forks of the branch
Forks of the Branch – Johnny Mullins
Well it’s funny how a song can melt your heart
‘Specially when it’s sung
By a pretty little girl with pretty little curls
And the moon is lowly swung
My folks took me to the village one night
A dance was going on
I met a little girl with pretty little curls
Who taught me to sing this silly little song:
Way down yonder in the forks of the branch
The old sow fiddled and a little pig danced
Possum in the yum tree better came down
Make a nickel for his hide when you get ‘m in town
Now the babies slept and the old folks stepped
To the big hillbilly band
Me and the girl with pretty little curls
Just sat a-holdin’ hands
She’d smile at me I’d smile at her
As the band played on and on
She tapped her feet and giggled so sweet
And sang another verse of that silly little song
Way down yonder in the forks of the branch
The old sow fiddled and a little pig danced
If I had a wish I’d wish I was a tree
You’d come along start swinging on me
I went home that night all starry-eyed
Gazing at the moon
And all the way home I couldn’t help
But sing that silly tune
When the tucked me into my bed that night
I hadn’t been asleep very long
‘Till I started dreamin’ a sweet little dream
‘Bout a sweet little girl singing a silly little song
Way down yonder in the forks of the branch
The old sow fiddled and a little pig danced
Better wake grandpa early in the morn’
Tell him that the crows are eatin’ up the corn
Well I courted her as the years went by
And joy filled our lives
And early one spring I bought a ring
And she became my wife
We live up high on the mountain top
Our love is true and strong
Come up and see us one of these days
Hear a house full of kids sing a silly little song
Way down yonder in the forks of the branch
The old sow fiddled and a little pig danced
Possum in the yum tree better came down
Make a nickel for his hide when you get ‘m in town
If I had a wish I’d wish I was a tree
You’d come along start swinging on me
Better wake grandpa early in the morn’
Tell him that the crows are eatin’ up the corn
In onze serie knusliedjes (mijn vertaling van feel-good-music) dit keer een liedje over een liedje, of ook wel een “liedje in een liedje”. Een apart genre dat niet veel voorkomt. Wij hoorden een werkelijk fantastische versie op de cd Hay to Zzzzz van Big Smith & Family. De tekst van het “liedje in het liedje” komt voor een deel uit het nummer Groundhog, maar dat zegt niet zo heel veel. Er wordt wel vaker geleend in dit soort folksongs. Van Johnny Mullins weten we niet meer dan dat hij, net als Big Smith, ook uit Springfield, Missouri komt.
De genoemde cd van Big Smith staat overigens helemaal stampvol met aanstekelijke knusliedjes.
Knusliedjes:
Kippevelliedjes: