Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory

Subject: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Feb 03 - 05:22 PM

This gospel song fragment is clearly part of a longer song aboat Noah and his adventures with his Ark. My mother remembers this fragment from her black nursemaid Ella Madison from the 1920's. Ella had worked as a singer with one of the Minstrel bands that toured Europe in the early 1900's, and had also sung in an early production of Porgey and Bess. Here's what we have for a fragment:

O, de Lord tol' Nory

O, de Lord tol' Nory,
O, de Lord tol' Nory,
O, de Lord tol' Nory,
Hist de windo, let the dove come in -
O, de debil's mad and I am glad -
Hist de windo, let the dove come in!

Probably not an easy one to search for, but there are some really cleaver people here at Mudcat.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 24 Feb 03 - 06:11 PM

The song you are after was printed in Parrish, Lydia, Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands, p.188, which I don't have.

A fragment was published by Harold Courlander, Negro Folk Music, U. S. A., p. 45.

Oh, Noah, hoist the window (3x)
Hoist the window, let the dove come in.

And the foolish man came riding by,
Oh, hoist the window, let the dove come in.
Well he point his hand and he scorn at Noah,
Oh hoist the window, let the dove come in.
And he call old Noah the foolish man,
Oh hoist the window, let the dove come in.
You buildin' your ark on the hard dry land,
Oh hoist the window, let the dove come in.

Charley Noble is correct in his pronunciations; Norah or Nory is used far beyond the Sea Islands. Courlander tries to civilize the dialect.

Another, from Alabama, also calls Noah foolish:
Called old Noah foolish man,
Building this ark on dry land,
Oh Lord, who built this ark?
Noah, No.
More of this one given, Courlander gives music for it, no. 15, p. 246-247.
Verses like Satan's mad and I'm glad were floaters from song to song, used wherever filler was needed.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 24 Feb 03 - 06:16 PM

Copies of Parrish 1942 available from ca. $100-375. A 1992 reprint is offered for $55 (Univ. Georgia Press).

Subject: Lyr Add: NORAH, HIST THE WINDAH
From: masato sakurai
Date: 24 Feb 03 - 07:04 PM

From Lyria Parrish, Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands (click here for info; University of Georgia Press, 1945, 1992, pp. 134-136; with music):

NORAH, HIST THE WINDAH

Norah, hist the windah
Norah, hist the windah
Norah, hist the windah
Hist the windah let the dove come in.

Oh God comman' Bother Norah one day
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in
An' told Brother Norah to build an ark
Hist the windah let the dove come in.

Chorus:
Oh Norah, hist the windah
Oh Norah, hist the windah
Oh Norah, hist the windah
Hist the windah let the dove come in.

Well Norah commence to buil' his ark
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in
An' he buil' his ark on the ha'd dry lan'
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in.

(repeat chorus)

An' the foolish man come ridin' by
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in
Well he point his han' an' he scorn at Norah
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in
An' he call ole Norah the foolish man
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in
You buildin' yo' ark on the ha'd dry lan'
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in.

(repeat chorus)

Well, the little turtle dove done droop his wing
Oh hist the windah let the dove come in
An' he gone on Zion's Hill to sing
Hist the windah let the dove come in.

(repeat chorus)

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: Charley Noble
Date: 24 Feb 03 - 07:46 PM

Guest Q and Masato come through again. This is really obscure music and difficult to find written down. My mother, who is 86 will also be very surprised and pleased.

Thanks to you both!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 24 Feb 03 - 08:21 PM

That Masato! He has everything! Nice little song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Aug 03 - 08:42 AM

Here's some background notes on Ella Robinson Madison's theatrical and musical career in the late 19th century:Click Here!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: GUEST,Rolland - Limerick
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 01:01 PM

I am new here and interested by the origin of that particular song, in fact I am even more interested by a possible parody.

Here is probably (or possibly) the origin of this song (and a tune recorded in 1596 I think in William Barley's "a new book of Tabliature"):

The version in mudcat is: (but I think there are many similar versions and it's difficult to know which one is first)

GO FROM MY WINDOW

Go from my window, love, go;
Go from my window my dear.
The wind and rain
Will drive you back again
You cannot be lodged here.

Go from my window, love, go;
Go from my window my dear.
The wind is in the west
And the cuckoo's in the nest
You cannot be lodged here.

Go from my window, love, go;
Go from my window my dear.
The devil's in the man
And he cannot understand
That he cannot be lodged here.
From Songs From Shakespeare's Plays, Kines
Note: Has survived in oral tradition since Shakespeare's time.
@courting
filename[ GOWINDOW
TUNE FILE: GOWINDOW

So it is already in Mudcat ...

But there was also a parody recorded in 1567 at least with these 2 verses:

Quho is at my windo, quho, quho?
Go from my windo, go, go
Quha callis thair Sa lyke ane stranger
Go from my windo go.

Lord I am heir, ane wratcheit mortall
That for thy mercy dois cry and call
Unto thé my Lord Celestial
Sé quho is at my windo, quho.


If somebody knows more about it, or maybe an earlier recording date, (if the parody continues... etc...) I would welcome any comments.

I am French live in Ireland

This site+forum is extremly interesting.

Regards
Rolland. (from Limerick)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 01:26 PM

Unless I'm misreading your post, you've got it wrong: The parody (if it is that) would be the one that modern readers find easier to read, the first one you set out.

The second one given is 29 years before the first one, at least in terms of publication.

In either case, I don't see a parody situation here. The contents of the two songs MAY be developmentally connected, but they are too different, both in structure and in content.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 02:29 PM

Fail to see the connection with the spiritual "Norah, Hist the Window."
There are many songs about opening, coming to or going away from, the window, many of them associated with the "Awake, Drowsy Sleeper" complex, to which your examples seem to belong.

Your word "parody" perhaps should be written as "variant." Parody in North America means an imitation, usually for comic effect, or an imitation with a change in meaning (such as a hymn converted to a labor song, etc.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: wysiwyg
Date: 06 Dec 03 - 03:14 PM

Are you boys forgetting to index spirituals you post again?

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: rpavarotti
Date: 15 Dec 03 - 09:30 AM

To clarify the points:

The parody (the word parody was qualifying the text when I read it... therefore there was an original text used to create this "parody") was recorded as thus in 1567, I do not know what the original text was but it seems that the text I had posted above may have been the original text (or a variant with a more modern English) of the text I had posted just above ... and the information I had about this "original" text was that there was a musical tune recorded in 1596. (but this did not necessarly mean that the "original" text was from this date of course - it was the recording date with the English used in 1596)

The connection with the original question :

Here's what we have for a fragment:

O, de Lord tol' Nory

O, de Lord tol' Nory,
O, de Lord tol' Nory,
O, de Lord tol' Nory,
Hist de windo, let the dove come in -
O, de debil's mad
and I am glad -
Hist de windo, let the dove come in!

____________________

and the last verse of the text I had marked as 1596:

Go from my window, love, go;
Go from my window my dear.
The devil's in the man
And he cannot understand
That he cannot be lodged here.


And I agree it is not the same text ... but the text from pre...1596/1567 may have been at the ORIGIN of this type of song... at least it is a possibility. "Window + devil cannot lodge but dove is welcome" it seems to me to be about the same theme.

And the question was .... does anybody know anymore about the original text(s) of that "parody"?

Thank you for the replies so far ... I really like the forum and site :-)

Regards,
Rolland

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Dec 03 - 01:13 PM

There are dozens of "Go From My Window" songs, some associated with the Awake, Arise, Drowsy Sleeper complex of songs, dating back to the 16th century at least.
The Shakespearean song about an love's troubles in the DT may belong with this group or it more likely was composed independently.

Your poem may or may not be related. It is more of a "Get Thee behind me, Satan" refrain. Go from my window or Go from my door are demands common to many unrelated songs.
What is the source for your "parody"? You give no source or information that can help in evaluating it.

Certainly these have no relation to "Norah, Hist the Window," which is a Negro spiritual revision of the biblical story, as stated previously.

You may get more input if you start a new thread headed with 'Quho is at my window? (16 c.). People looking at this thread are mostly interested in Negro spirituals and gospel.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: O, de Lord tol' Nory
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Dec 03 - 01:15 PM

Much information on "Go From My Window" songs of the Awake complex in threads 30405, 41882, 50807.