This is an Old-Time tune from the southeast USA. Variants are known as Blue Goose, Cabin Creek, I’ve got a Grandpa, and Boatin’ Up Sandy. Fiddle players tend to call it Cabin Creek, while banjo players more frequently refer to it as Barlow Knife.
A Barlow knife was a pocket knife imported from England in the late 18th to early 20th centuries. It was made in Sheffield and one of the earliest makers was a man known as Barlow. The knife had either single or double blades that opened in only one direction (tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Barlow_Knife)
I found two sets of lyrics to the tune:
I’ve been livin’ here all my life,
All I got is a Barlow knife.
Buckhorn handle and a Barlow blade,
Best dang knife that ever was made.
I been married all my life.
All I’ve got is a Barlow knife.
https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Barlow_Knife_(1)
and
I’ve been a poor boy all my life,
An’ all I got was a Barlow Knife (Repeat)
Barlow handle and a Barlow blade, Best dang knife that ever was made (Repeat)
Take my money, take my wife, Just don’t take my Barlow knife
http://www.vithefiddler.com/barlow-knife-fiddle-tune-a-day-244/
Last modified: October 1, 2020
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