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Greasy String
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, West Virginia.
ARTIST: From Tommy Jarrell;
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Old melody; Lyrics from 1800’s;
RECORDING INFO: "Greasy String" by "West Virginia Coon Hunters"
Victor 20862 Recorded: Unknown Issued: August 1927 Listen:
http://honkingduck.com/78s/listen.php?s=20395A
OTHER NAMES: “Slide on down” RELATED TO: "Greasy Coat" SOURCES: Kuntz: A Fiddler’s Companion; Ruthie Dornfeld [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, Vol. 1), 1994; pg. 102. Mudcat Discussion Forum
NOTES: From Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc GREASY STRING [1]. AKA and see "Bring Back My Old Coon Dog." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; Indiana, Virginia. A Major: G Major. AEAE or Standard. AABBCC (Kuntz): AAAABB (Phillips). The title "Greasy String" probably refers to a slippery fiddle string.
Tommy Jarrell sang a verse with "mash down harder on that greasy string." The high part of the tune is related to "Shoot the/that Turkey Buzzard," while the low part closely resembles "Cripple Creek." The tune was frequently found in the 1970's among older fiddlers in Ashe, Alleghany, Patrick (see Patrcik County natives Taylor and Stella Kimble's privately released record "How Sweet the Sound") and Grayson counties in Virginia. Mt. Airy, North Carolina, fiddler Tommy Jarrell learned the tune from his Uncle Charlie Jarrell, though he was the only one Tommy remembers playing it (Tommy's version is very similar to Taylor Kimble's). Sources for notated versions: Tommy Jarrell via Liz Slade (Yorktown, New York) [Kuntz]; Lotus Dickey (Indiana) [Phillips]. Kuntz, Private Collection. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 103. County 756, Tommy Jarrell - "Sail Away Ladies" (1976).
GREASY STRING [2]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, West Virginia. G Major. Standard. AABB. A variant of version #1. Burl Hammons of Marlinton, West Virginia, plays this tune in the key of G Major. Source for notated version: Ruthie Dornfeld (Seattle) [Songer]. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; pg. 90. Victor (78 RPM), the West Virginia Coon Hunters (1927).
Tommy Jarrell used to sing words to his version of Greasy String:
Run little feet, stop and sing,
Mash down harder on the greasy string
Jay bird whistles and the cat bird sings
Mash down harder on the greasy string.
My old lady is mad at me
'Cause I won't drink ginger tea;
She is good, she is bad,
She gives me the devil when she gets mad.
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