Salty Dog

DESCRIPTION: Floating verses linked by the words "Honey, let me be your salty dog," e.g. "Pulled the trigger and the gun said go/Shot rung over in Mexico"; "Two old maids lyin' in the bed/One turned over to the other and said/You ain't nothin' but my salty dog."
AUTHOR: Probably Charlie Jackson
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (recording, Papa Charlie Jackson)
KEYWORDS: sex bawdy nonballad floatingverses
FOUND IN: US(SE,Ap)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood-NewLostCityRamblersSongbook, pp. 184-185, "Salty Dog Blues" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 79, "Salty Dog" (1 text)
Averill-CampSongsFolkSongs, p. 520, "Salty Dog" (notes only)
DT, SALTDOG
ADDITIONAL: Moses Asch and Alan Lomax, Editors, _The Leadbelly Songbook_, Oak, 1962, p. 41, "Salty Dog" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11661
RECORDINGS:
Allen Bros., "Salty Dog Blues" (Columbia 15175-D, 1927); "A New Salty Dog" (Victor 23514, 1931; Bluebird B-5403, 1934; Montgomery Ward M-4750, c. 1945; RCA Victor 20-2132, 1947; on GoingDown; "Salty Dog, Hey Hey Hey" (OKeh 02818/Vocalion 02818, 1934)
Bo Carter [pseud. for Bo Chatmon] "Be My Salty Dog" (Bluebird B-7968, 1938)
Jimmie Davis, "Davis' Salty Dog" (Victor 23674, 1932)
Mississippi John Hurt, "Salty Dog" (on MJHurt05)
Papa Charlie Jackson, "Salty Dog Blues" (Paramount 12236, 1924; Broadway 5001 [as Casey Harris], c. 1930)
McGee Brothers, "Salty Dog Blues" (Vocalion 5150, 1927)
Morris Brothers, "Let Me Be Your Salty Dog" (Bluebird B-7967, c. 1938) "Salty Dog Blues" (RCA Victor 20-1783, 1945)
Paramount Pickers, "Salty Dog" (Paramount 12779/Broadway 5069 [as Broadway Pickers], 1929)
Jimmy Revard Oklahoma Cowboys, "Dirty Dog" (Bluebird B-6992, 1937; rec. 1936)
Clara Smith, "Salty Dog" (Columbia 14143-D, 1926)
Stripling Brothers, "Salty Dog" (Decca 5049, 1934)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Rigby Johnson Chandler" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Bottle Up and Go" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Step It Up and Go"
cf. "Take Your Fingers Off It"
cf. "Johnny and Jane" (tune)
cf. "Candy Man" (assorted references)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
A New Salty Dog
NOTES [55 words]: A "salty dog" was a sexual partner. - PJS
In bluegrass circles, this is credited to the Morris Brothers, but the Jackson recording seems to eliminate this possibility. - RBW
Several labels independently credit Jackson as the author. - PJS
I would love to know how summer camps explained this song to the kids they taught it to! - RBW
Last updated in version 6.3
File: CSW184

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