Charleston Girls

 I have some time off during the holidays so I'm going to try to record some new tunes. Here is a nicely scrappy playing of Charleston Girls, which is a song I've been really liking a lot recently. I've been keeping notes about the songs I have learned, here is what I've written so far about this tune.... Learned initially from R.D. Lunceford's 'Cotton Blossom' book. His version is based on the song as it appears in Phil Rice's 'Correct Method for Banjo, With or Without a Master' published in 1858. The tune has a nice swing to it, kind of dancey. I sort of memorized it a while ago, forgot it then it suddenly popped into my head recently and I've been much more interested in it as of late.

In my 'Treasury of American Folklore' book it appears under the 'Negro Folk Song' section with the following lyrics:

As I walked down the new-cut road,
I met the tap and then the toad,
The toad commenced to whistle and sing,
and the possum cut the pigeon wing.

Along come an old man riding by,
Old man if you don't mind your horse will die,
If he dies I'll tan his skin,
And if he lives I'll ride him again,

Chorus: Hi ho for Charleston girls X3
Charleston girls are the girls for me

As I went walking down the street,
Up steps Charleston girls to take a walk with me,
I kep a walking and they kep a talking,
Danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking,

Chorus

The Haints also play it, with different lyrics. The second part of their version sounds a lot like the song 'Texas'.