Sugar Babe- Version 5
Chattanooga Sugar Babe- Johnny Cash

Chattanooga Sugar Babe/Baby Mine/Crawdad Song/This Morning So Soon/

Old-time Bluegrass song, widely known.

ARTIST: Johnny Cash

CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes

DATE: First Published as “Baby Mine” Words Charles Mackay; Music Achibald Johnson in 1874.

RECORDING INFO: Sugar Babe Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.153 Duncan, Josh & Ethel Raim (eds) / Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 82 Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Folk Song USA, Signet, Sof (1966/1947), # 34c Baxter, Robert. Baxter, Robert / Baxter's Finger-Picking Manual, Amsco, sof (1965), p37 Christian, John. Old-Time Banjo Anthology, Vol. 1, Marimac AHS 4, Cas (1991), trk# 22 [1989/06] Diller, Dwight. Piney Woods, Diller YP-007, Cas (199?), trk# B.01 Gum, Dona. Old-Time Banjo Anthology, Vol. 1, Marimac AHS 4, Cas (1991), trk# 10 [1976/12] Hammons, Burl. Hammons Family. A Study of a West Virginia Family's Traditions, Library of Congress AFS L65-L66, LP (1973), trk# 18 [1972/08/05] Hammons Family. Shaking Down the Acorns, Rounder 0018, LP (1973), trk# 4 [1970-72] Kweskin, Jim. Jim Kweskin's America, Reprise 6464, LP (1971), trk# 2 Mainer, J. E. (Joseph Emmet). Legendary J. E. Mainer. Vol 5, Rural Rhythm RRJE 215, LP (197?), trk# B.04 Muller, Eric. Muller, Eric & Barbara Koehler / Frailing the 5-String Banjo, Mel Bay, Sof (1973), p52 Mullennex, Ron. Banjo Legacy, Augusta Heritage AHR 006, LP (1989), trk# B.01b Pace, Eliza. Sharp & Karpeles / English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians II, Oxford, Bk (1932/1917), p357/# 245 [1917/10/06] Renbourn, John. Another Monday, Transatlantic TRA 149, LP (1966), trk# 8 Seeger, Mike; and Alice Gerrard. Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard, Greenhays GR 704, LP (1980), trk# 6 Sexton, Morgan. Shady Grove, June Appal JA 0066C, Cas (1992), trk# 16 Taussig, Harry. Taussig, Harry / Folk-Style Guitar, Oak, Sof (1973), p 41 Taussig, Harry. Taussig, Harry / Folk-Style Guitar, Oak, Sof (1973), p108

RECORDING INFO CRAWDAD SONG: Leisy, James F. (ed.) / Songs for Pickin' and Singin', Gold Medal Books, sof (1962), p 46 Silverman, Jerry (ed.) / Folksingers Guitar Guide, Advanced, Oak, Sof (1964), p65 Silverman, Jerry (ed) / Flat-Pickers Guitar Guide, Oak, Sof (1963), p24 Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Folk Song USA, Signet, Sof (1966/1947), # 34b Lynn, Frank (ed.) / Songs for Swinging Housemothers, Fearon, Sof (1963/1961), p174 Best, Dick & Beth (eds.) / New Song Fest Deluxe, Charles Hansen, Sof (1971/1948), p 45 Visconti, Carl (ed.) / Paint Creek Folklore Society Song Tune Book, Paint Creek, Sof (1986), p 3 Sing Out! Reprints, Sing Out, Sof (196?), 4, p63 Albert E Brumley's Songs of the Pioneers, Brumley, Fol (1973), 5 Blood, Peter; and Annie Patterson (eds.) / Rise Up Singing, Sing Out, Sof (1992/1989), p151 Luboff, Norman; and Win Stracke / Songs of Man, Prentice-Hall, Bk (1969), p174 Cannon, Gus. Walk Right In, Stax SCD-8603-2, CD (1999), trk# 13 [1963/06/10] (Crawdad Hole) Daniels, Charlotte; and Pat Webb. Charlotte Daniels and Pat Webb, Prestige International INT 13037, LP (196?), trk# B.06 (Crawdad Hole) Forbes, Walter. Folk Song Festival, RCA (Victor) LSP-2670, LP (1963), trk# A.06 Girls of the Golden West. Songs of the West, Old Homestead OHS 143, LP (1981), trk# 11 [1933/07/28] (You Get a Line and I'll Get A Pole) Griffith, Andy. Andy Griffith Shouts the Blues and other Old Timey Songs, Capitol T 1105, LP (1959), trk# A.05 Hinton, Sam. Folk Go-Go, Verve/Folkways FV 9011, LP (1965), trk# 3 Hinton, Sam. Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts, Scholastic SC 7530, LP (1964), trk# A.04 Howard, Clint;, Doc Watson & Fred Price. Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley's, Part 2, Folkways FA 2359, LP (1963), trk# 10 [1962/04] Hutchison Brothers. Hutchison Brothers, Vetco LP 505, LP (1975), trk# 3 Kweskin, Jim. Swing on a Star, Mountain Railroad MR 52793, LP (1979), trk# 3 (Crawdad Hole) Lewis, Don. Don Lewis Live at the "Three Star", Flight 7, LP (197?), B.04c Lone Star Cowboys. Are You From Dixie? Great Country Brother Teams of the 1930's, RCA (Victor) 8417-4-R, Cas (1988), trk# 5 [1933/08/05] Luckiamute River String Band. Waterbound, Lucks '94, Cas (1994), trk# A.07 (Crawdad Hole) Mellin, Norman. Devil's Box, Devil's Box, Ser, 24/4, p46b(1990) Poplin Family. Poplin Family of Sumter, South Carolina, Folkways FA 2306, LP (1963), trk# A.09 (Crawdad Hole) Rascoe, Moses. Blues, Flying Fish FF-454, LP (1987), trk# 12 Seeger, Pete. Folksingers Guitar Guide, Folkways FI 8354, LP (196?), trk# A.01 Seeger, Pete. Seeger, Pete / American Favorite Ballads, Oak, Fol (1961), p86 Simmons Family. Simmons, Tommy & Jean / Simmons Family Songbook, Simmons, Sof (1974), p18 Smith, Raymond; & Bob Cowan. In the Hills of Home, Marimac 9010, Cas (198?), trk# 5 Stracke, Win. Folk Songs for the Young, Golden Records, LP (1962), trk# B.03 Tarriers. Gather Round, Decca DL-74538, LP (196?), trk# 2 Thomas, W. H.. Kirkland Recordings, Tennessee Folklore Soc. TFS-106, LP (1984), trk# 8 [1939/01/07] Traum, Happy. Traum, Happy / Flat-Picker Country Guitar, Oak, Sof (1973), p 68 Wakefield, Frank. Blues Stay Away From Me, Takoma TAK 7082, LP (1980), trk# 4 Watson, Doc; Clint Howard and Fred Price. Old Timey Concert, Vanguard 107/8, Cas (1987), trk# A.13

RECORDING INFO: Sweet Thing Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / Folk Song USA, Signet, Sof (1966/1947), # 34; Duvall, Leone. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume III, Humorous & Play-Party ..., University of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p198/#443 [1926/11/04]; Waller, Fats (Thomas). Valentine Stomp, RCA (Victor) LPV 525, LP (1966), trk# A.05 [1935/11/29]

RECORDING INFO: What You Gonna Do? Sandburg, Carl / American Songbag, Harcourt Brace Jovan..., Sof (1955/1928), p240 (What Kind of Pants Does the Gambler Wear); Memphis Jug Band. American Skiffle Bands, Folkways FA 2610, LP (1957), trk# 12 [1956/12/05]; White, Josh. Josh White Stories, Vol. 1, ABC Paramount ABC 124, LP (196?/1956), trk# 3; White, Josh. Josh White at Town Hall, Mercury MG 20672, LP (1961), trk# B.04 (What Ya Gonna Do)

RECORDING INFO: How Many Biscuits Can You Eat?/ This Morning, This Evening (So Soon/Right Now) Coon Creek Girls. Early Radio Favorites, Old Homestead OHS 142, LP (1982), trk# 3; Coon Creek Girls. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald, Ser, 3/6, p44(1992) [1940s]; Foster, Gwen (Gwin/Gwyn/Guinn). Early Rural String Bands, RCA (Victor) LPV-552, LP (1968), trk# 14 [1939/02/05] ; Freight Hoppers. Where'd You Come From, Where'd You Go?, Rounder 0403, CD (1996), trk# 14; Howard, Clint. Looking off Down the Road, Old Homestead OHS-80060, LP (1983), trk# 5; Jones, Grandpa. 24 Great Country Songs, King 967, LP (1975), trk# A.06; Mother Logo. Branching Out, Legend SG 5005, LP (1986), trk# A.02; Pleasant Family. Old Time String Band, Pleasant --, CD (2005), trk# 17 (Bisquit Song); Stringbean (David Ackerman). Stringbean and His Banjo. A Salute to Uncle Dave Macon, Starday SLP 215, LP (1963), trk# 7; Wiseman, Mac. 20 Old-Time Country Favorites, Rural Rhythm RHY-258, CD (1997/1966), trk# 7

RECORDING INFO: Sweet Child Unknown Fiddler. Thede, Marion (ed.) / The Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p 72 [1930s]

RECORDING INFO: Alice Brown Osborne, Uncle Charlie (Charlie N.). Relics and Treasures, June Appal JA 0049, LP (1985), trk# 7

RECORDING INFO: Going ‘Round the World Baby Mine 1.Coon Creek Girls. Early Radio Favorites, Old Homestead OHS 142, LP (1982), cut# 10 2.Coon Creek Girls. Banjo Pickin' Girl, Rounder 1029, LP (1978), cut# 16 3.Coon Creek Girls. Going Down The Valley; Vocal & Instrumental Music from the South, New World NW 236, LP (1977), cut# 17 4.Fink, Cathy. Leading Role, Rounder 0223, LP (1985), cut#B.05 5.Hazel And Alice. Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, Rounder 0054, LP (1976), cut# 11 6.Ledford, Lilly Mae. Banjo Pickin' Girl, Greenhays GR 712, LP (1983), cut# 1 7.Rutherford, Ernest; and the Gold Hill Band. Old Cap'n Rabbit, Heritage (Galax) 080, Cas (1989), cut# 9 8.Sexton, Lee "Boy". Whoa Mule, June Appal JA 0051, LP (1987), cut# 8 (Going Round This World) 9.Skirtlifters. Somewhere in Dixie, Skirtlifters, Cas (1987), cut#B.06 (Goin' Around the World (Baby Mine)) 10.Stamper, I.D.. Red Wing, June Appal JA 0010, LP (1977), cut# 8 (Going Round This World) R. D. Burnett & Lynn Woodard, "Going Around the World" (recorded for Gennett 1929, but unissued; on BurnRuth01); Coon Creek Girls, "Banjo-Pickin' Girl" (Vocalion 04413/OKeh 04413, 1938; on GoingDown); Pete Steele, "Goin' Around This World, Baby Mine" (on PSteele01)

RECORDING INFO: This Morning, This Evening (So Soon/Right Now) Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.100 [1920s] (Old Bill) Leisy, James F. (ed.) / Hootenanny Tonight!, Gold Medal Books, sof (1964), p147 (Tell Old Bill) Sandburg, Helga (ed.) / Sweet Music, Dial, Bk (1963), p 45 (Tell Old Bill) Barnhart, Nancy. Sandburg, Carl / American Songbag, Harcourt Brace Jovan..., Sof (1955/1928), p 18 (Dis Mornin' Dis Evenin' So Soon) Carawan, Guy. This Little Light of Mine, Folkways FG 3552, LP (1959), trk# A.04 (Tell Old Bill) Carawan, Guy. Asch, Moses (ed.) / 124 Folk Songs as Sung and Recorded on Folkways Reco, Robbins Music, Fol (1965), p105 (Tell Old Bill) Carolina Tar Heels. Carolina Tar Heels, Folk Legacy FSA-024, LP (1965), trk# 8 [1962/08/11] Gibson, Bob. Everybody Sing, Vol 3., Riverside RLP-1420, LP (196?), trk# B.06a (Ol' Bill) Gibson, Bob. Sing Out! Reprints, Sing Out, Sof (196?), 5, p19 (Old Bill) Gibson, Bob. I Come for to Sing, Riverside RLP 12-806, LP (1957), trk# A.06 (Ol' Bill) Hinton, Sam. Singing Across the Land, Decca DL 8108, LP (1955), trk# B.02c (Tell Old Bill) Marshall, Charley. Charley Marshall Sings Folk, Ikon IER 109, LP (1956?), trk# A.01 (Old Bill) Mitchell Trio. Reflecting, Mercury MG 20891, LP (1964), trk# B.01 (Tell Old Bill) Sayre, George; and Charlie Stivers. Songs of the Drinking Gourd, Concept CFM 1001, LP (1960), trk# A.05 (Old Bill) Sessions, Bob. Room at the Top, JHU, LP (197?), trk# B.03 (Tell Old Bill) Silverman, Jerry. Silverman, Jerry (ed.) / Folksingers Guitar Guide, Advanced, Oak, Sof (1964), p44 (Tell Old Bill) Skillet Lickers. Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Rounder 1005, LP (1973), trk# 3 [1927/04/11] (Setting in the Chimney Jamb) Smith, William B.. Shay, Frank (ed.) / My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions and More ..., Dover, Sof (1961/1927), p200 (Dis Mornin' Dis Evenin' So Soon) Van Ronk, Dave. Dave Van Ronk Sings, Vol. 2, Folkways FA 2383, LP (1961), trk# A.04 (Tell Old Bill) Watson, Doc. Watson Family Tradition, Rounder 0129, LP (1977), trk# A.06 (Biscuits)

RELATED TO: “Baby Mine;” "Crawdad (Song)" "New River Train" “I’m Going Back to Jericho (Mexico)” “This Morning, This Evening, So Soon;” “Policeman” “Ain’t No Use in Working So Hard” “How Many Biscuits Can You Eat;” “Going round the World Baby Mine/Banjo Pickin’ Girl;” “How Many Biscuits Can You Eat;” “Gambler's Song;” “Sweet Child;” “What You Gonna Do?;” “Sweet Thing;” “Good Times;” “Crow-Fish Man” “Honey Babe” “Pittsburgh Town;” “Pittsburgh;” “Susie;” “Alice Brown”

NOT RELATED TO: “Sugar Baby” “Got No Sugar Baby Now;” “I Got No Honey Baby Now;” “Red Rocking Chair;” “Red Apple Juice” Also all: “Sugar Babe Blues” songs.

OTHER NAMES: Honey Babe; Sugar Baby Mine

SOURCES: Ceolas; Mudcat Café; Liner notes; Silber-FSWB, p. 54, "Baby Mine" (1 text); Roud #11519;

There are several bluegrass/folk songs that have evolved from Baby Mine with the “baby mine” tag: "Banjo-Pickin' Girl" and “Crawdad Song.” Sometimes there isn’t a tag “I wish I was a Mole (Tempy)” or the tag has been changed to “sugar babe:”

"Back to Jericho" by Dock Walsh

I'm goin' back to Jericho, sugar babe,
I'm goin' back to Jericho, sugar babe,
I'm goin' back to Jericho, 
And I'm getting married 'fore I go, Sugar babe.

From Stewie: In their notes to the Rounder album, 'Banjo Pickin' Girl', Charles Wolfe and Patricia A. Hall mentioned the 'Baby Mine' song. It seems clear that Lily Mae Ledford and the Coon Creek Girls were responsible for entrenching 'Banjo Pickin' Girl' in southern tradition. The pertinent passage in the Wolfe/Hall notes is as follows:

Norm Cohen has described 'Banjo Pickin' Girl' as a song that 'conjures up the image of another fun-loving, wanderlusting mountain girl - the Appalachian equivalent of the jazz age's flapper'. In this respect, it shares much of the spirit of Roba Stanley's 'Single Girl', Moonshine Kate's 'Poor Girl's Story' and the Bowman Sisters' 'Old Lonesome Blues'. Parts of this song have been traced to the middle of the sixteenth century and the melody is related to a cluster of mountain banjo songs like 'Crawdad' and 'Sugar Baby'. The 'baby mine' refrain is found in a pop song from 1879 of that name. Another Kentucky variant of the song is performed by Dick Burnett on Rounder 1004.

The Burnett piece referred to is 'Going Around the World' (1929) for which he claimed authorship, albeit a parody of 'Baby Mine'. Emry Arthur recorded a song of the same title in 1928. The Coon Creek girls recorded 'Banjo Pickin' Girl' in 1938.

Although there’s just one letter different (hence the confusion), Sugar Babe is not related to the : “Sugar Baby” “Got No Sugar Baby Now;” “I Got No Honey Baby Now;” “Red Rocking Chair;” and “Red Apple Juice” songs. These songs first by Doc Boggs and many others are different.

Sugar Babe is also not related to the group of blues songs named “Sugar Babe” and “Sugar Babe/Baby Blues.” “Sugar Babe, It's All Over Now” by Mance Lipscomb is one title of these blues songs.

FINAL NOTES: “Sugar Babe” is related to a large group of songs from these two main branches “Crawdad Song” and “This Morning, This Evening So Soon.” Just from these two branches there are dozens of different titles. Songs like "New River Train" and “I wish I was a Mole” are very similar but don’t use a tag at the end of each verse (sugar babe/baby mine/this morning etc.). Added to the number of songs and variants of Sugar Babe the confusion from blues versions (same name different songs) and the “Sugar Baby/ I Ain’t Got No Sugar Baby Now” songs and you can see how puzzling sorting these songs can be!

Sugar Babe is possibly the origin of the old-time song “The Policeman” popularized by Tommy Jarrell. Sharp & Karpeles collected a version of Sugar Babe (see Version 1) by Eliza Pace in 1917 found in English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians II:

Shoot your dice and have your fun, Sugar Babe (2x) 
Run like the devil when the police come, sugar babe. 

Here are the lyrics to Chattanooga Sugar Babe: 

Chattanooga Sugar Babe by Johnny Cash

There ain't no money to buy cocaine, sugar babe
There ain't no money to buy cocaine, sugar babe
There ain't no money to buy cocaine
Burn your nose and rot your brain, sugar babe
Sugar babe

I woke up this morning blues all around, sugar babe
I woke up this morning blues all around, sugar babe
I woke up this morning blues all around
Threw on my rags and walked 'round town

Standing on a corner don't you see, sugar babe
Standing on a corner don't you see, sugar babe
Standing on a corner don't you see
They hauled me away for vagrancy, sugar babe

Leave that red whiskey alone, sugar babe
Leave that red whiskey alone, sugar babe
Leave that red whiskey alone,
Gives you paulsey in your bones, sugar babe, sugar babe

Whatcha gonna do when the meat gives out, sugar babe
Whatcha gonna do when the meat gives out, sugar babe
Whatcha gonna do when the meat gives out
Standing on the corner mouth and a pout, sugar babe
Aw, sugar babe

Chattanooga is a fine old town, sugar babe
Chattanooga is a fine old town, sugar babe
Chattanooga is a fine old town
You get a little crazy then burn your house down
Sugar babe, sugar babe 

I said Chattanooga is a fine old town, sugar babe
Chattanooga is a fine old town, sugar babe
Chattanooga is a fine old town
You get a little crazy then burn your house down
Sugar babe