[Alternately: “Possum Up a Gum Tree”]

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According to Nathan, a song called “The ’possum up the gum-tree” was in the repertoire of white Southern frontiersmen as early as 1817 (47-8). The more recent version of the song is credited as being transcribed by the English actor, Charles Mathews (1776-1835). Both Nathan and Conway suggest Mathews first heard the song during a performance of Hamlet at the African Grove Theater at New York. Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), who was performing the eponymous role, gave an alternate version of Hamlet’s speech from III.i: “To be or not to be, dat is him question, whether him nobler in de mind to suffer or lift up him arms against one sea of hubble bubble and by opossum (oppose ’em) and ’em” (Conway 88). At the conclusion of the monologue, the audience called for the song “Opossum Up a Gum Tree,” a request that Aldridge promptly obliged. In an attempt to reconstruct what he had heard, Mathews recorded three alternate versions of the song, all of which are recorded in The London Mathews (Nathan 46). However, recent work by Royster suggest that this anecdote may be entirely apocryphal, or, likely, is instead an incorrect transmission of anecdotal material from Mathews’ show Trip to America (1824) (n.p.). The show, which premiered after Mathews’ return from America, was based upon three African American characters: a coach driver, a fiddle player and a Shakespearean actor (Aldridge). Given the uncertainty of transmission in this instance, it seems equally as likely that Mathews’ transcriptions might be variants of the frontiersmen’s versions of the song. Further complicating the issue of transmission, the version examined for this entry seems distinct from either of these accounts: the prefatory notes suggests that the lyrics are instead inspired by a “Circumstance in Zoology reported by Naturalists,” specifically, an altercation between a racoon and an opossum.

While the song appears to have been popular during the period in question – particularly as part of Ira Aldridge’s repertoire, sung by him in the same evening's performance that included Othello and a comic afterpiece – its popularity has not endured into the twentieth century. At present, there appears to be only one recorded version of the song, the information for which is provided below. By way of comparison, there seems to have been a proliferation of folk songs with similar titles, such as “Possum up a Gum Stump,” and “Possum up a Simmon Tree”. The degree to which these songs are based upon “Possum up a Gum Tree” is unknown. As Nathan suggests, the song is significant in the development of the minstrel canon as it is the first known song to be appropriated by a white man that was originally part of a canon of African American song (48).

While regional variants of the song would certainly have been performed by a number of minstrel troupes, “Buffalo Gals,” was the most popular version of the song for publishing and for use in concert programs. Now considered to be a folk song by many, the popularity of “Buffalo Gals” continues to endure into this century. The song has been recorded hundreds of times since at least 1948 with versions by everyone from the Chipmunks to Bruce Springsteen.

Select Recording History:

“Possum up a Gum Tree.” The Red Hots. Ready to Roll. Fireant Music, 1995.

Works Cited:

Conway, Cecilia. African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions. Knoxville: Tennessee UP, 1995.

Nathan, Hans. Dan Emmett and the Rise of Early Negro Minstrelsy. Norman: Oklahoma UP, 1962.

Royster, Francesca. [Excerpts from] “Playing with (a) Difference: Early Black Shakespearean Actors, Blackface and Whiteface.” Shakespeare in American Life exhibition catalog. Folger Shakespeare Library, 2007. Accessed online 08 July 2009. Click Here.

Mark Turner