Here is another video from Clifftop, taken by Banjowim on Youtube.com. This song is entitled Fly Away my Blue Eyed Girl and is another favorite of our Wednesday Night Jam at the Morgantown Brewing Company. Keith McManus is playing lead fiddle and singing lead vocals, supported by a cast of thousands from Morgantown and around the world.
Some things to listen for are the brass accompaniment from I. B. Browning and Robert Shank (which is a kind of unique Morgantown thing, which gives it some additional kick), and also the harmony from Rachel Herner. Then too it is kind of cool to just sit back and listen to the sound of a few dozen fiddles playing together. There is simply no way you can get that sound except in a festival jam.
Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers had a version of this song in the 1920's, and there was another version from Frank Blevins and His Tar Heel Rattlers from about the same time.
Some folks know this as "Fly Away My Pretty Little Miss" instead of my "Blue Eyed Girl." This song is also kind of similar to Shady Grove, which was performed by Doc Watson and others. Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) and Stephen Grissman also played a version of this song.
Another version that I love comes from Rising Appalachia, with Leah and Chloe Smith and has a totally different sound than the jam version. These musicians break all "rules" (in reality there are none) of Old Time, including having two percussionists. The mouse hat is also not standard attire. But it all works beautifully, doesn't it?
Rising Appalachia version:
"Fly around my pretty little miss, fly around my daisy.
Fly around my pretty little miss, you almost drive me crazy.
Fly around my pretty little miss, fly around my honey.
Fly around my pretty little miss, I ain't got no money."
Once I had a fortune,
I laid it in a trunk,
Lost it all a-gamlin'
One night when I was drunk.
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
Fly around my Daisy,
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
You almost drive me crazy.
If I had no horse at all
I'd be found a-crawlin'
Up and down this rocky road
A lookin' for my darlin'
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
Fly around my Daisy,
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
You almost drive me crazy.
Every day and Sunday too
It seems so dark and hazy,
Thinkin' about my blue-eyed gal,
Almost drive me crazy
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
Fly around my Daisy,
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
You almost drive me crazy.
If I were an apple,
hanging on a tree
Everytime my Daisy'd pass
She'd take a bite of me
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
Fly around my Daisy,
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
You almost drive me crazy.
Wish I had a needle and thread
Fine as I could sew
I'd sew that pretty girl to my side
And down the road I'd go
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
Fly around my Daisy,
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
You almost drive me crazy.
Jaybird and the sparrow
They had a little fight together
Fought around the bria patch
Never lost a feather.
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
Fly around my Daisy,
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
You almost drive me crazy.
I wouldn't marry a banjo player
Tell you the reason why
His lips are full of tobacco juice
He never zips his fly.
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
Fly around my Daisy,
Fly around my blue-eyed gal
You almost drive me crazy.
I'd never marry a fiddler,
Tell you the reason why,
Her neck's so long and stringy, boys,
I'd fear she'd never die.
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