Many years ago when i used to play piano in our local puplic house in England , this song and many other songs from the south would have folks singinging and dancing, wonderful times and wonderful memories, always had to play shennandoah for a couple who would sing it together ,then barefoot days , thank you our cousins for great songs and happy memories.
I was born and raised in Miami,when I was in elementary school in the 2nd grade our teacher would bring his keyboard and play this song, we would sing along with him but I didn't know where the Swannee was till I got older,got married and move to Lake City and was 20 mins from the Swannee and I would sing the song to my granddaughter. It's a beautiful site to see and the springs that are adjacent from it are just as wonderful.
Hello from Russia! We were singing this song in the 5th grade on the music lessons. It was 10 years ago, but sometimes I feel it like it was yesterday.
That's so cool! Im born and raised in Suwannee county so we would have the music festival each year and this song was always played at least once. I've never been anywhere else it's so cool have you have it all the way in Russia.
This song used to be in my childhood the official "Florida State Song". Then they said it was too racist to call people "darkies," so they changed it to some other stupid song. But it will always be my state song, "there let me live and die."
My favorite Stephen Foster song that we sang in school was "I dream of Jeannie with the light brown eyes." Now they used that to make the silly TV show "I dream of Jeannie."
Puts me in mind of being a child in Florida going to stay with my grandparents. I’d give anything for that, both now have passed away, my gramma(meemaw) passed last December. Thank you for bringing back wonderful memories!
I remember having a teacher many years ago, who loved the Stephen Foster music, and her little ones had to sing a lot of it. Well, it was the best thing that ever happened for me. I loved the sound of just about everything "Foster!" His songs carry so much history, and were so honest, they are not forgotten easily...especially when you sing them Tom. I really enjoy this, and played it two or three times just today! :-) Thank you Tom.
I have good old memories with the Stephen Foster music, too in South Korea. I started elementary school in 1969 in South Korea. At that time I had learned lots of Stephen Foster music in music class, which includes Suwannee River, Oh Susanna, My old Kentucky home, etc.. Even in middle school, my music teacher tested harmonica play with Beautiful Dreamer, which I practiced a lot for good grade. Beautiful Dreamer was the only song learned as English lyrics, and all other songs were used as Korean-translated lyrics. After I emigrated to the U.S., I was surprised at that my children didn't learn Foster's songs in their school music classes. Good to hear this song from TH-cam algorithm, today.
@@sagebrush7930 So interesting that Stephen Foster songs were heard in Korea! He never visited my state, Florida, yet he wrote our state song, The Swanee River. Now in polically correct times, they banned this song, because they called some people "darkies." Hah. You can't ban history. Some of us remember the old times.
Thank you for your response by youself Mr.Tom Roush for my comment to your song 'Home on the Range ' . I met at first time with american old folks when I was a little school boy in the ocupied Japan after ＷＷⅡ, the most fevorite one are the all of the songs composed by Stephen Fsoster's. especially Olid forks at home , My old kentucky home & Gentle anny .I love your warm beautiful voice. Say koki kojima Japan.
No matter where you're from, this song immediately takes you back to your childhood days. Where we played in the woods, corn fields and backyards carefree and happy. Climbing trees, picking cherries, going on 'treasure' hunts in the woods or just driving around with our bikes until the sun set. Those memories make me happy, but they kind of hurt also. Everything has its time, and those times will never come back. I just hope I can make my son as happy and carefree as I was when I was young. The Korean song 고향의 봄 (spring in my hometown) also conveys this feeling.
I truly love Tom Roush’s beautifully performed traditional songs of America. It is all our loss to know that Tom died at age 66 after receiving a head injury following a fall.
Not many old time songs are so moving or get me near tears as much as this one. But this, Red Wing, Red River Valley, and Shenandoah come closest. All were great songs.
To listen to this Civil War masterpiece ushers in a rush of very warm, fond childhood memories of my time at Liholiho Elementary School in Honolulu, it was then that my Mom began teaching me to play folk songs on on my Horner Marine Band harmonica -- Golden Age of America..............
Tom: On your rendition of “Nellie was a Lady” you remarked that you seemed to be in a lose-lose situation with the lyrics, when a minor change from ‘dark Virginia bride’ to ‘dear Virginia bride.’ I like your honesty both to your listeners and to the music itself. I’m retired college lit instructor and I introduced your music (having purchased the albums first) to my lit students on the subject of the words’ presentations. Racially and culturally mixed, my classes have almost universally preferred the original lyrics to any adjustments but approve of making the language modern. Foster’s music makes us to confront issues of race, history, politics, and love; this is what the music demands. Your beautiful arrangements remove much of the bite of the controversies, allowing us to go beyond the surface. We feel the loss of family, of home, of friends. This isn’t a song just about plantations but also of immigrants missing the old countries, of people relocating due to famine or job opportunities. My father’s family was Depressions era Okies who fled to California along Rt. 66. He told me how popular this song was with the other travelers-North and South. Your honest treatment of the music allows us to feel these things. Keep it up! PS: my students like your music and arrangements so much they asked to shut up and play more of your songs.
Came here after reading that they have changed the lyrics from "old plantation" to "childhood station". What does childhood station even mean, he lived near a train station?
This is by far the best rendition of Foster's classic-it is so heartwarming and genuine that it has become my favorite song, period. The lyrics remain the same between different versions of a song, of course, but how they are expressed varies greatly, and Tom has conveyed "Old Folks at Home" in a most sentimental and authentic fashion, which is arguably the best quality a musician can have. Thank you Tom for doing this song justice and preserving the integrity of music.
I remember studying Stephen Foster in high school, I'm glad you are willing to share his music. People need to hear these songs in order to understand the history, thank you.
Quando eu ouço essa música eu sinto umas emoções tão bom que nem consigo expricar, eu imagino como deve ser a época que era foi feita, eu lembro de um lugar tranquilo no meio da floresta ouvindo os cantos dos pássaros mesmo sendo brasileiro
I'm here because of a short story by John Wyndham called Pillar to Post in a book called The Seeds of Time. Highly recommend it and all Wyndham's work, some of the deepest most poignant science fiction I've read.
This is another nice old song. I wonder at times how people at that time actually lived as there were many things we are used to and take for granted that did not exist then. It makes me think about that. Among one of the things I wonder is what did they do to pass time when they had time on their hands. Nice to hear.
They didn't have so much time on their hands as we do today. They rose at sunrise, worked all day, came home , ate dinner and went to bed early. After dark, it was a world lit only by candles.
Aqui no meu país Brasil, temos uma linda versão como hino Evangélico desta música, chama se O Exilado, Lembranças da minha infância na igreja Prisbeteriana Independente do Brasil.
This is around the time Joplin came along! I'm a church organist and played this slightly rearranged and people loved it! Couldn't believe it was a negro spiritual melody!! Sounds good on the organ.
The single best performance of Old Folks at Home! Thank you Tom Roush! If you have a new place/site/streaming service we can purchase your version of the song on, please let me know :) (Edit: as the iTunes link doesn't seem to work for me)
I just discovered this genius and I have to admit that I'm well past my best before date so I hope Black folks don't think of me as a bigot if I use the words Mr. Stephen used when I pick .
I hope its the Alabama St. song just because as a boy that song painted a pic . of Alabama on my soul . If I'm wrong I'm sorry but nothing will change my boyhood impressions .
It's funny how it's probably better known as Swannee River than it's proper title. And the lyrics of folk music do change over time so it's acceptable to change lyrics. It's part of folk music's nature. This song just happens to come from a time when written music became readily available so there's less adaptation and change for more modern pieces.
Nice rendition of this song, thank you ! In the subtitles,, however, should be "...dark is..." , not " darkeys ".....and , " banjos strummin' " ...not " tummin " ....might want to correct those typo errors, Tom..... :-)
Lovely banjo and a lovely melody. This is actually a song about a runaway slave who discovers amid mistreatment in the North that he misses his southern home on the plantation, where he lived in “one little hut among the bushes.” This song was written for Christy’s Minstrels well before the Civil War and performed in blackface. Foster was a western Pennsylvania boy who visited the South one time, briefly, but was anti-Abolition for years before changing his mind. He was raised in a prosperous home and quite well educated, but died broke, possibly gay, and probably by suicide, at 37, in New York. Today, flipped on its head and with lyrics changed, it is the theme song of retirees in Florida who long for their northern homes, so it makes a good state song.
Is it really that "politically correct" to not fondly reminisce about slavery though? It's not shocking to me that minstrel shows have declined in popularity. While I sometimes secretly think the old racist minstrel songs are kind of funny in a dark way, it's more because I'm laughing at how racist people used to be (and don't get me wrong, lots of folks still are), not the black people the songs are mocking. Great banjoing, man!
![The Dead South - In Hell I'll Be In Good Company [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/B9FzVhw8_bY/mqdefault.jpg)
This is my first tune on me old banjo 🪕, can't beat it!!!
My all time favorite instrumental, just love this song...from Fort Worth, Texas
My sweet Mom sang this song. I was born during World war 11. These songs had such meaning beyond words. Thank you.
Many years ago when i used to play piano in our local puplic house in England , this song and many other songs from the south would have folks singinging and dancing, wonderful times and wonderful memories, always had to play shennandoah for a couple who would sing it together ,then barefoot days , thank you our cousins for great songs and happy memories.
I love Stephen Foster’s music. Abided with me from Childhood to growing up.
Music is timeless!
I was born and raised in Miami,when I was in elementary school in the 2nd grade our teacher would bring his keyboard and play this song, we would sing along with him but I didn't know where the Swannee was till I got older,got married and move to Lake City and was 20 mins from the Swannee and I would sing the song to my granddaughter.
It's a beautiful site to see and the springs that are adjacent from it are just as wonderful.
Cool
I'm from Argentina and i love country, im musician and i like to play this old folk songs, thanks you for the work you make.
Hello from Russia! We were singing this song in the 5th grade on the music lessons. It was 10 years ago, but sometimes I feel it like it was yesterday.
Si glad we can listen to these songs again. My mother always sang them to us, and I love them all.❤
greetings from Florida I also love Russian music some of my favorites are Вот пуля просвистела. Чиж - Фантом. Коробейники
That's so cool! Im born and raised in Suwannee county so we would have the music festival each year and this song was always played at least once. I've never been anywhere else it's so cool have you have it all the way in Russia.
This song used to be in my childhood the official "Florida State Song". Then they said it was too racist to call people "darkies," so they changed it to some other stupid song. But it will always be my state song, "there let me live and die."
My favorite Stephen Foster song that we sang in school was "I dream of Jeannie with the light brown eyes." Now they used that to make the silly TV show "I dream of Jeannie."
Puts me in mind of being a child in Florida going to stay with my grandparents. I’d give anything for that, both now have passed away, my gramma(meemaw) passed last December. Thank you for bringing back wonderful memories!
I remember having a teacher many years ago, who loved the Stephen Foster music, and her little ones had to sing a lot of it. Well, it was the best thing that ever happened for me. I loved the sound of just about everything "Foster!" His songs carry so much history, and were so honest, they are not forgotten easily...especially when you sing them Tom. I really enjoy this, and played it two or three times just today! :-) Thank you Tom.
That's so sweet
Que fofo
I have good old memories with the Stephen Foster music, too in South Korea.
I started elementary school in 1969 in South Korea. At that time I had learned lots of Stephen Foster music in music class, which includes Suwannee River, Oh Susanna, My old Kentucky home, etc.. Even in middle school, my music teacher tested harmonica play with Beautiful Dreamer, which I practiced a lot for good grade.
Beautiful Dreamer was the only song learned as English lyrics, and all other songs were used as Korean-translated lyrics.
After I emigrated to the U.S., I was surprised at that my children didn't learn Foster's songs in their school music classes.
Good to hear this song from TH-cam algorithm, today.
Verdade nunca elas vão ser esquecidas
@@sagebrush7930 So interesting that Stephen Foster songs were heard in Korea! He never visited my state, Florida, yet he wrote our state song, The Swanee River. Now in polically correct times, they banned this song, because they called some people "darkies." Hah.
You can't ban history. Some of us remember the old times.
Thank you for your response by youself Mr.Tom Roush for my comment to your song 'Home on the Range ' . I met at first time with american old folks when I was a little school boy in the ocupied Japan after ＷＷⅡ, the most fevorite one are the all of the songs composed by Stephen Fsoster's. especially Olid forks at home , My old kentucky home & Gentle anny .I love your warm beautiful voice. Say koki kojima Japan.
No matter where you're from, this song immediately takes you back to your childhood days. Where we played in the woods, corn fields and backyards carefree and happy. Climbing trees, picking cherries, going on 'treasure' hunts in the woods or just driving around with our bikes until the sun set. Those memories make me happy, but they kind of hurt also. Everything has its time, and those times will never come back. I just hope I can make my son as happy and carefree as I was when I was young. The Korean song 고향의 봄 (spring in my hometown) also conveys this feeling.
i absolutely love this version!! it's so important we don't just remember our history but how people in history felt about their own history too
This music makes me remember my good days back in South Dakota during the early 90th's. Good days. Good friends.
Thank you Tom Roush wherever you are for bringing American Heritage home.
Thank you!!!!
Tom Roush you are still the best I bought 3 of your CDs!
@@MusicOfTomRoush hero
I truly love Tom Roush’s beautifully performed traditional songs of America. It is all our loss to know that Tom died at age 66 after receiving a head injury following a fall.
Rest in peace Tom Roush you were a brilliant singer!
Not many old time songs are so moving or get me near tears as much as this one. But this, Red Wing, Red River Valley, and Shenandoah come closest. All were great songs.
I am beside myself with excitement listenoing this really amazing song.Many thanks.🇷🇺
To listen to this Civil War masterpiece ushers in a rush of very warm, fond childhood memories of my time at Liholiho Elementary School in Honolulu, it was then that my Mom began teaching me to play folk songs on on my Horner Marine Band harmonica -- Golden Age of America..............
Tom, I loved it, my friend! You are such a talented singer! God bless, Brother Charlie (Charles)
Tom:
On your rendition of “Nellie was a Lady” you remarked that you seemed to be in a lose-lose situation with the lyrics, when a minor change from ‘dark Virginia bride’ to ‘dear Virginia bride.’ I like your honesty both to your listeners and to the music itself.
I’m retired college lit instructor and I introduced your music (having purchased the albums first) to my lit students on the subject of the words’ presentations. Racially and culturally mixed, my classes have almost universally preferred the original lyrics to any adjustments but approve of making the language modern. Foster’s music makes us to confront issues of race, history, politics, and love; this is what the music demands. Your beautiful arrangements remove much of the bite of the controversies, allowing us to go beyond the surface. We feel the loss of family, of home, of friends. This isn’t a song just about plantations but also of immigrants missing the old countries, of people relocating due to famine or job opportunities. My father’s family was Depressions era Okies who fled to California along Rt. 66. He told me how popular this song was with the other travelers-North and South.
Your honest treatment of the music allows us to feel these things. Keep it up!
PS: my students like your music and arrangements so much they asked to shut up and play more of your songs.
Thank you!
It’s true you have good music
Fuck modern language, everything modern is tainted and does not speak any truth.
@@MusicOfTomRoush Stop changing lyrics
I love the slide show. You express the emotions of the song so well. Great performance!
Came here after reading that they have changed the lyrics from "old plantation" to "childhood station". What does childhood station even mean, he lived near a train station?
i hate PC culture. history is too offensive for todays snowflakes
It’s ridicules plantation did not always mean slaves. As far as I know it’s old Plantation. And fuck every yank from south East Florida.
They did lmao
@@mikebobson2768 haha hell yea brother
What about the darkys lines, are they changing those too?🌚🌚🌚😂🤣😤🤫
Bless you dear Tom.What a lovely treat to make our day.
Thank you, Natalya, for your kind comments as always
@@MusicOfTomRoush My pleasure.
This is by far the best rendition of Foster's classic-it is so heartwarming and genuine that it has become my favorite song, period. The lyrics remain the same between different versions of a song, of course, but how they are expressed varies greatly, and Tom has conveyed "Old Folks at Home" in a most sentimental and authentic fashion, which is arguably the best quality a musician can have. Thank you Tom for doing this song justice and preserving the integrity of music.
You have some really amazing renditions of songs like this! Favorite indeed.
I remember studying Stephen Foster in high school, I'm glad you are willing to share his music. People need to hear these songs in order to understand the history, thank you.
Conheço a versão em português que é um hino religioso também da harpa cristã.Estou muito feliz em conhecer a versão original.
中学校へ入って初めて習った英語の歌です。歌詞をつける前に、ミー・レ・ド・ミ・レ・ドと音符で歌ったのが新鮮でした。
Good! From the movie, the Paddle boat reminds me of 'the old good America'. Thank you.
beautiful Tom Roush...! Thank you
A batida da musica é muito boa de ouvir chega a ser relaxante. AMEI 💖
Quando eu ouço essa música eu sinto umas emoções tão bom que nem consigo expricar, eu imagino como deve ser a época que era foi feita, eu lembro de um lugar tranquilo no meio da floresta ouvindo os cantos dos pássaros mesmo sendo brasileiro
With beautiful music composition the present song is unique.
good luck FSU's Modern Popular Music class
yo im about to take that, what happened?
Lots a love from the Philippines
Wonderful song.
Somehow have never heard this song until now. Came across the lyrics in Peter Matthiessen's magnificent novel Shadow Country.
Great Tom!
tom you might of saved my life GOD works in mysterious ways you know
Tom died 2 and a half years ago
I think he also wrote "Aura Lee." Elvis put lyrics to the melody to form "Love Me Tender."
I'm here because of a short story by John Wyndham called Pillar to Post in a book called The Seeds of Time.
Highly recommend it and all Wyndham's work, some of the deepest most poignant science fiction I've read.
How nice of U
This is another nice old song. I wonder at times how people at that time actually lived as there were many things we are used to and take for granted that did not exist then. It makes me think about that. Among one of the things I wonder is what did they do to pass time when they had time on their hands. Nice to hear.
They didn't have so much time on their hands as we do today. They rose at sunrise, worked all day, came home , ate dinner and went to bed early. After dark, it was a world lit only by candles.
Thank you for staying true to history, Tom. I love your music!
Aqui no meu país Brasil, temos uma linda versão como hino Evangélico desta música, chama se O Exilado, Lembranças da minha infância na igreja Prisbeteriana Independente do Brasil.
This song I learned when I was a middle school boy. I love this song too. Koki Kojima Japan
Beautiful
Thanks, Janet!
Thank U Tom. ❤️
You're welcome!!!
The first composition was written. Way down upon the pee Dee river.
My mother was a great Steven Foster fan. And passed the love to me
This was great thank you!
Awesome song to Cheer a person up.
I miss my home state Florida
This is around the time Joplin came along! I'm a church organist and played this slightly rearranged and people loved it! Couldn't believe it was a negro spiritual melody!! Sounds good on the organ.
Thank you for this, didn't know this was the name of the song or that it was from 1851!
The single best performance of Old Folks at Home! Thank you Tom Roush! If you have a new place/site/streaming service we can purchase your version of the song on, please let me know :) (Edit: as the iTunes link doesn't seem to work for me)
Tom Roush is deceased. Though another commenter tells me that his music is available on Amazon, but not iTunes.
@@jackcarter5101 RIP
RIP Tom😥
Is the Homeland Shore(also a song)'s hymn taken from this song ? Can anyone tell me?
Love this rendition!
Thanks, Lorenzo!
@@MusicOfTomRoush Listed to your music all the time! You really have done a wonderful thing.
@@lorenzolucchesi2876 Thank you! That means a lot to me.
This song brings emotion like no other
You just got shared!
Rest in Peace Mr Roush
Suwanne River, in northern Florida.
Or in southern Georgia. The song never mentions where on the Suwanee the plantation was. Could just as easily be their state song.
Explains why a lot of old folks retire down to Florida.
Mr. Foster had the gift of precognition, indeed.
Old folks at is the state song.
Also no state income tax helps xD
@The Waco Kid the only thing you care about when you retire is taxes
@@nannite Also Metamucil®.
thanks much!
Where can i find the sheet music?
dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/sheetmusic/id/37129
very wonderful Tom.
this is my music...
thank you!
is this 2nd music ever recorded in the world after "Mary Had a Little Lamb"?
I wonder if A.j McLean, Howie dorough knows their state song of Florida
Remember the first time I saw you. 1st month of spread was the last night I had to get out of bed for u,but I'll never forget sisters 4ever.
The age of steam had an elegance and a magic that we don't. Diesel electric and gas is convenient but steam has beauty in its slow rpm.
Love it. :)
In Brazil we have a christian version of this. Search for "o exilado"
A classic
Nice to hear these songs in there entirety, with no edits
I just discovered this genius and I have to admit that I'm well past my best before date so I hope Black folks don't think of me as a bigot if I use the words Mr. Stephen used when I pick .
tails of little women get me here the anime vision.
Will always be my State Song.
I hope its the Alabama St. song just because as a boy that song painted a pic . of Alabama on my soul . If I'm wrong I'm sorry but nothing will change my boyhood impressions .
That makes you racist as fuck...
@@MrBillfitz the suwanee river is not in Alabama
Florida State song.
Hello Mr. Roush, may I use a clip of this song for a tribute video for my father? Beautiful cover, thanks.
I would be honored! Thanks
It's funny how it's probably better known as Swannee River than it's proper title.
And the lyrics of folk music do change over time so it's acceptable to change lyrics. It's part of folk music's nature. This song just happens to come from a time when written music became readily available so there's less adaptation and change for more modern pieces.
Why was the word darkies removed from the official version of the song? Plantation was not the offensive word.
Because now people are crazy about politically correct words & you can't say words like Darkies. Plantation? Hah , you are racist!
Cool
Any one on 2021
Music from the 19th century is seriously underrated
Nice rendition of this song, thank you ! In the subtitles,, however, should be "...dark is..." , not " darkeys ".....and , " banjos strummin' " ...not " tummin " ....might want to correct those typo errors, Tom..... :-)
Every old score of this song I’ve found said ‘Darkeys’
it is darkeys - very different times
Came here after alt history video on state anthems
SWEET !!
❤️
Who knew that this song is one of Einstein's favorite songs ??
Люба моя!Томас!
Lovely banjo and a lovely melody. This is actually a song about a runaway slave who discovers amid mistreatment in the North that he misses his southern home on the plantation, where he lived in “one little hut among the bushes.” This song was written for Christy’s Minstrels well before the Civil War and performed in blackface. Foster was a western Pennsylvania boy who visited the South one time, briefly, but was anti-Abolition for years before changing his mind. He was raised in a prosperous home and quite well educated, but died broke, possibly gay, and probably by suicide, at 37, in New York. Today, flipped on its head and with lyrics changed, it is the theme song of retirees in Florida who long for their northern homes, so it makes a good state song.
Fun fact:this is Florida’s state song!
gee, it has a real 2/4 feel
Change "Darkeys" to "Darlin'" in the chorus and you have a respectable song.
it's about a slave who misses his plantation life after he;s been freed. It's not overly "politically corrrect" to think that's fucked up.
Darin Strauss well, it’s a historical song. When it wasn’t considered politically incorrect, it was a well loved song.
One more time for the people in the back. A little imagined Stockholm syndrome never hurt nobody, right?
So what do you want to do about it?
I prefer the Brazilian version " O exilado"
I bet that you're from Brazil! LOL
DIXIE COUNTY SUWANNEE FLORIDA
North Florida the real Florida
Harriet Tubman!
dont know 5 yrs i am stped
Is it really that "politically correct" to not fondly reminisce about slavery though? It's not shocking to me that minstrel shows have declined in popularity. While I sometimes secretly think the old racist minstrel songs are kind of funny in a dark way, it's more because I'm laughing at how racist people used to be (and don't get me wrong, lots of folks still are), not the black people the songs are mocking. Great banjoing, man!