Humback Mule

DESCRIPTION: "Riding on a hump-back mule (x2) Walkin', pawin' every(), The only song that I can sing is 'Ride that hump-back mule." "Rode him down town, four o'clock, Tied him up to (), Riding on a hump-backed mule"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5)
KEYWORDS: animal nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 745, "Hump-Back Mule" (1 short text, 1 tune, perhaps mixed with "Paddle Your Own Canoe")
Roud #16365
RECORDINGS:
Cumberland Ridge Runners, "Ridin' on a Humped Back Mule" (Conqueror 8162)
NOTES [107 words]: The description is based on the Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 fragment and a version collected by Max Hunter in 1975. The latter sounds to me very much like a fiddle tune with a few words added; my guess is that this is one of those instances of someone in an early string band told that he needed WORDS to get a recording contract, and added these words to an existing tune. And then someone added some mule effects. My guess would be that this was the Cumberland Ridge Runners (aka "Karl and Harty" and "The Renfro Valley Boys"), since they were known for having a crazy fiddler (one of their songs was called "Goofus"). - RBW
Last updated in version 4.1
File: BrS5745

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