Annotation:Nelly Bly

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NELLY BLY. American, "Sand Jig" (4/4 or 2/4 time). USA, Michigan. G Major (Kerr): C Major (Shaw): D Major (Johnson, Sweet). Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Kerr): AABB (Johnson, Shaw, Sweet). Nelly Bly [1] (1864-1922) was born Elizabeth Jane Cochran and took her pen name from a Stephen Foster (1826-1864) song [2]. She was a famous muck-raking reporter in the latter 19th century for the New York newspaper The World. In 1889 the paper sent her on a round-the-world trip where she journeyed for 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes by train, ship, rickshaw and burro.

Stephen Foster's song, penned Pennsylvania in 1850 while he was under contract with Christy's Minstrels, entered minstrel tradition, and was one of his few upbeat productions. Scott records that it was "one of the 'Negro' songs sung by the troupes which followed (in England) in the wake of the Ethiopian Serenaders."

Nelly Bly, Nelly Bly, bring de broom along,
We'll sweep de kitchen clean, my dear,
And hab a little song.
Poke de wood, my lady lub,
An' make de fire burn,
An' while I take de Banjo down
Jest gib de mush a turn. .... [Steven Foster]

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Johnson (The Kitchen Musician's No. 7: Michigan Tunes), vol. 7, 1986-87; p. 3. Kerr (Merry Melodies, vol. 2), c. 1880's; No. 406, p. 45. Scott (English Song Book), 1926; p. 80. Shaw (Cowboy Dances), 1943; p. 384. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1965/1981; p. 10.

Recorded sources: