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Little Old Sod Shanty on My Claim/Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane, The
Old-Time, Song Tune. Music by William Shakespeare Hays, 1837-1907 Dedicated To George J. Cowan, Louisville, KY.
ARTIST: As recorded by Jules Allen in Los Angeles, California, on April 8, 1929 Victor Vi 23757. Reissued on Jules Allen 'The Texas Cowboy' Folk Variety LP FV12502.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: 1871
RECORDING INFO: Carson, Fiddlin' John. Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster's Gonna Crow, Rounder 1003, LP (1987), cut# 1. Clark, Carroll C.. Minstrels and Tunesmiths, JEMF 109, LP (1981), cut#B.07. George, Franklin/Frank. Swope's Knobs, Anachronistic 001, LP (1977), cut#3.07a. Kincaid, Bradley. Mountain Ballads and Old Time Solos. Album Number Six, Bluebonnet BL 123, LP (1963), cut#A.01. Mainer, Wade. Old Time Banjo Tunes, Old Homestead OHS-90168, LP (1984), cut#A.01 (Little Log Cabin in/by the Lane). Pegram, George. Union Grove, The Hub of the Universe, Union Grove SS-4, LP (1970), cut# 3. Pegram, George. George Pegram, Rounder 0001, LP (1970), cut# 3. Pegram, George. O Love Is Teasin', Elektra BLP-12051, LP (1985), cut#1.14 . Possum Hunters. Death on Lee Highway, Takoma A-1010, LP (196?), cut# 2 (Little Log Cabin in/by the Lane). Seeger, Peggy. Our Singing Heritage. Vol I, Elektra EKL-151, LP (195?), cut# 3. Tennessee River Boys. Good Old Mountain Music, Cumberland MGC 29505, LP (196?), cut# 1 (Log Cabin in the Lane)
OTHER NAMES: “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane;” “Hungry Hash House (Blues);” “Fiddle and Bow;” “Little Joe, the Wrangler,” “Lily of the Valley;” “Little Old Sod Shanty (on the Claim);” “Little Red Caboose Behind the Train,” “Another Fall of Rain” “Little Joe the Wrangler,” “Beans, Gravy and Bacon.”
SOURCES: Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p281. Levy site; A Fiddler’s Companion; Digital Tradition;
NOTES: The song was written and published in 1871 by a Kentucky riverman turned vaudeville songwriter, Will Hayes.
William Shakespeare Hays was born in Louisville, KY on July 19, 1837 and died there at the age of 70 on July 23, 1907. His parents were Hugh and Martha (Richardson) Hays. He married Belle McCullough in July of 1865. His known children are Mattie Belle Hays (dedicated to, in the song O, Let Me Kiss the Baby, 1867), Susie Hobbs Hays (dedicated to, in the song Kiss Me, Good Night, Mama, 1870) and Samuel Brown Hays (dedicated to, in the song How Much Does the Baby Weigh, 1880).
His most popular songs were Evangeline (1862), The Drummer Boy of Shiloh (1863), We Parted by the River (1866), The Little Old Cabin in the Lane (1871), Molly Darling (1871) [with 3 million copies published], Susan Jane (1871), Oh! Sam (1872), Angels Meet Me at the Cross Roads (1875). Early in de Mornin' (1877), Roll Out! Heave Dat Cotton (1877). He composed approximately 350 songs. Two significant collections, detailed as items 286 (manuscripts) and 813 (prints and photographs), are at The Filson Club Historical Society of Kentucky.
The “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane” melody has been adapted and used in a number of different settings and has spawned a number of parodies: “Hungry Hash House (Blues);” “Fiddle and Bow;” “Little Joe, the Wrangler,” “Lily of the Valley;” “Little Old Sod Shanty (on the Claim);” “Little Red Caboose Behind the Train,” “Another Fall of Rain” “Little Joe the Wrangler,” “Beans, Gravy and Bacon.”
Bob Bolton from DT: I just realised that the tune I know to this is virtually the same as Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane (known here as several songs, including a shearing song Another Fall of Rain or Waiting for the Rain - the lament of a bunch of worn out shearers, hoping for rain to bring a break in activity so their sore wrists and back can recuperate.
The southern gospel hymn, “Lily of the Valley,” with words by Charles W. Fry (1881) was adapted from Hays' “Little Old Log Cabin.” The earliest recording was by (Frank) Welling & (John) McGhee in Ashland Kentucky 1928 (Vo 5251). Charles W. Fry lyrics first appeared in the Salvation Army's The War Cry, December 29, 1881. Fry wrote the lyrics in Lincoln, England, while working with the Salvation Army there.
The “Little Old Log Cabin Down the Lane” was recorded in October, 1925 for Edison by Fiddlin' Cowan Powers and Family, who had waxed an earlier version for Victor, in August, 1924 (though for that particular side the Victor company brought in Carson Robison to perform the vocal). The piece was first released in 1923, however, when Fiddlin' John Carson's (north Georgia) version became the second best-selling country music record for that year. Yet another performance, Ernest Stoneman's, made the charts that decade, in 1926 when his version became the fifth best-selling country music record.
Little Old Sod Shanty on My Claim was composed by some lonely bachelor who had filed a claim for 160 acres of free farming land under the Homestead Act signed by President Lincoln in 1862. The purpose of the act was to settle the prairie regions. If the homesteader lived on his claim and cultivated the land for 5 years, the land would become his to do with as he wished. Once again, this song was to be sung to the tune of 'Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane'. The song was also popular in Canada where, instead of the 'Uncle Sam' line, they sang:
I'm as happy as can be, 'cause I'm happy and I'm free
In my little old …
Here are the lyrics to Little Old Sod Shanty on My Claim:
I am looking rather seedy now while holding down my claim
And my victuals are not always served the best
And the mice play shyly round me as I nestle down to rest
In my little old sod shanty on my claim
The hinges are of leather and the windows have no glass
And the board roof lets the howling blizzards in
And I hear the hungry coyote as he slinks up through the grass
Round the little old sod shanty on my claim
But I rather like the novelty of living in this way
Though my bill-of-fare is often rather tame
And I'm happy as a clam on the land of Uncle Sam
In my little old sod shanty on my claim
My clothes are plastered o'er with dough, I'm looking like a fright
And everything is scattered round the room
Still I wouldn't give the freedom that I have out in the West
For the table of the old man's eastern home
Still I wish some kind-hearted girl would pity on me take
And relieve me from the mess that I am in
The angel, how I'd bless her if this her home would make
In the little old sod shanty on my claim
We would make our fortunes on the prairies of the West
Just as happy as two lovers we'd remain
We'd forget the trials and troubles we endured at the first
In the little old sod shanty on our claim
And if fate would bless us with now and then an heir
To cheer our hearts with honest pride and fame
Oh then we'd be contented for the toil we had spent
In the little old sod shanty we call home
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