OLD DAN TUCKER^©

Album's version

One, two, three, four

Now old Dan Tucker was a fine old man
Washed his face in a fryin' pan
Combed his hair with a wagon wheel
And died with a toothache in his heel

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Now old Dan Tucker come to town
Riding a billy goat, leading a hound
The hound dog barked and the billy goat jumped
And landed old Tucker on a stump

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Now old Dan Tucker got drunk and fell
In the fire and kicked up holy hell
A red-hot coal got in his shoe
And oh my Lord the ashes flew

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Come on!
Let it go!

Now Old Dan Tucker come to town
Swinging them ladies all round
First to the right then to the left
Then to the gal that he loved best

Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way old Dan Tucker
You're too late to get your supper

Bruce Springsteen recorded this traditional song with The Seeger Sessions Band during the "Seeger Sessions". The song was released on Bruce's Apr 2006 cover album, We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions. As all remaining tracks from the album, it was also included on the "American Land" edition of the same album in Oct 2006.

The Seeger Sessions consist of three recording sessions (a 2-days session on 01 and 02 Nov 1997, a 1-day session in Dec 2005, and a 1-day session in Jan 2006), during which all the album's songs were cut live in the living room of Bruce's New Jersey farmhouse. The songs were not rehearsed and all arrangements were conducted as Bruce and the band played.

Biographer Dave Marsh interviewed Springsteen on 20 Apr 2006 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ, during the band's preparation for that night's first public rehearsal. The interview was aired three days later on Marsh's own radio show, Kick Out The Jams. In that interview, Bruce reveals that the song was cut during the first of the 3 "Seeger Sessions":

[Springsteen:] [...] All right, "Old Dan Tucker," first session.
[Marsh:] So the first thing you're hearing on the album is something from the first session.
[Springsteen:] The first thing we did was "Jesse James"; "Old Dan Tucker" was one of the first things.

This song was reported to be rehearsed for the Seeger Sessions tour by Bruce Springsteen with his Seeger Sessions Band on 13 and 20 Mar and 06 and 07 Apr 2006 at the Paramount Theater, Asbury Park, NJ, and 12 Apr 2006 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ.

Played during all 4 public rehearsal shows for The Seeger Sessions tour -- 20, 24, 25, and 26 Apr 2006 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ.

Promoting the We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions album, Bruce and the Seeger Session Band performed a set of 4 songs (including OLD DAN TUCKER) early in the morning of 25 Apr 2006 (the album's release date) at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ, for ABC's Good Morning America. The song was not part of the 2-songs set that was broadcast during GMA's 8 o'clock hour on ABC that day, but it was included on the Sunday (30 Apr 2006) edition of the program.

The song was also played on 30 Apr 2006 at New Orleans Fair Grounds, New Orleans, LA, when Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band closed the first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

OLD DAN TUCKER was a regular inclusion on the Seeger Sessions tour, missing only one date -- the 12 Nov 2006 show at Wembley Arena, London, UK.

The above lyrics refer to Bruce's version from the We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions album.

Thanks Arto Vuorela for the lyrics corrections.

Pete Seeger, to whom the above album is dedicated, has recorded OLD DAN TUCKER in 1961. It now can be found on American Favorite Ballads Vol. 1 (2002 - Smithsonian/Folkways).

This traditional song was dates from early 19th century, and possibly earlier. It is attributed to Daniel Decatur Emmett who made it popular in the 1840's and published it in 1843. The tune is often used for folk dancing, mostly played on fiddle and banjo. This robust ballad has many stanzas, and was a very popular song during the California Gold Rush. Alternate titles include: "Ole Dan Tucker", "Ol' Dan Tucker", "Run Dan Tucker", "Go Dan Tucker", and "Dan Tucker". Check out Dave Marsh's liner notes below for more details.

Dave Marsh's liner notes about OLD DAN TUCKER:

An antique fiddle tune, often used for square dances, "Old Dan Tucker" It became famous around 1843 when Dan Emmett, one of the greatest early minstrel singers, wrote a version of these lyrics for his group, the Virginia Minstrels. It was the most famous of all blackface songs before the Civil War.

Dan Emmett didn't write "Old Dan Tucker." It seems to be a true folk song, which exists in many versions. Emmett's performances, though, unquestionably made the song famous. But he certainly didn't come up with it at age 14 or perform it publicly at 15, as some sources claim. (A very good biography of Emmett is Dan Emmett and the Rise of Early Negro Minstrelsy by Hans Nathan.)

Other supposed authors of "Old Dan Tucker" are Henry Russell and J.R. Jenkins (who copyrighted a version called "Gwine to De Mill").

In Georgia, the song is said to be based on the life of Reverend Daniel Tucker of Ebert County, one of the area's richest citizens in the late 18th century. Elsewhere, the model is said to be Captain Daniel Tucker, a Virginian who became the second British governor of Bermuda. (If Captain Daniel Tucker inspired the song it is very old indeed, since he died in 1624, though not from a toothache or a heel injury.)

The version published in 1843 as by "Dan. Tucker, Jr." began with this verse:
I come to town de udder night,
I hear de noise den saw de fight,
De watchman was a runnin roun,
Cryin Old Dan Tuckeer's come to town,
So get out de way! Get out de way!
Get out de way! Old Dan Tucker,
Your too late to come to supper.

The surreal details of the Seeger version are limited to a few lines like: "To kiss de galls he thot was useless / 'Cept he kissed wid a sway-back-looseness."

To contemporary ears, of course, the immediate reference points of the Seeger version are Bob Dylan at his most surreal and very early Bruce Springsteen ("Blinded by the Light").

Among those who recorded "Old Dan Tucker" are Uncle Dave Macon, Roy Acuff, Burl Ives, Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Fiddlin' John Carson, Johnny Horton, and the Youngbloods. The Pete Seeger version is contained on the album American Favorite Ballads, Volume 1.