The Arkansas Traveler (song) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "The Arkansas Traveler" |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Song by Mose Case | |
| Written | Mid-19th century |
| Published | c. 1862 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Composer(s) | Sandford C. Faulkner |
"The Arkansas Traveler" is a famous folk song from the mid-1800s. It became very popular thanks to an American singer and guitarist named Mose Case. The song is based on a piece of music by Sandford C. Faulkner.
The first time the music was printed was in 1847. It was called "The Arkansas Traveller and Rackinsac Waltz."
From 1949 to 1963, "The Arkansas Traveler" was the official state song of Arkansas. Since 1987, it has been the state's historic song. In 1947, a special group wrote the official words for the song. Arkansas has other state songs too, like "Arkansas" and "Oh, Arkansas."
A recording of the song from 1922 by “Eck” Robertson was chosen for the National Recording Registry. This is a list of important sound recordings kept at the Library of Congress.
Contents
The Story Behind the Song
This song has many different versions of its words. Some of these versions are much older than the official state historic song.
Different Versions of the Song
Many people have sung and played "The Arkansas Traveler" in their own ways. Here are some of the popular versions.
Arkansas' Official Historic Song
This version was written in 1947 by the Arkansas State Song Selection Committee. It tells a funny story.
Far and far away down in Arkansas,
There lived a squatter with a stubborn jaw.
His nose was ruby red and his whiskers gray.
And he would sit and fiddle all the night and all the day.
Came a traveler down the valley, asked if he could find a bed.
Yes, try the road, the kindly squatter said.
Then, could you point me out the way to find a tavern or an Inn?
Quite a little piece I reckon, tho I've never been!
And, when the rain came down on the cabin floor,
The squatter only fiddled all the more.
Why don't you mend your roof, said the traveler bold.
How can I mend my cabin when the rain is wet and cold?
Squatter pick a sunny morning when the air is dry and nice,
Patch up your cabin, that is my advice.
The squatter shook his hoary head, and answered with a stubborn air,
Cabin never leaks a drop when days are bright and fair!
The Peter Pan Version
This version also tells a story about a fiddler and a traveler.
Oh, once upon a time in Arkansas,
An old man sat in his little cabin door
And fiddled at a tune that he liked to hear,
A jolly old tune that he played by ear.
It was raining hard, but the fiddler didn't care,
He sawed away at the popular air,
Tho' his rooftree leaked like a waterfall,
That didn't seem to bother the man at all.
A traveler was riding by that day,
And stopped to hear him a-practicing away;
The cabin was a-float and his feet were wet,
But still the old man didn't seem to fret.
So the stranger said "Now the way it seems to me,
You'd better mend your roof," said he.
But the old man said as he played away,
"I couldn't mend it now, it's a rainy day."
The traveler replied, "That's all quite true,
But this, I think, is the thing to do;
Get busy on a day that is fair and bright,
Then patch the old roof till it's good and tight."
But the old man kept on a-playing at his reel,
And tapped the ground with his leathery heel.
"Get along," said he, "for you give me a pain;
My cabin never leaks when it doesn't rain."
Albert Bigelow Paine's Versions
Albert Bigelow Paine wrote two versions of the song for his book, The Arkansaw Bear: A Tale of Fanciful Adventure. The first one was taught to children in the northern parts of the United States.
Oh, 'twas down in the woods of the Arkansaw,
And the night was cloudy and the wind was raw,
And he didn't have a bed, and he didn't have a bite,
And if he hadn't fiddled, he'd a travelled all night.
But he came to a cabin, and an old gray man,
And says he, "Where am I going? Now tell me if you can."
"Oh, we'll have a little music first and then some supper, too,
But before we have the supper we will play the music through.
You'll forget about your supper, you'll forget about your home,
You'll forget you ever started out in Arkansaw to roam."
Now the old man sat a-fiddling by the little cabin door,
And the tune was pretty lively, and he played it o'er and o'er,
And the stranger sat a-list'ning and a-wond'ring what to do,
As he fiddled and he fiddled, but he never played it through.
Then the stranger asked the fiddler, "Won't you play the rest for me?"
"Don't know it," says the fiddler. "Play it for yourself!" says he.
Then the stranger took the fiddle, with a riddy-diddle-diddle,
And the strings began to tingle at the jingle of the bow,
While the old man sat and listened, and his eyes with pleasure glistened,
As he shouted, "Hallelujah! And hurray for Joe!"
The second version by Albert Bigelow Paine is the original one.
Oh, there was a little boy and his name was Bo,
Went out into the woods when the moon was low,
And he met an old bear who was hungry for a snack,
And his folks are still a-waiting for Bosephus to come back.
For the boy became the teacher of this kind and gentle creature
Who can play upon the fiddle in a very skillful way.
And they'll never, ever sever, and they'll travel on forever,
Bosephus and the fiddle and the old black bear.
Traditional Children's Versions
Many children know a fun version of "The Arkansas Traveler" that uses the tune for a song about a bumblebee.
I'm bringin' home a baby bumblebee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringin' home a baby bumblebee—Ow! It stung me!
I'm squishin' up my baby bumblebee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm squishin' up my baby bumblebee-Yuck! It's dirty!
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm lickin' up my baby bumble bee-Ick! I feel sick!
I'm throwin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm throwin' up my baby bumble bee-Oh! What a mess!
I'm wipin' up my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wipin' up my baby bumble bee-Oops! Mommy's new towel!
I'm wringin' out my baby bumble bee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wringin' out my baby bumble bee-Bye-bye baby bumblebee!
Alternate Children's Version
Here is another fun version that kids often sing.
I'm bringin' home a baby bumblebee
Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringin' home a baby bumblebee—Ow! He stung me!
I'm bringin' home my baby dinosaur
Won't my mommy kick him out the door?
I'm bringin' home my baby dinosaur-Ouch! He kicked me!
I'm bringin' home my baby hippopotamus
Won't my mommy fuss, and fuss, and fuss?
I'm bringin' home my baby hippopotamus-Ouch! He swallowed me!
The Song in Movies and TV
"The Arkansas Traveler" was often heard in animated cartoons during the 1930s and 1940s. Carl Stalling used it a lot in his music for the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoons. It usually played when a country character appeared on screen. A slower version of the "Baby Bumblebee" song was sung by Beaky Buzzard in the cartoon The Bashful Buzzard.
The song also appeared in the 1932 Laurel and Hardy short film, The Music Box. In this movie, the comedians try to move a player piano up a long set of stairs. They dance to "The Arkansas Traveler" and "Dixie" at the end of their adventure.
The Song in Vaudeville Shows
"The Arkansas Traveler" was a popular comedy act in vaudeville shows. These shows were like variety shows with different acts. The sketch usually showed a lost city person meeting a funny country fiddle player. They would tell jokes and play parts of the song. Sometimes, the city person would also play the fiddle and learn the tune.
Singer Michelle Shocked included a vaudeville-style version of the song on her 1992 album, Arkansas Traveler. Jerry Garcia and David Grisman also played a version on their 1993 album, Not for Kids Only.
Other Places the Song Appears
- Dan Hornsby recorded "Original Arkansas Traveler Part 1" and "Part 2" in the 1920s.
- Composer Charles Ives used the tune in his piece called "Country Band" March.
- Eck Robertson and Henry C. Gilliland's 1922 recording was chosen for the National Recording Registry in 2002.
- Harl McDonald wrote an orchestral piece called The Legend of the Arkansas Traveler in 1939.
- Children's singer Raffi used the melody for his song "Peanut Butter Sandwich." This song is on his album Singable Songs for the Very Young.
- The "Baby Bumblebee" version was sung on two episodes of Barney & Friends.
- Pete Seeger recorded a vaudeville version for his 1954 album "Frontier Ballads".
- The Jukebox Band performed their version on the TV show Shining Time Station.
- In the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, saloon piano players often play "The Arkansas Traveler."
- The instrumental version is heard in a dance scene in the TV series Call of the Wild.
- The instrumental versions are used as cultural theme songs for the United States in the video game series Civilization.
See also
