ancestors for
their unique recreation, among them the "Pulka·mazulka"
(mazurka), the jig, and the ' Shorttle' (schottische)."
Th e most en during of these , however, were the
quadrille, the polka, and the waltz, all of which are still
danced by elders today. Although, strictly speaking, only
the latter two may be classified as round dances (the
quadrille being danced in a square or in parallel lines),
the fact that, regardless of their shape, several of these
dances are usually performed consecutively to make up
a series or group of dances, means that the two names
are virtually interchangeable. In the presentation of
traditional Bahamian set dances at the Smithsonian
Festival of the Americas in 1994, for example,
quadrilles as well as polkas and waltzes were included
under the heading of •round dances. • On the other
hand, in local nomenclature, the generic term for nattve
Bahamian set dances is "the quadrille.•
When performed together, ' the traditional number of
such a group [of set dances) is seven, the first four
being quadrille f19ures, the fifth a round dance, the sixth
a heel·and·toe polka, and the seventh a waltz."" The
accompaniment to these dances is provided by an
interesting combination of instruments, among which
the goombay or frame drum is central. The style of
music played is known today as "rake 'n' scrape," so-
called because of the presence of the saw - a regular
carpenter's saw played by scraping a screwdriver along
its teeth to provide a rhythm, or occasionally by
drawing the screwdriver along the straight edge to
make a moaning sound. In either case, the saw is
flexed in time to the rhythm of the drum in order to vary
the tone it produces. The melody is provided by a
variety of instruments, depending on the era and the
affluence of the musicians. Although today a plano
accordion or concertina Is considered "traditional,"
banjos, guitars, fiddles, and fifes were also used in the
'n'
past, and contemporary rake scrape bands often
use electric guitars and keyboards.
At the time this collection was made, the melody for the
round dance accompaniment was provided by a string
band (comprising a guitar and a banjo as well as the
drum) or simply by the voice. Perhaps most interesting
about the songs In this collection is the absence of the that Is utterly different from that of the jumping dance.
saw, so ubiqui tous In rake 'n ' scrape bands today. What seems to have happened In these cases is that
Indeed, the only song to be accompanied by a saw as traditional jumping dance songs had been adapted for
well as a drum is "Evalina" (track 12). Perhaps the saw, the round dance. It Is perhaps not surprising that many
a valuable carpenter's item during the lean years of the of these variations were recorded at the Lucerne Hotel,
1930s, was too precious to be used as an instrument where set dances would not have been uncommon, but
then, when unemployment was high and construction where jumping dances would certainly have been out
jobs prized. of place. Examples of these adaptatlons are not only the
songs Identified as jumping dances sung by the Nassau
The manner in which round dances are performed string band but also "The Devil Roll Like Thunder•
varies from Island to island in the Bahamas, but there (track 8), ·Auntie Dinah • (track t 1) accompanied by a
are several constants. For example, the lead male definite quadrille beat, "Oil, Mama, Red·Eye• (tlaek 13),
dancer is usually also the caller, who instructs the and · woman is a Nation· (track 23). A similar
others about the movements they are to execute. While transformation of a ring play song is seen in "Oh, Baby,
he may use standard European terms such as "ladies Lick nUp" (track 26), whose suggestive lyrics would
chain" or •promenade," he may also toss in certain seem to categolize It as an adult ring play.
improvised phrases such as ' stop at every graveyard" - NBSSIIU, December 2001
(an Indication that, instead of performing all the figures
as a continuous unit, a stop will be made at the end of
each one), or ' rain catch urn" (a term used for a dancer
who gets caught out when the music stops).!$ In most
cases, too, the male dancers are often the center of
attention, executing intricate steps in time to the music
an d stamping on the floor at irre gular intervals
whenever the drummer slaps the drum on an offbeat.
The music that accompanied the round dances was not
specific to the dances. Clement Bethel observes: "For
quadrille figures any tune in 2/4 or 4/4 time may be
used,",. and "as singing seldom occurs in quadrille
music, the texts are relatively unimportant."" In this
collection, many of the songs identified as jumping
dances are In fact performed as though they are the
accompaniment for a round dance, with a drumbeat

Cleveland Sinnnon• (toll~st) oml o thcl'l!,
Old Bight, Cut lslnnd, llulunuus, July 1935
Photo courtesy ol Library of Congress
SONG NOTES 2. IIALU E, HOCK Jumplngdance IMFS468A2)
-Guy Oroussart, Zurich, 2001 Pertormed by an unldonttned mixed group,
with handdapplng and drum accompaniment.
OI SCOG il A I>III C NOTE Recorded at tho Lucerne Hotolln Nassau, Bahamas.
'Hallie, Rock,' 'Sail, Gal," and 'Bimini Gal" were first In Augustt935.
released on Bahaman Songs, French Ballads and
Dance Tunes, Spanish Religious Songs and Game The only words distinguishable here are the words of
Songs in 1942 (Ubrary of Congress AAFS album no. 5). the refrain:
This 78-rpm album was first issued on LP in 1956 with
number /lfS LS. Hallie, rock, Hattie, rock.
(Repeat over and over)
The Archive of American Folk Song library of
Congress catalogue numbers (AAFS) cited In the and the bridge:
song notes are Included for the convenience
of researchers. Hallie, rock, Hallie, rock,
Hallie, rock, Hallie, rock,
1. WAll OOWN Til E U NE Jumpillgd<Wlce Hallie bid me here to say.
(MfS 417 Bl) Hallie, rock, Hallie, rock.
Pe<formed by Cleveland Simmons groop,
with handclapplng and drum accompanimoot. Hallie, one, Hallie, two,
Recorded at Old Bight on Cat Island, Bahamas. in July 1935. Hallie, three, Hallie, four.
Previously unrelea56d Hallie bid me here to say,
Hallie, rock, Hallie. rock.
War down the line and the king never know,
0/1, war down the line and the king never know. 3. SAJL, GAL Ring play (MFS 420A1)
Pertormed by a group ol women led by Elllaboth Austin,
Tlte king never know, say, war down the line, with handela,pplng accompaniment
Ott, war down the line and the king never know. Recorded at Old Bight on Cat ISland, Bahamas, In July 1935.
(Repeat over and over)
Mama's In the kitchen cookin',
Got a breeze to sail,
Sail, gal, sail, gal,
Got a breeze to sail.
Refrain:
Oh, sail, gal, sail, gal,
Gat a breeze to sail,
Sail, gal, sail, gal,
Got a breeze to sail. (Repeat refrain)
Oh, worried mama's in the kitchen cookin',
Got a breeze to sail,
Sail, gal, sail, gal,
Got a breeze to sail.
My mama's in the kitchen coolcin',
Got a breeze to sail,
Sail, gal, sail, gal,
Got a breeze to sail.
(Repeat last verse and refrain)
4. SA !LIN' IN TilE llOAT Ru~g play (MFS 420A2)
Perfonned by a 1Jf01.1! of women led by Ellzabelh Aosbn.
wilh 11.1ndclapf)ing accompaniment.
Recorde<l at Old Bight on Cat tsland, Bah.1mas. In July t 935.
PreviOIJ$/y unreleaslld
Emperor McKenzie, a former sponger of Long Bay Cays,
South Andros, told Alan Lomax:
Ring play - you see - they make a big ring around
and everybody stand around whilst the drum knockin·.
Well, whosoever first pile/lin t/10 ring, 110 dance and
then pick who he love. Then they sing, "Emperor, boy,
tell me who you love,/ Oh, tell me who you love. •
Well, I'll be dancin' then in the ring. Then I'll go and
pick a girl what/love. Well, when she come ou~ I stay
back and tell her that she can pick one of her friend
girl - she ain 'I ganna pick no man, you see. T11en
when she pick one of her friend girl, they sing/n' tile
same sing. And when her gWriend pick her boyfriend,
they all will dance- dance. Well, /hal man gonna
pick maybe his sister or cousin. We ain 'I gonna pick
no stranger, you know, 'cause we gonna make SQme
envy. The girl woukJ say: "Why you pick her?, • you
know. So that's the way that go. •
Sailin' in the boa/ when the /ide run strong,
Sailin' in the boat when the lkJe run strong,
Sailin'ln the boat when the lkJe run strong,
And I'm lookin' for a jolly boy just like you.
And a bargain, a bargain for you, young man,
And a bargain, a bargain for you, young man,
{... } sailin' in the boat,
Hold to your bargain, k/ssin' while you go,
Hold to your bargain, k/ssin' while you go,
Just hold to your bargain, kissin' while you go,
Just hold to your bargain, kissin' while you go.
(Repeat)
I'
5. LITTLE SALLY WATER Ring play (AAFS 420 A3)
Performoo by a group of women le<l by Elizabeth Auslln,
with handclapping accompaniment.
'1\vo wome n '"'ilia clli_l(lt·en,
Recorded at Old Bight on Cat Island, Bahamas, In July 1935.
Old lligh1 , Cu1 lslnud , Bnhnma•, July 1935
Previously unreleaslld Photo counesy ol Llbrruy ol Congress
This familiar ring play of British origin can be compared
with two other versions of this rhyme to be found in the
Alan Lomax Collection: one sung by a group of children
In Nevis (Caribbean Voyage series: Brown Girl In the
Ring, Rounder 1716) and one sung by three adult

Sponge FlcN, NH88nu,
Photo by J. 0. Sands (Collection of Guy Droussan)
women in Mississippi (Soulllem Joumeyseries, volume
3: 61 Hlgl1way Mississippi, Rounder 1703).
L/Nie Sally Water.
Settle In the saucer.
Cry and weepin•
For your/the youngest daughter.
Some say is boy.
Some say is girl,
Some say the very one
That you love the best.
Now that/ got 'em, now that/ got 'em,
Now /hall got 'em in the feather bed.
Now I gonna hug 'em, now I gonna hug 'em,
Now I gonna hug 'em In the feather bed.
Now I gonna kiss 'em, now I gonna kiss 'em,
Now 1gonna kiss 'em In the feather bed.
Let me go get 'em, let me go get 'em,
Let me go with 'em In the fea/Jler bed.
(Repeat)
1 930'~
6. SANO GONE IN MY CIICKOO-EY"
Jumping danoo (AAFS 428 A3)
Perlormed by a group of men from Andros Island led by
Frederick McDueen, wllh handolapping accompaniment
Recorded at the Sponge Dod< In Nassau, ~!Mamas, In July 1935.
Previously unreleased
Frederick McQueen of Stanlard Creek, Andros, had the
reputation of being one of the best singers in the
Bahamas during the sponging days, and we are
fortunate that he left a remarkable legacy. Until now,
the Folkways recordings of Frederick McQueen that
Sam and Ann Charters made in Andros in the summer
of 1958 were believed to be his first. However, this
previously unreleased song, recorded on Nassau's
sponge dock in t 935, is actually the first time McQueen
sang into a microphone. He was about 30 years old
then and was known as an exceptional sponger.
Sponging on the "Mud," west of Andros, was the chief
means of livelihood of the Bahamas until a mysterious
blight killed the sponges In 1938.
When the Charters recorded McQueen more extensively
twenty years later, he was living In Lisbon Creek, another
Andros settlement, and he was a crew member of a
fishing sloop named Charily (Music of 111e Bahamas,
Vol. 2, Folkways FS 3845, and Joseph Spence, John
Roberts and Frederick McOueen, Folkways FS 3847). 1n
the spring of 1965 a session took place at the home of
the Reverend W. G. McPhee in Nassau, where Peter
Siegel and Jody Stecher recorded McQueen for the last
time (The Rea/Bahamas, Vols. 1 and 2, Nonesuch
79300, and Knee/In' Down Inside the Gate, Rounder
5035). Frederick McQueen Is believed to have died at
Sandilands Hospital in Nassau in the early 1980s. 9. T HE WINO BLOW EAST Jumping dance
(AAFS 485 A2)
Oh, sand gone in my cuckoo-eye,,. Performed by an unidentified mixed group,
Wl1osayso? with drum accompaniment.
1say so, 1say so. Recorded at Ute Lucerne Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas,
(Repeat over and over) in August 1935.
Prevlcusly unreleased
7. 0 11, TILLA Jumping Dance (AAFS 437 Al)
Performed by a group of young men from Fox Hill, In a collection of ballads and folk songs published in
with handdapplllg and drum accompaniment. 1941 ,Aian Lomax described a jumping dance he had
Recorded at the Lucerne Hotei ln Nassau, Bahamas. In July 1935. witnessed in the Bahamas:
Previously unreleased
After the evening meal in the nights of the full moon
Where you gonna do it, Til/a? the young people gat11er on the beach and build a
Oh, ntla, little fire of coconut leaves. Over this they heat the
Til/in ' in the comtield, goatskin head of their drum, made at home out of a
Oh, Til/a. wooden sugar pail. When the drummer brings it to the
(Repeat over and over) right pitch, the long-legged, barefoot girl, who is the
leading singer. begins, "Wind blow east, wind blow
8. THE DEVIL ROLL LIKE TH UNDER west, I Wind blow the 8etlin' Star right down in town. •
Jumping dance (AAFS 437 A2) The girls join with her and the couplet is repeated.
Performed by a group of young men from Fox Hill. They clap their hands with the music and begin to
with handclapping and drum accompaniment. swing their hips. T/Je boys join in the refrain, "The
Recorded at the Lucerne Hotel fn Nassau. Bahamas. In July t935. wind blow the China right down In town. •
PreviouSly unreleased
Over and over they sing as the drum begins to touch
He roll, he roll, he roll, the senses with its delicate and subtle rhythms, NnSHnu Huo·boo·, July 1935
He roll, he roll, he roll, preparing the young people for the dance. Then out PhOto courtesy of Library of Congress
He roll, the devil (Oil like thunder. into the center of the singing circle leaps a young boy,
He roll, he roll, he roll, his hat on the back of his head, his arms stiff out from
He roll, he roll, he roll, his body. Finger.s spread wide, legs bowed, his whole
He roll, he roll like thunder, body is crouched like a black eagle about to fly. He
He roll, he roll like thunder. whirls and stamps his feet, and with the triple rhythm
(Repeat over and over) of the drum, his body freezes for Instants in taut
angular postures. Then he whirls and stops with both 10. UI OOY, IUO OY Jumpf11g dal1ce (MFS 485 Bl) 11. AUNT IE OINAII Jumping dance (MFS 486 82) saw demonstration.
feet planted 1/;Jt, hiS belly out before one of /he girls in Peftonned by 811 unldenlified mixed QIOilC), l'lltfomled by an unldentifl8d m~ QIOilP.
the circle. She takes his place in the centtN of the ring with handclapplng and INn accompanimoot Wllh hll1dttilpjllng and drool ~ Oh, ain't that Eva/ina
then, and dances. The high shrill singing, the clapping, Recolded al lhe Luceme Holei In Nassau. Bahamas, Rec«ded at the Luceme Hotel in Nassau, llahamas. Loolcln •across the sun for me.
neviN stop, as the voice of the drum summons the io August 1935. In AoguS11935. (Repeat over and over)
dancers In and out of the ring. Behind the group of Provloosly unreleased Provloos!Y unreleased
11/l,e, moving shadows tllat sing, the flames of the 13. 0 11, MAMA, UEO-EYE Jumping dance
little pile of coconut leaves flicker and die, and the Alan Lomax wrote: This song Is followed by a drum demonstration. (MFS 487 A)
sea nearby whispers unconcernedly In the moonlight, Performed by an unidentified mixed groop.
because it has been to many jumping dances and In mosquito season, children and grown-ups squat Aunt/6 Dinah, please do stop these children wl111 handc:taPI)Ing and drum aoollllp&nlmenl.
will see many more."' around smudge fires in the open, roast crabs, and from callin' me poppy show, Recolded at lhe Luceme Hotel In Nassau, Bahamas.
or
"talk o/' story. · This is the time "B' 8ool<y, • "B ' 1-o, 1-o Mama, In Allgust t935.
The Sunshine, the China, and the Sellin' Star were Rabby, · and "Little Jack,· •a little piece of dirt out of No poppy show, PreWously ooreJeased
three Bahamian sloops. the alley" who always marries Princess Greenleaf in 1-o. 1-o Mama,
the end. Often the hero wins his desire by singing a Please no poppy show, The only words distinguishable here are the words of
Wind blow east, song or playing his little "tune-tune, • and almost all 1-o, 1-o Mama, the refrain:
Wind blow west, tile stories have as a part of their fairy texture some Please no poppy show,
The wind blow down the Sunshine little fragmentary but compelling tune. Some of these 1-o, 1-o Mama. Oh, Mama, red-eye.
Right down In town. tunes have English, some African backgrounds. Please no poppy show, (Repeat over and over)
"Biddy, Biddy, • an English derivative, is sometimes 1-o. 1-o Mama.
Refrain: sung as a jumping dance song. Please no poppy show, This song Is followed by a drum demonstration.
Oh, the wind blow the China 1-o, i-o Mama.
Right down in town, You drink coffee and 1drink tea, (RepeaU 14. CONGO DANCE Congo !Ianoe (MFS 490 82)
Oh, the wind blow the China Hey, Mama, hoo-ar. Performed by an unl<lenlified mixed Q(Oup,
Right down In town. (Repeat refrain 5x) Never get-a London back again, 12. EVALI NA Rlng play (AAFS 486 Bl) with han!Jclapplng ancl drum accompaniment.
John saw 1/!e Island. Performed by an unidentified mixed group. Recorded at the Luceme Hotel In Nassau, Bahamas,
Oh, the wind blow east, with 113nddaJ)tllng and drum ancl saw accompaniment. In Allgusl 1935.
The wind blow west, Biddy, Biddy, hold fast my gold ring, Reconled at lhe ltJcerne Holel In Nassau, Bahamas. Previously utVeieased
The wind blow the Settin' Star Her. Mama. hoo-ay, In Augu$11935.
Right down In /own. (Refrain 9x) Never get-a London back again, Pmlcusly unteleased Congo was one of several African tribe distinctions
(Repeal first verse and refrain) John saw the island. among Bahamians. Zora Neale Hurston noted of the
(Repeat) Note the presence here of a carpenter's saw, played by Congo dance:
scraping the teeth with a knife, a technique that traces
back to Africa . The song Is followed by a drum and
I had been out in the Bahama Islands collecting mate- Oil, my bang.
rial and 11ad witnessed tile dynamic Fire Dance which (Repeat these words over and over)
had lllree parts: the Jumping Dance, file Ring Play,
and the COngo. It was so stirring and magnificent that 15. NO L..AZY MAN Ring play {MFS 530 B2)
I had to admit to myself that we /lad nothing In Performed by a mixed group led by Rowena Bell,
America to equal it. I went to the dancing every wilh handelapping and drum accompaniment.
chance I got, and took pains to learn them." Recorded at Elisha Portier's house In GmniStown, Nassau,
Bahamas, in August 1935.
Oh, my bang, Previously unreleased
Oh, my bango,
011. my bang, This song is well known In the Bahamas as a medley,
Her. my bangey, "Uncle Lou I No Lazy Man," as played, for example, by
Oh, my bang, George Symonette and his Calypso Sextette {ART ALP-
Oh, my bang/, 10) or by Joseph Spence {Happy All t11e nme, Hannibal
Oh, my bang, 4419). "No lazy man" is occasionally replaced here by
Ah, my bango, "no ragged man" or "no !yin' gar.·
Oh, my bang,
Hey, my bango, My mama told me three years ago,
Oh, my bang, I mustn't marry no lazy man.
Lay si o-o, Oh, no lazy man, no lazy man,
Oh, my bang, No lazy man.
Lay sio-o, Oh, no lazy man, no lazy man,
Oh, mybang, No lazy man. ,•
Lay sio-o, 0/1, no lazy man, no lazy man,
Oh, my bang, No lazy man.
Ah, my bango, {Repeat)
Oh, my bang, Al'rivnl of 1\tnilhont, flnrhom· lslnud , Bnhnmu.s, L950's
Ah, my bango, l'llotographer unknown (Collection ol Guy Oroussart)
Oh, my bang,
Hey, my bango,
Oh, mybang,
Lay si my banger.
Oh, my bang,
Lay si my bango,
16. TilE MA IL Jumping dance (AAFS 531 82)
Perfooned by a mixed group led by Rowena Bell,
wl111 handdapplng and drum accompaniment.
Recorded a1 Elisha Portier's house In GnvllSIOWn, Nassau,
Ballamas,ln August 1935.
Ptrvlously untelelsed
Mallboats plying between Nassau and th e Family
Islands are a chief means of transportation In the
Bahamas. After a record of "The Mail" by Rupert and
the Rolling Coins became a local hit (Elite ERS·1016).
this song was Included In the album A Nation Is Bom.
whi ch wa s release d to ce lebrate Bahamian
independence In 1973.
Oh, the mall salt tomorrow. teavfn ·all behind,
Oh, the mall salt tomorrow.
(Repeat over and over)
11. ALL DAY, ALL IGUT LO G ~dance
(AAFS 493 82)
Perfooned by an unidentified mixed ~.
with hanoolapplng and drum accompaniment.
Recorded atlhe Lllceme Holet In Nassau. Bahamas,
In August 1935.
PreviouSly unrele/ISOd
All day, all night long,
Oh, jelly roll,
All day, all night long,
Oh, jelly roll,
I gonna be your sweet jelly roll,
Oh, jelly roll,
I gonna be your sweet jelly roll,
011,/elly roll,
I gonna be your sweet jelly roll,
Oh, jelly roll,
I gonna be your sweet jelly rolf,
Oh, jelly roll.
1gonna be your sweet jelly rolf,
Oh, jelly roll,
I gonna be your sweet jelly roll,
Oh,jelly roll.
(Repeat)
18. I.IIMI NI GAL Round dance (AAFS 434 02)
Performed by Nassau siring band.
Recorded al111e Lucerne Holel ln Nassau, Bahamas. In July 1935.
Alan Lomax wrote in 1941 :
When the tourist boats and the tourist planes dock In
Nassau. they are met by one or several of the
town's street bands. These bands (banjo, one or two
guitars, mandolin, and ralt/e) sing and play Bahaman
versions of American jarz tunes of ancient vintage and
fresh·improvf~ hot arrangements of Bahaman folk·
dance tunes.At night they go over the hill and Improvise
even hotter arrangements for the "round dances" -
foxtrots, one-steps, etc., w/1/ch 11ave recently been
Increasing In popularity in the islands.
Bahamians refer to calypso as' •round dance, • accord·
lng to Joseph Spence, who also played "Bimini
Gal" (The Complete Folkways Recordings,
I 958, Smithsonian Folkways 40066, and HJJppy All
the Time, Hannibal 441 9).
Oh, when I go down to Bimini, 20. WASP OITE NOI.II ON
Never get a lickin' till I go down to Bimini. II Ell CONCH-EYE Round daJ1Ce (AAFS 434 A2)
Bimini gal Is a rock In the harbor. Perfooned by Nassau slllng band.
Never get a tickfn' till I go doWn to Bimini. Recorded alllle W:eme Hollllln Nassau. Bahamas. In .Ally 1935.
(Repeat) Ptrvlously~
19. ABACO IS A I>Jt ETTY PLACE Rounddalce A wasp bite Nob/ on her conch-eye,,.
(AAFS 436 82) A wasp bite Nob/ on her conch-eye,
Performed by Nassau siting band. Oh, run here, Mama, come hold the light,
Recorded althe Lllceme Hololln Nassau, Bahamas, f1l July 1935. see these Germans gone fight tonight,
Previously unreleased Wasp bite Nob/ on her conch-eye.
(Repeat)
This Nassau string band consisted of a tenor banjo
player and at least two guitarists. Blind Blake Alphonso 21. DON'T YOU UUilllY WOilllY WITII ME
Higgs (not to be confused with the American bluesman Round dance (AAFS 434 81)
Blind Blake [Arthur Blake)) led a string band similar to Performed by Nassau slling band.
this at the Royal Victoria Hotel in Nassau for many Recorded alllle W:eme Holet In Nassau. Bahamas, In .Ally 1935.
years. In the 1950s, Blind Blake and his group made a PrMJusly~
number of recordings that are very reminiscent ol the
Nassau string band heard here. The line "Mr. Munson, he get broke" in this song refers
to the bankruptcy of the Munson Steamship Lines
"Relie" is short for "Aurelia." in 1934.
Abaca Is a pretty place. Don't you hurry worry with me,
Do, Ma, do, Ma, .~ Don't you hurry worry with me,
Abaco is apretty place, Don't you hurry worry with me,
Do, Ma, do, Ma, I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
When cockeye Llza knock her banjo,
Mama Relie, Mama Re/ie, Mama Ref/e. Doo't you tell me that again,
Mama Relie, Mama Relie, Mama Relie. If you tell me that again,
(Repeat) If you tell me that again,
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
Doo 'I you hurry wony with me, (3x)
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
Mr. Munson, he get broke, (3x)
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
If you tell me that again, (3x)
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
Don'I you hurry worry with me, (3X)
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
If you tell me that again, (3x)
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
Mr. Munson, he gel broke, (3x)
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
Don't you hurry worry with me, (3x)
I'm gonna pack up your eyes with sand.
22. OEUA GONE Round daooe (AAFS 436A)
Performed by Nassau siJing band.
Recorded at the l uceme Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas, in July 1935.
Previously unreleaSIJd
This ballad can be found in The Island Song Book by
John and Evelyn McCutcheon, privately printed at the
Chicago Tribune Tower in 1927. John McCutcheon was
an American cartoonist who lived on a small island near
Nassau, and his collection contains Bahamian songs
that he heard there, including "The John 8. Sails."
Although adopted by the Bahamians, "Delia's Gone"
originated in the southern United States. It Is In the
typical "blues ballad" form of rhymed couplet plus
one-line refrain (ct. "Frankie and Albert," "Stagolee,"
"Railroad Bill," etc.) According to Chapman J. Milling (in
'"Delia Holmes': A Neglected Negro Ballad," Sout11ern
Folklore Ouarterly 1 (1937]), it was composed about
1900 and refers to a murder that took place in that year
in the port city of Savannah, Georgia. The victim, Delia
Green, and the perpetrator, Moses "Coony" (who was
tried and received a life sentence) were 14 and 15
respectively. By the 1920s there were more than 20
versions of this song.The Georgia bluesman Blind Willie
McTell recorded "Delia" on two occasions in Atlanta
during the 1940s (lor the Library of Congress and for
Atlantic). In the 1950s "Delia Gone• was recorded by a
number of well-known Bahamian musicians, including
Blind Blake and the Royal Victoria Hotel Calypso
Orchestra (ART ALP-6) and George Symonette and his
Calypso Sextette (ART ALP-14). Bob Dylan and Johnny
Cash later also recorded versions.
The first time 1saw Delia,
/took her for a ride.
The second time t saw her,
She promised to, be my bride.
Delia gone, one more round, Delia gone.
On Monday Tony was arrested,
On Tuesday his case was tried.
The jurymen brought him guilty,
And his sentence was to die.
Delia gone, one more round, Delia gone.
P'oe·t•·nit of n \Vouuttt, Loken daU"ing Bnhnmus
a·econliog expedition
Oh, judge, judge, P11oto courtesy of Ubrary of Congress
Please come tell me my time,
"You ask me that, you son of a gun,
ll's a hundred and ninety-nine. •
Delia gone, one more round, Delia gone.
Oh, rubber tire buggy,
And double seated hack,
They carried poor Delia to the graveyard
And they never brought 11er back.
Delia gone, one more round, Delia gone.
They sent for her mother,
She come dressed in black.
She cried all day and she cried all night,
But cryin' couldn't bring her back.
Delia gone, one mare round, Delia gone.
Oh, jailer, jailer,
How can I steep?
All around my bed at night
That tittle Delia creep.
Delia gone, one more round, Delia gone.
They sent for the doctor,
He came dressed in white.
He did everything 111at a doctor could,
But he couldn't bring Delia back.
Delia gone, one more round, Delia gone.
Now Tony is in prison,
Drinkin' aut a silver cup,
Della's in the graveyard,
Tryin' the very best to getup.
Delia gone, one mare round, Delia gone.
0/1, some people gave her a nickel,
And some gave her a dime,
Bull didn't give 11er one red cent,
'Cause sfle was no sweet11eart of mine.
Delia gone, one more round, Delia gone.
23. WOMAN IS A NATION Jumping dance
(MFS44081)
Performed by a group of young men from Fox Hill.
with handelapping and drum accompanimenl
Recorded at the Lucerne Hotel In Nassau, Bahamas, In July 1935.
Prevkiusly unreleased
Refrain:
Woman is a nation, a damn botheration,
Not one but all,
Woman is a nation, a damn botheration,
Not one but all.
Oh, these children of a young gal,
They tivin' outside their father,
Makin' Jots of children,
But they don't know who's their father. (Retrain)
,.
Oh, when you think they gonna lave you forever,
Nat one but all,
And they gonna love just one of your neighbor.
Nat one but all,
And after that they ganna leave you to wonder,
Nat one but all,
Dh, woman is a nation, a damn botheration,
Nat one but all. (Refrain)
(Repeat)
24. MAIUHEO WOMAN IS A 25. SLIDE, MONGOOSE, SLIDE Round dance
SECU ET MUHOER Round dance (MFS 435 82) (MFS 434A1)
Performed by Nassau string band. Performed by Nassau string band.
Recorded at the Lucerne Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas, In July 1935. Recorded at the lucerne Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas, In July 1935.
Previously unreleased Previously unreleased
In 1935 Alan Lomax referred to this song as a •round The mongoose, native to India, was Introduced into the
dance from Trinidad.• The song's theme and refrain British West Indies around 1870 to rid the islands of
resemble "Woman Is a Nation• (track 23). rats and snakes that threatened the sugar cane crops.
But as it soon multiplied and began to attack domestic
Oh, married woman is a secret murder, fowl, this small creature became a pest in its own right.
Not one but all, Originally a Jamaican menta (a song form related to
Married woman is a secret murder. calypso), "Sly Mongoose• was well known throughout
Not one but all. the British West Indies by the 1920s and has often been
recorded since. In these versions, the mongoose
011, way dawn the road, becomes a trickster, like the West African spider Anansi,
You tear off all my clothes, and the verses abound in symbolic allusions and
You put me under your bed sexual metaphors.
For your sweetheart to b;ake my head.
Another Bahamian version of "Slide, Mongoose" was
Oh, married woman is a secret murder. recorded later by Blind Blake and his Royal Victoria
Not one but all, Calypsos (ART ALP-SA), but without the reference to
Married woman is a secret murder, Marcus Garvey and his Black Star Une Included here in
Not one but all. the second verse.
(Repeat)
Slide, mongoose, slide, far your name gone abroad,
Slide, mongoose, slide, for your name gone abroad,
Mongoose went to ca'n Flossie's kitchen,
Steal aut one of Mrs. Murphy's chicken,
Put it in his waistcoat pocket,
Slide, mongoose, slide.
Slide, mongoose, slide, for your name gone abroad,
Slide, mongoose, slide, for your name gone abroad,
Mongoose went to the Black Star Line, and Drums in the Bahamas, FE 4440). "Bain Town• is 27. IJELLM II NA Round dance (AAFS 432 B) between Nassau and Miami. The S.S. Munargo
Ask the captain to tell him the time, an area over the hill in Nassau. Pertormed by Nassau string band. belonged to the Munson Steamship Lines, perform-
Marcus Garvey said half past nine, R8C()(cfed at the Lucerne Hotel In Nassau, Bahamas, In July 1935. ing a regular passenger service between New York
Slide, mongoose, slide. Goin' down to my old home, Previously unreleased and Nassau.
Oh, I'm goin' down to my old home,
Slide, mongoose, slide, for your name gone abroad, Oh, I'm goin' to my old home, In her autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road, Zora Neale Bellamina, Bellamina,
Slide, mongoose, slide, for your name gone abroad, Oh, baby, lick it up, Hurston recalls hearing this song on her first visit to Bellamina in the harbor,
Mongoose went to Pinder elevator, Oh, baby, lick it up, Nassau in 1929: Bellamina, Bellamina,
Gerald{. ..] was the operator. I just gonna lick it up. Bellamlna In the harbor.
William was late, so he come back later. /loved the place the moment /landed. Then, that first Put Bellamlna on the dock
Slide, mongoose, slide. 0/1,/'m goin' down to meet my gal, (3x) night as flay in bed, listening to the rustle of a And paint Bellamina black, black, black.
Oh, baby, lick it up, coconut palm just outside my window. a song accom- Put Bellamina on the dock
Slide, mongoose, slide, for your name gone abroad, I just gone lick it up, panied by string and drum broke out in full harmony. I And paint Bellamina black.
Slide, mongoose, slide, for your name gone abroad, Oh, baby, shake it up. got up and peeped out and saw four young men and
they were singing •Be/lamina, •fed by Ned Isaacs. I did The Mystery, the Mystery,
Mongoose say he like fish and dumpling,
Oh, l'm goin' down in Bain Town pound, (3x) not know him then, but I met him the next day. The She always carry whisky,
{. ..] say he like movin' something,
Oh, baby, lick it up, song has a beautiful air, and the oddest rhythm. I The Mystery, the Mystery,
(...]say you no-good something,
Oh, baby, shove it up, found out later that it was a song about a rom-running She always carry whisky.
Slide, mongoose, slide.
Oh, baby, shake 'em up. boat that 11ad been gleaming white, but after it had Put the Mystery on the dock
(Repeat third verse)
been captured by the United States Coast Guard and And paint the Mystery black, black, black.
Oh, I'm goin' down to meet my gal, (3x) released, it was painted black for obvious reasons. Put the Mystery on the dock
26. 0 11, BABY, LI CK I T UP Round dance I just gone lick it up, And paint the Mystery black.
(AfS 498 A1) Oh, baby, lick it up, That was my welcome to Nassau, and it was a beauti-
Sung by an unl!leotified male guitarist. Oh, baby. shake it up. ful one. The next day I got an idea of what prolific The Maisie, the Maisie,
Recorded at Elisha Portier's house in Grantstown, Nassau, She almost made me crazy,
song-makers the Bahamans are. With. that West
Bahamas, In August 1935. Oh, I'm goin' down to my old home, (3x) African accent 'i(atted on English of the uneducated The Maisie, the Maisie,
Previously unreleased Oh, baby, shove it up, Bahaman, I was told, "You do anything, we put you in She almost made me crazy.
Oh, baby, shake it up, sing. " I walked carefully to keep out of "sing. '0 3 Put the Maisie on the dock
Certa i n round dances i n this co l lection are Oh, baby, wind it up. And paint the Maisie black, black, black.
arrangements of ring plays and jumping dances, like A version of "Bellamina" similar to the one presented Put the Maisie on the dock
the ring play sung and played here as a round dance by Oh, I'm goin' down to meet my gal, (3x) here was recorded by Blind Blake and his Royal Victoria And paint the Maisie black.
an anonymous guitarist. A traditional example of this Oh, baby, lick it up, Calypsos in Nassau in the early 1950s (ART ALP-4A).
ring play, sung with drum, saw,andclave accompaniment, Oh, baby. lick it up, The Munargo, the Munargo,
can be heard on a Folkways album record ed by Oh, baby, lay it down, Several other ships are mentioned In this song: the She got stuck in New Yorlc harbor.
Marshall Stearns in Nassau in 1953 (Religious Songs Oh, baby, shake it up. Mystery J. was an auxiliary yacht carrying passengers The Munargo, the Munargo,
Sl1e got stuck In New York harbor.
Put the Munargo on the dock
And paint the Munargo black, black, black.
Put the Munargo on the dock
And paint the Munargo black.
(Repeat first verse)
2.8. T H E GREYROUND BOAT I
ROUND AND HOUND TH E BARR OOM
Round dance m!KIIey (MFS 437 B)
Perform!KI by Nassau string band.
Recorded at the wceme Hotel In Nassau, Bahamas, in July 1935.
Previously unreleased
Nathaniel Saunders, a tenor banjo player of Bimini,
recorded a version of "Round and Round the Barroom"
at the age of 86 (The Bahamas: Islands of Song,
Smithsonian Folkways 40405). The term "tiger" in the
refrain is a local expression tor a very attractive
woman, according to Saunders.
Oh, Mama, the grey-i-o", oh, run 'em down,
Oh, Mama, the grey-i-o, oh, run 'em down.
Oh, gal, you see Bimini, you run 'em down,
Oh, gal, you see Bimini, you run 'em down.
Mama, the greyhound gone, now run 'em down,
Mama, the greyhound gone, now run 'em down.
Oh, gal, you see Bimini, you run 'em down,
011, gal, you see Bimini, you run 'em down.
(Repeat)
Oh, round and round tile barroom,
Round and round the barroom,
Round and round t11e barroom,
Go look for my gal from lnagua. Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw rum,
Tiger, tiger, oh, my tiger, Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw rum,
Tiger, tiger, oh, my tiger. Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw rum.
(Repeat) (Repeat first verse)
2.9. RAW RUM, GIN ANO TODDY
Round dance (MFS 440 A3)
Perform!KI by Nassau string band.
Aecord!KI at the wceme Hotel In Nassau, Bahamas, In July 1935.
Previously unreleased
The Nassau string band session and several other
sessions took place at the Lucerne Hotel, and it is quite
possible that Alan Lomax and Mary Elizabeth Barnicle
stayed there while recording in the capital. Incidentally,
the Lucerne on Frederick Street was the headquarters
for bootleggers during Prohibition. "Just across from
the marketplace" in Nassau was the Seaman's Club, a
favorite bar among spongers between sea voyages.
Yates thought he coulda try that case,
Just across from file market place,
,,
Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw n1m,
Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw rum.
Raker tl1ought lie was safe and sound,
When he look, he was on tile ground,
Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw l'jlm (good for the belly), F•·cdel'ick S••·cel, Nnssnu, 1920's
Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw rum, Photo by J. 0. Sands (Collection of Guy Oroussart)
Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw rum,
Raw rum, gin and toddy, raw rum.
Roker and Yates went on a spree,
When he look, he was in the dilly tree,

\Vou:um, Haltt rengtl• Porll'uit,
Old Bight, Cat Island , Boluunos,
July 1935
PhOto courtesy of library of Congress
FOOT N OTE S
19 NlcoleHe Bethel, ~ansc1lbed from mon10ry.
The Alan lomax Collection rs prtl'HW<I
1 n11s prelace attllfl1PIS to rec011Struct Alan Lomax's retrospecttv. observations 20 E. C. Bethel,lllkl, p. 138. !o lfH:Iudl! 1 ~dl or rnorc alfwrn s Ttw
21 llid.,p. 142.
IJfld UIOughts abwt hiS 19351ieldwllf1< and ts di>IWI from an assortmoot of Co l lect rOll I S Of(!illlr/e() 111!0 VilfiO US
llc'lndwrirten comments, margin notes, and writlno drafts made during l*! 22 Ibid., p. 166.
scncs. yet Will <lise corl!<llf1 ott1cr u~Hq lw
rllYI~ts to tl18 Bahamas in the 1970S. 23 Ibid.. p. 173.
releases as ·,•wll T/1r• HounOt•r Records
2 AJan LOmall to John A. Lomax, Juty 1, 1935 (An::t1ive ol American Folk 24 1lid.,p.174.
wrbsrtc wrl alw<l)'S ~lll.'lt :t1e most <IP·
Song, ttbf31Y or Cong1ess1. 2S llid.,p. 175.
20 lbld., p. 177. to - <l a!t~ rnlmrnatrorr. ;lilt: t~w ArarJLoma,;
> Ibid.
27 lllld., p, 179. Co!lectlon por1ro11 of tt1e wetJsr!c can tJe
' Ibid.
28 Enwor McKonzle, Interview witll Alan lOihax In long Bay Coys. South Andnl$. on Oclobor cll!ectly a ccr~ ss r~<l at ll!!p :. '·'',Wr.'/ roum!er
s ·~.ti~g soogs are USIRIIiy anthems sung In tradition.~ Family tstand and
comiro u nder,.ar1 rsts:'l om<l ~ <~ion·
Ove<·the·HII clll.lches, oltoo at speclalservlces like the New Yeor's or 30, 1979.
20 Note that"cuckOO-eye• Is occasilooaly replaced ll'/ •neat-eye. • Atcorclng to Nicolette or !or rnn~ P rnlo. f: -~l<tr lmiD>! rou·Hlerco:1l
CMs1mas E,.\Yateirlighl Se<vlce$. They are fast, ffiytllmlc, repetitiYll
songs, which the COngt'93tiM $ingS whll<l m3rclllng in a circle Inside the BelhOI, It is probable that t11ese are old·lashloned regJoollf expreSSionS that refer to Wldelily;
The Collection curn ~ nt l'l co:np:rses
church. They ore usual~ accoll'jlOnled ll'/ handelapplng. However, the see also ·conch-eye• ~mck 20),
soogs sung ll'/ ~k011oos In the oar~ p311 of tho twontlelh cootury while :)f) This 3fld subseqoonte,.,~s from Alan t.ornax~ B""'mlon recolleclloos _,.ed In John The Alan Lomax Collection Sampler
they paraded (rushed) could also be called "rustling soogs.• In recent A. t omox and Alan Lomox.llvt Singing Coor>ti)'(New Vorl<: Macmillan, 19411, pp, 79-93.
" ZoraNeale - · IJu$/ TrackSonaROO<t(NewYork: Harper Pe<ennlal, 1996), p. 281.
Southern Journey Series
years in Nassau. some popular pastors have re..Jntroduced tile practice c4
• rushirtg" am009 their oongregaUons..ln those cases, ltle songs are 31 Here •concn~eye· may refer to tile femute genitals. Caribbean Voyage
accompanied by Junkanoo Instruments- ~trum. cowbel and whistle." l3 Ibid., pp. 157-68. Classic l ouisiana Recordings
(Nicolette Bethel, personal communlcatiorl.J 3-1 In nautical par1ance. a ·weytlouncr refers to a small. quiCk steamer. "Gfey·i-o'" is local
s~ng for lhe word.
Portraits Series
6 Kon Hunt, "AIOII Lomox: Tmcttlng Tradllloo." foil< 11<Jots127/128
(Jai1Uilry-February 1994), pp. 56·57. Prison Songs
7 Abn LOmax. Bahit"""' 5cngs, Ffench 88Nilds 8lld 08oce T"""s. Spanish
Christmas Songs
f1t6glous !iDnfl$ ttnd Ga,. Songs, library of Cong1ess, AFS l5.
4 Nlcolene Bethel OOids a doelorate In Social MthrOJ!OIOgy lrom the World Library of Folk and
Primitive Music
lMIV<fSIIy of Combrldge and Is a tecturOf ln English and Social Sciences a1
the College of the Bahamas. Nassoo. Deep River of Song
• E. Clement Be1he4, M<J#c In the Bah.omaJ: R•lltJols. Oerelcpment 8lld Italian Treasury
Person.tkly (tkC>ibiiShed M.A. Thesis. UCLA. 1978).
10 Ibid., p. 166. Folk Songs of England, Ireland,
Scotland & Wales
" lbid., p. 40.
12 Ibid., pp, 4D-41. The Concert and Radio Series
" E. ClemOI\1 Bethel, •frDrh 0\Jadrllles to .MlkiJfiOO: Ballamlan Music." r.. Spanish Recordings
lloliM1as Handt<lolr (Nassau: 0\Jpuch 1'1.1lllcatlcns, 1983), p. 64.
American Patchwork \'rrleos
" Alan t.omox, tenor 10 John A.lomox, July 1, 1935.Atchlve of Amer1can
Folk!iDnfl$.lillmryofCorlgfOS$. Lomax film work <t'~< J rldt ll f~ t~ Trou() 1 1
15 LO.I'owles,Lttntloi/MI'Itii<Pellii:R-o1LKCN!ll!e8a/Jama$ Vl!stapol Vrclcos
(Nassau: Media l'llblisti>g Ud, 1996), pp. 75-76. Alan lomax productions:
''Cleveland Eneas, liiJN> Town(Nassau:Sell·pi.CllsiM>d,l976),p. 27. Tlw Jelly Roll Mo11or• Serres H1c Lea<l
17
A.Lomax.AFS L5. Belly Selt t~ S ZHI(l UTe WlYJ(I)' GuHmc
18 E. C. Bethel, MiJSk tn tlltJ Bahama$. p. 137.
Library o~ Con1_1ress Recorcl:11qs
J),.,.,, Uir·t•r I lh•t•t' Uin•,·. l,t~,·tl I /),.,.,, Uil't'''· /,,,.,/.
I '~'""' to ,.,.,,, m ·•·r ;, , ,., ·, tiuw.
-From American Ballads and Folk Songs. by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax
About THE DEEP RIVER OF SONG series: More than hall a century separates us from the performances
1n lhts senes. and nearly all of the arllsts who gave them to us have · crossed over· 1n that lime. leaving us these
treasures tn trust so that we mtghl be delighted. tnformed. and edtfted by them Each song tells tiS own story. but
together they form an eptc of a people seekmg to ford a turbulent nver of oppression and dtsadvantage. a people who
brought 1011h another llfe·gtving nver of untold nches: a deep nver of song from whtch all may draw.
It was lhts tradtllon that John A.Lomax and Ius son. Alan. sought to preserve and document when they began thetr
fteld recordtng for the Archtve of Amencan Folk Song at the Ltbrary of Congress '" 1933. and 11 was this same source
that Alan Lomax sought to replemsh tn t981 when he and Peter B. Lowry revtewed more than a thousand fteld
recordmgs of black mustc made by the Lomaxes 1n the South. the Southwest. Hath. and the Bahamas
Alan Lomax spent tile summer of 1978 '" Mtsstsstppt wtlh John Btshop and Worth Long. shooting the program Land
Where tlw Blues Began "I discovered to my consternatton that the nch trad1llons that my lather and I had documented
had vtrtually dtsappeared." he wrote. "Most young people. caught up by TV and the 1111 parade. stmply d1d not know
anythmg about the black folklore that thetr forebears had produced and that had sustamed and entertamed
generations of Amencans. I resolved to try to do some !lung about lhts sttuatton. so far as 1could. ·
Lomax and Lowry eventually comptled 12 albums at the library, wilh more planned The compilations were ·orgamzed
m a way that mtght help to show blacks and other Amencans the beauty. vanety. the regtonaltratts and African
charactenshcs of lhts great body of song." These albums bear wttness to a transformahve moment that saw the
creahon of a new stngmg language. new mustcallorms. and thousands of songs that belong tn the ftrst rank of human
metodtes. They evoke now-vamshed mustcal worlds. showmg how black style developed as settlement moved
westward from the Carolinas to Texas. and how regtonal styles branched forth along the way
"Thts mustc ts a lhtng of very great beauty- a monument to the extraordtnary creallvtly of the black people of North
Amen ca ." Lomax wrote. ·No song style extsts anywhere lhat can surpass this matenallor sheer vanety, ongmahty.
and charm. Vel tis most genume aspects are lit11e known today and are last fadtng out of currency under the poundtng
of the medta.• He hoped that lhts senes could help ·restore to the Amencan consctousness. and espectally to African·
Amencans. a hcntage that ts about to be altogether lost. " Perhaps now. as we enter the twenty-lust century, we are
close enough to the ·ca·m lime" of songs and dreams for thts restoration to take place.
C llEO I T S :
Original field recordings produced and recorded in 1935 by Alan Lomax
and Mary Elizabeth Barnicle for the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress
Collection Producers: Anna L. Chairetakis, Jeffrey Greenberg
Deep River of Song series researched and compiled by Alan Lomax and Peter B. Lowry
Deep River of S!mg Series Editor: David Evans, Ph.D., University of Memphis
Prepared for release by Anna L. Chairetakis and Mal1hew Barton
Introduction, Bahamas 1935: Ring Games and Round Dances: Nicolette Bethel, Ph.D.
Song Notes: Guy Droussart
Sound Restoration I Mastering Producer: Steve Rosenthal
Mastering: Phil Klum, Master Cutting Room, NYC
Disc transfers: Michael Donaldson, Sound Recording laboratory, the library of Congress
Art Direction and Design: J Sylvester Design, NYC
Photos: J. 0. Sands (Collection of Guy Droussart),
Alan Lomax (Collection of the Library of Congress)
Associate Editor: Ellen Harold
Editorial Consultant: Carole McCurdy
Copy Editor: Nathan Salsburg
Series Coordination for Rounder Records: Bill Nowlin
Series Consultants: Bess Lomax Hawes, Gideon D'Arcangelo
S tlceinl 'l'lumks:
Joe Brescia, Elliot Hoffman, and Hunter College of the City University of New York
Every effOft has been made to make these historic recordings sound as good as they did when Alan lomax and
Mary Elizabeth Barnicle made them in the field. All transfers were made, whenever possible, from the original source
materials using tile Prism 20·bit A·to·O converters and the Prism 20-blt Noise Shaping System.
Remastered to 20·blt digital from the original metal and acetate field recordings.
These unique historic discs contain imperfections and surface noise typical of the technology of tlleir era.