When You Go A-Courtin'

Written by: [Traditional]
Language: English
Comments: "When You Go A-Courtin'" is part of a large related group of a songs in which the girls from one state are warned about the perils of dating a certain group of boys from another state (e.g., Virginia Gals and West Virginia or Carolina Boys, Missouri Girls and Arkansas or Kansas Boys). It is of minstrel origins likely dating back to the 1841 song, "De Free *Man." The original sheet music, available at American Memory, gives the first verse as:

Come all you Virginia gals and listen to my noise
Neber do you wed wid de Carolina boys,
For if dat you do your portion it will be
Corn cake and hominy and Jango lango tea

It has been passed down in various forms and a myriad of titles including West Virginia Gals/West Virginia Boys/If You Want to Go A-Courtin'/Cornbread, 'Lasses & Sassafras Tea/Come Girls, Come/Texian Boys/Hello Girls/ Kansas Boys/Arkansas Sheik/Don't Marry the Mormon Boys/Missouri Boys/Poor Tuckahoe.

Clayton McMichen & Riley Puckett recorded "The Arkansas Sheik" on October 26, 1928. Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters recorded "West Virginia Gals" on December 20, 1928, and then a snippet of "When You Go A-Courtin'" (with no lyrics) as part of a medley two days later.

NOTE: There is a fiddle instrumental tune called "West Virginia Gals" that is unrelated.
Licensing: Request a synchronization license

Originals

When You Go A-Courtin'

First recording by Clayton McMichen & Riley Puckett (October 26, 1928)

First release by Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters (The Hill Billies [US]) (1929)

Versions

When You Go A-Courtin' written by [Traditional] English

Title	Performer	Release date	Info
The Arkansas Sheik REC	Clayton McMichen & Riley Puckett	July 1931	First recording on October 26, 1928
West Virginia Gals REL	Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters (The Hill Billies [US])	1929	First release
Medley of Old Time Dance Tunes [Soldier's Joy - Shoot That Turkey Buzzard - When You Go A-Courtin'	Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters (The Hill Billies [US])	1929	Medley
Cornbread, 'Lasses and Sassafras Tea	Lonzo and Oscar with Their Winston County Pea Pickers	August 1947
Come on All You Virginia Gals	Cousin Emmy	1947
Kansas Boys	Oscar Brand	October 1954
Texian Boys	Pete Seeger	1954
Texian Boys	John A. Lomax, Jr.	1956
Kansas Boys	Joan O'Bryant	1957
When You Go A-Courtin'	Alan Lomax	August 1958
Virginia Gals	Walt Robertson	April 1959
The Tex-I-An Boys	The Tex-I-An Boys	1961
Don't Marry the Mormon Boys	Rosalie Sorrels	1961
Cornbread and 'Lasses and Sassafras Tea	The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover	March 1962	Live
The Arkansas Sheik	The New Lost City Ramblers	January 1967
Cornbread and 'Lasses (Sassafrass Tea)	The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band	April 1968
When You Go A-Courting	Sam Hinton	1972
Hard Time Coming - Cornbread, Molassess, Sassafrass Tea	Dan Gellert and Shoofly	1986	Medley
Come All You Virginia Girls	Elizabeth LaPrelle	2004
West Virginia Boys	Sarah McQuaid	October 2008
Come All You Virginia Gals	The Foghorn Stringband	September 2012
West Virginia Boys	Alice Wylde	February 2013
Arkansas Sheik	Georgia Crackers [US3]	April 17, 2015
Virginia Gals	Dean Gitter and The Ute Mountain Gang	May 19, 2017
Arkansas Sheik	Frank Lee & Allie Burbrink	April 2018
Cornbread, Peas, Black Molasses	Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder	April 22, 2022

When You Go A-Courtin' written by [Traditional] instrumental

		Title	Performer	Release date	Info
	i	Cornbread, Molasses & Sassafras Tea	The Freight Hoppers	October 15, 1996
	i	West Virginia Gals	Crooked Pine Band	April 30, 2018

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When You Go A-Courtin'

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When You Go A-Courtin'

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