"Old Joe Clark" is a US folk song, a mountain

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

that was popular among soldiers from eastern Kentucky during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and afterwards. Its lyrics refer to a real person named Joseph Clark, a Kentucky mountaineer who was born in 1839 and murdered in 1885. The "playful and sometimes outlandish verses" have led to the conjecture that it first spread as a children's song and via play parties. There are about 90 stanzas in various versions of the song. The tune is based on an A major scale in the Mixolydian mode, but moreover has definite hints of a complete blues scale, namely, the flatted 3rd and 5th. Although "Old Joe Clark" may have originated in the 19th century, no printed records are known from before 1900. An early version was printed in 1918, as sung in Virginia at that time. "Old Joe Clark" has been described as "one of the most widely known of all Southern fiddle tunes s of the late 20th century. ... Ithas, to a degree, become part of the

nited States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

national repertory. One may hear it in bluegrass jam sessions,

old-time fiddle Old time fiddle is a genre of American folk music. "Old time fiddle tunes" derived from European folk dance tunes such as Jig, Reel, Breakdown, Schottische, Waltz, Two Step and Polka. The fiddle may be accompanied by banjo or other inst ...

sessions, and country dances throughout the United States."

Score

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Lyrics

Fare-the-well Old Joe Clark, goodbye Mitsy Brow-owww-owwwn Fare-the-well Old Joe Clark, I'm gonna leave this town Old Joe Clark he had a house 16 stories high and every story in that house was filled with chicken pie I went down to Old Joe's house – never been there before He slept on a feather bed, and I slept on the floor. Refrain: Round and around old Joe Clark Round and around I say Round and around Old Joe Clark. I hav'n't long to stay.

Recordings

The song has been recorded by many artists, including: *1924:

Cowan Powers and his Family Band Fiddlin' Powers and Family was a Virginia string band from the 1920s, considered pioneers in early country music. They were the first family string band to make a commercial record (1924). The band consisted of Cowan Powers and his children, Cha ...

– third best selling album that year *1940s: Woody Guthrie *1962: Kingston Trio *1968:

Don Partridge Donald Eric Partridge (27 October 1941 – 21 September 2010)Report of death< ...

on his inaugural solo album *1985: Uncle Charlie Osborne

Modern adaptations

* The riff of Ian Dury's 1977 single " Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" originates from "Old Joe Clark". * The melody was adapted by Mojo Nixon, Jello Biafra, and the Toadliquors for "Let's Go Burn Old Nashville Down" for their 1994 album ''

Prairie Home Invasion ''Prairie Home Invasion'' is a collaborative studio album by Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon, backed by Nixon's backing band the Toadliquors. Released in 1994 by Biafra's record label Alternative Tentacles, the album's lyrics predominantly deal with po ...

'', a song that has been described as a comment "on the sad state of country music in the '90s". * On jazz guitarist

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

's ''

80/81 ''80/81'' is a double album by jazz guitarist Pat Metheny, featuring tenor saxophonists Dewey Redman and Michael Brecker, acoustic bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Jack DeJohnette, which was released in 1980. Metheny toured in the U.S. in fall 19 ...

'' album, bassist Charlie Haden quotes from the melody of "Old Joe Clark" during his solo on "Two Folk Songs 1st , 2nd." Haden had also quoted from the song in his earlier solo in Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin'" (from 1960's ''

Change of the Century ''Change of the Century'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, released on Atlantic Records in May 1960. It sold very well from soon after its release. Recording sessions for the album took place on October 8 and 9, 1959, in New York Ci ...

''), and the same unmistakable riff shows up as well in Haden's solo bass performance "Taney County" (on Haden's 1987 '' Quartet West'' album). Haden's preoccupation with the song is evident, too, on '' Rambling Boy'' (a reference to the 1960 Coleman song...?), the 2008 album credited to "Charlie Haden Family & Friends"; on this collection of collaborative interpretations of standards, Jack Black takes the lead singing "Old Joe Clark." * The melody is used as part of the score (composed by Carter Burwell) for the 2019 stop-motion animated feature film '' Missing Link'', during a bar brawl sequence. This rendition was performed by the bluegrass band The Grascals.

References

External links

"Old Joe Clark" lyrics, biography, song history, notable recordings, videos and tab links
traditionalmusic.co.uk
Text
BluegrassNet Bluegrass Lyrics

Digital Tradition Mirror
"Old Joe Clark"
Folk Den {{Authority control 1925 singles American folk songs