CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIRGINNY - Free Jazz Leadsheet

“carry me back to old virginny” was written in 1878 by James A. Bland. Early cylinder and disc recordings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries helped reintroduce the song to a new generation of performers, making it one of the most widely circulated pieces from the minstrel tradition.

The lyrics express yearning for a remembered homeland, framed in the musical language of the period. Its melody uses a simple, flowing structure characteristic of 19th-century American popular song, making it adaptable for vocal and instrumental renditions across folk, traditional-jazz, and early pop contexts.