Thirty Dollar Fiddle

A Story Song from thirty years ago.

Thirty years ago in 1996 I was living in Fort Dodge, Iowa and playing occasionally with an old time music group we had formed called the Frontier Fiddle Band. Whenever the mood hit me I would write an original song and this one just sort of slipped out after finding an old violin at an antique store. It was in pretty rough shape, but I knew a fellow who worked on instruments named Vern Scott, and he became a central figure in this little story song.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19312130/vern_william-scott

In 1998 I recorded a version at Big Blue Sound using a Yamaha hard disk recorder and overdubbing myself playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, snare drum & bass. It sounded like this:

VERSE 1:

As I was roaming around one day I stopped at an antique store

Thought I’d look things over for awhile

They had some fancy furniture…and plenty of pretty plates

As I moved from aisle to aisle

But way in the back on the bottom shelf of a crowded little cupboard

I found that fiddle and what was left of the bow

All dry and dirty and comin’ apart…it looked like it must’ve been

Built by hand a hundred years ago

VERSE 2:

So I asked the man what he needed for it…at first he said fifty

I offered twenty and we settled at thirty

The case was crunched but he laid it in there…and slowly scratched his head

Turned to me and this is what he said:

CHORUS:

You take a thirty dollar fiddle down to old Vern Scott

He’s in Fort Dodge and that boy’s got

Every kind of tool you need to fix a fiddle

Now if anyone can save it you know old Vern will

He’ll do it right and you can tell

When you play those notes that sound so sweet ....In the middle....

VERSE 3:

Now you should see that fiddle shine

Hear it rock that old ragtime

Get the people’s toes to start a tappin’

Never in my wildest dreams,,,could I invent these crazy scenes

A thirty dollar fiddle made it happen

REPEAT CHORUS

VERSE 4:

So you better check again on the shelf in the closet

Up in the attic...and see if you still got it

The fiddle your grand dad was playin’

Bring that thing out into the light

Polish it up and string it right

You can make some music that’s worth savin’

REPEAT CHORUS

© 1996 Shadric Smith All Rights Reserved

Supposed To Be Music

My Thirty Dollar Fiddle

The Frontier Fiddle Band at the Fort Museum. L to R Herb “The Tahlequah Kid” Dreasler, “Montana” Dave Hearn, William Buffalo, & “Colonel” David Parker. Photo by Debbie Smith.

This song had so many verses it never made it into the repertoire of any of my performing groups. It also never made it onto any of my “album” releases….so has been hiding in the archives all this time. This is the first time I have shared it….enjoy!

Special thanks to Vern Scott for getting that old fiddle up and running!