Old Folks at Home
Old Folks at Home , also after the first line as (Way Down Upon the) Swanee River , is a song by the American composer Stephen Foster , composed in 1851 and performed for the first time by the New York theater group Christy's Minstrels . The name of Edwin Pearce Christy, the leader of this theater group, appears on the first prints as the composer of the song: Edwin Christy paid Stephen Foster to appear as the composer of the song. Although Stephen Foster later regretted the decision, he did not reverse the agreement. Old Folks at Home has been the official anthem of the US state of Florida since 1935 . However, it should be replaced by a new song in the course of 2008.
According to legend, Foster had already written most of the song, but found it difficult to find a river name that would match the lyrics. He asked his brother to suggest the first one that came to mind on the Yazoo River , which runs through Mississippi . Although Yazoo River was a perfect match for the melody, Stephen Foster discarded that idea. The second suggestion was the Pee Dee River , flowing through South and North Carolina , which Stephen Foster also found unsuitable. Foster's brother then consulted an atlas and then exclaimed, Suwannee , the proposal Foster accepted. While writing it, however, he made a typo, and the river was represented as Swanee .
Stephen Foster never saw the Suwannee River himself. However, the popularity of the song ensured that the banks of this river were regularly visited by tourists. The song became popular very quickly. The popularity of the song can be measured, for example, by the fact that the American anti-slavery opponent Harriet Tubman refers to the boy described in the song ( boy of Swanee River ) to describe the homesickness she felt when her owner moved her to other plantations awarded.
song lyrics
- First verse
- Way down upon de Swanee river,
- Far, far away,
- Dere's wha my heart is turning ever,
- Dere's wha de old folks stay.
- All up and down de whole creation
- Sadly I roam,
- Still longing for the old plantation
- And for the old folks at home.
- Chorus
- All de world am sad and dreary,
- Ebry where I roam,
- Oh! darkies how my heart grows weary,
- Far from de old folks at home.
- Second stanza
- All round de little farm I wandered
- When I was young
- Den many happy days I squandered,
- Many de songs I sung.
- When I was playing wid my brother
- Happy what I
- Oh! take me to my kind old mudder,
- Dere let me live and die.
- Chorus
- Third verse
- One little hut amond de bushes,
- One dat I love,
- Still sadly to my mem'ry rushes,
- No matter where I rove
- When will I see de bees a humming
- All round de comb?
- When will I hear de banjo tumming
- Down in my good old home?
- Chorus
swell
- ↑ Florida State Song The Swanee River . In: Netstate . Retrieved April 29, 2007.
- ^ State of Florida: Just Sing, Florida! . Retrieved January 10, 2008.
- ^ Center for American Music: Old Folks at Home . In: Center for American Music Library . Retrieved April 29, 2007.