Carnival
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Here’s a very rare song indeed!
Billy Kemp and I wrote this song based on a story told to me by one of my big friends up on the mountain at Mawmaw’s. Roger Jackson was what we in Appalachia would call “a caution.” He was always laughing and telling a joke. He had a high piercing wobbly voice like he was alway speaking from under water. He lived down in Whitewood, Virginia, in a trailer along the Dismal River not far from where my great-grandmother rode horses and foraged for bloodroot.
Roger could crochet and quilt. He made chow-chow, a kind of relish, by cutting up vegetables, putting them in a pillowcase, and letting them ferment out on his laundry line. He never let an apple fall on the ground and canned every one he could get from the trees. He said there was no sense in letting what God provided for free go to waste. Whenever, I visited my grandmother in between tours, Roger would come up to her house, sit at the end of the kitchen table, drink cup after cup of coffee and regale me with stories.
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One of the stories he told was of a rare time when he left Virginia as a young man to work in a carnival. He had never left home and thought he ought to see a bit of the world. Roger’s job was to make the candy apples – the apples covered in caramel or toffee that stick to your teeth and threaten your fillings. The trouble was that the elephant was kept very near to the candy apple trailer and she used to reach her trunk through the window when Roger’s back was turned and take the candy apples.
This went on for some weeks until Roger decided to complain to the carnival boss and the boss said, I can get another you, but I can’t get another elephant. So, Roger threw his hat down and went back to Virginia.
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I was so taken with this story that I wrote the words for the song and then Billy and I worked out a melody. I think we only performed it twice, once in New Jersey and once in Florida. Our banjo playing friend Chuck Levy recorded the song at his Gainesville, Florida, house concert in 2013. Late in the song, you can hear the jingling of the collar of the Levy’s beloved dog Autumn. She was so fluffy and a very good listener.
There was no reason why this song didn’t make it onto a Jeni & Billy album. I still love it and enjoy hearing it again.
Roger passed away in 2017 at the age of 67. I will always be glad for the times he told me stories and shared his laugh with me.
Enjoy!
Jeni
Carnival Jeni Hankins & Billy Kemp, @2012 Well, the elephant ate up the candy apples The elephant ate up the candy apples The elephant ate up the candy apples 'Til he got so ill The apple man swore and threw his hat down The apple man swore and threw his hat down The apple man swore and threw his hat down Because he was so ill Carnival, oh carnival When will you come to my town? Well, the elephant could not do his big trick The elephant could not do his big trick The elephant could not do his big trick Because he was so ill The apple man went back to old Virginia The apple man went back to old Virginia The apple man went back to old Virginia Because he was so ill Carnival, oh carnival When will you come to my town? Now the elephant sells the candy apples The elephant sells the candy apples The elephant sells the candy apples And makes the children squeal Carnival, oh carnival When will you come to my town? Carnival, oh carnival When will you come to my town?
With special thanks to banjoist and songwriter Chuck Levy who captured so many Jeni & Billy performances! You can watch the YouTube video of this and many other performances by following this link. You can learn more about Chuck Levy’s extraordinary journeys with the banjo by visiting his website. Billy is Billy Kemp and you can hear his solo work here. He recently released one of the first songs we ever wrote together – Willie Rasnake Meets His Maker. I wrote the lyrics based on a true story from up at Mawmaw’s.
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I recently had Covid which mean listening to a lot of podcasts and reading. I also came across this exceptional short film by Hamish Cairncross called “Cat Had His Thumb.” Hamish made the film about his great aunt who only left Sussex twice. It’s eleven minutes long (and toward the end of the film, you see her bears and her beloved doll). He’s also made a beautiful film about his mom Chloe who makes felted woolen hats! You can see it here.
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You can find me with my music and sewing plus my secondhand finds and doll & bear hospital on Facebook and Instagram nearly every day. I enjoy keeping in touch and making new friends there. You can always reach me by replying to this letter or commenting.
You can find my music on all of the usual streaming services and in my very own shop where you can hear and stream all of my songs and buy my albums – physical with booklets or digital.
You can find me on YouTube and you can also hear my former duo Jeni & Billy.
Tip jar tips for music and stories are always gratefully received on PayPal.
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You can see a little film about this doll here.
Here’s the most recent song I’ve written. It’s about my great-grandmother and her giant garden and colorful quilts.
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