American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Alan Lomax Collection (AFC 2004/004) folder 09.01.53 writings, books Rainbow Sign, 1959 Lomax, Alan interviews, transcriptions [?:47] ALAN LOMAX WITH GARROWAY (1p) 5/18/59 Page 1 8:47 AUDIO VIDEO GARROWAY GARROWAY AND LOMAX SEATED WHERE LOMAX HAS ROOM TO PLAY GUITAR. Our guest this morning is Alan Lomax, a collector of folk music by tape recorder. He is at the same time a performer of American folk music and an author. His new book "The Rainbow Sign" is a result of his search GARROWAY HOLDS UP BOOK for new sources of American prose. He feels the notebook is not precise. He has recorded long free-flowing interviews and has carefully worked up two of these [in] as what he calls "folk novels". One is about Nora an Alabama washerwoman MOVE IN FOR CU LOMAS and a great singer. Alan, how does Nora's story begin? LOMAX CU LOMAX . . . "Mama never did own but three children, and she said I was one of the best babies she ever had. She could nurse me and lay me down on the bed, and she could be gone the longest time, I'd just be lyin' there. If they'd go off to town and tell me to set on the porch, I'd stay there. If it rained I'd sit there. If it snowed I'd sit there, so they all gave me the name of a good child and mama always did say she never would worry bout me when I get grown. She'd say, "Nora, ain't go in one of them places where folks get killed . . . . 6??7 ALAN LOMAX AND GARROWAY Page 2 AUDIO VIDEO LOMAX CU LOMAX “Now papa always did love to hear me sing. Even when I was a little girl he’d take me on his knee and ask me to sing something. Look like I always did have that talent. I member one time an old man ask me 'bout this one time. He say, “Nora, tell me, why can some folks sing and other folks can’t [hardly] even call chickens hardly”. I say, “I don’t know, but I got a reference to what you talked bout.” You see all the stars in the heaven?” Yeah Some of um real bright, ain't they. Yeah Some of um you just can see um, That’s right But they all God’s stars ain’t they. I reckon so. PULL BACK TO SHOW DAVE Well, that’s the way with people. Some of um can shine better than others. Some of um can talk better than others Some of them better lookin than others. But he made us all .and we all different. Well, he was an old man, but he couldn't argue my point. He said, "I reckon you're right GARROWAY So Nora was gifted to sing? (MORE) 8:47 LOMAX AND GARROWAY Page 3 AUDIO VIDEO LOMAX MOVE IN FOR CU LOMAX Yes, Dave, she told me about when she was a little girl.......... [“Now I always sang the play songs, when we played ring games. It was me that led. Everybody would ring up and I’d start slow and easy........ I’m ridin’ in a buggy. They’d all be marchin round and they’d answer me.... O yes, O yes. I’d sing... In a golden, bright buggy They’d answer me again... O yes, o yes. Now choose you two partners O yes, o yes An’ wan’s a good rappin O yes, yes. Then they’d go to clappin their hands and dancin crazy all over the yard, while I sang..... O candy, candy gal, O candy, candy gal, O candy, candy gal, Swing her all day long...] Then on moonshiney nights, after we’d finished our chores, we’d git to get her and play hid and seek, and if I was IT, I sing.... All hid...you all hid..... No, no, All hid, you all hid, No, no. five, ten, fifteen, twenty, All hid. No no So, I’d keep singin’, lettin um know I was still at base.... (MORE) 8:47 LOMAX AND GALLOWAY Page 4 AUDIO VIDEO LOMAX LOMAX This little hossy in the stable One jumped out and skinned his nable Is you all hid. No no. Way down yonder in jaybird town Devil knocked my daddy down. If you all hid Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, all hid. PULL BACK TO SHOW DAVE Then when nobody answered I go out and catch um . . . . . . . GALLOWAY What does the mean about jabird town? LOMAX That means white folks part of town. Nora learned her lesson early from her daddy. He told her don't fight back at 'em cause I couldn't protect you. I love you just as hard . . . but I don't have the privilege of showin it . . . don't onterfere with um. Nora never forgot. She saw many who retreated from life to protect their pride. There was Rafe Addison. Now Rafe was a don't carish man. Wouldn't pay no rent. He live in a dugout with his wife by the railroad track . . . He want him a car so he took an old wagon and cut a hole in the floor and put his feet through and pushes on some thing looks like cranks and it turns the wheels, and honey, he just rides to town anytime he wants to singin: Hey, hey boll weevil, where's your native home, Way down in the bottom, mong the cotton and corn. Tell me boll weevil, where you get your great long bill Way out in Texas among tyem Western hills . . . Rafe used to come over and visit us. Mama would him supper out in the yard and when the moon came up we'd build a fire out there and Rafe would sing us ald songs . . . . . . Another man done gone He has a long chain on He killed another man I don't know hwere he's gone . . . . . . Mama would tell me, "If you keep on listening to those old blues of Rafe's the Devil's gonna get you, cause old Rafe's almost Satan on earth . . . . (MORE) 8:47 LOMAX AND GARROWAY Page [?] 5 AUDIO VIDEO LOMAX (more) Old Rafe would poke me with his thumb and wink and we all laugh and carry on...... Sunday morning folks would pass him on the way to church, says, Rafe, come on go to church with us.... He’d say: “No, I won’t go. You all just give God my love..” And he'd sing..... Railtoad Bill, railroad Bill He never work and he never will Ride on, railroad Bill Railroad Bill, comin down the hill Lightin his seegars with a five dollar bill Ride on Railroad Bill.... Of course the strongest influence on Nora’s life came from the church..... She told me about the preacher who brought her into the church. He was a sho-nuff good pastor..... He would preach so till you could take his coat off and wring water out of it. They say they keep the windows and doors close near the pulpit otherwise he just jump out. They say he busted somethin preachin too hard and doctors say he couldn’t preach no more. But he'd be plowin and a preachin spell would hit him, he’d throw his hat down throw up his hands, tear across the field with his wife swinging onto trying to stop him but he say I’m gonna preach till I die And that’s just what he did. He preached till he died and he died smilin.... I remember how he used to tell us to comfort us... ‘When I look out on his Creation, I see white deers, black deers and all different colors. I see the same in cows. I see the same in hogs. Then I look out on the earth and I see the earth that He made and I see flowers comin—some red, some blue, some white—-all comin up on the same ground. It’s a mystery to me but it’s God. . And [?] He must mean for us to live together He must have meant so........ There’s a white flower and a blue flower and they keeps their seed apart and every one produce their own kind and that could be the same with us. But if you want a beautiful bouquet you must get flowers of all colors and bring them together and that makes a bouquet beautiful. ‘....... That’s a short version, Dave of the preacher in my book who was called to preach and did. LOMAX TO DAVE fortunately for me, long enough to be recorded..... PULL BACK TO SHOW DAVE.... GARROWAY Thank you Alan Lomax.[?]... for the excerpt from your new book, “The Rainbow Sign” ..... Transcribed and reviewed by volunteers participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.