Uncle Eph

DESCRIPTION: About Uncle Eef/Eph/Ephraem's exploits, usually in hunting raccoons. May include recitations. Chorus: "Uncle Eph's got the coon and gone on And left us looking up a tree."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (recording, Dunham Jazz Singers)
KEYWORDS: animal hunting nonballad floatingverses humorous talltale
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 433, "Broder Eton Got de Coon" (1 text); also 511, "The Preacher Song" (1 text, a complex mix of verses from "Turkey in the Stray" and "Some Folks Say that a Preacher Won't Steal" with the "Uncle Eph" chorus)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore5 433, "Broder Eton Got de Coon" (1 tune plus a text excerpt)
Scarborough-OnTheTrailOfNegroFolkSongs, pp. 101-102, "Brother Ephrum Got de Coon and Gone On" (1 text, 1 tune, with even more floating material than usual, e.g. from "Don't Get Weary Children (Massa Had a Yellow Gal)")
Arnold-FolkSongsofAlabama, p. 122, "Bro' Ephram" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Bush-FSofCentralWestVirginiaVol1, pp. 14-15, "Uncle Ethan" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, (BRORPHUS -- on the face of it, a combination of this with a song about Moses)
Roud #11775
RECORDINGS:
Anglin Twins, "Uncle Eph's Got the Coon" (Vocalion 03904, 1937; ARC 8-02-52, 1938)
Dunham Jazz Singers, "Ephraim Got the Coon" (Columbia 14609-D, 1931)
Grandpa Jones, "Uncle Eph's Got The Coon" (King 867, 1950)
Art Thieme, "Uncle Eph/The Great Raccoon Hunt" [combines song and tall-tale] (on Thieme03)
Wade Ward, "Brother Ephram" (Okeh, unissued, 1925); "Uncle Eef" [instrumental] (on Holcomb-Ward1)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Uncle Reuben" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Mourner, You Shall Be Free (Moanish Lady)" (floating lyrics)
NOTES [92 words]: In 1878, Bob Allen's published a song, "Old Uncle Eph," which I had guessed was the same song, but Gary Reid sent me a link to the sheet music (https://www.loc.gov/resource/sm1878.10392.0?st=gallery) which says that only the music is by Allen. And I would not consider it the same song.
It is interesting to note that at least two versions of this song -- Brown's #511 and the Hedy West text recorded in the Digital Tradition -- combine this with the chorus, "Where you going, Moses? None of your business. Come here, Moses. I ain't gonna do it." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.0
File: RcUncEph

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