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Q: Searching for a song ( Answered,   1 Comment )
Question  
Subject: Searching for a song
Category: Arts and Entertainment > Music
Asked by: ha08-ga
List Price: $5.00
Posted: 19 Feb 2004 08:22 PST
Expires: 20 Mar 2004 08:22 PST
Question ID: 308390
I am an actor playing the part of "Gramps" in Paul Osborn's "On
Borrowed Time", copyright 1937. In Act 1, Scene 1, Gramps sings part
of a song which includes the lyrics, "She remained up in the
mountains, remained up in the mountains all that night" and "Her life
is beer and skittles, and she is eating fancy vittles, and them West
Virginia . . ." Question: Is this a real song? If so, can you find it?
There is no actual music printed in the script.
Answer  
Subject: Re: Searching for a song
Answered By: pinkfreud-ga on 19 Feb 2004 16:14 PST
 
These are alternate lyrics to an old country song called "Nancy Brown"
(also known as "She Came Rollin' Down The Mountain" and as "The Hills
of West Virginia.") It's interesting that a character named "Gramps"
would sing this song; my grandpa used to sing "Nancy Brown" while he
was chopping wood on his farm.

Here's one version of the lyrics to "Nancy Brown":

"NANCY BROWN

In the Hills of West Virginia lived a girl named Nancy Brown,
And you never saw such beauty, in country or in town;
Well, one day the village deacon was a-lookin' for a thrill
So he took our little Nancy away up in them hills

cho 1: She came rollin' down the mountain
Rollin' down the mountain,
Rollin' down the mountain mighty soon
And that poor old village deacon
Didn't get what he was seekin'
And she's still as pure as West Virginia moon.

Well, along there came a trapper with his musket and his furs
He took her in the mountains, but she still kept what was hers,

cho 2: She came rollin' down the mountain
Rollin' down the mountain,
Rollin' down the mountain on the sly,
And despite that trapper's urgin'
She remained the local virgin
And she's still as pure as West Virginia sky
(spoken) And that's no lie!

Well the next one was a cowboy, with his guitar and his song
He took her in the mountains, but she still knew right from wrong,

cho 3: She came rollin' down the mountain
Rollin' down the mountain,
Rollin' down the mountain mighty like a lamb,
And like the trapper and the deacon
He didn't get what he was seekin'
And she's still as pure as West Virginia ham.
(spoken) God damn!

Well along there came a slicker with his hundred-dollar bills
And she jumped into his Cadillac, they rode up in the hills,

cho 4: Well she stayed up in the mountains,
Stayed up in the mountains,
Stayed up in the mountains all that night;
She came down next morning, early
More a woman than a girlie
And her daddy kicked that hussy out of sight.
(spoken) Damn right!

Now she's livin' in the city, livin' in the city
Stayin' in the town and doin' well:
She's a-winin', she's a dinin'. On her fanny she's reclinin'
And those West Virginia hills can go to Hell."

The Mudcat Cafe: Nancy Brown
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=4177

A slightly different version:

"SHE CAME ROLLIN' DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
 (Straight hillbilly, similar to "The Martins & the Coys")

In the hills of West Virginny
Lived a gal named Nancy Brown,
She was the fairest maiden
In city or in town.
One day there came a deacon,
A-seekin' for a thrill;
He took our little Nancy Brown
Away up in the hills. 

CHORUS:
She came rollin' down the mountain,
Rollin' down the mountain,
Rollin' down the mountain mighty wise;
For she didn't give the deacon
The thrill that he was seekin';
She's as pure as West Virginia's bluest skies. 

Then there came a western cowboy
With all his chaps and frills;
He also took our Nancy Brown
Away up in the hills. 

CHORUS:
She came rollin' down the mountain,
Rollin' down the mountain,
Rollin' down the mountain like a lamb;
For in spite of all his urgin'
She still remained a virgin;
She's as pure as West Virginia's home smoked ham.

Then there came a city slicker
With his hundred dollar bills;
And he took our little Nancy Brown
Away up in the hills. 

CHORUS:
Oh, she stayed up in the mountains,
She stayed up in the mountains,
She stayed up in the mountains all that night.
She came down next mornin' early,
More a woman than a girlie,
And her pappy kicked the hussy out of sight. 

Now she's livin' in the city,
Livin' in the city,
Livin' in the city mighty swell;
For she's through with cookin' vittles
And with washin' pots and kittles,
And the West Virginia hills can go to hell!"

Immortalia: 1943 Unexpurgated
http://www.immortalia.com/html/books_OCRed/1943_unexpurgated/

Yet another version (this one has the "beer and skittles" line):

"THE HILLS OF WEST VIRGINIA 
(Tune - traditional) 

In the hills of West Virginia 
Lived a girl named Nancy Brown 
She was the fairest maiden 
In country or in town. 
Along came the village decon 
A-lookin' for a thrill 
He took our little Nancy 
Away up in the hills. 

She came rollin' down the mountain 
Rollin' down the mountain 
Rollin' down the mountain mighty wise 
For she didn't give the deacon the thrill that he was seeking' 
And remained as clear as West Virgina skies. 

Along came a western cowboy, with his chaps and spurs and frills. 
He took our little Nancy 'way up in the hills. 
She came rollin' down the mountain 
Rollin' down the mountain 
Rollin' down the mountain like a lamb 
For despite all his urgin' she remained the village virgin - 
And as pure as West Virginia ham. 

Along came the city slicker 
With his hundred dollar bills 
He took our little Nancy 'way up in the hills. 
She stayed up in the mountain 
Up in the mountain, up in the mountain over night. 
She came down next morning early 
More a woman than a girlie and her Pa chased the slicker out of sight. 

Now she's living in the city 
Living in the City, living in the city mighty swell - 
Her life's all beer and skittles 
And she's eatin' fancy 'vittles' 
And the West Virginia Hills can go to hell. 

Then along came the depression 
Caught the slicker by the pants - 
He gave up all his motorcars and gave up little Nance. 
She went back to West Virginia 
Back to West Virginia, back to West Virginia as of yore - 
Both the cowboy and the deacon got the trill that they were seekin' 
For our Nancy's just a West Virginia whore." 

Immortalia: 1945 Songs of the Century
http://www.immortalia.com/html/books_OCRed/1945_songs_of_the_century_bomber_group/1945%20Songs%20of%20the%20Century.htm

This page has an audio clip of the song that will give you a sense of
the tune. This is from an album called "Flowers in the Wildwood: Women
in Early Country Music, 1923-1939":

Alpha Music
http://www.alpha-musikshop.de/6513247.html

Artist Direct
http://www.artistdirect.com/store/artist/album/0,,211744,00.html

Google Web Search: "she came rollin' down the mountain"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22she+came+rollin%27+down+the+mountain

I hope this helps! If anything is unclear, or if a link doesn't work
for you, please request clarification; I'll be glad to offer further
assistance before you rate my answer.

Best wishes,
pinkfreud

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Feb 2004 13:10 PST
Here's a 1954 recording of the song, by Larry Vincent:

http://205.166.53.100/Audio/She_Came_Rollin'_Down_the_Mountain.mp3

~pinkfreud

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Feb 2004 13:11 PST
Sorry the link didn't work. Please try this one:

http://205.166.53.100/Audio/She_Came_Rollin_Down_the_Mountain.mp3
Comments  
Subject: Re: Searching for a song
From: bowler-ga on 19 Feb 2004 17:22 PST
 
Pink,

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!

How did I know you'd come up with that one Pink?

What did you do before Google Answers?

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