“Yonder Comes the High Sheriff”
Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1927 (Sandburg; recording, Ollis Martin)
Found in: US
Description
"Yonder comes the high sheriff ridin' after me, Ridin' after me, yes, ridin' after me. Yonder comes... O it's captain, I don't want to go." "Been down to Frankfort servin' out my time...."
Notes
"Gotta Travel On" became enormously popular in the 1950s-1960s folk revival, to the point where it was a parodied cliche; the song was always credited to Paul Clayton. This song, though, is clearly its source. Ollis Martin's recording seems to have been made only a few weeks before Sandburg's book was published. - PJS
Recordings
- Ollis Martin, "Police and High Sheriff Come Ridin' Down" (Gennett 6306, 1928; rec. 1927; on StuffDreams1)
- Poplin Family, "Goin' Back to Sumter" (on Poplin01)
References
- Sandburg, p. 213, "Yonder Comes the High Sheriff" (1 short text, 1 tune)
- BI, San213
The Traditional Ballad Index is copyright ©2008
by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
The Digital Tradition is copyright The Mudcat Cafe.