“Going Around the World (Banjo Pickin' Girl, Baby Mine)”

Description

"I'm going across the ocean (friends of mine/baby mine) (x3) If I don't change my notion." "I'm going across the sea... Say you'll love no one but me." "I'm going around the world... (with/I'm) a banjo-pickin' girl." Verses usually about courting

Notes

Old-time singers in the Revival era tend to sing this as "Banjo Pickin' Girl," with a much more feminist feel than the earliest version known to me (sung by Burnett and Woodard). I have to suspect that someone (presumably one of the all-girl groups) touched the song up slightly. It is still clearly the same song, however. - RBW

Your suspicion is right on the nose -- it was the Coon Creek Girls. I suspect there are antecedents, possibly by Samantha Bumgarner, but I'm still looking. Incidentally, it's been much more commonly recorded as "Banjo-Pickin' Girl." - (PJS)

Cross references

• cf. "Crawdad" (floating lyrics)
• cf. "New River Train" (floating lyrics)

Recordings

• R. D. Burnett & Lynn Woodard, "Going Around the World" (recorded for Gennett 1929, but unissued; on BurnRuth01)
• Coon Creek Girls, "Banjo-Pickin' Girl" (Vocalion 04413/OKeh 04413, 1938; on GoingDown)
• Pete Steele, "Goin' Around This World, Baby Mine" (on PSteele01)

References

1. Silber-FSWB, p. 54, "Baby Mine" (1 text)
2. Roud #11519
3. BI, RcGAtW