Four cent cotton is a song about moonshine, which can have a cottony whitish appearance. Lowe Stokes from Georgia cut a version in 1930 with the Skillet Lickers. The song was also listed in the Fayettte Northwest Alabamian in 1929.
Some commentators have suggested that the tune is similar to Sally Gooden.
The song has a similar title to 11 Cent Cotton, 90 cent meat, but that song seems to be a farmer's lament about low market prices. It also doesn't have much if any connection musically to Four Cent Cotton. It's clear enough from Four Cent Cotton that several verses are about moonshine whiskey or some other alcoholic beverage.
This is a fantastic song for beginners to learn with because you can play nothing but C and make it work! On the other hand fiddle players really have to earn their pay as it is a very fast song and there is some major league bowing needed (oh that's right---there ain't no pay for Old Time fiddle players. Sorry).
At the Trolley Stop, we tend to stick in a G bass to use as a turnaround chord.
C C C G/C
C C C G/C
Fiddler Ben Cooper usually sings lead on this, and more often than not, the audience joins in on the "Hey Heys." For that reason alone it is a great tune to play in front of an audience.
There is a Lowe Stokes version on Youtube:
I also like this version from a group called the Georgia Crackers. The video was made circa 2009:
Fours cent Cotton, by Lowe Stokes (see the Bluegrass Messengers, http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/four-cent-cotton--lowe-stokes--1930.aspx
ds
Some commentators have suggested that the tune is similar to Sally Gooden.
The song has a similar title to 11 Cent Cotton, 90 cent meat, but that song seems to be a farmer's lament about low market prices. It also doesn't have much if any connection musically to Four Cent Cotton. It's clear enough from Four Cent Cotton that several verses are about moonshine whiskey or some other alcoholic beverage.
This is a fantastic song for beginners to learn with because you can play nothing but C and make it work! On the other hand fiddle players really have to earn their pay as it is a very fast song and there is some major league bowing needed (oh that's right---there ain't no pay for Old Time fiddle players. Sorry).
At the Trolley Stop, we tend to stick in a G bass to use as a turnaround chord.
C C C G/C
C C C G/C
Fiddler Ben Cooper usually sings lead on this, and more often than not, the audience joins in on the "Hey Heys." For that reason alone it is a great tune to play in front of an audience.
There is a Lowe Stokes version on Youtube:
I also like this version from a group called the Georgia Crackers. The video was made circa 2009:
Fours cent Cotton, by Lowe Stokes (see the Bluegrass Messengers, http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/four-cent-cotton--lowe-stokes--1930.aspx
Old John Davy is dead and rottin’
He got drunk on four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
Sleep all night with a hole in your stockin’
Get no more of the four cent cotton’
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
All year runnin’ in cotton
I went broke on four cent cotton.
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
Billie goat a-runnin’ in the holler
We gonna sell some four cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
(Fiddle)
Four cent cotton sure as you’re born
I’m gonna drink some Georgia corn,
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
Hey, hey four-cent cotton
