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Crawdad Song

"Crawdad Song," Lyrics, Text Format

Syncopation, lowered mediant (3, Me) blue note, ascending and descending tonic arpeggios, and descending submediant arpeggio (vi, Dm).

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Description

  • Grade: Fifth
  • Origin: USA – Folk Song
  • Key: F Major
  • Time: 4/4
  • Form: phrases: ABCD
  • Rhythm: beginners: | ta ti ti ta ta | syncopation,
    | ta ta/a/a _|_a/a/a/a | ta ta ta ti ti | syncopation,
    | ta ta ta ta | ta ta/a ta | syncopation, (_=tie)
  • Pitches: intermediate: So La Do Re Me Mi So La – lowered/flat mediant, Me, (3, A flat – blue note)
  • Intervals: intermediate: Do/Mi\Do (M3), Do\La (m3), La/Do (m3), Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio (I, F), So\M/So (m3), So\Re (P4), So\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio (I, F), Mi/Do/La descending submediant (vi, Dm), So/Mi (M6), La\Me augmented 4th (A4)
  • Musical Elements: notes: whole, dotted half, half, quarter, eighth; rest: quarter; tied notes, syncopation, blue note, vocal slurs, variations on rhythms to match verse syllables, tonic arpeggios, submediant arpeggio
  • Key Words: USA history, crawdad: (crawfish) fresh water shrimp, courting song, fishing song, boy/girl song, camp song, fishing line, fishing pole, fishing hole, slept, too, to, gate, gunny sack, pack, apple pie, watch, honey, change
  • Recorder: intermediate: introducing A flat , blue note

blue note – a lowered/flatted note, especially the third or seventh note of a scale, in place of an expected major interval

“Crawdad Song” 
color key:

Girls
Boys
All
1.
You get a line and I’ll get a pole, honey,
You get a line and I’ll get a pole, babe,
You get a line and I’ll get a pole
And we’ll go down to the crawdad hole,
Honey, baby, mine.
2.
Come on, get up, you slept too late, honey,
Come on, get up, you slept too late, babe,
Come on, get up, you slept too late,
And the crawdad man done passed you gate,
Honey, baby, mine.
3.
Three’s a man with a gunny sack, honey,
Three’s a man with a gunny sack, babe,
Three’s a man with a gunny sack,
Filled with all the crawdads he can pack,
Honey, baby, mine.
4.
What will you do when the lake goes dry, honey,
What will you do when the lake goes dry, babe,
What will you do when the lake goes dry?
Sit on the bank and watch the crawdads die,
Honey, baby, mine.
5.
What will you eat when the crawdads die, honey,
What will you eat when the crawdads die, babe,
What will you eat when the crawdads die?
Just have to change to apple pie,
Honey, baby, mine.
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"Crawdad Song," Music Format		 beats
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pitch numbers
Click to Enlarge: "Crawdad Song," Pitch Number Format		 solfeggio
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