Cluck Old Hen

[Johnny Lloyd]

Cluck Old Hen

My old hen's a good old hen
She lays eggs for the railroad men
Sometimes 8 and sometimes ten
That's enough for the railroad men

Cluck old hen cluck and sing
You ain't laid an egg since late last spring
Cluck old hen cluck and squall
Ain't laid an egg since late last fall

Cluck old hen, cluck when I tell you
Cluck old hen, or I'm gonna sell you
Last time she cackled, cackled in the lot
Next time she cackles, cackle in the pot

My old hen, she's a good old hen
She lays eggs for the railroad men
Sometimes 1, sometimes two
Sometimes enough for the whole damn crew

I have heard the tune/rhythm to this was colonial or even from West African chant.

Is there any provenance as to who might have wrote it or is this person lost to history?

I have been singing it all day in the back of my head. Sometimes the way to get rid of a song is to sing it out loud... ;)

Thanks- Johnny Lloyd

[Danny]

Re: Cluck Old Hen

Johnny -

You might want to get it out of your system, at least on campaign. Though it might have been a negro folk tune (different lyrics than yours) from before the Civil War, the earliest text documenting the song was an 1886 article “South Texas Negro Work-Songs” and then in 1922 "Negro Folk Rhymes" by Thomas Talley, a Fisk University Chemistry professor. (Fisk university was one of the original black colleges after the CW).

Well after the war, especially by the early 20th century the song had became established as an old-timey fiddle tune from the mountainous areas of West Virginia, southwest Virginia, western North Carolina and Kentucky, where presumably white musicians had picked it up from free negroes in the area years before.

I won't get in trouble again for mentioning how much hillbilly string band music is assumed to be correct for CW period. But you see and hear a lot of it in the reenacting community and at the Sat. night balls a(t the 'streamer events at least) and in Sutler camp bands and on CW music CD's, so who could blame anyone for thinking that's authentic style for CW?

I wouldn't be comfortable claiming "Cluck Old Hen" for a CW camp impression - but on our own, heck ya, it's a great ole tune.

Dan Wykes

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Cluck Old Hen

Dan-

I have an mp3 copy of "Cluck Old Hen" from Fiddlin' Powers 1920's version of the song. Love how he says "durn" instead of "damn" in the last line.

Your evidence is the first I have heard it might have been transcribed from verbal-only to paper in the postwar period. From the similiar sound to African tunes, I'd say it was older too. If anyone has any citations to it being written-down before the war, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for the input... Johnny Lloyd