Annotation:Liza Jane (3)

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LIZA JANE [3]. AKA and see "'Lasses Cane," "Little Dutch Girl (2)," "Poor Liza Jane." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; Oklahoma, Missouri. A Mixolydian (Brody, Phillips): G Major. AEae or Standard tunings (fiddle). ABB (Thede): AABB (Brody, Phillips). The "Liza Jane" family of tunes includes a number of related variants going by a variety of related titles, such as "Old Time Liza Jane," "Poor Liza Jane," "'Lasses Cane," "Goodbye Liza Jane," "Little Liza Jane (1)," and so on. In the repertoire of Uncle Jimmy Thompson (1848-1931) {Texas, Tennessee}. Recorded in 1939 for the Library of Congress by Herbert Halpert from the playing of Newton County, Mississippi, fiddler Hardy Sharp (b. 1884). See also "My Little Dony" for another Mississippi collected version in this song/tune family.

I'll go down the new cut road,
And Liza down the lane;
I'll throw my hat in the corner of the fence,
And scare poor Liza Jane. (Thede)

I'll go up on the mountain top
And plant me a patch of cane,
I'll make me a jug of molasses
For to sweeten little Liza Jane.

Hurry up, pretty little gal,
Hurry up Liza Jane,
Hurry up, poor little gal,
She died on the train.

I went to see my Liza Jane,
She was standin' in the door,
Her shoes and stockings in her hand
And her feet all over the floor.

The hardest work I ever did
Was a-brakin' on the train,
The easiest work that I ever did
Was a-courtin' Liza Jane ... (Thomas & Leeder--from the singing of Jilson Setters at a "Stir Off," Rowan County, Ky., Sept., 1911)

Source for notated version: Joe Wilsie (Cherokee County; Oklahoma) [Thede]: Carter Brothers and Son [Brody, Phillips], a group consisting of George and Andrew Carter, with George's son Jimmie, from Monroe County, northeastern Mississippi.

Printed sources: Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 172. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; p. 144. Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pp. 44-45. Thomas & Leeder (The Singin' Gathering), 1939; p. 22.

Recorded sources: County 520, Carter Brothers and Son (Monroe County, Mississippi) - "Echoes of the Ozarks, vol. 3". Folkways FA 2491, New Lost City Ramblers- "Gone to the Country." Flying Fish FF260, Alan Jabbour- "Sandy's Fancy." Okeh 45202 (78 RPM), Carter Brothers and Son.

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