Carve That Possum

DESCRIPTION: Concerning a possum hunt and the pleasures of eating the animal. Recipes may be offered, as may details of the hunt. The listener is urged to "Carve that possum" and/or "Carve it to the heart."
AUTHOR: Sam Lucas
EARLIEST DATE: 1875 (sheet music published)
KEYWORDS: hunting food animal
FOUND IN: US(MW,So)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Randolph 276, "The Possum Song" (3 short texts, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen-OzarkFolksongs-Abridged, pp. 237-238, "The Possum Song" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's )
MidwestFolklore, W. L. McAtee, "Some Folklore of Grant County, Indiana, in the Nineties," Volume 1, Number 4 (WInter 1951), p. 259, "(Carve dat possum)" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Henry Randall Waite, _College Songs: A Collection of New and Popular Songs of the American Colleges_, new and enlarged edition, Oliver Ditson & Co., 1887, pp. 36-37, "carve Dat Possum" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST R276 (Full)
Roud #7780
RECORDINGS:
Harry C. Browne w. Peerless Quartet, "Carve Dat Possum" (Columbia A-2590, 1918; rec. 1917)
Uncle Dave Macon and his Fruit Jar Drinkers, "Carve That Possum" (Vocalion 5151, 1927; on GoingDown)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Sail Away, Ladies" (tune of the verse)
NOTES [26 words]: Norm Cohen describes tune of this as "basically the spiritual 'Let My People Go.'" If he means the song I know by that title, I don't see the resemblance. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: R276

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