12 “Peg and Awl” by The Carolina Tar Heels
6January 28, 2009 by gadaya
The Carolina Tar Heels World
Here comes Clarence Ashley again, this time as a member of the Carolina Tar Heels, originaly a duo composed of banjo player Doc Walsh and guitar and harmonica player Gwen Foster. Ashley joined the band in 1928 and recorded 17 sides with them. By this time the original harmonica player was replaced by Garley Foster ( No relation to Gwen). On this sides he played guitar rather than banjo and was singing lead vocals. After Ashley’s departure the band continued to record until 1932. Their rediscovery in 1962 leaded to an lp recorded for the Folk Legacy label, with Doc Walsh’s son but without Ashley.
The repertoire and sound of the band was not common, including many 19th-century songs, mountain Blues, double-entendre songs (My sweet farm girl) played mostly with guitar, banjo and harmonica but without the proeminent fiddle of most old-time string bands of that time.
-Go here to read more about the Carolina tar Heels
-I’m offering 16 tracks for now that were part of box-set called “Mountain frolic” on the JSP label but we’ll meet again the Carolina Tar Heels on another song of the Anthology, “Got the farm land Blues” and it will be the occasion to post more tracks by this joyful band.
TRACK LIST:
1.Good-Bye My Bonnie, Good-Bye
2.The Bulldog Down In Sunny Tennessee
3.I Love My Mountain Home
4.When The Good Lord Sets You Free
5.There’s A Man Goin’ Around Takin’ Names
6.Lady Down Baby, Take Your Rest
7.Can’t You Remember When Your Heart Was Mine?
8.Roll On, Boys
9.I’ll Be Washed
10.Hand In Hand We Have Walked Along Together
11.The Train’s Done Left Me
12.Who’s Gonna Kiss Your Lips, Dear Darling
13.Oh, How I Hate It
14.The Old Grey Goose
15.The Hen House Door Is Locked
16.Washing Mama’s Dishe
The Peg and Awl Variations
“Peg and Awl” is a delightful and simple song (Have you noticed that many of the songs on the Anthology sounds like children’s songs…) heard only in The united States. There’s a traditionnal english song called “The pegging Awl” which is in fact a bawdy one and have nothing to do with the american “Peg and Awl”. But according to the events descibed in the lyrics (“In the year of Eighteen and one…”) this song seems to be refering to the english industrial revolution, where machinery started to take the place of the working man. By the end of the 19th century the changes were felt everywhere in Europe and in North America, in all the working fields. But the shoemaker of the song does not protest against the industrialisation, on the contrary he’s rejoicing that it saves him from hard labour.
-On this page you’ll read the lyrics and have an accurate description of the changes that occured in shoemaking during this period.
-On this page there’s also an interesting essay about the song.
-When i listened to the various versions of “Peg and Awl”, i noticed that some of the comptemporary performances are filled with some kind of melancholy and nostalgia, which seems to me in contradiction with the lyrics and maybe reflect the fact that today we see more the negative side of the industrial world, with the ecological damages and massive unemployement it leads to.
TRACK LIST:
1.The Carolina tar heels, from the Anthology
2.Poverty Line Old Time Band, from “Poverty Line Old Time Band”
3.Freedy Johnston, from “Song of America”
4.Kelly Harrell, from “Kelly Harrell Vol. 1 (1925-1926)”
5.Danu, from “The Road Less Traveled”
6.Pete Seeger, from “American Industrial Ballads”
7.Anamude, from “Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music By Harry Smith”
8.Tom Kitching And Gren Bartley, from “Rushes”
9.Elizabeth LaPrelle, from “Lizard In the Spring”
10. J.E. Mainer and his Mountaineers, from “40 Classics”
11.Camptown Shakers, from “Tooth & Nail”
12.Bruce Molsky, from “Poor Man’s Troubles”
13.Hobart Smith, from “Southern Journey Vol. 2: Ballads and Breakdowns”
14.Charlie Parr, from “Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music By Harry Smith”
15.Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley, from “Original Folkways Recordings Of Doc Watson And Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962”
My Old Weird America 
there are quite a few “long pegging awl” bawdy songs in britain, some recorded by lomax and peter kennedy on their folksongs of britain book/tapes, i’m almost inclined to believe “peg and awl” is a corruption of this “pegging awl” type of sexual metaphor song. albert lloyd sings a version too.
I just noticed that Lawrence Older sings a version of this near the end of the documentary “Adirondack Minstrel”; he speculates a little on its origins. Kind of a sleepy little documentary, but interesting:
http://www.folkstreams.net/film,189
Thank you for the Old Blue compilation. I just had to put my dog of thirteen years down. These songs soften the loss. Your work on this site is very much appreciated. Thanks–
[…] in search of redemption. And none of it would be possible without the community of ghosts, from the Carolina Tar Heels to Dock Boggs, whose efforts were documented by Harry Smith so long […]
This blog, or what ever you call it is a real labour of love eon your part and you are to be congratulated on your efforts.
I have just ordered a copy of the Anthology on CD’s. I had the set on LP’s many years ago and like many other including Robert Zimmerman, I cut my teeth, o to speak on Harry’s wonderful collection. Anything that can be done to keep this alive is OK in my book, best wishes- Kenneth- Yorkshire UK 2013
This blog, or what ever you call it is a real labour of love on your part and you are to be congratulated on your efforts.
I have just ordered a copy of the Anthology on CD’s. I had the set on LP’s many years ago and like many other including Robert Zimmerman, I cut my teeth, to to speak on Harry’s wonderful collection. Anything that can be done to keep this alive is OK in my book, best wishes- Kenneth- Yorkshire UK 2013