Walking in My Sleep- Version 2 Alice and Hazel

Walking In My Sleep- Version 2
Alice and Hazel 

 

Walking In My Sleep/ Walkin' in My Sleep

See also: Shear Em

Old-Time song and fiddle tune;

ARTIST: Alice and Hazel; Pioneering Women of Bluegrass 1965

CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes

EARLIEST DATE: 1800s (Meade); Recorded by Dixie Reelers 1936

RECORDING INFO: Walking in My Sleep [Me II-AA31]

Rm - Boggy Road to Texas; Just an Old Rag in G; Trumpey's Hornpipe; When the Leaves Begin to Turn Brown

Brody, David (ed.) / Guitar Picker's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1984), p147
Acuff, Roy; and his Smokey Mountain Boys. Fly, Birdie, Fly. 1939-40, Rounder SS024, LP (1988), trk# 1 [1939/06]
Baker, Kenny. Portrait of a Bluegrass Fiddler, County 719, LP (1968), trk# 2
Baker, Kenny. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p284
Burris, Otis; and Fortune. Otis Burris and Fortune, Heritage (Galax) 073C, Cas (1989), trk# 1
Clifton, Bill; and the Dixie Mountain Boys. Bluegrass Hall of Fame, Hollywood HT 105, Cas (1987), trk# 13 [1958?]
Cline, Curly Ray. Chicken Reel, Rebel SLP 1498, LP (197?), trk# 3
Curley, Clyde. Songer, Susan; & Clyde Curley (eds) / Portland Collection, Vol. 2, Portland Collection, Fol (2005), p221
Edmonds, Jimmie. 52nd Annual Old Fiddlers Convention Galax, Va 1987, Heritage (Galax) 704, LP (1988), trk# 5
Fraley, J. P. and Annadeene. Brandywine '83. The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Brand..., Heritage (Galax) 054, LP (1984), trk# 1
Hazel And Alice. Who's That Knocking, Verve/Folkways FVS-900, LP (1966), trk# 1
Hooven, Greg. Tribute to Fred Cockerham, Heritage (Galax) 079C, Cas (1993), trk# A.05
Jarrell, Tommy. Pickin' on Tommy's Porch, County 778, LP (1984), trk# 7
Johnson, Vesta Wilson. Now That's a Good Tune. Masters of Missouri Traditional Fiddling, Grey Eagle 101, LP (1989), trk# 8 [1988/09/07]
Maddox Brothers and Rose. On the Air, Vol. 2, Arhoolie 5033, LP (198?), trk# 10
Mainer, Wade. From the Maple on the Hill, Old Homestead OHTRS 4000, LP (1976), trk# A.05
Old Virginia Fiddlers. Old Time Fiddle, Patrick County, VA, County 201, LP (1977), trk# A.06 [1948]
Pine Ridge Boys and Patsy. Stringband Music from Mt. Airy, Heritage (Galax) 029 (XXIX), LP (1981), trk# A.04
Robertson, Lonnie; and the Caney Mountain Boys. Square Dance Fiddlin', Caney Mountain CEP 213, SP (196?), trk# 1c (Brown Leaf Rag)
Robertson, Lonnie. Lonnie's Breakdown. Classic Fiddle Music From Missouri, Rounder 0375, CD (1996), trk# 34c (Brown Leaf Rag)
Robic, A; and the Exertions. Old Time Music Dance Party, Flying Fish FF 415, LP (1987), trk# 1a
Silberberg, Gene. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p207
Smathers, Luke; String Band. In Full Swing, June Appal JA 032, LP (1981), trk# 14
Smith, Glen; & the Mountain State Pickers. Glen Smith and the Mountain State Pickers, Kanawha 322, LP (197?), trk# A.01
Stinnett, Cyril. Mahoney's Reel, MSOTFA 105, Cas (1992), trk# 3
Sutphin, Kirk. Old Roots and New Branches, County CD 2711, CD (1994), trk# 11
Uncle Earl. She Waits for Night, Rounder 0565-2, CD (2005), trk# 1
Virginia Playboys. Galax Virginia; Old Fiddler's Convention, Folkways FA 2435, LP (1964), trk# B.11 [1961-63]

OTHER NAMES: Walkin' in my Sleep; Brown Leaf Rag

RELATED TO: Shear 'Em tunes; Boggy Road to Texas; Just an Old Rag in G; Trumpey's Hornpipe; When the Leaves Begin to Turn Brown


SOURCES: Folk Index; Kuntz

NOTES: Walking in My Sleep was copyrighted by Fiddlin' Arthur Smith in 1937. Since it was recorded by the Dixie Reelers in 1936, Smith's claims to the song lack merit. The tune is an adaptation of Shear Em (See Shear Em) as is the Bob Wills' tune "Take Me Back To Tulsa."

Meade traced the song back to the 1800s and Shear Em has been traced back to the Civil War Period 1864 (Brown Collection) [See also: Shear Em]. There's also an affinity of this tune with country blues guitarist Casey Bill Weldon's 1937 recording "Walkin' In My Sleep."

"Walking in My Sleep" has also been recorded by the Prairie Ramblers in 1938 and Al Dexter in 1940. The Prairie Ramblers version includes lyrics from Casey Bill Weldon's version. Below are the 1965 lyrics from Alice and Hazel with a hot band featuring Chubby Wise (fiddle), Lamar Grier (banjo) and Dave Grisman (mandolin).  Uncle Earl's 2005 version is taken from from Alice and Hazel.

Alternate lyrics for chorus:

Walking in my sleep, babe
Walking in my sleep
Every time I go to bed
I wake up on my feet

Notes from Kuntz: WALKING IN MY SLEEP [1]. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; western North Carolina, southwest Virginia, east Kentucky. G Major. Standard tuning. AB (Silberberg): AABB (Phillips). The tune has been called a Blue Ridge area standard, though Tom Carter and Barry Poss (1977) believe it was a relatively late addition to the traditional fiddler's repertoire of Patrick County, Va., "though one which most of the older fiddlers learned." It is known as a Surry County, North Carolina, regional tune, and was, for example, in the repertoire of Otis Burris; a rather "powerful and pretty" version was collected from Esker Hutchins of Dobson, North Carolina.

Source for notated version: Dudley Spangler (Va.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 160. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 165. Chubby Dragon CD1008, Brad Leftwich, Bruce Molsky et al – “Mountairy.usa” (2001). County 201, The Old Virginia Fiddlers‑ "Rare Recordings 1948‑49." County 778, Tommy Jarrell ‑ "Pickin' on Tommy's Porch" (1984. Learned from Pate Martin in the late 1920's or early 30's). County CO-CD-2711, Kirk Sutphin - "Old Roots and New Branches" (1994). Heritage 054, J.P. Fraley ‑ "Brandywine '83: Music of French America" (1984). Mountain 301, Kyle Creed‑ "Blue Ridge Style Square Dance Time." Rebel 1498, Curly Ray Cline‑ "Chicken Reel."

WALKING IN MY SLEEP [2]. Old‑Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown. G Major. Standard tuning. AABB (Phillips): AA'BB (Brody). Source for notated version: Kenny Baker [Brody, Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 284. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 160. County 719, Kenny Baker‑ "Portrait of a Bluegrass Fiddler." 
 
Walking in My Sleep (Alice and Hazel) 1965
Hazel Dickens, Alice Foster (vocals); Chubby Wise (violin); Lamar Grier (banjo);
Dave Grisman (mandolin).

(Fiddle Intro)

CHORUS: Walkin' in my sleep, babe, walkin' in my sleep;
Up and down that Dixie line, walkin' in my sleep.

(Fiddle)

Now when you see that gal of mine, tell her if you please,
When she goes to make the bread, roll those dirty sleeves. CHORUS:

(Banjo)


Pain in my fingers, pain in my toes;
Pain in my ankle bone, I ain't a-gonna work no more. CHORUS:

(Mandolin)

Bake those biscuits baby, bake 'em good and brown,
When I eat my breakfast I'm Alabama bound. CHORUS:

Fiddle

Well yonder comes my baby, how do you think I know,
I can tell by those *golden curls, hanging down so low. CHORUS:

*apron strings