To Hear Your Banjo Play (1947)

e [Music] did you ever see a muskat s dragging his slick tail through the sand picking a banjo s I'm going to marry s I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to Mar I'm [Music] going hello there Peter howy mighty nice music you're making Pete oh I'm just warming up what's that funny looking guitar are you playing oh this isn't a guitar this is a banjo well tell me is a banjo something new new about as new as America is you see American Negro slaves made the first real banjos a couple hundred years ago out of old Hollow gourds and possum skins I guess but then the banjo spread all over the whole country everyone loved them they traveled West in the covered wagons later on the banjo went out of style got countryfied nowadays you are liable to hear it played by someone old Farmer and the hands on the strings will be hardened by work and worn by the weather like these hands of an old friend of mine down in Virginia he can't read music you know he plays by a some old tune a tune that made feet Pat in Pioneer Days what's he thinking about maybe about picnic last Saturday and the square dance and where the boys were swinging the gals and the gals were skipping and flying C up ladies swing like [Music] thunder picnic on the grounds and juicy red [Music] watermelon an old Uncle Bud steps out to dance while a fiddler plays a ho down Uncle Bud's near 80 but he hears a banjo ring and looks like his feet move all by the C he cuts the same bucking Wing his grandpa used to in the Log Cabin yes sir the banjo still makes folks dance out in the country well then Pete what are you doing here in New York City well it's a funny thing but people in this big town are beginning to like my kind of music [Music] too out there in Big Town with the skyscrapers glisten in the sun where the buildings make canyons in the air American folk music got lost in the Roar of the traffic but now the people are listening again I guess my old Tunes remind them of home of their Ro in the lamb seems my country music kind of fascinates him but Peter Why Try to revive this American Music isn't it Dead Oh no you're all wrong it's not dead it's very much alive for millions of people take this little old tune well maybe about two centuries ago that was an old scotch ballad came over here but down in the Blue Hills of Virginia down where the rough Mountain Country sort of closed in on the [Music] people this is Mrs Texas plat like her mother before her she's singing a ball to make the work go easy then the devil came to the old man one day say one of your family I take away and day day it's not your oldest son I CRA but your old golden wife take yes in these Southern mountains you will find a clear pure stream of Frontier ballad in lonely cabins in the memories of little old ladies sitting in the sun no lady who keeps the ballads with her love [Music] letters the same ballad that Mrs gladen sings to the Young Folks at the country [Music] one little devil went a climbing the walls to take her back Daddy she a murder [Music] all the old man Wasing through the crack and he saw the Old Devil luging her back and day then said the old man we Bound for a curse where she's BN to hell and she's 10 times worse in the fight [Music] are from generation to generation on down the ballads have been handed and not just the ballads as the picnic ends the old folks gather to sing a spiritual Wonder Love Is all my [Music] soul the Lord of perf my soul my [Music] soul [Music] my I Wasing down down down [Music] I when you come down into the flat hot country of the South down into the rich cotton land you hear a different kind of music the music of the sharecroppers the migratory workers music that's jangling and [Music] moreful I was born in South Carolina down to Geor I did go there I met a fair young maid and her name I never did know their work is seasonal it's hard they're bowed down in poverty bowed down to the Earth you can see poverty written all over their faces and poverty in their [Music] song me back again in her hair she wore white roses and her GL was rosy red on her strength in this music too strength that made millions of bales of Southern C two races met here in the South together they built the song and together they made a new kind of music [Music] John Henry when he was a baby s down on his M's knee picked up a hammer in his little be be the dance for me Lord Lord will be the dance me well Captain he said to John Henry I'm going to bring my steam around I'm going to bring my steam drill out on this J Ste down and I'm going [Music] to this is a new work song with a beat of steam engines in the Rhythm woman her name was Johnny took sick and he has to go to bed Andro like a Andro like a man [Music] me woo Henry the weed in the loc roll a Ste ding man is a Ste ding is a Ste ding [Music] how long you kid been standing here why sh we've been standing here for the last 10 minutes listen you well I'll be darn say how about that square dance we going to have I FID bows [Music] [Music] see everybody got tuned up here okay okay okayer get him ready for that first set up the river and around the B grab your partners we're going again all head up sty in your mouth we F yourone Sade a back open Tunnel double hand over hand and head over heel the more you Dan the better you feel better you feel you dance R and watch di page when get straight one the right for on your even D dive and shoot lady TR a double b KN your make over he next FL swing ring Corner swinging the honey you GL I and everybody [Music] bouncing like that one D again your part around foot ground Alabama wish had a wish I had a little they all time you [Music]