Annotation:Davy Davy
X:1 T:Davy Davy N:From the playing of Jon Bekoff, Jim Burns, Bill Dillof, Paula Bradley, at Black N:Creek, 2008 M:C| L:1/8 F:https://www.slippery-hill.com/recording/davy-davy Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:D f|a2fb a2fb|abaf ed-[df]f|a2 fe dABB|ABdf ed2f| a2fb a2fb|abaf ed-[df]f|af{a}fe dABB|ABdf ed2:| |:[de]-|[d2f2]fg {e}[d2f2]fe|defd ed2e|fafe dABB|ABd[df] ed2e-| [df][dg][df][de] [df][dg][df][de]|defd ed2e|fafe dABB|ABd[df] ed2:||
A nought is a nought and a one is a finger,
Why can't a white man dance like a N.....?
He can't do the quickstep, he tends for to linger,
That's why he can't dance like a N.....
The words were quickly dashed off by the Weems brothers after they arrived in Memphis for their 1928 recording session for Columbia Records [1]. Their repertoire was instrumental tunes, but Columbia wanted lyrics and vocals, believing the recordings would sell better. The band quickly came up with a few couplets which Columbia found met their requirements, also singing:
Davy, Davy, where is Davy,
Down in the henhouse eating up the gravy;
Davy, Davy, where is Davy,
Down in the chicken-yard, sick on the gravy.
The simple melody has also attracted other floating verses. Despite its simple and repetitive melody and slapdash lyrics, musicologist Charles Wolfe remarked [2] the sole recording session produced "what many critics deem the finest two string band sides ever recorded, "Davy Davy" and "Green Back Dollar"'.
- ↑ as told by George Lineberry, spouse of a grand-niece of one of the original members.
- ↑ Charles K. Wolfe, Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net