Pay Me My Money Down is a working sea song originating among the Black dock workers in the Georgia Sea Islands in the southern USA. It was first recorded by Lydia Parrish in her 1942 book, Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands, though the melody is much older. The chorus sings:

Pay me, Oh pay me,
Pay me my money down.
Pay me or go to jail,
Pay me my money down.

This arrangement offers a lively, upbeat take on the song, almost ‘big band’ in style. Following a cheeky exchange between plunger muted cornet and trombone, the tempo kicks in with a driving bass and percussion line. The cornets call the tune across the band, with the trombones, euphoniums, and baritones replying in kind. The chorus melody is then stretched out over an elongated phrase with a more Latin feel to the music, before the cornet and trombone are again featured in a series of solo exchanges. A percussion feature follows before a change of key in which the original material is recapped and developed, with the verse and chorus material mixed together. The cornet and trombone reprise the cheeky opening, before a lively finale.

This arrangement of Pay Me My Money Down is dedicated to Lydney Town Band.