“Liza Jane”

Description

"Goin' up on the mountain To plant a patch of cane, Make a jug of 'lasses To sweeten Liza Jane. O po' Liza, po' gal, O po' Liza Jane, O po' Liza, po' gal, She died on the train." About moonshine, courting Liza Jane, (and dodging work if possible)

Notes

The "Saro Jane" referred to under "Alternate Titles" should not be confused with "Rock About My Saro Jane," which is a different song.

This song is almost certainly of minstrel origin, and shares many floating verses with other, similar minstrel-show songs.

The Rufus Crisp recording, "Ball and Chain", is in fact one of those conglomerated songs incorporating floating verses from a dozen sources; RBW suggests putting it here because more of its verses seem to come from here than anywhere else.

Ditto the George Roark recording; I put it here for want of a better place. It could also go under "Don't Get Trouble In Your Mind," as its lyrics overlap with that song, but it doesn't have the plot theme of rejection. In fact, it doesn't have a plot at all. - PJS

Cross references

• cf. "Molly and Tenbrooks" [Laws H27] (lyrics)
• cf. "Run Mollie Run" (lyrics)
• cf. "Push Boat" (lyrics)
• cf. "Cindy" (floating lyrics)
• cf. "Don't Get Trouble in Your Mind" (floating verses)
• cf. "Turn, Julie-Ann, Turn" (floating lyrics)

Recordings

• Rufus Crisp, "Ball and Chain" (on Crisp01)
• Homer & Jethro, "Poor Little Liza, Poor Gal" (King 773, 1949)
• Bradley Kincaid, "Liza Up in the Simmon Tree" (Gennett 6761/Champion 15687 [as Dan Hughey]/Supertone 9362, 1929; Champion 45057, c. 1935; on CrowTold01)
• John & Emery McClung "Liza Jane" (Brunswick 135, 1927)
• New Lost City Ramblers, "Liza Jane" (on NLCR06, NLCR11)
• Riley Puckett, "Liza Jane" (Columbia 15014-D, c. 1925; Silvertone 3261 [as Tom Watson], 1926)
• George "Short Buckle" Roark, "I Ain't A Bit Drunk" (Columbia 15383-D, 1929; rec. 1928)
• Pete Seeger, "Oh! Liza, Poor Gal" (on PeteSeeger06, PeteSeegerCD01); "Liza Jane" (on PeteSeeger33, PeteSeegerCD03)
• Uncle "Am" Stuart [vocal by Gene Austin], "Old Liza Jane" (Vocalion 14846, 1924; Vocalion 5039, 1926)
• Tenneva Ramblers, "Miss 'Liza, Poor Gal" (Victor 21141, 1927)
• Henry Whitter, "Liza Jane" (OKeh 45003, 1925)

References

1. Randolph 435, "Liza Jane" (3 texts, 1 tune)
2. BrownIII 437, "Eliza Jane (II)" (1 text, which looks more like this than anything else though it lacks the chorus)
3. SharpAp 244, "Liza Jane" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
4. Sandburg, pp. 132-133, "Liza Jane"; "Mountain Top" (2 texts, 1 tune; the "B" text, "Mountain Top," appears mixed with "Moonshiner" or something similar); 308-309, "Liza in the Summer Time (She Died on the Train)" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. Thomas-Makin', p. 127, (no title) (1 fragment in which the girl is "Susan Jane")
6. Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 7-8, "I Went Up on the Mountain Top" (1 text, 1 tune); also p. 192, "Hawkie Is a Schemin' Bird" (1 text, with the "Hawkie" first stanza, a chorus from "Lynchburg Town," and verses such as "Went up on a mountain To give my horn a blow" and "Climbed up on a mountain... To sweeten Liza Jane")
7. Lomax-ABFS, pp. 284-286, "Liza Jane" (2 texts, 1 tune. The main text is composite)
8. Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 591 [no title] (1 text)
9. Silber-FSWB, p. 30, "Goodbye 'Liza Jane" (1 text)
10. DT, LIZAJANE
11. Roud #825
12. BI, San132