ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, February 18, 1997             TAG: 9702180076
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1    EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY 

CONSIDER THE OYSTERMAN'S VERSION

Not to complicate things, but here's a way Virginia could keep "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia" as the state song:

By adopting the other version of the song.

No, not the sanitized version that occasionally crops up in Virginia, with the word "dreamer" substituted for James Bland's original reference to "darkey."

Instead, there's another, completely different song with the same title floating around in the history books. In 1847, the Buffalo, N.Y.-based Christy Minstrels performed their own version of "Carry Me Back." Almost three decades later, James Bland borrowed the title, but came up with his own words and music to create the song that is now Virginia's official anthem.

Unlike Bland's version, the Christy Minstrels' song makes no references to slavery. Instead, it tells the story of an oysterman "on the floating scow of old Virginny" who is "getting old and cannot labor more/ so take me back to old Virginny shore."

Could the Christy Minstrels' version make a comeback? A Buffalo librarian recently dug up an 1800s songbook that contained the hometown group's song. Reasoning that Virginians might like to hear what it sounds like, Raya Then rounded up some local musicians, taped them performing a rendition of the tune - then shipped the tape down to Virginia, in case state legislators want to consider that "Carry Me Back" as an alternative.

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