This week’s TOTW is Fiddlin’ John Carson’s “Hell Bound for Alabama.” I first heard this tune as an instrumental on the great record “Ship in the Clouds” featuring Lisa Ornstein, Andy Cahan [on banjo], and Laura Fishleder. Here’s a link to this great version:
http://www.folkways.si.edu/TrackDetails.aspx?itemid=25501
One of my banjo students wanted to learn the tune, so I decided to sit down with my wife Alice—of the fabulous ears, in addition to the rest—and figure it out based on that version. She sussed it quick and it’s become one of our faves to play together.
I subsequently located Fiddlin’ John Carsons’ original recording which includes three verses, and found that the Freight Hoppers had also recorded it with lyrics on their recent record “Mile Marker.” Links to these references are below, with Fiddlin’ John’s first:
http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Bound-For-Alabama/dp/B000SFTIVO
http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Bound-For-Alabama/dp/B004IDYRVI
There are no recordings or tablature of “Hell Bound for Alabama” in the BHO, at least according to my search. There are two YouTubes of the Freight Hoppers doing the tune:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiDP8XUqpvs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWf8_kXSqw4
There is also one version from a band called “Citico” which I don’t know much about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOglTNBVQ0g
I love the tune because it’s a great, straight up breakdown with one crucial crook in it. The “A” section has only 6 measures so that the first two bars of the “B” section feel like they could be resolving the “A” but they’re actually running you ahead into the “B.” In this way the tune does feel hurried up, or “Hell Bound.” Then the “C” section is one of those great “coarse” or low sections where the fiddle can just scrape and rub like a bow-drill fire starter for as long as it wants before you jump back up to the top! The banjo can either stay down low with the fiddle, or play the coarse part up high like Frank Lee does often.
The Fiddler’s Companion has a pretty short blurb on the tune, which follows:
HELL BOUND FOR ALABAMA. AKA and see "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia." Old- Time, Breakdown. Some of the rhymes Carson used for the tune were taken from the song “I’d Rather Be a N....r than a Poor White Man” (See Talley {Ed. Wolfe}, 1991, pgs. 36-37).
***
My name’s Ran, I wuks in de san’,
But I’d druther be a n***** dan a po’ white man. (Talley)
***
Similarities to the Ozark region tune “Little Home to Go to [1].” Okeh 45159 (78 RPM), Fiddlin’ John Carson (1927).
Also, here’s the “Tune Archive” link to sheet music and some lyrics for this tune:
http://tunearch.org/wiki/Hellbound_for_Alabama
However, the “Tune Archive” lyrics and those at Fiddlers’ Companion are not that accurate to those sung by Carson himself—at least on the recording I have.
As far as I can make them out, Carson sings:
Ain’t no hell in Georgia, hell broke loose in Georgia,
Ain’t seen no mutton in an old tin pan,
I can get to hell just as quick as you can.
Goin’ to Alabama, goin’ to Alabama,
My name ain’t Sam, I don’t give a damn,
I’d sooner be a n***** than a poor white man.
Raccoon flied (?) the possum, Raccoon flied the possum,
Made 10 bales of cotton,
Ain’t seen no mutton in the old tin pan, I can get to hell just as quick as you can.
The Freighthoppers choose to eschew the racial invitation in the second verse, as do I. They also slightly flip the lyrics around:
Raccoon flied (?) the possum, made 10 Bales of Cotton.
I ain’t never seen mutton in an old tin can
I can get to hell just as fast as you can.
Ain’t no hell in Georgia, hell broke loose in Georgia.
My name’s Sam, I don’t give a damn,
I’d rather be a runner than a repo man.
I’m going to Alabama, well I’m going to Alabama.
My name’s Sam, I don’t give a damn,
I can get to hell just as fast as you can.
I haven’t done my own recording of this tune yet, and I’ll be gone playing old time tunes at the Black Creek Old-Time Gathering this weekend. I’ll try to get up a recording when I return. Here is a tablature I did for my banjo students, hopefully I can post a link here. Enjoy, and let me know what else you know about this rockin’ tune!