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No, I ain’t got no use
For my red rocking chair,
I ain’t got no sugar baby now,
No, I ain’t got no sugar baby now.
Some old rounder come along
Took my sugar babe and gone,
And I ain’t got no sugar baby now,
No, I ain’t got no sugar baby now.
I gave her every cent I made
And I laid her in the shade,
And I ain’t got no sugar baby now,
No, I ain’t got no sugar baby now.
And it’s who’ll call you honey
It’s who’ll sing this song?
Who’ll rock the
Shady Grove, my little love
Shady Grove I say
Shady Grove, my little love
I’m bound to go away
Cheeks as red a a blooming rose
And eyes are the prettiest brown
She’s the darling of my heart
Sweetest girl in towm
Shady Grove my little love,
Shady Grove be mine,
Shady Grove my little love
Down in Caroline.
I wish I had a big fine horse
And corn to feed him on
And Shady Grove to stay at home
And feed him while I’m gone.
Went to see my Shady Grove
She was standing in the door
Mama’s Little Baby Loves shortening, shortening
Mama’s Little Baby Loves shortening bread
Mama’s Little Baby Loves shortening, shortening
Mama’s Little Baby Loves shortening bread.
Put on the skillet, put on the lid
Mama’s gonna make a little shortening bread
That ain’t all she’s gonna do
Mama’s gonna make a little coffee too.
Three little boys, lying in bed
Two was sick, and the other most dead
Sent for the doctor, and the doctor said,
Feed them babies on shortening bread
Slipped in the kitchen, slipped on the lid
Slipped my pockets full of shortening bread
Stole the skillet,
If you want to get your eye knocked
If you want to get your fill
If you want to get your eye knocked out
Go to Sugar Hill.
Jay bird and a sparrow hawk
Had a little fight together
They fought all around the briar patch
And never jerked a feather.
If I had no horse to ride
I’d be found a-walking
Up and down old Toe Nail Gap
To hear that woman a-talking.
If you want to get your head bashed in
If you want to get your fill
If you want to get your head cut
I’ll twine ‘mid the ringlets of my raven black hair
The lilies so pale and the roses so fair,
The myrtle so bright with an emerald hue,
And the pale aronatus with eyes of bright blue.
I’ll sing and I’ll dance my laugh shall be gay
I’ll cease this wild weeping drive sorrow away;
Tho’ my heart is now breaking he never shall know
That his name made me tremble and my pale cheek to glow.
I’ll think of him never, I’ll be wildly gay,
I’ll charm every heart and the crowd I will sway;
I’ll live yet
Who’s goin’ down to town
Who’s goin’ down to town
Who’s goin’ down to Wilmington
To carry my tobacco ‘round.
Once I had an old big dog
I wished they’d bring him back
Run them big hogs over the fence
And the little ones through the cracks.
Well, I married a little gal
And I brought her from the South
She balled her hair so doggone tight
She couldn’t shut her mouth.
Possum up a ‘simmon tree
Raccoon on the ground
Raccoon said, you son of a gun,
Throw them ‘simmons down.
Possom shake the tree ‘Simmons start
When you go down in Deep Elem,
Just to have a little fun.
Better have fifteen dollars,
When the policeman comes.
Chorus:
And it’s oh sweet mama,
Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues.
Oh, sweet mama,
Daddy’s got them Deep Elem blues.
When you go down in Deep Elem,
Put your money in your pants.
Those Deep Elem women,
They don’t give a man a chance. (Chorus)
When you go down to Deep Elem,
Put your money in your socks.
Them Deep Elem women,
They will throw you on the rocks. (Chorus)
I used to know a
Went out last night to take a little round
Met little Sadie and I blowed her down
Went back home, got into bed
.44 smokeless under my head.
Got up the next morning ‘bout half past nine
Hacks and the buggies a standing in line
Gents and the gamblers standing all around
Takin’ little Sadie to her burying ground.
I begin to think about the deed I done
Grabbed my hat and away I run
Made a good run but a little too show
They overtook me in Jericho
I was standing o the corner reading the bill
Howdy!
These free clawhammer banjo tabs are written out in the simplest possible way. Like “normal” tab, the five horizontal lines represent the five strings of your banjo. The numbers on the lines represent the fret that you play on that string.
What’s not so “normal,” is that I have not included the rhythmic clawhammer stroke as part of the tab. What you have here is only the naked melody.
If you already have the basic clawhammer banjo rhythm nailed down, you know that it sounds like “bum dit-ty,” or “claw-ham-mer.” The “bum” or “claw” is the melody, the “dit”
