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Song

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Language
English
Comments
Elijah Wald documents this traditional African American song as being in circulation as early as 1894. W.C. Handy records hearing it sung by roustabouts on the levee at St. Louis. Charles E Trevathan, a white sports writer and amateur guitarist, subsequently claimed authorship of the words and melody. In 1896, it was a hit for May Irwin, a Scots-Canadian singer who performed it with racist lyrics in a production called "The Widow Jones."
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Added by Will Moore

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