The Frost's On The Pumpkin And Fodder's In The Shock

barndance

Key signature: Gmajor

Submitted on May 24th 2007 by The Merry Highlander.

This tune has been added to 5 tunebooks.

Also known as Good Lager Beer, Sweet Potato Pie.

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Frost's On The Pumpkin And Fodder's In The Shock sheetmusic

Details ABC Sheetmusic Comments

The Name

The Name or many names will be coming shortly. I put into into barndance because its not really a reel or a hornpipe but more like a schottische. It is trad. and I didn't write it.

# Posted on May 24th 2007 by The Merry Highlander

"Sweet Potato Pie"

I thought that sounded vaguely familiar... :-)

# Posted on May 25th 2007 by ceolachan

Fayette County

Fayette County is in the mountains in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Levi Hall and Henry Bryner were two trad. fiddlers there when this tune was collected in the 40's. The tune may be in the same family as "The Tulip." Maybe related to the "Wearin of the Green." Seems to me there are many variants... Lads A Bunchum.... Balance of a Straw. I like the way it starts with the high strain and goes to the low... I know it's not a "real" Irish tune recorded by the big name "real" Irish bands... Or is it? I like to play it on the fiddle and stress the syncopation in a snappy yet liesurely way.

# Posted on May 25th 2007 by The Merry Highlander

James Whitcomb Riley

Check out Riley's poem...

http://www.lostindiana.net/html/crown_hill__riley.html

Riley... now thats a good Irish name ain't it?

# Posted on May 25th 2007 by The Merry Highlander

Thanks "c"

For the help on the ABCs

# Posted on May 25th 2007 by The Merry Highlander

Stop in MH, I'll be accused of favouritism, or worse, of being a woose... 8-)

# Posted on May 25th 2007 by ceolachan

James Whitcomb Riley ~ a few bits cut from the link ~

I enjoyed the link, and had a chuckle about the 'hoax'... How could anyone familiar with the works of E.A.P. think he wrote that? But it is good news that Riley did find his own muse in the end ~

"~ This spurred Riley into some of his best work - some of these poems were published into a book entitled “The Old Swimmin’ Hole and ‘Leven More Poems” in 1883. The most famous of these , “When the Frost Is on the Punkin” established a unique voice in poetry: the use of down-home Indiana dialect and a knowlege of rural life to paint pictures of childhood in simple times. As Americans struggled with the impact of the industrial age, they looked for reminders of their childhood and what had been lost - and Riley would be there."

"~ He achieved great fame for writing two poems in particular. “Little Orphant Annie”, was probably the most popular - a poem about a young girl who comes to live with the family. It was later adapted into a Broadway musical, a comic strip and several movies."

The second poem, “The Raggedy Man” has an interesting side story ~" (click on the link above ~ “Raggedy Ann” ~ & Andy)

“When the Frost Is on the Punkin”
by James Whitcomb Riley,
a poem about harvest time on the farm:

Verse 4 of 4

Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps
Is poured around the celler-floor in red and yeller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With their mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and saussage, too!
I don't know how to tell it -- but ef sich a thing could be
As the Angles wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me --
I'd want to 'commodate 'em -- all the whole-indurin' flock --
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock!

For the non-Hoosier:
“wimmern-folks” is “women-folks”
“punkin” is a colloquial version of “pumpkin”
“fodder” is livestock feed, as in dried corn
“mince” refers to mincemeat pie
“souse” refers to pickled foods.
“boardin’” a meal, as in the “board” part of “room and board”

# Posted on May 25th 2007 by ceolachan

Who are "the Angles', in this context?

# Posted on May 25th 2007 by CreadurMawnOrganig