Took My Gal a-Walkin'

DESCRIPTION: "I took my gal a-walking', it was on one Saturday night... I asked her if she's marry me... She said she wouldn't marry me If the rest of the world was dead." The lonely singer vows he will "milk the cows and chickens" on the farm if he can't find a girl
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (recording, Charlie Poole)
KEYWORDS: courting farming love nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Rorrer-RamblingBlues-LifeAndSongsOfCharliePoole, p.81, "Took My Gal a Walkin'" (1 text)
Roud #11550
RECORDINGS:
Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, "Took My Gal a Walkin'" (Columbia 15672-D, 1931, rec. 1928; on CPoole01, CPoole05)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Going Across the Sea" (floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
I Ain't Got Nobody
NOTES [90 words]: Rorrer-RamblingBlues-LifeAndSongsOfCharliePoole observes that there is no known source for this recording; Charlie Poole may well have created the piece. It has, however, proved to be popular with Old-Time performers, and for this reason I include it here.
The key verse, about the girl not marrying "if the rest of the world were dead" *is* traditional; a variant is found in the southeastern banjo tune "Italy."
There was a 1917 pop song by Roger Graham, Dave Payton, and Spencer Williams called "I Ain't Got Nobody." It's not this song. - RBW
File: RcTMGAW

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