Publications of the Texas Folklore Society (Volume 1) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos or missing text. Not indexed. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1916. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... SOME TEXAS PLAY-PARTY SONGS.1 BY E. E. DUDLEY AND L. W. PAYNE, JR. Transmitted, as the play-party songs have always been, by word of mouth, and dependent, as they necessarily are, upon the memory of the singer, it is not surprising that we find many variations and many different versions. The wonder is that the same songs are scattered so widely and that in different localities and different generations, even, they remain very much the same. However, it is true that games familiar in one locality are entirely unknown in another settlement or "range." At different times, too, in the same community the plays alter or are forgotten and supplanted by others. This is especially true in tenant communities or wherever the migratory element is large. ' The games we played here depended mainly on who did the singing," reported one young man who was of one of the the two or three home-owning families of a large neighborhood. "Sometimes a new singer would move in and start something different; but when he left, no one would remember enough to carry on the play, so we played something else." The invited guests at a play-party included everyone who heard of the occasion and could get there. Usually some householder promised the young people a party on a certain night--they never spoke of it as evening--and two or three energetic young men rode out in get up the party. In more scattered settlements it was the work of half a day or so. The crowd gathered soon after sundown, the girls going in the house, the boys remaining for a while out of doors or about the stables. When they were finally in the notion of going in they entered the "front room." All the furniture had been removed, and around the wall were seats made of long planks resting on boxes, kegs, or chairs, and ...