“Black-Eyed Susie (Green Corn)”

Description

Floating verses about courting and marriage: "All I want in this creation / Pretty little wife and a big plantation.... Two little boys to call me pappy, One named sup and the other named gravy. Hey, black-eyed Susie" (or "Green corn," or other chorus)

Notes

It is possible that this song and "Hot Corn, Cold Corn (I'll Meet You in the Evening)" spring from the same sources, since they share lyrics and themes. However, they have evolved far enough apart that I feel I have to split them.

Roud seems to split the group even more, with "Black Eyed Susie" being his #3426 and "Green Corn" his #4954. The versions I've seen, though, are so mixed up that I decided to lump them because almost any split would be somewhat arbitrary. Nor are the titles any help; Cambiaire's "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susie." for instance, never mentions Susie; the girl in the song is Sally. - RBW

Cross references

• cf. "Shady Grove" (floating lyrics)
• cf. "Hot Corn, Cold Corn (I'll Meet You in the Evening)" (floating lyrics)
• cf. "Davy" (meter)

Recordings

• Roscoe Holcomb, "Blackeyed Susie" (on MMOK, MMOKCD)
• Al Hopkins & his Buckle Busters, "Black Eyed Susie" (Brunswick 175/Vocalion 5179 [as the Hill Billies], 1927)
• J. P Nestor, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Victor 21070, 1927; on TimesAint05)
• New Lost City Ramblers, "Blackeyed Susie" (on NLCR07)
• Land Norris, "Kitty Puss" (OKeh 40212, 1924)
• Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Gennett 6257, 1927)
• Pete Seeger, "Black-Eyed Suzie" (on LonesomeValley);"Green Corn" (on BroonzySeeger2)
• Jilson Setters [pseud. for James W. "Blind Bill" Day], "Black Eyed Susie" (Victor V-40127, 1929)
• Gid Tanner & Riley Puckett, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Columbia 119-D, 1924)
• Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Columbia 15283-D, 1928)
• Henry Whitter [Whitter's Virginia Breakdowners], "Black-Eyed Susie" (OKeh 40320, 1925)

References

1. Randolph 568, "Black-Eyed Susan" (1 short text plus a fragment, 1 tune); also perhaps 415, "Possum Sop and Polecat Jelly" (1 text, 1 tune -- a playparty that shares some lyrics and is too short to classify on its own)
2. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 410-411, "Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 568A)
3. BrownIII 311, "Black-Eyes Susie" (2 fragments, presumably of this piece)
4. Cambiaire, p. 86, "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text)
5. MHenry-Appalachians, p. 184, "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text)
6. Lomax-FSUSA 29, "Black-eyed Susie" (1 text, 1 tune)
7. Lomax-ABFS, pp. 286-288, "Black-eyed Susie" (1 text, 1 tune)
8. Silber-FSWB, p. 38, "Green Corn"; p. 39, "Black-Eyed Susie" (2 texts)
9. DT, BLKEYESZ
10. Roud #4954 and 3426
11. BI, R568