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Shortnin' Bread

"Shortnin' Bread" (also spelled "Shortenin' Bread", "Short'nin' Bread", or "Sho'tnin' Bread") is an American folk song dating back at least to 1900, when James Whitcomb Riley published it as a poem. While there is speculation that Riley may have based his poem on an earlier African-American plantation song, no definitive evidence of such an origin has yet been uncovered. A "collected" version of the song was published by E. C. Perrow in 1915. It is song number 4209 in the Roud Folk Song Index.

Shortening bread refers to a bread made of corn meal, with or without flour and lard shortening.

Origins

The origin of "Shortnin' Bread" is obscure. Despite speculation of African-American roots, it is possible that it may have originated with Riley as a parody of an African-American plantation song, in the minstrel or coon song traditions popular at the time.

Riley titled the song "A Short'nin' Bread Song—Pieced Out", and wrote the first verse as:

The dialect rendered into common English would be:

The verse includes:

Another pair of verses may be later, and exist in several versions:

In some versions there are two children instead of three – and the "other" either "bump'd his head" or "was dead". The first does not quite scan. The children (or "chillun") were once referred to by one of several racist terms.

Other verses include:

Reese DuPree composed a version recorded in 1927.

Folk version

Titled "Shortened Bread", E. C. Perrow published the first folk version of this song in 1915, which he collected from East Tennessee in 1912. The folk version of the song—as with Riley's—does not have any distinct theme, but consists of various floating lyrics, some relating to "shortnin' bread", some not. The traditional chorus associated with the folk song is:

Other renditions

The Beach Boys versions

"Shortenin' Bread" was recorded by the American rock band the Beach Boys numerous times. One version was released as the final track on their 1979 album L.A. (Light Album). An earlier version from the Adult/Child project was released on ' in 2026. The band's principal songwriter Brian Wilson was reportedly obsessed with the song, having recorded more than a dozen versions of the tune. Beach Boy Al Jardine speculated that Wilson's obsession with the song may have begun after co-writing the song "Ding Dang" with the Byrds' Roger McGuinn in the early 1970s.

Personnel

Adult/Child Version

Credits sourced from John Brode, Will Crerar, Joshilyn Hoisington, and Craig Slowinski.

The Beach Boys

Additional musicians

  • Jim Horn - baritone saxophone
  • Diane Rovell - backing vocals

L.A. (Light Album) Version

Credits sourced from Craig Slowinski.

The Beach Boys

Additional musicians

  • Michael Andreas – saxophone
  • Joe Chemay – additional bass guitar
  • Bernard Fleischer – saxophone
  • James William Guercio – bass guitar
  • Billy Hinsche – guitars
  • Chuck Kirkpatrick – guitar
  • Jimmy Lyon – lead guitar
  • Rod Novak – saxophone
  • Fred Selden – saxophone
  • Sterling Smith – Hammond organ

References

Bibliography

  • Eitel, Edmund Henry (ed.) The Complete Works of James Whitcomb Riley, Vol 5. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company (1913).
  • Perrow, E.C. "Songs and Rhymes from the South." The Journal of American Folklore, 28:108 (April - Jun. 1915) 129–190.
  • Wade, Stephen. The Beautiful Music all Around Us: Field Recordings and the American Experience. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2012.
  • Waltz, Robert B; David G. Engle. "Shortenin' Bread". The Traditional Ballad Index: An Annotated Bibliography of the Folk Songs of the English-Speaking World. Hosted by California State University, Fresno, Folklore, 2007.

External links