Georgia field hands - Mary Don't You Weep

[azizip171]

As another commenter wrote this is priceless-both the film clip and the rendition itself.

I've never read or heard this version of Oh Mary Don't You Weep. For instance this verse is repeated two times in the song (not consecutively) I done told you once/ I done told you twice/you can't get to heaven/with a sweetheart & a wife".

I transcribed the words to this version and posted them on my website. Google Cocojams American Banjo & Fiddle Songs.

[MrPaulwithap]

Slavery was abolished in 1865. Movies with sound weren't around until the 1920's. THESE GUYS ARE NOT SLAVES.

[shizzigirl]

@MrPaulwithap they may not be LITERAL slaves but I guarantee you they were sharecroppers which is another form of slavery. Indebted to the landowner with no other options? Sounds like the serfs of mideval Europe.

[NoRosesForMe]

@shizzigirl thank you for that comment. Its the truth. I come from Native American/ Irish folks (both families) and my mothers dad was a sharecropper. He was an electrician but just didnt stick to that for some reason. I havent asked him why and never will. Hes 80 years old now and its the past but I can tell you sharecropping is hell. I do know that much about it. My mother told me things...ill never forget those things. So..it went beyond a racial thing. Even if it was by choice or not.

[Dunkleosteus9]

Are they lip sycin'? like a music video

[imhappywithmyself]

my family is from georgia

[GoldwaterB]

I believe this was filmed in 1929. Evidently, they filmed the song twice, judging from the close-ups. It's a surprisingly great edit job for 1929.

[aattura]

Toe tappin sing-along music!!

[Jauntle]

This is priceless!!!

[mickeysnakeboy1960]

I can't believe the film is in such great shape...amazing...

[STREETNAMEWILEY]

Tell you what I was born and raised in the city of Ft. Lauderdale, but my mom is from Hendersonville North Carolina..and I LOVE Blugrass!

[VolvoWagon77]

What a magnifiicent piece of footage, especially love the "oops" moment at about 30 seconds. Although they are not my ancestors I would be proud if they were.

[kickingmule]

Love It !

So close to the roots of ALL Music in our World !

5*****up !

Peace !

Urban

[electricslipper]

Harmony is off.

[DaveyKiddy]

Don't you just wish they weren't all so fat these days? These guys, way back when, were lean and hard.

[LODGE4444]

@DaveyKiddy No McDonalds / Burger King on every block back then.

[chopsie01]

never heard most of these verses before, and the one at :48 i especially liked:

"god made man, and he made him out of clay; put him on earth, but not to stay"

...too bad that little bit of lyric seems to have been lost

[crc778Hypnodoc]

Amazing Video!

[skiibachs]

this is a true blue real deal of a gemstone of rural gospel

[shermanmorningstar]

Oh, Mary don't you weep. Springstein has nothing on these guys

[NoSheep2]

I'd like to know where this was recorded.

[16catire]

@NoSheep2 1833 in Shanghai!

[NoSheep2]

@16catire WOW! thanks

[NoSheep2]

@16catire WOW! thanks...what? really?

[16catire]

@NoSheep2 Yes, and you are welcome....really! Have a very nice(and funny) day!

[kathode]

incredible!!!  a gem!!!! thanks for posting : )

[bloozmonkey111]

Tnx so much for posting this! Wonderful......

[plasticnapoleon22]

i wish this was on the radio

[bluetimezone]

Love it!

[blindleroygarnett]

goosebumps

[JSLLH]

so beautiful ! we are lucky that this music was filmed !

[newmind1]

Yes...the harmonies are beautiful

[lgomez222]

Amazing!

[Dunkleosteus9]

There are no microphoes - how did record this?

[loupremo]

a microphone

[Julian9ehp]

There's an old, old version on the Smithsonian early recordings site.

[xgi36]

thanks, part of our history , begining of folk music

[swedishhighball]

This is a classic.

[Tockyard]

Is that Leadbelly on the bottom left?

[Snappy1943]

I think ; l have seen pictures of Leadbelly wearing that same hat.. and it sounds like him tot me.

[birdstuckinchimney]

@Snappy1943 I couldn't agree more 'bout it sounding like him. I'd love to see the picture of hime wearing the same hat if you could find it.

[birdstuckinchimney]

@Tockyard I think it's him yes

[sheilamaclean]

Wonderful to see this old footage, a past era of grinding poverty for these people with a gift of song and harmony. And what of these hardworking people's descendants I wonder. Maybe I really don't want to know.

[bluenotejazz]

Original American Music

[PatsBooks]

You can't get to heaven with a sweet heart and a wife. That made me laugh.

[BIGART1950]

Is this how Micheal Jackson got his start??

[sakarsky]

thanks for post great

[thehoff1978]

Does anyone know where I can find A cd or mp3 of this version of this song? Ilove this version!

[milwaukeeindymedia]

wow, great version of a great song.

[justdobbs]

Wow, that was GOOD! *****

[sirop1960]

Wow this is incredibly touching music. Thank you for posting this, it's good to know this kind of performance existed.

[abcaines]

Absolutely beautiful harmonies.

[jenzeppelin]

absolutely incredible... what beautiful voices... perfect harmony... it makes me cry so hard...  just thinking about the lives of those men... imprisoned...

[malbuff]

@jenzeppelin They're field hands, dirt poor, but not prisoners, at least not at the moment.

[MrPuzWuz]

@jenzeppelin These aren't slaves, I assure you.

[david233b]

This is freakin awesome. Does anyone know what year this is?

[sirdaviair]

I am 28 year old blk man and god has told me to bless you at all time for you know not what you do. He forgives

[osusannarosen]

"You can't get to heaven with a sweetheart and a wife"--wow!

[TheRealInvaderZim]

It has to be a 'Trinity' either 2 sweethearts and a wife or 1 sweetheart and 2 wives and-------- NO DICE-----

[distar10]

we are so lucky that this was preserved? what year was it and how did you come across it?

[machree01]

Outsanding, brill..

[lorgain2]

Brilliant.

[aacotter]

damn good harmonies

[jdogatl]

What is it, the banjo? It looks like a 4 string, unless i'm missing 2 more pegs up top. Though I am by far no expert.

[JBFaulkner]

it's a plectrum banjo which is played primarily with a pick.

[guitymon]

Banjos originally only had 4 strings. A 5th was added later when to create that 'drone' sound a banjo often has in bluegrass.

[banjers]

Banjos have always had the drone string. That was part of the definition of the instrument. In the 1850's the 5th (bass) string was added by a minstrel performer named Joel Sweeney.

The drone string was dropped to create the plectrum banjo (like the one is this clip) in the 20th century. Plectrum banjos were used in early jazz bands.

[schelter300]

Is there such thing as a 6-string banjo?

[sg8923]

yep. it's called the 6-string banjo.

[EchoesoftheOzarks]

Original banjos (prior to 1840) had three long strings and one drone string (4 strings total). During minstrel era (about 1850), Sweeney Banjo standardized it to 4 long strings and one drone string.

1890 came the rise of factory banjos and they introduced shorter necks with only four long strings (no drone) that we call tenor banjos.

[karlmahlmann]

oh this is wonderful. Thanks

[joybird25]

This song was later done by Stonewall Jackson. These singer/musicians are field hands/sharecroppers

[lemigod]

Good singing.Better than any of the Rap that we see on MTV these days.

[sirdaviair]

Go back to school and read you're history field hands= Their hands worked in a field picking cotton in GA.

[TheCuilinn]

@soapycows, if you don't know that then you don't know fuck all

[thumbpickr1812]

Indeed, a blast from the past. Highly atmospheric. Where did it come from?

[upst8]

Wow! What an incredible clip. Glad it is so well preserved.