Track 7: Old Girl of Cairo Town
Artist: Rip Lee Pryor
Lyrics sourced from oral tradition; found in Tales and Songs of Southern Illinois by Charles Neely, published by SIU Press
Melody and Arrangement by Rip Lee Pryor
Vocals, Harmonica, and Guitar by Rip Lee Pryor
Audio Link= https://rivertorivercommunityrecords.bandcamp.com/track/old-girl-of-cairo-town
Cairo, pronounced “KARE-o” or “KER-ro,” was one of several cities and towns in the United States named after Egyptian sites. For more on “Cairos” around the United States, see Jonathan Friedlander’s “Greetings from Cairo, USA.” “Old Girl of Cairo Town” was not the only song written about the city. Click here to listen to Billy Murray singing about “musty, dusty Cairo, Illinois.” The song begins with an homage to Middle Eastern sounds before settling into the melody and rhythms of the Vaudeville Era. [Note: he pronounces the city name like the site in Egypt.]
Sadly, Cairo’s Historic District, once home to the Gem Theater and other lively businesses, is quiet and ethereal. Although Cairo is no longer the economic or militarily strategic hub of its past, there is still active river travel just to the south of town where the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers converge at the Confluence at Fort Defiance. If you park your vehicle and walk down to the shore you can hear the warning whistles of the barges as they travel and see their flat backs packed with coal. The wind whips around, adding its noise to the hustle and bustle of the barge traffic and the sound of the waves hitting the rocks. -SD
This song comes from Tales and Songs from Southern Illinois and upon first looking at the lyrics, it had the rhythm of a blues song, so naturally I wanted Rip Lee on it. Although it’s specifically placed in the town of Cairo, IL, it has a theme that’s universal across time and space: relationship problems. Rip Lee created the melody and added this beautiful growl to the performance which matched the energy of the lyrics. -JP
Lyrics
Old girl from Cairo town
I wish she was dead
She did some crazy things
Put that notions in my head
chorus
Great God, ain’t that hard
Great God, ain’t that hard
Great God, can’t you see
For me to love a woman that don’t love me
Came down from Cairo town
Ain’t got a lousy dime
You know I spent it all
on that damn Cairo girl of mine
chorus
Old girl from Cairo town
I wish she was dead
She did some crazy things
Put that notions in my head
chorus
