This song was written in 1936 by Bill Cox to celebrate the election to a second term of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd and, for some, greatest president of the USA. Cox recorded and released the song with Cliff Hobbs, as the Dixie Songbirds, on the Conqueror label, on the B side of "Franklin Roosevelt's Back Again" (Conqueror 8771).
My father, Tom Paley, performed it with the New Lost City Ramblers and one such performance was included on their 1959 LP "Songs From The Depression" (Folkways FH 5264). I know it from him, of course, and I remember singing the chorus as a child, long before I had any interest in the meaning of the words.
Listeners outside the USA might not know that "Old Columby" is Washington D.C., the capital city of the United States (D.C. stands for District of Columbia); or that the Donkey and the Elephant are the traditional symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. There's more allegory in the song, some of it quite obscure — the fight between the Rooster and the Eagle is conceivably a reference to the Franco-Prussian war, or perhaps to the First World War. As to the significance of Salt River, or the stable which the donkey kicks down, I cannot speculate; although presumably these references would have been meaningful for the original audience.
In the end, though, the song is a celebration of the re-election of the politician who masterminded the New Deal: a policy which brought the US out of the Great Depression, and which stands as a monument to the power of social democracy. It might be unfair to compare Roosevelt with Joe Biden, but I know I am not alone in wanting to mark and celebrate this most recent return of the Democratic Donkey to its stall in Old Columby.
Finally, I made efforts to find the party responsible for licensing this song, but every lead proved a dead end. If anyone knows for sure who I should deal with, can they please point me in the right direction? Thank you.
lyrics
Verse I
I've been a good old donkey but they turned me out to die
They had me on the common where the grass don't grow so high
But now I'm in the clover in the fields of golden grain
I'm back in old Columby in the same old stall again
Verse 2
They had me up Salt River but I kicked the stable down
I knew that Mr Roosevelt would ride me in to town
He mounted to the saddle, he grabbed the bridle rein
I'm back in old Columby in the same old stall again
Chorus
Hee haw hallelujah, hee haw hallelujah
I'm back in old Columby in the same old stall again.
Verse 3
He shouted on to Washington clear the track and let us by
You never saw a donkey in your life that jumped so high
I carried him to victory, he rode me on to fame
I'm back in old Columby in the same old stall again
Verse 4
The Rooster and the Eagle fought a duel in the sky
While I was kicking gravel in the big white elephant's eye
The rooster whipped the Eagle, he proved that he was game
I'm back in old Columby in the same old stall again
Chorus
Hee haw hallelujah, hee haw hallelujah
I'm back in old Columby in the same old stall again
Verse 5
They had me on the racetrack for another stake this Fall
Mr Roosevelt, he rode me to the presidential hall
When he led me to the manger to feed my hungry frame
I was back in old Columby in the same old stall again.
Verse 6
You'll see my handsome profile in the papers everywhere
And soon you'll hear them singing all about me on the air
The world is gonna miss me when I am dead and gone
But when the angels find me I'll be sleeping in the White House barn
Chorus
Hee haw hallelujah, hee haw hallelujah
I'm back in old Columby in the same old stall again.
Hee haw hallelujah, hee haw hallelujah
The Democratic donkey is in his stall again
credits
from Notes from the skirting board,
track released January 20, 2021
Guitar, Fiddle, Vocals: Ben Paley
Backing vocals: Sam Carroll, Ben Paley
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