Zora Neale Hurston’s WPA field recordings in Jacksonville, FL (1939)

Caption: Zora Neale Hurston posing for the Crow Dance
Zora Neale Hurston posing for the Crow Dance

Image from collections of Yale University Library

00:00 / 00:00

00:00 - 00:39

Men singing

Unknown
Song

00:47 - 00:51

2714 B1 and 2

Library of Congress

00:52 - 01:00

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

01:01 - 02:59

Women singing

Unknown
Song

03:03 - 05:39

Man singing

Unknown
Song

05:40 - 05:43

2715 A1 and 2

Library of Congress

05:46 - 05:59

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

05:58 - 08:37

Men singing

Unknown
Song

08:43 - 10:25

Men singing

Unknown
Song

10:37 - 10:40

2715 B1 and 2

Library of Congress

10:45 - 11:25

Instruments playing

Instruments

11:25 - 11:36

Man singing with instruments

Unknown
Song with instruments

11:36 - 12:50

Instruments playing

Instruments

12:50 - 13:01

Man singing with instruments

Unknown singing with instruments

13:01 - 13:09

Instruments playing

Instruments

13:21 - 13:44

Instruments playing

Instruments

13:44 - 13:56

Man and woman singing with instruments

Unknown
Song with instruments

13:56 - 14:31

Instruments playing

Instruments

14:31 - 14:44

Man and woman singing with instruments

Unknown
Song with instruments

14:44 - 15:29

Instruments playing

Instruments

15:35 - 15:38

2716 A1 and 2

Library of Congress

15:43 - 15:49

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

15:49 - 17:58

Women singing

Unknown
Song

18:05 - 18:05

Alright.

Herbert Halpert

18:06 - 20:24

Women singing

Unknown
Song

20:25 - 20:28

2716 B1

Library of Congress

20:31 - 20:32

Alright. Let's play.

Herbert Halpert

20:32 - 23:24

Women singing

Unknown
Song

23:27 - 23:31

2717 A1, 2 and 3

Library of Congress

23:32 - 24:09

Instruments playing

Instruments

24:09 - 24:13

Man singing with instruments

Unknown
Song with instruments

24:13 - 24:32

Instruments playing

Instruments

24:32 - 24:36

Man singing with instruments

Unknown
Song with instruments

24:36 - 24:44

Instruments playing

Instruments

24:44 - 24:48

Man singing with instruments

Unknown
Song with instruments

24:48 - 25:08

Instruments playing

Instruments

25:19 - 26:44

Instruments playing

Instruments

26:47 - 27:46

Instruments playing

Instruments

27:48 - 27:52

2717 B1 and 2

Library of Congress

27:58 - 27:59

Alright.

Herbert Halpert

28:00 - 31:05

Man singing

Unknown
Song

31:11 - 32:49

Man singing

Unknown
Song

32:52 - 32:56

2718 A1 and 2

Library of Congress

32:59 - 32:59

Alright.

Herbert Halpert

33:00 - 35:39

Woman singing with ukulele

Unknown
Song with instruments

35:47 - 35:49

[inaudible] Now go.

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

35:49 - 37:27

Woman singing

Unknown
Song

37:36 - 37:40

2718 B1, 2 and 3

Library of Congress

37:42 - 37:53

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

37:53 - 40:32

Woman singing

Unknown
Song

40:38 - 40:38

Alright sing!

Herbert Halpert

40:40 - 41:27

Children singing and clapping

Unknown
Song

41:30 - 41:32

Go ahead. Sing it again.

Herbert Halpert

41:32 - 41:32

Children singing and clapping

Unknown
Song

41:48 - 41:48

[Distortion]

Distortion

42:21 - 42:23

2720 A1 and 2

Library of Congress

42:45 - 42:45

Men singing

Unknown
Song

44:33 - 44:33

[Distortion]

Distortion

45:20 - 45:20

[Distortion]

Distortion

45:25 - 45:27

3135 A

Library of Congress

45:29 - 45:29

My name is Zora Neal Hurston. I was born in Eatonville, FLorida. I'm 35 years old. This song that I'm going to sing is a railroad song that I found on a railroad gang near Miami and was song to me by Max Ford.

Zora Neale Hurston

45:49 - 45:49

How long ago was that?

Herbert Halpert

45:51 - 45:51

That was in 1930.

Zora Neale Hurston

45:55 - 45:55

How did you happen to be going around getting songs?

Herbert Halpert

45:57 - 45:57

I was collecting folk material for Columbia University as part of the Barnard College, Columbia University.

Zora Neale Hurston

46:05 - 46:05

What is the song called?

Herbert Halpert

46:06 - 46:06

They call it "Gonna See my Long-haired Babe" and it's a railroad spiking song and the rhythm is kept with a spike and a hammer.

Zora Neale Hurston

46:16 - 46:16

Will you try to emphasize, give me the approximate rhythm of the hammer with the stick by hitting it against that?

Herbert Halpert

46:22 - 46:22

Yes, sir.

Zora Neale Hurston

46:27 - 46:27

ZNH sings 'Gonna See My Long-Haired Babe'

Zora Neale Hurston
Song

48:03 - 48:03

Let them hammers ring, boy.

Zora Neale Hurston

48:07 - 48:07

I see you, you seem to be hitting down twice for a hammer. Why is that?

Herbert Halpert

48:14 - 48:14

Uh, the men face each other with hammers and they call on each other; they're breasted, they stand breast to breast and one comes down and the other one comes down.

Zora Neale Hurston

48:22 - 48:22

Immediately afterwards?

Herbert Halpert

48:23 - 48:23

Yes, one comes down [strike, strike]

Zora Neale Hurston
Strike

48:26 - 48:26

I see [strike, strike] and how long is that between the double strikes?

Herbert Halpert
Strike

48:32 - 48:32

The minute that one goes down, the other is on the upstroke and comes right down behind it.

Zora Neale Hurston

48:36 - 48:36

And who does the singing?

Herbert Halpert

48:37 - 48:37

They sing in line. It's a man who doesn't work at all. And he walks up and down and gives the rhythm for the people to work.

Zora Neale Hurston

48:45 - 48:45

Is this for a whole crew of men?

Herbert Halpert

48:46 - 48:46

A whole crew of men singing this one time and the railroad has to pay the singing liner or else the men won't work.

Zora Neale Hurston

48:54 - 48:54

What I'm asking you is if you hear that you only hear the one man singing on a whole section of track.

Herbert Halpert

49:00 - 49:00

Not all the time, because different ones have verses they want to put in themselves and so they jump in and after they start the song but the singing liner always starts it.

Zora Neale Hurston

49:08 - 49:08

Well now look, uh, the only thing is that you were giving a long piece of singing without the rhythm of the hammer and I want to know approximately how often that comes.

Herbert Halpert

49:18 - 49:18

Well, they often do that and then after that they [distortion] get in there but they [distortion]

Zora Neale Hurston
Distortion

49:28 - 49:28

3135 B1 and 2

Library of Congress

49:33 - 49:33

[inaudible]

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

49:37 - 49:37

Uh, this song I got in Callahan, Florida, which is a railroad center in the northern part of Florida.

Zora Neale Hurston

49:46 - 49:46

Inaudible.

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

49:48 - 49:48

I got this in 1935. I don't remember the man's name who sung it to me but I got it at Callahan. It's a railroad camp.

Zora Neale Hurston

49:56 - 49:56

What kind of song is it?

Herbert Halpert

49:58 - 49:58

This is not exactly a song. It's a chant for the men lining. You know a railroad rail weighs 900 pounds and the men have to take these lining bars and get it in shape to spike it down. And while they're doing that why they have a chant that, uh, and also some songs that they be used to, the rhythm to work it into place and then the boss hollers 'Bring 'em a hammer gang' and they start to spike it down. And this is a chant for lining the rail.

Zora Neale Hurston

50:28 - 50:28

ZNH chants 'Let's Shake It'

Zora Neale Hurston
Chant

50:50 - 50:50

I'd like you to do that again. But this time, when they have . . . What do they call the irons they use?

Herbert Halpert

50:55 - 50:55

They call it a lining bar.

Zora Neale Hurston

50:56 - 50:56

Alright. The lining bar. When they work but don't you hear the clink of it?

Herbert Halpert

51:01 - 51:01

It's a 'hah'! Now you don't hear the lining bar because it's under the rail and they shove the rail with it.

Zora Neale Hurston

51:07 - 51:07

They hit against it?

Herbert Halpert

51:08 - 51:08

No, it's under it. You see, it's just like on this. It's a crow bar.

Zora Neale Hurston

51:12 - 51:12

Because over in Mississippi, they showed me by hitting the thing. They said that the way that they did it was by several men taking a short hit.

Herbert Halpert

51:21 - 51:21

Well, I've seen them put it between their legs this way and put it back and they get this, this splange under the rail, and then they 'heh, heh'. You know, like that.

Zora Neale Hurston

51:30 - 51:30

Well, now what do they do? Are they pulling it, pulling it --

Herbert Halpert

51:32 - 51:32

Pulling it backwards, they're moving it backwards.

Zora Neale Hurston

51:33 - 51:33

In other words, they have it underneath and they're using the lever to go forward.

Herbert Halpert

51:37 - 51:37

That's right. Yes.

Zora Neale Hurston

51:39 - 51:39

Alright.

Herbert Halpert

51:40 - 51:40

And all the men, you know because it's always straining and they 'heh'.

Zora Neale Hurston

51:42 - 51:42

About how many are there on a bar?

Herbert Halpert

51:43 - 51:43

Oh, some time it's about 7 or 8 on at one time.

Herbert Halpert

51:48 - 51:48

Hmhm. Well, I suppose you try it and you sing it over again.

Herbert Halpert

51:52 - 51:52

Alright

Zora Neale Hurston

51:53 - 51:53

Or chant it.

Herbert Halpert

51:56 - 51:56

ZNH chants 'Let's Shake It'

Zora Neale Hurston
Chant

52:22 - 52:22

I got 'That Old Black Gal' is a spiking song that I got down there in Miami and was song by Max Ford the singing liner on this construction crew.

Zora Neale Hurston

52:33 - 52:33

What's it used for?

Herbert Halpert

52:34 - 52:34

Used for spiking down the rails.

Zora Neale Hurston

52:37 - 52:37

ZNH chants 'That Old Black Gal'

Zora Neale Hurston
Chant

53:47 - 53:47

3136 A

Library of Congress

53:50 - 53:50

This song they called 'Shove it Over' and it's the lining rhythm pretty generally distributed all over Florida. It was sung to me by Charlie Jones on a railroad construction camp in Lakeland, Florida.

Zora Neale Hurston

54:03 - 54:03

About how long ago?

Herbert Halpert

54:05 - 54:05

Uh, I gathered that in '33, 1933.

Zora Neale Hurston

54:11 - 54:11

ZNH sings 'Shove it over'

Zora Neale Hurston
Song

56:00 - 56:00

This is again for lining?

Herbert Halpert

56:02 - 56:02

This is a lining rhythm.

Zora Neale Hurston

56:02 - 56:05

Now where is the movement?

Herbert Halpert

56:05 - 56:11

When they say Shacka-lacka-lacka like they are getting ready to pull back and when they say 'heh' they shove the rail over.

Zora Neale Hurston

56:11 - 56:15

In other words, this song gives them quite a lot of rest in between.

Herbert Halpert

56:15 - 56:16

Right a lot of rest in between.

Zora Neale Hurston

56:16 - 56:17

And a harder shove?

Herbert Halpert

56:17 - 56:20

And a harder shove at the end. And they say 'heh', they all go.

Zora Neale Hurston

56:20 - 56:25

It seems to have had a different effect from the other lining one you gave, I mean that one about Mobile.

Herbert Halpert

56:25 - 56:35

Yes, but someone was short and someone only just come to the mood of the liner. And the men work whatever song he sung, they work that rhythm.

Zora Neale Hurston

56:35 - 57:18

Uh, now when the men are lining, they put the rail down, and then of course the captain, he's crouched straddle of it and uh, looks down it so he can tell when it's lined up in exact line with the others. And if they carry it, well he'll say shove it over and if they carry it too far, he'll say send it back and when they get it exactly in line, he'll tell em 'join it ahead' but then they corrupted that to 'join ahead' and all of them say 'join ahead' for 'join it ahead'. And, uh, so, uh, this song is about a lining and the rhythm goes with, they put this lining bar, this long steel bar, crow bar between their legs so they have greater purchase and pull back on it.

Zora Neale Hurston

57:18 - 57:21

Well, wait a minute. They pull back . . . and how are they facing in relation to the rail.

Herbert Halpert

57:21 - 57:24

Their back is to the rail.

Zora Neale Hurston

57:24 - 57:27

In other words, they're pulling up on the bar.

Herbert Halpert

57:27 - 57:32

They're pulling up on the bar. They don't have to look at the rail because that's the captain's job to see when it's right.

Zora Neale Hurston

57:32 - 57:35

Well, what do they do? Do they, how do they get it under the bar, how do they get it under the bar, the rail?

Herbert Halpert

57:35 - 57:40

They just push the flange of this lining bar under the rail and then pull back on it.

Zora Neale Hurston

57:40 - 57:42

Do they have to look back at it or do they just feel it?

Herbert Halpert

57:42 - 57:49

Oh, they can just feel it. Sometimes they look back, you know, but most of them, they just can feel it and they send it back on there.

Zora Neale Hurston

57:49 - 57:59

Well, uh, you were saying, you were explaining that there's different rhythms that they have. Are there any particular times when a faster on or a slower one would be used?

Herbert Halpert

57:59 - 58:27

Well, it's different; it's not any particular time except just the feeling of the singing liner. Whatever song he starts. If it's a fast rhythm they work fast; if its's a slow one, well they work, you know, a little slower but they get just as much work done, it seems, somehow or another.

Zora Neale Hurston

58:17 - 58:22

3136 B

Library of Congress

58:27 - 58:30

ZNH singing low.

Zora Neale Hurston
Song

58:30 - 58:31

Alright.

Herbert Halpert

58:31 - 58:50

Alright, this song I'm going to sing is a lining rhythm and I'm going to call it Mule on the Mount though you can start with any verse you want and give it a name and it's the most widely distributed work song in the United States and it has innumerable verses and whatnot about everything under the sun and it's a lining rhythm though they sometimes sing it just [cut off].

Zora Neale Hurston

WPA field recordings in Jacksonville (1939 recording expedition: Herbert Halpert). 1939-06-18. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/238024>

00:00 / 00:00

00:00 - 00:00

But, did they always have the same tune to it?

Herbert Halpert

00:01 - 00:01

Oh yes, they had the same tune all the time but different wording, you know. They would make up words all the time. You see, the fellows from different railroads would come and work on this track with us and each fellow, perhaps he'd have a new verse that he'd add to the song.

Harold B. Hazelhurst

00:16 - 00:16

Well, good. Well now, let's hear it the way that you remember it.

Herbert Halpert

00:19 - 00:19

Well, sing it over again? Sing it now?

Harold B. Hazelhurst

00:22 - 00:22

Start from the beginning. Alright.

Herbert Halpert

01:35 - 01:35

[Distortion]

Distortion

01:42 - 01:42

Tell us about this.

Herbert Halpert

01:44 - 01:44

Every morning about four o'clock, the foreman, the tent, sack rouster, would go around and knock on the tent with his axe handle. Says 'Alright boys, let's go back'. Says 'Let's go back boys to double track. The work ain't hard, the man ain't mean. The cook ain't nasty, but the grub ain't clean. You sleep on my good bed and you call 'em bunk. You eat my good ration, and you call it junk. So, now let's go back.'

Harold B. Hazelhurst

02:13 - 02:13

How was the arrangement, how was the arrangement of the tents?

Herbert Halpert

02:15 - 02:15

The tents were in circles. And each, they were built in circles so as when he'd leave the last tent, he would be at the first tent again. He'd go all around and when he stopped at the last tent, he'd be right back at the first tent again.

Harold B. Hazelhurst

02:34 - 02:34

Well, he was the foreman of the job?

Herbert Halpert

02:35 - 02:35

Well, he was one of the foremans on the job.

Harold B. Hazelhurst

02:38 - 02:38

Uh-huh.

Herbert Halpert

02:38 - 02:38

So, they would take turns in arousing the men every morning but this particular man, he would use those phrase.

Harold B. Hazelhurst

02:44 - 02:44

Uh-huh. And he just said them like that?

Herbert Halpert

02:46 - 02:46

Yes, he didn't have no expression whatever. [Laughter]. It was just dry.

Harold B. Hazelhurst
Laughter

02:53 - 02:53

[Laughter]. Even if he had no expression, let's hear it again.

Herbert Halpert
Laughter

02:58 - 02:58

Come on boys, let's go back to double track. The work ain't hard, and the man ain't mean. The cook ain't nasty, but the grub ain't clean. You sleep on the good beds and you call 'em bunk. You eat my good rations, and you call it junk. So, now let's go back.'

Harold B. Hazelhurst

03:21 - 03:21

Tell me when it would be different.

Herbert Halpert

03:23 - 03:23

Well, sometime, when the boss man wouldn't go around himself, he'd send some of the fellas, colored fellas, around to arouse the men. They'd say 'Come on boys, let's go back. Yes, you sleep on his good beds and you call 'em bunk, You eat his good rations, and you call 'em junk. So, now if I have to call it, you want to fight. Now that white man call it, it's captain alright. Now, let's go back.

Harold B. Hazelhurst

03:54 - 03:54

Alright. Tell us about it.

Herbert Halpert

03:55 - 03:55

All of these songs that I'm singing, they didn't have no particular title. We just began singing them as the feelings would come on.

Harold B. Hazelhurst

04:03 - 04:03

Alright, when did the feelings come on for this one?

Herbert Halpert

04:07 - 04:07

Well, sometimes the fellas, it'd be near pay day, and some of the fellas would think about going away to another job and they began feeling good. They began singing some of these songs and this one, in particular.

Harold B. Hazelhurst

06:05 - 06:05

[Distortion]

Distortion

06:07 - 06:07

Go ahead.

Herbert Halpert

06:11 - 06:11

During the early days of the settlers in South Carolina, Buford County, when the church was first established there, before there were schools and seminaries, why the preachers preached mostly by imagination, and as I've been in contact during my boyhood days with quite a few settlers from that part of the state, I've learned this sermon how an old minister use to preach it a long time ago and instead of being able to reiterate from the bible, he just imagined something and went on to preach it in a form of dialect as I shall give you now as near as I can imitate him.

H. W. Stuckey

09:36 - 09:36

What was that song? When did that song come in?

Herbert Halpert

09:39 - 09:39

[Laughter] On the close of the sermon, they open the doors of the church after he got through.

H. W. Stuckey
Laughter

09:43 - 09:43

Yeah and who would sing it?

Herbert Halpert

09:45 - 09:45

Old sister in the corner.

H. W. Stuckey

09:47 - 09:47

Well I mean was there any particular reason for singing this song? Was that at the opening of the church door?

Herbert Halpert

09:52 - 09:52

At the opening of the church door according to the members, the church members.

H. W. Stuckey

09:55 - 09:55

And this was the song that was used, she would use?

Herbert Halpert

09:57 - 09:57

Would you sing it over again, please?

Herbert Halpert

10:17 - 10:17

Uh Zora Hurston speaking. In all the big work camps, sawmills, and turpentine, still, and road camps and whatnot they have a man to go down and wake up the camp. And he has various chants and hollers to wake them up and sometimes he wakes them up as he goes along.

Zora Neale Hurston

10:34 - 10:34

Well, speaking about what you're getting ready to, Where'd you hear that?

Herbert Halpert

10:39 - 10:39

Well, I heard these at Loughman, a big sawmill down state in Polk County.

Zora Neale Hurston

11:53 - 11:53

Alright

Herbert Halpert

11:54 - 11:54

What kind of a song is this, Zora?

Carita Doggett Corse

11:56 - 11:56

This is a Nassau song from the Bahamas.

Zora Neale Hurston

11:59 - 11:59

When is it used?

Carita Doggett Corse

12:00 - 12:00

Well, they sing this song when they're jumping the fire dance.

Zora Neale Hurston

12:05 - 12:05

What is the fire dance?

Carita Doggett Corse

12:07 - 12:07

The fire dance is some sort of African survival in the West Indies and they beat the drums and sing these little songs.

Zora Neale Hurston

12:14 - 12:14

And how did you happen to learn it?

Carita Doggett Corse

12:16 - 12:16

Well, I was doing research down there, collecting songs out of Columbia University and I collected quite a few of them and this is just one of them.

Zora Neale Hurston

12:43 - 12:43

And they keep that up until the drum is cold and then they change it and they sing another song of the same kind.

Zora Neale Hurston

12:50 - 12:50

What is this?

Carita Doggett Corse

12:50 - 12:50

You better sing another song of the same kind.

Herbert Halpert

12:52 - 12:52

Uh, this one, this song is [distortion].

Zora Neale Hurston
Distortion

12:57 - 12:57

Wait [distortion]

Herbert Halpert
Distortion

13:03 - 13:03

Go ahead. Next song.

Herbert Halpert

13:06 - 13:06

This little song is a story. Uh, the young lady thinks that it's time for them to get married. in fact, she thinks they just have to and the boy doesn't want to marry and so this song is about it.

Herbert Halpert

14:01 - 14:01

Are those songs sung in Florida as well as in the West Indies?

Carita Doggett Corse

14:06 - 14:06

Yes, Dr. Corse. Uh, they are sung in Key West and Miami and Palm Beach and out in the Everglades where a great number of Nassaus are working in the bean fields and whatnot. Uh, there are a great number of them in Florida who hold jumping dances every week.

Zora Neale Hurston

14:23 - 14:23

I think it's very interesting that we have inferences from the West Indies as well as the rural South in our Florida Negro folklore.

Carita Doggett Corse

14:43 - 14:43

Gilberto

Gilberto

14:59 - 14:59

What Mr. Gilberto [inaudible] just said is that he is manager of a Latin group now playing at the Cuban Club in Tampa Florida who are going to sing for you some of their traditional Cuban songs. I am the pianist of the unit, Art Pages, and will play some of them for you myself.

Art Pages
Inaudible

15:22 - 15:22

Uh, Mr. Pages, Will you tell me where are the people from?

Herbert Halpert

15:27 - 15:27

Uh, all these units, all of the actors in the unit are all native Cubans and they came from Cuba two or three months ago.

Art Pages

15:36 - 15:36

Uh, will you, can you, tell me in their performance do they play some of the old songs? The traditional songs?

Herbert Halpert

15:42 - 15:42

They have to for they are requested to do so.

Art Pages

15:49 - 15:49

Good. Go ahead.

Herbert Halpert

15:50 - 15:50

Uh, the melody that Estella [inaudible] will sing for you next is a typical Cuban melody. This is sung in the country by the peasants. It's probably uh . . . I don't know what to say.

Art Pages
Inaudible

16:10 - 16:10

Well, stay there. How long has she known this song?

Herbert Halpert

16:15 - 16:15

Oh, that, she's probably heard it all her life from her parents and so forth.

Art Pages

16:20 - 16:20

Well, you go up there and ask her. You ask her.

Herbert Halpert

16:23 - 16:23

Do you want me to do that in Spanish?

Art Pages

16:25 - 16:25

Go ahead and ask her.

Herbert Halpert

16:25 - 16:25

In Spanish?

Art Pages

16:26 - 16:26

Sure. Go ahead.

Herbert Halpert

16:28 - 16:28

AP asks question in Spanish and Estella responds.

Art Pages

16:47 - 16:47

Explain that to us what she said.

Herbert Halpert

16:50 - 16:50

Uh, she has said that she has, uh, heard that melody, of course, recently due to the fact that she is very young but she has heard her parents say that have heard it for years and years back.

Art Pages

17:04 - 17:04

Ok, ask her to stay up, go up there and [inaudible] on the piano

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

17:07 - 17:07

Estella [inaudible] will sing this melody for you now.

Art Pages
Inaudible

18:28 - 18:28

Uh, the Cuban persons use songs to call on their loved ones especially at night or in the morning. The song that Estella [inaudible] sang is one of them. Uh, roughly, it is morning and he is singing to his loved one and though he claims that the sun is just out and he can see everything clearly, it seems like there is nothing around until he's seen her [distortion].

Art Pages
Distortion
Inaudible

19:04 - 19:04

Man speaks in Spanish

Unknown

21:09 - 21:09

[inaudible] Explain what that song tells us [inaudible]

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

21:18 - 21:18

The young man that you have just heard sing is Carlos Poz. He is the blackfaced comedian of the unit, of the Cuban unit. He just sung for you a typical African song, songs that were sung by the slaves when they were brought to Cuba and he has picked that from tradition. That is, he has heard that type of song over and over. It is always heard in Cuba.

Art Pages

21:50 - 21:50

How is it, how is it accompanied when it is heard in Cuba?

Herbert Halpert

21:53 - 21:53

Uh, they usually use Cuban drums and gourds and sticks like they used to use in the days of the slaves when they didn't have any musical instruments and they were accompanied by sticks and drums and so on.

Art Pages

22:10 - 22:10

And that song is part of the regular [inaudible] around cane?

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

22:13 - 22:13

It is. We use it here, we use that type of songs here often.

Art Pages

22:20 - 22:20

Is it sung in Cuba by the whites or by the negroes?

Herbert Halpert

22:24 - 22:24

Well, no, they, uh, it has been picked from the negroes but it is used by actors.

Art Pages

22:32 - 22:32

What's that?

Herbert Halpert

22:33 - 22:33

[Inaudible]

Carita Doggett Corse

22:35 - 22:35

Oh, they love it. It's such a strange rhythm to most of all people that they prefer to hear that song to any other.

Art Pages

22:45 - 22:45

Thank you, Mr. Pages [distortion].

Herbert Halpert
Distortion

22:51 - 22:51

Uh, the song that you have just heard Carlos Poz sing, it's sort of a negro song. It is a negro telling his girl not to mix with another, uh, tribe, because he does not consider them as good as they are and does not want to, uh, mix the tribes. And --

Art Pages

23:12 - 23:12

What do you mean by mix the tribes?

Herbert Halpert

23:14 - 23:14

Well, he does that, it seems like the, uh, girl is in love with someone and she, uh, goes to a nearby tribe and he does not want her to continue to go over there and he is asking her to please stay in her, in their grounds.

Art Pages

23:28 - 23:28

He doesn't want to have children from the other tribe.

Herbert Halpert

23:30 - 23:30

That's right [laughter] [distortion].

Art Pages
Distortion
Laughter

25:39 - 25:39

The song you have just heard was sung by [inaudible] Martinez. The name of the song is 'Merce'. It is a different type of song that have been sung before, for this one is dance, in dance halls in Cuba, that is that rhythm. You have also heard some Cuban drums played by Roman [inaudible] and Mr. Delfino was playing gourds and I was at the piano, Art Pages.

Art Pages
Inaudible

26:10 - 26:10

[inaudible]

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

26:11 - 26:11

Carlos Poz helped her out by helping her sing in the montonu, that is the fast part of the number. The number is divided into two parts. The first part is sung a little slower than the second part. The second part is a little faster. They keep on getting faster until, uh, it takes up to a very fast tempo.

Art Pages

26:32 - 26:32

Now would you explain, translate what the words of the song are, what the words of the song are about? Roughly.

Herbert Halpert

26:38 - 26:38

What is it about? What is it about?

Carita Doggett Corse

26:38 - 26:38

Roughly, just offhand what does it say?

Herbert Halpert

26:43 - 26:43

What is it about? What is it about?

Carita Doggett Corse

26:43 - 26:43

If you give me a chance. Would you cut it out? [Distortion]

Herbert Halpert
Distortion

26:49 - 26:49

Alright.

Herbert Halpert

26:50 - 26:50

The idea of the song is uh, the name of the song is 'Merce' and that's a, uh, name, a proper name. It's a negro girl's name and she is supposed to be the most popular of the party and the song refers to her popularity, that is her way of dancing and acting and speaking and so forth and everybody sings to her beauty and her pep, would you say? And the whole song is based on her.

Art Pages

27:21 - 27:21

[Inaudible]

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

27:22 - 27:22

And did you get this one in [audible]. Did you say that?

Carita Doggett Corse

28:52 - 28:52

Can you stand up there and explain, give me names [inaudible]? The manager. Can you give his name?

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

29:01 - 29:01

Uh, the song that you heard was sung by Gilberto Elfino, manager of the unit. And the name of the song is 'Nena'.

Art Pages

29:13 - 29:13

Now, can you tell m, what type of song is it?

Herbert Halpert

29:16 - 29:16

Uh, this is probably the oldest type of Cuban song that has ever, uh, that has been known to be the oldest.

Art Pages

29:27 - 29:27

And, uh, where is it learned and how is such a song learned?

Herbert Halpert

29:30 - 29:30

Uh, there is no way of tracing it to its author or its originality. It has just been picked from one generation to the other.

Art Pages

29:41 - 29:41

Now, can you tell what it's about that song? What does it say?

Herbert Halpert

29:46 - 29:46

Well, I don't know [distortion].

Art Pages
Distortion

29:55 - 29:55

Man speaks in Spanish.

Unknown

30:01 - 30:01

Uh, this is a typical song that is sung to a girl by a window, a Spanish, uh, window. And that's about all I know about the song.

Art Pages

30:15 - 30:15

Well, did you get the words from them?

Herbert Halpert

30:16 - 30:16

No, I couldn't.

Art Pages

30:17 - 30:17

Ask them what the words are and you translate.

Herbert Halpert

30:20 - 30:20

Men speak Spanish

Unknown

30:34 - 30:34

He just sing to her and telling her how much he loves her, and uh, i other words, uh, calling her to the window in order to start a conversation or something, a song to start a conversation [distortion].

Art Pages
Distortion

30:51 - 30:51

We are now going to give you an idea of the different Cuban rhythms. The first one is a song, that's a slow rumba.

Art Pages

31:10 - 31:10

Now, he would play a rumba. That's a faster rhythm.

Art Pages

31:20 - 31:20

And now a bembe. That's a typical African rhythm.

Art Pages

31:31 - 31:31

And now, a conga.

Art Pages

31:42 - 31:42

And now, man. This is probably the oldest rhythm going.

Art Pages

31:52 - 31:52

Just tell him, tell him --

Herbert Halpert

31:54 - 31:54

This was done by Ramon [inaudible] a Cuban drummer.

Art Pages
Inaudible

31:58 - 31:58

And Art Pages, a pianist, was giving the announcement.

Herbert Halpert

32:11 - 32:11

[Distortion]

Distortion

34:44 - 34:44

[inaudible]

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

34:49 - 34:49

Roberts: A very long time ago I learned about a funny song, that's all I know. If you like funny songs.

Roberts

34:57 - 34:57

Where did you learn that song?

Herbert Halpert

34:58 - 34:58

I learned it all in the [inaudible].

Roberts
Inaudible

35:00 - 35:00

Go ahead and sing it to me.

Herbert Halpert

35:33 - 35:33

[inaudible] the last lines of that song, Mr. Roberts. Repeat it for me.

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

35:38 - 35:38

The last lines?

Roberts

35:43 - 35:43

You said there's something in my . . . there's something in my hammond.

Herbert Halpert

35:53 - 35:53

yes [inaudible].

Roberts
Inaudible

36:01 - 36:01

What did you mean by that last line?

Herbert Halpert

36:04 - 36:04

I meant that uh, to clear my throat. There's something in my hammond, see? And then I said [clears throat], There's something in my hammond, See? That's the end of the song when I said there's something in my hammond.

Roberts

38:58 - 38:58

What song are you going to sing next, Mr. Roberts?

Herbert Halpert

39:03 - 39:03

Sweet Robin One Morning in May' [inaudible]

Roberts
Inaudible

39:53 - 39:53

[Inaudible] down the well and he'd sit there down in the well and they'd call his name so when after he got a song up [inaudible] and he said it so much, he said, 'Is that your name, Betty?' Oh, he said, 'that's my name Betty.'

Roberts
Inaudible

40:20 - 40:20

Will you tell us the riddle that you're talking about, Mr. Roberts?

Herbert Halpert

40:24 - 40:24

Oh, about the men?

Roberts

40:25 - 40:25

That's right.

Herbert Halpert

40:27 - 40:58

How a fellow knows about his name [Distortion] He'd look in the well and then see his picture in the well and he'd say [inaudible] He said these words [inaudible] 'Is that your name, Betty?' Oh, he said, 'that's my name Betty.' That was the first time he ever told anybody's name.

Roberts
Distortion
Inaudible

44:23 - 44:23

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

46:13 - 46:13

[Inaudible]

Herbert Halpert
Inaudible

46:55 - 46:55

What do you want me to sing now?

Roberts

47:21 - 47:21

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

49:04 - 49:04

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

49:45 - 49:45

Feel like I could give you a sample [inaudible]. I'm going to sing it now, eh?

Roberts
Inaudible

51:52 - 51:52

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

52:49 - 52:49

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

53:03 - 53:03

Well, I want to tell you just about how good tobacco is.

Roberts

55:25 - 55:25

. . . up there, up there from where the hurricanes always start from, what's it called, Puerto Rico.

Roberts

55:32 - 55:32

He was the one who told you that story?

Herbert Halpert

55:33 - 55:33

Yes.

Roberts

55:34 - 55:34

Was he a Puerto Rican?

Herbert Halpert

55:35 - 55:35

Yes.

Roberts

55:38 - 55:38

How'd he come to tell it to you?

Herbert Halpert

55:39 - 55:39

I don't know [laughter]. Just setting down talking to him one day.

Roberts
Laughter

55:44 - 55:44

Where were you then?

Herbert Halpert

55:45 - 55:45

I was here in Florida and he was in Florida too [inaudible]

Roberts
Inaudible

55:58 - 55:58

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

56:02 - 56:02

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

56:11 - 56:11

[Inaudible]

Inaudible

56:17 - 56:17

What part of the Bahamas Where were you born, Mr. Roberts? What part of the Bahamas? How far from Nassau?

Herbert Halpert

56:20 - 56:20

I was born in the Abacos.

Roberts

56:24 - 56:24

Oh, Abacos.

Herbert Halpert

56:26 - 56:26

[Inaudible] part of Abacos, yes.

Roberts
Inaudible

56:29 - 56:29

How far from Nassau?

Herbert Halpert

56:32 - 56:32

About a hundred miles from Nassau [inaudible]

Roberts
Inaudible

56:39 - 56:39

go ahead and tell us this riddle, then.

Herbert Halpert

57:47 - 57:47

What's the answer to the riddle?

Herbert Halpert

57:49 - 57:49

The answer to the riddle [inaudible]

Roberts
Inaudible

WPA field recordings in Jacksonville (1939 recording expedition: Herbert Halpert). 1939-06-18. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/238024>

Project By: Tanya Clement
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