menu
Log in or Sign up

Coleman’s March polka

Also known as Coleman Killed His Wife, Joe Coleman’s March, Joe Dobbins, Old Hickory.

There are 11 recordings of a tune by this name.

Coleman’s March has been added to 3 tune sets.

Coleman's March has been added to 105 tunebooks.

Download ABC

Three settings

X: 1
T: Coleman's March
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
F4|G3F/G/|AA/B/ A/F/D|E3F/G/|
Adc2|BB/A/ F/E/D|EE/F/ G/F/E|1 D2 A/B/A/G/:|2 D2 D/F/A/c/||
d4|c4|BB/c/ d/c/B|A3F/G/|
Adc2|BB/A/ F/E/D|EE/F/ G/F/E|1 D2 D/F/A/c/:|2 D2 A/B/A/G/||
X: 2
T: Coleman's March
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Dmaj
F8|G6FG|A2AB AFD2|E6FG|
A2d2c4|B2BA FED2|E2EF GFE2|1 D4 ABAG:|2 D4 DFAc||
d8|c8|B2Bc dcB2|A6FG|
A2d2c4|B2BA FED2|E2EF GFE2|1 D4 DFAc:|2 D4 ABAG||
X: 3
T: Coleman's March
R: polka
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
B2 B/B/B BAGB | c2 c/c/c B2 Bc | d2- de dB GB | A2- AA A2 Bc |
d2 g2 f2 f/g/f | ef ed BA G2 | A2- AB cB AB |[1 G2- GG G :|[2 G2- GG G2 ||
g2- gg- g2 gg | f2 fd- d2 de- | ed ef gf ef | d2- dd- dc Bc |
d2 g2 f2 ff | ef ed BA G2 | A2- AB cB AB |[1 G2- GG- G2 :|[2 G2- GG G |]

Eleven comments

Coleman’s March

As you may have guessed, this is not a polka but a 2/4 march. I learned it off a friend of mine but can’t recall where said she had it from. A pretty little tune, it can also be played slower so:

F8|G6FG|A2AB AFD2|E6FG|
A2d2c4|B2BA FED2|E2EF GFE2|1 D4 ABAG:|2 D4 DFAc||
d8|c8|B2Bc dcB2|A6FG|
A2d2c4|B2BA FED2|E2EF GFE2|1 D4 DFAc:|2 D4 ABAG||

Coleman’s March

This lovely march is recorded by the great fiddler, Pete Sutherland, on Eight miles from home", recorded in 1982.
"Devil in the Strawstack" is also on that fine recoding—a fabulous gritty G Dorian old-time Appalachian tune".

Posted by .

Coleman’s March

I would like some history on this neat little tune. Reply to smiskoe@aol.com

For Sylvia

HI, Sylvia. David Kaynor introduced this lovely tune to us. Legend has it that Coleman played it on his guitar as he was sitting on his coffin while being carted away to the noose in the 1880s, having been wrongfully accused by his live-in sister-in-law of murdering his wife.
We’ve been trading this tune in our local sessions since we learned it. Everybody likes it - especially since it has a story!

“Joe Coleman’s March”

X: 3
T: Joe Coleman’s March
T: Coleman Killed his Wife
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: march
K: Gmaj
|: e dc |\
B2 B/B/B BAGB | c2 c/c/c B2 Bc | d2- de dB GB | A2- AA A2 Bc |
d2 g2 f2 f/g/f | ef ed BA G2 | A2- AB cB AB |[1 G2- GG G :|[2 G2- GG G2 ||
|: B/c/d |\
g2- gg- g2 gg | f2 fd- d2 de- | ed ef gf ef | d2- dd- dc Bc |
d2 g2 f2 ff | ef ed BA G2 | A2- AB cB AB |[1 G2- GG- G2 :|[2 G2- GG G |]

I know another tune by the name of "Coleman killed his wife". It’s an American fiddle tune collected by Marion Thede in Oklahoma and published in "The Fiddle Book" (Oak, 1967) on p36. It’s in D, 6/8 "clog rhythm" and bears exactly no resemblance to "Coleman’s March" at all.
Unfortunately my ABC skills are insufficient to note this tune down here (it’s not Irish anyway) because it contains so much double-stopping.

Re: Coleman’s March

Yes, that’s it! So that’s how I annotate double stopping.
Thank you Weejie.

Re: Coleman’s March

Looking this up for something else and came across - http://nativeground.com/the-hanging-of-fiddlin-joe-coleman/

Terrible story - somewhat along the lines of Macphersons Lament. Still the fiddle went to a good home and Coleman lived to tell the tale.

The dead man’s tuning mentioned is DDAD or Open D Tuning, or Bonaparte’s Retreat Tuning, or "Dee-Dad".