Bards Old Time Fiddle Tunebook Supplement/Angelina Baker

Angelina Baker, sometimes sung as Angeline the Baker (Roud 18341) is a song written by Stephen Foster for the Christy Minstrels, and published in 1850. The original laments the loss of a woman slave, sent away by her owner. The lyrics have been subjected to the folk process, and some versions have become examples of the "Ugly Girl" or Dinah song.

An instrumental version, as collected by John A. Lomax under the title "Angelina the Baker" is a popular fiddle or banjo tune, and differs from the Stephen Foster melody. It is part of the old time fiddle canon, but is also played by bluegrass fiddle|bluegrass musicians. This old time tune was also played as bluegrass by Stuart Duncan at the 2007 Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. Duncan also played this tune at the Grand Oprey in 2008 with Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Brian Sutton, Stuart Duncan, & Mark Schatz on Grand Ole Opry playing "Major Honker."

Lyrics
According to Lyle Lofgren, writing for Inside Bluegrass, publication of the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association, "Foster published Angelina Baker in 1850, and it was featured on stage by the original Christy Minstrels." His report of the by now public domain lyrics is as follows.

1. Angeline the baker lives in our village green, The way I always loved her beats all you ever seen.

CHORUS: Angeline the baker, her age is forty-three, I bought her candy by the peck, and she won't marry me.

2. Her father is the miller, they call him Uncle Sam. I never will forget her, unless I take a dram. CHO.

3. Angeline is handsome, Angeline is tall, They say she sprained her ankle a-dancing at the ball. CHO.

4. She can't do hard work because she is not stout, She bakes her biscuits every day, and pours the coffee out. CHO.

5. I'll never marry no other girl, no matter where I go. I said I'd marry Angeline just twenty years ago. CHO.

6. The last time I saw her was at the county fair. Her father run me almost home and told me to stay there. CHO.

Listening
Stuart Duncan Fiddle solo