The Wagoner's Lad by Buell Kazee [Anthology Revisited - Song 7]
TL;DR -- Young woman tries to get him to stay, but the Wagoner's Lad just wagons away. When is a ballad not a ballad? Song has famous kin. Kazee's performances continue to amaze.
Welcome back to Anthology Revisited, our song-by-song journey through The Anthology of American Folk Music, a spellbinding collection of recordings curated by Harry Smith and released on Folkways Records in 1952. In this article, we’ll explore “The Wagoner’s Lad”, which is a different kind of song from the others we’ve examined, but the theme, relationship woes of a heartbroken woman, is quite familiar territory.
This is the seventh song in the collection, the last song on side one of the Volume One - Ballads, the second consecutive song by Buell Kazee, the second consecutive song with a title referencing some guy’s dad’s job (and the second consecutive song with an alternate title in parentheses).
This episode explores “The Wagoner’s Lad”, a song that isn’t really a ballad in the traditional sense, even though it does tell a bit of a story.
Before I get rolling onto some long thing and forget to mention it, here’s a tip. The “Other Interpretations” section of this article has an amazing recording that you will not want to miss. That’s all I’ll gonna say for now, but yeah, don’t miss that. Now, before I ramble any further, let’s check out Harry’s headline, shall we?
LOCAL GIRL’S PROTEST THAT WHIP NEEDS FIXING FAILS TO HALT WAGONING BOY FRIEND’S DEPARTURE
I love these headlines. They contain such gorgeous, economical use of language and feel like little pieces of art within this large mosaic. This one doesn’t tell the whole story, but offers a great snapshot of the final verse.
Regarding the headline, I don’t know about you, but I don’t use the word “wagoning” in daily conversation, but it is a word just the same. Basically, wagoning is the same thing as trucking, only with a horse and wagon instead of a large truck. While not exactly a trucking song that predates trucks; it’s definitely an “I gotta hit the road” song that predates asphalt.
Enough of my rambling for the moment. Here’s Kazee’s performance from January 18, 1928 in the New York City studios of Brunswick Records (2 days after he recorded “The Butcher’s Boy”, which we discussed in our previous edition).
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Oh hard is the fortune of all womankind
They're always controlled; they're always confined
Controlled by their parents until they are wives
Then slaves to their husbands the rest of their lives[Verse 2]
I've been a poor girl; my fortune is sad
I've always been courted by the Wagoner's Lad
He courted me daily, by night and by day
And now he is loaded and going away[Verse 3]
"Your parents don't like me because I am poor
They say I'm not worthy of entering your door
I work for my living; my money's my own
And if they don't like me, they can leave me alone"[Verse 4]
"Your horses are hungry; go feed them some hay
Come sit down here by me as long as you stay"
"My horses ain't hungry; they won't eat your hay
So fare you well, darling; I'll be on my way"[Verse 5]
"Your wagon needs greasing; your whip is to mend
Come sit down her by me as long as you can"
"My wagon is greasy; my whip's in my hand
So fare you well darling, no longer to stand”
The Song
The first verse is told by a narrator, who delivers a poignant statement about the historic (and still too common) plight of women.
While the first verse provides us with a larger theme, the second verse sets the scene for the rest of the song, and comes from the perspective of a young woman who’s been seeing a wagoner’s lad who is soon to depart for an indefinite period.
The third verse, sung from the perspective of the titular wagoner’s lad, clarifies the purpose of the first verse, and reveals that the young woman is under the thumb of her parents, who are solely responsible for their daughter’s heartbreak because they don’t want the wagoner’s lad courting their daughter because of his poverty and low station. The young man, however, is proud of his work, proud to make an honest living, and just wants the girl’s parents can leave him alone.
The fourth and fifth verses are short exchanges between the young woman and the wagoner’s lad. In each verse, the first two lines are attempts by the young woman to get the young man to stay, while the final two lines contain the wagoner’s lad’s reply and refusal.
In the fourth verse, she says his horses are hungry and should eat her hay, to which he replies that they are not hungry and won’t eat the hay. In the final verse, the young woman says that his whip needs mending. The wagoner’s lad assures her that his whip is fine, then indicates that he has to hit the road, at which point, the song ends.
Amalgamations, Folk-Lyrics, and Floating Verses
Like “The Butcher’s Boy” before it, “The Wagoner’s Lad” contains components of several other songs. As mentioned previously, the reuse of phrases, lines, stanzas, characters, themes, and concepts in folk music is not uncommon. Here, I want to briefly mention some ways in which song parts are recycled.
The “amalgamation” isn’t an official categorization, but rather a term used to indicate that a piece consists primarily of material drawn from other pieces. A perfect example was in our discussion of “The Butcher’s Boy” which uses pieces of at least four other songs to tell a complete story.
On the other hand, songs like “The Wagoner’s Lad”, as Smith’s liner notes point out, are what folklorist H.M. Belden referred to a “folk-lyric”. The folk-lyric doesn’t tell much of a story at all. Instead, it paints an emotional portrait using various mechanisms, frequently employing the use of “floating verses”, (lines that appear in so many other songs that determining their origins is a nigh impossible task). The use of the floating verses is a powerful tool because not only do the verses add a layer of familiarity to the song, they also bring with them the emotional potency from other songs with which listeners may be familiar.
Here’s what Belden said about folk-lyrics in Ballads and songs collected by the Missouri folk-lore society, edited by H. M. Belden .. v.15 no.1 1940 (emphasis added by this author)
FOLK-LYRIC
Of the songs current among ballad-loving folk that may be classed as folk-lyric (being expressions of mood, feeling, not stories) there is a confusing variety. Not held together by any definite story but employing a number of images, symbols, tropes that somehow convey the mood or feeling, they combine, resolve, and recombine these images with such freedom that it is often impossible to say definitely that two songs are variants of a single song. One is connected with another by the use of the same image in one place, and with another by the use of another image in another place, until a whole series is concatenated no one of which is a clearly defined unit. The likeliest thread to follow in investigating their relations is no doubt the tune, but that, unfortunately, is beyond my ability. I have fallen back, therefore, upon the images or symbols as affording a sort of thread upon which to string them. They are almost exclusively love songs; most often of love denied or betrayed, but occasionally expressions of freedom recovered, in which the woman (or the man) says she (he) will love whom she (he) pleases, or that he (she) may love another for all she (he) cares. I deal first with those that most nearly approach the status of definite unitary songs: The Unconstant Lover, Little Sparrow, and The Blue-Eyed Boy.
SOURCE: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435065469538&seq=503
The Wagoner’s Lad as Folk-Lyric
“The Wagoner’s Lad” checks all the boxes for a folk-lyric. It doesn’t really tell a very big story. There is no complex narrative to navigate, no notable characters with backstories to ponder, no grand feats, no humorous anecdotes, not even a murder (which may be the most surprising twist of all, considering the construction of the Anthology so far). “The Wagoner’s Lad” begins with a floating verse from the 1700’s, then provides an emotional sketch of this moment in the life of the wagoner’s lad and the young woman.
The First Verse
When hearing this song for the first time, I was blown away by the first verse. I was aware that feminist ideas existed in the 1920’s, but hearing these words sung by Buell Kazee to open a song from 1928 was a surprising moment.
A even more surprising moment came when I learned how long the lines have actually been around. Their earliest known publication was in 1734 on page 159 of a text called 'The Vocal Miscellany', II. The words appeared as the opening lines of a song called “The Ladies Case”, which was printed with no words of authorship nor musical score. We won’t go into the whole song, but here is the opening stanza, which is identical in sentiment, and contains text quite similar to the words sung by Buell Kazee almost 200 years later:
How hard is the fortune of all womankind, Forever subjected, forever confined, The parent controls us until we are wives, The husband enslaves us the rest of our lives.
“The Ladies Case” (complete with music) later appeared in a 1737 book called The Universal Musician. Since then, the verse has made appearances in many other songs, with tweaks along the way. As you’ll see below, the verse as sung by Kazee differs from the verse in the first known publication of “The Wagoner’s Lad” in 1907.
The Wagoner’s Lad Arrives
The earliest printed version of “The Wagoner’s Lad” appeared in the American Journal of Folklore in 1907 in a piece titled "Ballads and Rhymes from Kentucky" by G. L. Kittridge. The entry for the song begins with the following:
“This piece is mixed up in some way, especially in the last stanza, with a well-known song, commonly called in stall-copies “Streams of Lovely Nancy.”.
You’ll notice that in this version, the verse from “The Ladies Case” appears as the fourth verse. Another point (which I’ll revive many months from now) is that verse five begins with a couplet very similar to the one that opens Clarence Ashley’s performance of “The Coo Coo Bird”, the 57th song in the Anthology of American Folk Music.
The Wagoners Lad (1907)
1.
“I am a poor girl, and my fortune is bad;
I have long time been courted by the wagoner’s lad
He courted me duly by night and by day,
And now for to leave me he is going away.2.
“Your wagon’s to grease your bill is' to pay;
Come seat yourself beside me so long as you stay.”
“My wagon’s done greased, my whip’s in my hand;
So fare you well, Nancy, I have no time to stand.3
I am a loving lad, and I can love long,
I can love an old sweetheart till a new one comes on;
I can hug them and kiss them and keep them at ease,
Or I can turn my back upon them and court who I please.”4.
“So hard is the fortune of poor womankind, —
They are always objected,’ always confined;
They are controlled by their parents until they are made wives,
And slaves for their husbands the rest -of their lives.5
I’ll build me a castle on the mountains so high,
Where the wild geese can see me as they pass me by,
Where the wild geese can hear me my cries and my groans, —
Be kind to the wagoner so far from his home.”6
“At the top of yon mountain, where my love[’s] castle stands,
It is dressed in green ivy from the top to the end;
At the foot of yon mountain, where the wide ocean runs,
We will commence our music and the firing of guns.
Variants and Famous Offspring
In 1917, Cecil Sharp and Dame Olive Campbell published Folk Songs from the southern Appalachians which contained four different versions of “The Wagoner’s Lad”, one collected in 1908, and three collected in 1916. The entire book is available in the Internet Archive, and the Wagoner’s Lad transcriptions are on pages 215-219.
All four variations are worth examining, but a proper evaluation of each variant is beyond the scope of Anthology Revisited, and would be a large undertaking in its own right.
While I shan’t cover all variants, I must mention Version A of “The Wagoner’s Lad” collected by Sharp and Campbell because it contains a point too important to ignore. The text is below. The other versions are worth reading, but the opening lines of this particular variant are very important for the remainder of our tale.
A. The Wagoner's Lad
Miss Memory Shelton, Allegany NC 1916
1. On top of old smoky All covered wih snow,
I lost my true lover, by sparking to slow.2. Sparking is pleasure, Parting is grief,
And a false-hearted lover Is worse than a thief.
3. A thief will only rob you, Will take what you have,
And a false-hearted lover Will take you to the grave.4. The grave will only decay you, Will turn you to the dust.
There is not one girl out of a hundred A poor boy can trust.
5. They will tell you they love you To give your heart ease,
And as soon as you back up on them They'll court who they please.
6. It's a-raining, it's a-hailing, The moon it gives no light,
Your horses can't travel This dark, lonesome night.
7. Go put up your horses, Feed them some hay ;
Come sit down here by me, love, As long as you stay.
8. My horses are not hungry, Won't eat your hay,
So farewell, my little darling, I'll feed on my way.
9. I will drive on to Georgia, Write you my mind;
My mind is to marry, love, And leave you behind.
10. Your parents is against me, Mine is the same.
If I'm down on your book, love, Please rub off my name.
11. I go upon old Smokey On the mountain so high,
Where the wild birds and the turtle doves Can hear my sad cries.12. As soon as the dewdrops Grow on the green grass.
Last night she was with me, But tonight she is gone.
Kinfolk aplenty
What follows may seem a little exuberant, but if you’ve read any of the preceding articles, you’ve probably noticed that I’m an excitable boy when it comes to these things. In my defense, I grew up in rural North Carolina where “On Top of Old Smokey” was part of the sonic wallpaper. It was among the first songs I recall singing as a child, and the only tunes I may have known longer than “On Top of Old Smokey” are “Happy Birthday” and “Jesus Loves Me”.
My personal experience with “The Wagoner’s Lad” has been loaded with surprises. Hearing Kazee’s recording open with a potent feminist observation was the first surprise. Finding out that the song’s first verse was from the 1700’s was the second surprise. But nothing bowled me over quite like the realization that “The Wagoner’s Lad” is kin to (and quite possibly a parent of) “On Top of Old Smokey”.
From here, it goes all over the place, and involves a lot of songs. We’re skipping those rabbit holes today, because the results (particularly rendered in my rambling prose) would fill a small book. If you want to learn more, the links in the “Sources” section of this article are a great place to start.
To close this section, I’m sharing the single most comprehensive single source that I could find. It is dense with information, and there are plenty of springboards for further exploration if you’re so inclined. The source is the Ballad Index entry for “The Wagoner’s Lad”. The full entry (linked above) contains even more information about the song and its kin. The text below is from the “Notes” section of the entry for “The Wagoner’s Lad”.
This song, which barely qualifies as a ballad even in its full forms, has produced many non-ballad offspring, of which "On Top of Old Smokey" is the best known.
Randolph apparently thinks his "Texas Cowboy" piece to be related but separate, but (based on his text) I would have to say they are the same.
It is very hard to tell certain versions of this from "Rye Whiskey"; the two have exchanged many verses. But the "core" versions seem to be distinct.
An even greater problem is posed by the relationship between this song and "On Top of Old Smoky." The two are occasionally listed as one song (e.g. by Leach); indeed, this was done in early versions of the Index. This was done under the influence of the Lomaxes, who classify the songs together.
Further study, however, seems to show that all versions which have common material are derived from the Lomaxes. The plots of the two songs are different, their tunes are distinct, and true cross-fertilization seems very rare. It would appear that the identification of the two is purely the result of the sort of editorial work the Lomaxes so often committed.
Due to this inconsistency, it is suggested that the reader check all versions of both songs, as well as both sets of cross-references, to find all related materials.
Another closely related song is "Farewell, Sweet Mary," as much as three-quarters of which may derive from this song. It has taken a slightly different direction, however, and is at least a distinct subfamily of this piece. Since it doesn't have anything about horses or wagoners, I list it separately. - RBW
NOTE: I considered clipping the above, but the criticisms levied against the Lomaxes are valid, and may come up again as we work through this series. In a nutshell, John and Alan Lomax made an incredible number of field recordings, capturing some true American treasures in the process. Because of their extensive work, their analyses of the material had an incredible (and disproportionate) influence in the study of folk songs. This is to be expected, but some of the assumptions made by the Lomaxes led to errant conclusions that have been repeated for years. Reviewing and unraveling those conclusions adds another layer of complexity for researchers.
I won’t go into all of the connections, but I do want to note that “The Wagoner’s Lad” is kin to all of the following songs, and has floating verses in common with even more songs.
“Rambling Gambler” / “Rambler Gambler”
“My Horses Ain't Hungry”
“On Top Of Old Smokey” / “On Top Of Old Smoky”
“Pretty Saro”
“Poor Girl's Warning”
“It Was a Young Man”
“Texas Cowboy”
“I'm a Rambler, I'm a Gambler”
“Farewell Sweet Mary”
“Pretty Nancy” / “Loving Nancy” / “Lovely Nancy”
“The Coo Coo” / “The Coo Coo Bird”
For those who’d like to explore deeper, the aforementioned Ballad Index entry is a great starting place. The Bluegrass Messengers site contains information on multiple versions of “The Wagoner’s Lad”, and there are some excellent discussion threads on mudcat.org about “The Wagoner’s Lad” and “On Top of Old Smoky” that I would recommend to interested parties.
The Performance
Recorded on January 18, 1928, this is another outstanding performance by Buell Kazee. Like “The Butcher’s Boy” before it, Kazee’s vocals and banjo unite to create a spooky sonic blend.
Dropping the hardcore feminism bomb to open the song is one way to get people’s attention, and Kazee holds the room for the duration of the track. Kazee’s voice is just so powerful in this recording, and the banjo picking is precise. But, we all know that Kazee could sing and play, so none of this is surprising. What is most surprising, I suppose, is the brevity this section.
There’s just not much to say. Kazee’s performance says it all.
The Performer
Buell Kazee’s life was discussed quite a bit in the previous article on “The Butcher’s Boy”, and we left off on Kazee’s story when W. S. Carter, owner of Carter's Phonograph Shop in Ashland, Kentucky, (and talent scout for Brunswick Records), arranged for Kazee to record for Brunswick in New York City. This article explores Kazee’s recording career and activity before his 1957 “rediscovery”.
Kazee’s recording career lasted only from 1927 to 1929. His first recording sessions were held in New York City, on April 19, 1927 where he cut four sides that would be released by Brunswick Records. (NOTE: A complete log of Kazee’s 1920’s recording sessions is below, and links to recordings of songs on YouTube are included where available.)
Kazee’s records didn’t make him a household name, and the only money he ever earned from his 1920’s recordings was paid to him upon completion of the sessions, with no royalties of any type. So, even if his recordings had sold millions of copies, Kazee would have never made another cent from those recordings.
Between 1927 and 1929, Kazee appeared on 48 sides that would be released. A complete discography of those sessions is at the end of this section.
Of those 48 recordings:
6 were credited to the “Blue Ridge Gospel Singers”,
2 were credited to “Good’s Box Whittlers”,
2 were credited to “Buell Kazee and Sookie Hobbs”
2 were credited to “Buell Kazee and John Richards” (John Richards wasn’t on the recording. Jack Kapp performed the part attributed to Richards on these recordings).
For the remaining recordings, Kazee was listed as the primary performer.
Despite an offer to tour and perform as a member of WLS’s National Barn Dance out of Chicago, Kazee quit music altogether in 1929 to focus exclusively on preaching, which he did until his “rediscovery”. During his time as a preacher, Kazee led the congregation of First Baptist Church in Morehead, KY for 22 years and at Devondale Baptist Church in Lexington, KY for 12 years. Kazee’s first book Faith is the Victory was published in 1951, and his second book The Church and the Ordinances, in 1965.
In 1957, Kazee’s quiet life as a pastor became a little less quiet when a University of Minnesota Ph.D student named Gene Bluestein decided to track down Kazee in Lexington, Kentucky. After “rediscovering” Kazee, Bluestein made a recording of Kazee discussing and performing old ballads. This recording was released on Folkways records as Buell Kazee Sings and Plays in 1958.
Kazee wasn’t the biggest fan of Bluestein’s recording, but thanks to that tape, Kazee returned to performing. The story of Kazee’s post-rediscovery years will appear about a year form now, when the final part of our Buell Kazee mini-biography appears in the article for song 58, “East Virginia”.
Meanwhile, here’s another picture of Kazee.
Buell Kazee Discography (1927-1929)
The recording information below is taken from the comprehensive “Buell Kazee discography” compiled by Norm Cohen. This document is available at archive.org. (See final source in Sources for links and suggestions for accessing the file).
Cohen’s complete discography contains matrix numbers, master numbers, reissue information, unissued recordings, and additional data. For the sake of simplicity, I’ve simply provided dates, song titles, and personnel. Hyperlinked song titles go to YouTube recordings. Titles without hyperlinks are not available on YouTube, and as you’ll no doubt notice, there are quite a few recordings which aren’t currently available in a format that I can share here. If I come across any versions that aren’t available exclusively on subscription-based services, I’ll share them here.
1927
April 19, 1927. New York, NY.
(4 sides, all solo with banjo)
John Hardy
Roll On John
Rock Island
Old Whiskey Bill, the Moonshiner
April 20, 1927. New York, NY
(8 sides, 2 sides solo w/ banjo, 6 sides w/ Lester O’Keefe (vocals), Carson Robison (guitar) Burt Hirsch (violin) and Bill Wirges (piano) as “Blue Ridge Gospel Singers” (noted as BRGS))
On the Hills Over There (Vaughan) BRGS
My Loved Ones Are Waiting for Me (Vaughn) BRGS
I'm Alone in This World BRGS
I'm Going Home to Die No More (H.F. Morris) BRGS
O Why Not Tonight? (J.C. Bushey) BRGS
Darling Cora
East Virginia
'Twill Be Glory Bye and Bye
April 21, 1927. New York, NY.
(6 sides, 2 solo, 2 with Robison (g) and Hirsch (v), 2 with Robison (g and whistling))
The Ship That's Sailing High
If Love Your Mother (Meet Her in the Skies) (Vaughan)
The Roving Cowboy *Kazee solo
The Little Mohee
The Old Maid
The Sporting Bachelors *Kazee solo
1928
January 16, 1928. New York, NY.
(9 sides, all Kazee solo, 1-5 on banjo and 6-9 on guitar)
The Butcher's Boy (The Railroad Boy)
Lady Gay
The Orphan Girl
Poor Boy Long Ways from Home
Little Bessie
My Mother
Poor Little Orphan Boy
The Cowboy's Farewell (Kazee)
Gambling Blues
January 17, 1928 New York, NY.
(4 sides, all Kazee solo, guitar (1, 2, 4) banjo (3) )
A Married Girl's Troubles
You Are False, But I'll Forgive You
A Short Life of Trouble
Don't Forget Me Little Darling
January 18, 1928. New York, NY.
(5 sides, 1 (Kazee w/ Robison (g and whistling), Hirsch (v), and unknown pianist) 2&3 (Kazee solo on banjo) - 4&5 (Kazee w/ Sookie Hobbs (vocal), Robison (g and whistling), Hirsch (v), and unknown pianist)
The Faded Coat of Blue
The Wagoner's Lad (Loving Nancy) *Kazee solo
The Dying Soldier (Brother Green) *Kazee solo
Red Wing (Chataway - Mills) *Kazee and Sookie Hobbs duet
Snow Deer (Mahony - Wenrich) *Kazee and Sookie Hobbs duet
January 19, 1928. New York, NY.
(2 sides with Robison (g and whistling), Hirsch (v), and unknown pianist)
In the Shadow of the Pines
You Taught Me to Love You, Now Teach Me To Forget (Drislane - Bryan - Meyer)
1929
June 12, 1929. Chicago, Ill.
(3 sides, all with A.L. Walker (g), an uncredited steel guitarist, and John Richards, Brunswick laboratory assistant on novelty effects on “Steel A-Goin’ Down” and bells on “Toll the Bells”)
The Hobo's Last Ride
Steel A-Goin' Down
Toll the Bells
June 13,1929. Chicago, Ill.
(3 sides, all Kazee solo on banjo)
The Cowboy Trail (Walker)
The Blind Man
I'm Rolling Along (Kazee)
June 14, 1929. Chicago, Ill.
(solo banjo)
A Mountain Boy Makes His First Record, Part 1 -Unissued
Note: The final two recordings listed were made by Buell Kazee assisted by Jack Kapp. Kapp was referred to by name on Part 1. However, Brunswick executives objected to this, so Part 1 was re-recorded on July 1 (below) by Buell Kazee and Kapp, but "Buell Kazzee assisted by John Richards.”, a laboratory assistant.)
July 1, 1929
(3 sides, 1 with John Richards, 2 & 3 with Good’s Box Whittlers, full personnel unknown)
A Mountain Boy Makes His First Record, Part 1
Election Day in Kentucky, Part 1
Election Day in Kentucky, Part 2
July 24, 1929. Chicago, Ill.
(2 sides, both with Soap Box Whittlers - unknown personnel)Election Day in Kentucky, Part 1 Unissued?
Election Day in Kentucky, Part 2 Unissued?
Note: Personnel on the July 1, 1929, session not fully known: Good’s Box Whittlers included Buell Kazee, Elmo Tanner and two other men.
Connections
The connections between “The Wagoner’s Lad” and “The Butcher’s Boy” are pretty obvious. They have the same instrumentation and performer. They have titles referencing with some guy’s dad’s job. They’re both made of parts of other songs (a trait they also share with song 5, “Old Lady and the Devil”), (oh, and the both have alternate titles in parentheses, but that doesn’t really count… does it??).
In addition to being a ballad that isn’t really a ballad, “The Wagoner’s Lad” represents a departure from certain themes we’ve seen on the first side of volume on of the Anthology. “The Butcher’s Boy” was the first song on the Anthology not to depict a woman in a negative light, and “The Wagoner’s Lad” continues the trend, and becomes the first song to provide anything from a female perspective, as well as the first song to acknowledge social inequality.
While all the other songs have included betrayal in some form or another, I’m not finding any betrayal here. Definitely some sorrow, but no one has betrayed (or killed) anyone this time around.
Other Interpretations
Discography
McFarland and Gardner - Pretty Polly - Sadly, this recording doesn’t seem to be lurking anywhere on the Internet. Their recording of Pretty Polly was the B-Side to “Bully of the Town” but I cannot locate it. :(
Kelly Farrell - My Horses Ain’t Hungry - one of the more common variants of “The Wagoner’s Lad”, this 1926 recording contains some of the same lyrics as Kazee’s, but the story takes a different, happier turn. Bob Dylan fans may realize the tune, as Dylan borrowed the music for Farewell, Angelina.
Later Interpretations
Buell Kazee - “The Wagoner’s Lad” - 11/9/1974 - Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music - Madison County, North Carolina - Remember back at the start of this article when I told you I had something really special for you in this section? Here it is.
Most of the performers on the Anthology don’t appear on video at all. So, we don’t get many opportunities to show the performer in action. What’s even more rare is to see an artist who appeared on the Anthology performing one of their songs that appeared on the Anthology. I don’t know what lies ahead (really, I write these each week), and I don’t know how many such opportunities we’ll have, but this is a real gem.
The performance below starts off a little bit rocky, but hang in there. Once Kazee hits his stride, it is on. The intro and first verse are shaky, the second verse is solid, and it just gets better from there. We’ve still got another Kazee song to go (Song 58 “East Virginia”), and in that episode, I’ll share more live Buell Kazee performances. :)
The Kossoy Sisters - The Wagoner’s Lad - This 1956 recording isn’t terribly different from Kazee’s versions, but I like to share the Kossoy Sisters whenever I can because their work is relatively unknown, but their harmonies are so very gorgeous.
Mr. and Mrs John Sams - The Wagoner’s Lad - This field recording was made in Kentucky and released in 1960. I heard it, and instantly knew it belonged in this list. It’s a wonderful performance from a pair of authentic mountain folks.
John Denver - The Wagoner’s Lad - John Denver gets a bad rap with a lot of folks, but the guy could play a fine guitar and had a lovely voice. Sure, it’s a little on the soft side, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Not everything has to be raw and unrefined, y’know?
Bob Dylan - The Wagoner’s Lad - live 10/19/1988 - Radio City Music Hall - New York City, NY - Okay, I’ll confess. I’m a long-time Bob Dylan fan. I was heavily into his work when the Anthology was reissued in 1997, and my time with the Anthology has only strengthened my appreciation for Dylan’s work. This 1988 performance is basically the same as Kazee’s version, although Dylan adds an additional verse and then repeats the initial verse to close the song.
Billy Strings - The Wagoner’s Lad - This recording, uploaded to YouTube in 2013, predates Billy Strings’ absolute explosion on the bluegrass, folk, and jam band scenes. If you’re not familiar with Billy Strings, this is a great example of his incredible skill and performing style. He has a reverence for these older songs, and delivers them with such power and conviction that it gives me a little bit of hope for the future of songs like these.
Conclusion
For me, the past two weeks have been a fun, eye-opening journey through the work of Buell Kazee. The fan in me could not be happier. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and developed an even greater appreciation of Kazee’s work. I hope your experience with these articles has been similar.
This is the final song on Side One of Volume One - Ballads, and I want to zoom out a little bit and look at side one as a whole, where we can see the progression of the ballad as a song form. The side begins with our lowest numbered Child ballad and works its way up the Child line until reaching the highest numbered Child ballad in the set, which borrowed an entire verse from a separate source. From there, we shift over to a non-Child ballad that was an amalgamation of ballads, and wrap up the side with a ballad with so little storyline that it isn’t even a ballad anymore, but rather, a folk-lyric.
We’ve made some progress, and next week, we’ll flip the record over see what Side B has to offer as we continue our journey through the Anthology of American Folk Music with “King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O” by Chubby Parker and his Old Time Banjo from 1928. It’s a song you’re probably familiar with, even if you don’t recognize the title.
As always, I wouldn’t even know how to begin putting this together were it not for the work of so many others researchers and enthusiasts. While the blogs and articles are incredibly helpful, the individuals who uploaded recordings to YouTube have been so tremendously helpful in this process. Please note that I didn’t come up with any of this information, I just assembled it in this particular form. All my sources are all below, and if you’re looking to learn more about Buell Kazee or “The Wagoner’s Lad”, they’re a great place to start.
Sources
Buell Kazee - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buell_Kazee
Where Dead Voices Gather: Life at 78 RPM: "The Butcher's Boy (The Railroad Boy)" - Buell Kazee
https://theanthologyofamericanfolkmusic.blogspot.com/2009/11/butchers-boy-railroad-boy-buell-kazee.html
Buell Kazee, reissued | Root Hog Or Die
https://roothogordie.wordpress.com/2007/06/16/buell-kazee-reissued/
6 “The Butcher’s Boy” by Buell Kazee | My Old Weird America
https://oldweirdamerica.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/6-the-butchers-boy-by-buell-kazee/
Folk & Traditional Song Lyrics - The Ladies Case
https://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/Ladies_Case.htm
G. L. Kittridge, 1907, "Ballads and Rhymes from Kentucky," Journal of American Folklore vol. 20, no. 79, pp. 268-269.
https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-american-folklore_october-december-1907_20_79/page/268/mode/2up
Wagoners Lad, The - Ballad Index
https://balladindex.org/Ballads/R740.html
Folk Songs from the southern Appalachians
Sharp, Cecil and Campbell, Olive (Dame), 1917, pp. 215-219
https://archive.org/details/englishfolksongs00camp/page/214/mode/2up
mudcat.org : Origins : The Wagoner’s Lad
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=117428
mudcat.org : Origins : On Top of Old Smoky
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=76295
Ballads and songs collected by the Missouri folk-lore society,
edited by H. M. Belden, Vol. 15, No. 1, 1940
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435065469538&seq=503
Buell H. Kazee - Part-time Banjo Picker; Full-time Servant of Christ - By Stan Williams, Pastor - First Baptist Church of Cannonsburg, KY
Kentucky Baptist Heritage, Newsletter of the Kentucky Baptist Archives Advisory Board; Bill D. Whittaker, editor, May 4, 2004
https://web.archive.org/web/20091028083941/http://www.geocities.com/baptist_documents/kazee.buell.bio.html
Buell Kazee on hillbilly-music.com
https://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists/story/index.php?id=10391
Evening Star (Washington, DC) August 4, 1927 - Page 16
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1927-08-04/ed-1/seq-16/
Buell Kazee Discography by Norm Cohen
Archived on July 25, 2008 from http://www.appalshop.org/archive/kazee/Updated-Discography-by-Norm-Cohen.pdf Retrieved from Internet Archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080725072852/http://www.appalshop.org/archive/kazee/Updated-Discography-by-Norm-Cohen.pdf on April 27, 2025.
(NOTE: A direct link to the PDF on Archive.org doesn’t seem to work. However, if you visit archive.org, and enter the URL of the original link in the Wayback Machine, you should be able to find it.)