1. 60's soul g… Read Full Bio ↴Disambiguation - There are three bands with this moniker.
1. 60's soul group on Brunswick records
2. UK Britbeat band.
3. US Girl Group.
1. They got their start in the early 50s as the Five Pennies, eventually becoming (with a number of personnel changes along the way) the Chimes, and the 4 Jokers, evolving into the Four Pennies in the early 60s.
One of the group’s early members was none other than Clifford Curry, who recorded a number of cool soul 45s in the 60s including ‘She Shot a Hole In My Soul’.
They recorded two 45s for Brunswick in 1967, with ‘You’re a Gas With Your Trash’ coming out first.
The Four Pennies would eventually evolve into the Hearts of Stone, recording an album for the Motown subsidiary VIP in the early 70s.
2. The Four Pennies were an English, 1960s pop group.
Their biggest success Stateside, was with their song "Black Girl", which was a traditional United States folk song, and brought out in 1964. However, in their homeland the group was more famous for having a Number one hit in the UK Singles Chart in the same year, with "Juliet". Initially, their self penned ballad was only intended to be released as a "B" side. Interestingly, it was the only 1964 Number one by a UK group not to chart in America. They finally folded in 1966, when their last single release "No More Sad Songs For Me", failed to chart.
The group's 1965 hit, "Until It's Time For You To Go", written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1972.
3. The Four Pennies were actually The Chiffons under an assumed name. They released two singles; "My block" / "Dry your eyes" which reached number 67 on the Billboard pop chart and "When the boy's happy (the girl's happy too)" / "Hockaday (part 1)" which reached number 95. The Chiffons records came out on Laurie but The Four Pennies singles came out on Laurie subsidary, Rust. Both singles were issued in the UK on Stateside but didn't trouble the charts.
Black Girl
The Four Pennies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where did you sleep last night
In the pines, in the pines,
Where the sun never shines
She shivered the whole night through
Her husband was a railroad man,
Killed at the driving wheel
Under the twisted steel
It caused her to weep, it caused her to moan
It caused her to lose her mind
When she thought of how she lost her man,
So brave, so gentle & kind
Now she wonders alone beneath the trees,
And is happy to mourn her man
And the cold wind comes to chill her bones
And the sea mist hangs over her head
Black girl, black girl, where will you go?
She goes where the cold wind blows
In the pines, in the pines,
Where the sun never shines
She shivers the whole night through
Black girl, black girl, where will you go?
She goes where the cold wind blows
In the pines, in the pines,
Where the sun never shines
She shivers the whole night through
The Four Pennies' song "Black Girl" tells the story of a woman who has lost her husband, a railroad man, in a tragic accident. The singer addresses the woman and asks her where she slept last night, to which she responds that she slept in the pines where the sun never shines. The woman shivers the whole night through as she mourns her loss. The lyrics reveal that the woman found her husband's body all crushed and torn under twisted steel. She wept, moaned, and lost her mind when she thought of how she lost her "brave, gentle and kind" man.
Line by Line Meaning
Black girl, black girl, tell me no lies,
The singer asks the Black girl to tell the truth about where she slept last night.
Where did you sleep last night
The singer asks the Black girl to reveal where she spent the previous night.
In the pines, in the pines,
The Black girl responds with the name of the location where she spent the night, which is among the trees.
Where the sun never shines
The Black girl emphasizes how dark and somber the place is, as the sun never reaches there.
She shivered the whole night through
The Black girl describes how cold and trembling the night was, making her feel uncomfortable and uneasy.
Her husband was a railroad man,
The Black girl had a husband who worked in the railroad industry and was used to traveling long distances frequently.
Killed at the driving wheel
Her husband died in a tragic accident while he was operating the train.
She found his body all crushed & torn
The Black girl, his wife, was the one who discovered his dead body, which was in a devastated and distorted state.
Under the twisted steel
The wreckage of the train was still on top of him when she found him.
It caused her to weep, it caused her to moan
The death of her husband deeply traumatized her and made her show her sadness through tears and wailing.
It caused her to lose her mind
The loss of her beloved made her experience extreme psychological and emotional distress to the point of insanity.
When she thought of how she lost her man,
Every time she reflected on how she was separated from her husband, it would intensify her sorrow and grief.
So brave, so gentle & kind
The singer describes the qualities of the woman's husband who was a courageous, kind and respectful individual.
Now she wonders alone beneath the trees,
The Black girl now spends her days isolated and lost in thoughts among the trees.
And is happy to mourn her man
She has come to accept her husband's death and finds fulfillment in expressing her grief.
And the cold wind comes to chill her bones
The artist describes the environmental conditions that the woman faces, as the wind brings forth freezing temperatures that make her feel cold and lifeless.
And the sea mist hangs over her head
The artist describes how the mist from the sea lingers from above, adding to the dreary atmosphere and a haunting feel to the environment.
Black girl, black girl, where will you go?
The singer addresses the woman again, inquiring about her next move.
She goes where the cold wind blows
The Black girl explains that she goes wherever the cold wind takes her.
She shivers the whole night through
She reiterates how the cold weather affects her, causing her to shake uncontrollably even throughout the entire night.
Writer(s): Huddie Ledbetter
Contributed by Kennedy F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
RainScratch
The Four Pennies number, Black Girl, was a cover in the Pop Gear (Go Go Mania) appearance of 1964. It was written by an unknown (probably black) songwriter from ca 1870s! This song was re-done by Nirvana in the 90s to huge success. It is one of the top songs of the film. It was first recorded in 1925 and around 160 versions are known to have been recorded.
(below from Wikipedia)
"In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" and "My Girl" (sic), is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back to at least the 1870s. The songs originated in the Southern Appalachian area of the United States in the contiguous areas of Eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia.
Versions of the song have been recorded by many artists in numerous genres, but it is most often associated with American bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and American blues musician Lead Belly, both of whom recorded very different versions of the song in the 1940s and 1950s.[3]
A version of the song performed by the Four Pennies reached the UK top-twenty in 1964. A live performance by the American grunge band Nirvana reinterpreted Lead Belly's version and was recorded during their MTV Unplugged performance in 1993.
Mrs.Oliva
Most powerful song in pop gear.
John Robertson
got it, rather good retro
Miyuki Shijisha
Bought it as a single some 60 years ago, still have it, still love it
VIRGINIA MASKELL 317 CHANNEL
My favorite song from The Four Pennies.
steve hewitt
So good.
RainScratch
The Four Pennies number, Black Girl, was a cover in the Pop Gear (Go Go Mania) appearance of 1964. It was written by an unknown (probably black) songwriter from ca 1870s! This song was re-done by Nirvana in the 90s to huge success. It is one of the top songs of the film. It was first recorded in 1925 and around 160 versions are known to have been recorded.
(below from Wikipedia)
"In the Pines", also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" and "My Girl" (sic), is a traditional American folk song originating from two songs, "In the Pines" and "The Longest Train", both of whose authorship is unknown and date back to at least the 1870s. The songs originated in the Southern Appalachian area of the United States in the contiguous areas of Eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, Western North Carolina and Northern Georgia.
Versions of the song have been recorded by many artists in numerous genres, but it is most often associated with American bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and American blues musician Lead Belly, both of whom recorded very different versions of the song in the 1940s and 1950s.[3]
A version of the song performed by the Four Pennies reached the UK top-twenty in 1964. A live performance by the American grunge band Nirvana reinterpreted Lead Belly's version and was recorded during their MTV Unplugged performance in 1993.
Kathline Taylor
Like 👍👍 this song awesome song thank you very much for this
VIRGINIA MASKELL 317 CHANNEL
Welcome! And thanks for watching.
Kat Vacuum
I can’t believe these guys created time travel and went into the future just to copy Nirvanas cover of a different version of this song.
ledatape
BLIMEY!!! THAT PACKS A PUNCH!