Grandpa Jones' tune -- and incidentally, I just delivered a talk on him at
the Library Wednesday -- was his hit "Old Rattler" in the 1947 King
recording.
Pete Seeger's was something called "Old Gray Mule" from an album "Birds,
Beasts, Bugs and Little Fishes" that Rebecca had known since
childhood, but I'd never heard. I think Pete Seeger's recording is later,
but not much so. One thing both have in common is that they were big
fans of Cousin Emmy.

Dave Lewis
Hamilton, OH

On Mon, Mar 16, 2015 at 2:11 PM, Paul Stamler <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> On 3/16/2015 9:31 AM, David Lewis wrote:
>
>> Just last night Rebecca pointed out to me an instance
>> where Grandpa Jones and Pete Seeger used exactly the same musical setting
>> for two different songs. Which of them wrote it? Neither of them; it was
>> something that was out there before either of them and they simply fitted
>> what they
>> knew to lyrics that were also around.
>>
>
> Just out of curiosity, what were the Grandpa Jones & Pete Seeger songs?
>
>  Old hymns also tend to be profligate
>
>> in terms of what they are set to.
>>
>
> Read the Sacred Harp hymnal, and you'll find the same words set to half a
> dozen tunes.
>
> The crossover between "sacred" and "profane" was a big deal; for example,
> "Come Ye That Fear the Lord" used the tune of "Captain Kidd". And my
> favorite example, Alfred Karnes's use of the tune from "Don't Let Your Deal
> Go Down" with the lyrics to "The Promised Land" (rec. 1927 for Victor).
>
> Peace,
> Paul
>