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Hop High Ladies

Composer: Traditional

Recordings

Hop High Ladies and similar titles
info Old Timey Songs for Children, New Lost City Ramblers, 1959
info The Folk Music of the Newport Folk Festival 195-60, Vol. 2, Various Artists (New Lost City Ramblers), 1961
info Sing Songs Of The New Lost City Ramblers, Tom Paley, John Cohen, Mike Seeger, 1961
no info Holy Modal Rounders, Holy Modal Rounders, 1964
no info Wait 'Til The Clouds Roll By, Uncle Dave Macon, 196?
no info Original Bogtrotters, The Bogtrotters, 196?
no info Ernest Stoneman and His Dixie Mountaineers, Stoneman's Dixie Mountaineers, 196?
no info Rufus Crisp, Rufus Crisp, 1972
no info Dulcimer, More Old-Time and Traditional Music, Ralph Lee Smith, 1975
no info Old Time Fiddle, Patrick County, VA, Old Virginia Fiddlers, 1977
info It'll Tickle Your Innards, Dr. Corn's Bluegrass Remedy, 1977
no info Old Originals, Vol. 1, Frank Dalton, 1978
no info Homecoming and Family Reunion, The Dillards, 1979
no info America's Greatest Breakdown Fiddle Player, Paul Warren, 1979
no info Traditional Dance Tunes, Hollow Rock String Band, 197?
no info It Just Suits Me, David Holt, 1981
no info Cherokee Rose, Rafe Brady, 1981
info Down Yonder: Old Time String Band Music from Georgia, Gordon Tanner/John Patterson/Smokey Joe Miller, 1982
no info Going Across The River To Hear My Banjo Ring, Carlie Marion, 1988
no info Mountain Dulcimer, Galax Style, Phyllis Gaskin, 1991
info Animal Folk Songs for Children, Mike, Peggy, Barbara, Penny Seeger, 1992
info Holy Modal Rounders 1 and 2, Holy Modal Rounders, 1998
no info Good Friends, Good Music, Boys Of The Lough, 19??
no info The Folk Music Of The Newport Folk Festival 1959-60, Various Artists (New Lost City Ramblers), 19??
no info The Gayest Old Dude In Town, Uncle Dave Macon, 19??
info Bluegrass Bonanza, Various Artists (Ernest V. Stoneman & His Dixie Mountaineers), 2001
info Mountain Treasures, George Shuffler & Laura Boosinger, 2003
info Keep My Skillet Good & Greasy, Uncle Dave Macon, 2004
info Classic Sides 1924-1938, Uncle Dave Macon, 2004
no info Larry Richardson & the Blue Ridge Boys, Larry Richardson & the Blue Ridge Boys, 2007
info The Essential Guide To Bluegrass, Various Artists (Ernest Stoneman), 2007
info The Unsung Father of Country Music 1925-1934, Ernest V. Stoneman, 2008

McLeod's Reel or similar title
info Saturday Night and Sunday Too, Jean Ritchie, 1956
no info Irish Folk Dances, James O'Flynn Orchestra, 1956
no info Caledonia!, The Macpherson Singers and Dancers Of Scotland, 1960
no info Breeze From Erin, Festy Conlan, 1969
no info Irish Songs and Dances, Tom Fitzgerald, 196?
no info Union Grove, The Hub Of The Universe, John Hilt, 1970
no info Masters Of The Irish Flute, Seamus Tansey and Eddie Corcoran, 1970
no info Memphis Jellyroll, Stefan Grossman, 1974
no info Wheels Of The World, Classics Of Irish Traditional Music, Patrick Touhey, 1976
no info Swarbrick 2, Dave Swarbrick, 1977
no info New England Traditional Fiddling, Uncle Joe Shippee, 1978
no info Joe and The Gabe, Songs and Music Of Galway, Gabe O'Sullivan, 1979
no info Toss The Feather, Tom Furey, 197?
no info Fiddlin' Fever, Alice Clemens, 197?
no info Noonday Feast, Joe Shannon and Johnny McGreevy, 1980
no info Body, Boots and Britches: Folk Songs of New York State, The Golden Eagle String Band, 1982
no info Irish Traditional Instrumental Music, Vol. 1, East Coast Of America, Gene Kelly, 1987
no info Cedar Point String Band, Cedar Point String Band, 1993
no info Swarbrick/Swarbrick 2, Dave Swarbrick, 1997
no info Deep In Tradition, Tommy Hunter, 19??
no info Folk Music In America, Vol. 4, Dance Music, Reels and Polkas, Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers, 19??
no info Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers, Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers, 19??
info Flatpicking 1999, Various Artists (Robin Kessinger), 2005
info Banjo Gathering, Various Artists (Phil Jamison), 2007

Uncle Joe
no info Porches Of The Poor, Jean and Lee Schilling, 1971
no info Tenino Old Time Music Festival 1970-72, Al Sanderson, 197?
no info Vintage Wine, Melvin Wine, 1993
no info Tie Hacker Hoe-Down, Nile Wilson, 1995
no info Missouri Old Time Fiddling, Lee Stoneking, 19??

Did You Ever See The Devil Uncle Joe
info String Band Project, Various Artists, 1965
info Red Fox Chasers, Red Fox Chasers, 1967
no info Classic Fiddle Tunes: Recorded During The Golden Age, Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, 1974
info 20th Anniversary Concert, The New Lost City Ramblers, 1978
no info Old Originals, Vol. Two, Various Artists (John Patterson), 1978
no info Albert Hash and The Whitetop Mountain Band, Albert Hash and The Whitetop Mountain Band, 1979
no info Clark Kessinger Memorial Album, Clark Kessinger, 197?
info The Mysterious Redbirds, 1992-1998, The Mysterious Redbirds, 2000
info Blackest Crow, James Reams, 2000
info True Vine, Mike Seeger, 2003
info Gennett Old Time Music: Classic Country Recordings 1927-1934, Various Artists (Red Fox Chasers), 2010

Notes

Performed by the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers, Jewish Community Center, San Carlos, 06/11/62

This song started life as a Scottish fiddle tune Miss McLeod's Reel and this name, and related names, are sometimes still used. As with many songs that crossed the Atlantic new titles and new variations appeared. The New Lost City Ramblers Songbook has it as Hop High Ladies, The Cake's All Dough, and on LP/CDs it occurs most commonly as Hop High Ladies or variations on this title eg. Hop Light Ladies.

On circulating copies of the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers tape it is usually listed as Uncle Joe but this title occurs less frequently on other sources. A similar title, Did You Ever See The Devil Uncle Joe, also occurs infrequently.

In most versions the basic tune of the reel is retained but the lyrics vary and are sometimes absent. It is essentially a dance tune and the lyrics are secondary to the music.

The lyrics of the version performed by the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers are as follows;

Did you ever go to meeting, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe,
Did you ever go to meeting, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe,
Did you ever go to meeting, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe,
Don't mind the weather so the wind don't blow.

(Chorus)
Hop high ladies the cakes all dough,
Hop high ladies the cakes all dough,
Hop high ladies the cakes all dough,
Don't mind the weather so the wind don't blow.

Will you horse carry double, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe,
Will you horse carry double, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe,
Will you horse carry double, Uncle Joe, Uncle Joe,
Don't mind the weather so the wind don't blow.

Chorus...

Prettiest girl that ever I knew,
Was cross-eyed Jane from Kalamazoo,
She was (long and leggy?) and skinny in the legs,
(Walk she was walking?) on all four legs

Chorus...

The chorus/refrain from Hop High Ladies occurs in the related song Jump Jim Crow. Vance Randolph collected a version of this in the Ozarks;
Cornstalk fiddle,
An' shoestring bow,
An' never mind the weather,
So the wind don't blow.

Hop high ladies,
The cake's all dough,
Never mind the weather,
So the wind don't blow.

First on the heel,
An' then on the toe,
Ever' time you turn around,
You Jump Jim Crow.

From the lyrics it could be assumed that Hop High Ladies and Jump Jim Crow are variations on the same song - but the tunes differ to a greater extent.