My Last Gold Dollar

DESCRIPTION: "My last (gold/ole) dollar is gone (x2), My whiskey bill is due an' my board bill too...." "Oh darling, I'm crazy about you... and another girl too..." "Oh darling, won't you go my bail?..." "Oh darling, six months ain't too long...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (American Mountain Songs)
KEYWORDS: poverty hardtimes prison courting drink
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Randolph 671, "My Last Gold Dollar" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen-OzarkFolksongs-Abridged, pp. 381-382, "My Last Gold Dollar" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 671A)
Henry-SongsSungInTheSouthernAppalachians, p. 112, "My Last Gold Dollar" (1 single-stanza fragment)
Richardson/Spaeth-AmericanMountainSongs, p. 96, "My Last Ole Dollar" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 149, "My Last Ole Dollar" (1 text, 1 tune)
Spaeth-WeepSomeMoreMyLady, pp. 130-131, "My Last Old Dollar" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OLDOLLAR*
Roud #4310
RECORDINGS:
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "The Last Gold Dollar" (on BLLunsford01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground" (floating lyrics)
cf. "New River Train" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Six Months Ain't Long" (lyrics)
NOTES [86 words]: We might note that the line "last gold dollar" had a slightly different meaning in the nineteenth century. During the Civil War, the Union government issued both gold-backed and unbacked ("greenback") dollars. The greenbacks were, not surprisingly, treated with less respect and discounted. A man who spend his last gold dollar might still have money -- but only the less valuable greenbacks.
Of course, since the song is often sung "My last OLD dollar," that may be just a bit of excessive historical analysis. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: R671

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