HOW THE JOHN B. SAILS
The Bahamian folk song originally published as “The
John B. Sails” is
known to most of us as the “Sloop
John B”.
It has been recorded by numerous artist.
The Kingston Trio and The Beach Boys have recordings
that are well known to many of us. The accompaniment
is performed in a Calypso beat ( - - - _ _ -), a
syncopated rhythm. Here
is a link to a recording that may be close to the
original style of its performance:
The
John B. Sails [video] The John B. Sails
[lyrics and chords]
I’M GOING
DOWNTOWN TO THE RACES
I learned this song from a
Norman Blake album, Live
at McCabe’s, and
the greatest thing about it is definitely Norman’s
flatpicking. But the song is also a lot of fun
to sing. You can hear Norman picking and singing
it at the link below.
Sweet Heaven When I Die [video]
Sweet Heaven When I Die [lyrics and chords]
TEXAS IS CALLIN’ ME
Blair Powell was a close friend and mentor of our November Second Saturday artist Steve Fisher. Blair asked that Steve sing at his memorial service, which took place in Kerrville at the festival. Steve wrote more than one song for Blair, because he said that just one song was not enough of an homage. You can hear Steve perform this song at MEMORIAL DAY , on his CD, Count Me In or at the link below
Memorial
Day [video]
Memorial
Day[lyrics and chords]
Our
song this month comes from the timely pen of our editor, Cehlena
Solus, and is published here with her permission.
This song’s back story is pretty self-evident. One
of the things I like about it is the uncommon way it begins on
the IV chord. Many Celtic songs do that – not
surprising, considering that Cehlena is the leader of a Celtic
band called Wylde
Meade. You
can hear this song performed at the link below.
Pandemic
Shadows [video]
Pandemic
Shadows [lyrics and chords]
A-CRAWLIN’ IN
YOUR WHISKERS
One
of Canada’s most iconic folk songs, the song recounts his
experience while he was visiting Northern Ontario with an
Ontario Hydro survey party to study the feasibility of a dam
on the Little Abitibi River, which flows north towards James
Bay. You can hear this song performed by the author at
the link below.
Black Fly
Song [video]
Black Fly
Song [lyrics and chords]
WHERE WERE YOU
LAST FRIDAY NIGHT
There
are many versions and verses of this song. This is how
Tony Rice recorded it fairly early in his career. You
also get to hear some of Tony’s unparalleled flat-picking.
This was back when his playing was still fairly
traditional, which is my favorite era of his work. You
can hear the song at the link below.
Way
Downtown [video]
Way Downtown [lyrics
and chords]
DID THE HOT DOGS
TASTE BETTER?
The things in this song are true, except
for the ones that I made up. Mostly true. The
streetcar ran down Colonial Ave. in South Dallas right by
Grandpa’s house. You can hear this song performed by Across the Water at the link below.
Grandpa, Do You
Wonder [audio]
Grandpa,
Do you Wonder [lyrics and chords]
MY FEET THEY ARE
SO TENDER
The
historical setting of this ballad is most likely either the War
of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714)
or the Seven
Years War (1756-1763).
High Germany refers to the mountainous, Alpine southern
part of Germany. Cecil Sharp collected a version of this
song in 1906, and it was actually recorded on phonograph by
Percy Grainger in 1908. You can hear the great English
folksinger Martin Carthy perform this song at the link below.
High
Germany [video]
High Germany
[lyrics & chords]
Otto P. Kelland wrote
this song in 1947. Kelland was a prison warden at
St. John’s Penitentiary in Newfoundland when he decided to
set to music a conversation he once had with a sea captain
about a sailor longing for his southeastern Newfoundland
home. You can listen to Stan Rogers perform the song
here at the link below.
Let
Me Fish off Cape St. Mary's [video]
Let
Me Fish off Cape St. Mary's [lyrics & chords]
WITH HEARTS UNDAUNTED AND COURAGE TRUE
A
song about cold weather seemed to be in order. This
traditional ballad about Lord John Franklin’s ill-fated
expedition in 1845 to find a Northwest Passage around the pole
is one of my favorites. There were a great many
recordings on Youtube to choose from – some by big “names”
like Sinead O’Connor and Pentangle. I liked this version
by Andy Toman, which you can hear at the link below. As
with all traditional songs, you will find somewhat different
words with different versions.
THEY ATE OF OUR MEAT
On
February 13, 1692, an estimated 30 members and associates of
Clan MacDonald of Glen Coe were killed by government forces
for failing to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William
III of Scotland and Mary II. The MacDonalds were
Jacobites, participating in an uprising to restore James II to
the throne. The government of William III sought to make
a brutal example of them for all the Jacobites. This
tactic worked; the uprising in the Highlands ended with the
massacre of Glen Coe. You can hear a nice version of
this song by The Corries at youTube
link,
or at the link below.
Massacre
of Glencoe [video]
Massacre of
Glencoe [lyrics and chords]
Our January issue actually
comes out closer to Christmas than the December one, so here
goes with my favorite Christmas carol. Christina Rosetti
composed it as a poem in 1872, then the noted English composer
Gustav Holst set it to music in 1906. It makes a lovely
vocal piece with acoustic guitar. You can hear a
beautiful version of this song by Dan Fogelberg at In
The Bleak Mid Winter.
This
song by our Editor, Cehlena Solus, “…really came from
staring out the window,” she says. “Seeing the
wind blow through the trees on the walks I take daily
with the dogs along the bayou.” “Music is all
around us in nature if we just take a moment and
listen.” You can hear this song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gEIz2FBKpo
or at the link below.
Stepin'
Into Color [video]
Stepin' Into
Color [lyrics and chords]
I CLIMBED THE WALLS THE ROMANS LEFT BEHIND
Jack Williams has
graciously given us permission to print this song from
his fine album, Walkin’
Dreams. He wrote it
on one of his several tours performing in England.
Jack tells us that the brothers mentioned in verse
four were actually his ancestors – sixteen generations
back. Walkin’
Dreams is still
available through Jack’s website: http://www.jackwilliamsmusic.com/discography.html.
ONE KIND FAVOR
I was listening to Lightnin’
Hopkins sing this on 33rpm vinyl before I ever heard
him do it at the Will Rice commons in Houston in 1962.
But this song goes way back before that.
It was recorded (and some say written) by Blind
Lemon Jefferson in 1927. The list of people who
have recorded it since goes on forever, as does the
number of different ways to treat the song.
Listening to different versions on Youtube was
so interesting that I have provided two versions for
contrast. First, a modern ensemble arrangement
by Del McCoury and Friends where they treat it almost
like a spiritual.
One
Kind Favor - Del McCoury
One
Kind Favor - Blind Lemon Jefferson
One Kind
Favor [lyrics & chords]
ON THE LEFT
FOOT, PEG FOOT
I got chills the first time I heard this song in about 1959. It must have been The Weavers’ version, because I don’t know if anyone else had recorded it yet. The song was first published in 1928 by the Texas Folklore Society. The A major IV chord at the beginning of the chorus gives the song a very interesting Dorian mode flavor. The Weavers are actually performing it in E flat minor, so to play along with them you could tune down a half step, or transpose it to D minor and capo up one. The drinking gourd is, of course, the Big Dipper constellation in which two of its stars point to Polaris, the north star. Pete Seeger tells more of the story of the song in the intro to their recording, which you can hear at the link below.
BRING ALL MY
WORRIED NATIONS
Dance
Around My Atom Fire [video]
Dance
Around My Atom Fire [lyrics and chords]
WHO WILL WEAR THE ROBE AND
CROWN?
A lot of us may think of Valley to Pray as a folk song. In fact it was written by the great gospel composer Albert E. Brumley (1905-1977), who also composed I’ll Fly Away, Turn Your Radio On, and many other gospel classics. The song is also widely known as Down in the River to Pray, as recorded by Allison Krauss and many others. To me, it is Valley to Pray because that is the version I first heard by Arlo Guthrie 50 years ago. The song has been recorded by a great many people, perhaps least notably by Across the Water on their a cappella CD, No Strings Attached, so that is the version I have transcribed here, and that you can hear at the link below.
I WILL PAWN
YOU THIS HEART IN MY BOSOM
We
haven’t had a Carter Family song in this space for quite a
while. Here is one that A. P. Carter wrote in 1933
and recorded for RCA Victor. They recorded the
song in B-flat, which means it was probably played in G
shape with the capo on the third fret. So I have
transcribed it in G, and you can capo wherever it is
comfortable for you to sing it. You can listen to
the Carter Family’s original version of this song at the
link below.
GOLD
WATCH AND CHAIN [video]
GOLD WATCH
AND CHAIN [lyrics & chords]
WE LEARNED TO MAKE MUSIC OUR OWN
WILL YE GANG TO THE
HIELANDS
It’s
been
a while since we had a good old Child ballad in this space,
so here’s a pretty one to learn. Like most songs
this old, there are many variants out there, especially of
the lyrics on this one.
You can hear this version performed by The
Corries at
YouTube
location
DID YOU TRY TO
ABSCOND WITH A BEAUTIFUL BLONDE?
SHE
CHURNED THE BUTTER IN DAD’S OLD BOOT
THE ANGELS
SING A LULLABY
HOW CAN A
YOUNG MAN STAY AT HOME
This
is a great jamming tune, and the verses can go on
forever. Any
of the dozens of verses to “Shady Grove” will fit, among
others. You
can hear a nice rendition of this song by the Dublin
group We Banjo 3 at
Down
The River Uncle Joe [video]
Down
The River Uncle Joe [lyrics and chords]
BEND DOWN THE TALLEST TREE
ALL THE LADS HAVE
GOT THE SACK
The
Rhondda
Valley in South Wales has been synonymous with coal mining
since the mid-nineteenth century, and the fortunes of the
region and its people have always paralleled those of the
coal industry. Pete
Seeger’s song “The Bells of Rhymney” based on the poem by
Welsh poet Idris Davies mentions “the black bells of
Rhondda” – black from the coal dust. This song was
written by Frank Hennessey during a miners’ strike. The reference to
“Roben’s axe” refers to Alfred Robens, who was Chairman of
the National Coal Board from 1961 to 1971. You can hear this
song performed by The New Barleycorn
at the link below.
If
all the Welsh names in the last verse don’t roll easily off
your tongue, it would probably not violate the folk process
to substitute Anglicized Welsh names like Morgan, Davis,
Edwards.
Farewell
to the Rhondda [video]
Farewell
to the Rhondda [lyrics and chords]
This
one
presents a real dilemma between authenticity and art. As you can see
here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH2DJvgNlMA,
Woody performed it playing a D major chord throughout the
song. And the
purity and earnestness of the song certainly comes out when
it is done that way. But
to my musical taste, the melody cries out for a minor chord
at the beginning, and the dramatic change to the relative
major in the second line, as in this fine rendition from
1965 by Tracy Newman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKTGilvIw7Y
You can
take your pick. That’s
why they call it folk music.
I have notated the chords the way Tracy plays it. You can play it as
she does in the A minor chord shape and capo anywhere from
open up to V or so to fit your vocal range.
Pastures
of Plenty [video with Woody]
Pastures of Plenty [video with Tracy Newman]
Pastures
of Plenty [lyrics and chords]
‘TIS
NATURE’S NEED; ‘TIS GOD’S DECREE
The
leaders of the Abolitionist movement set up anti-slavery
singing circles and wrote special songs for them, generally
set to the tune of old hymns. The best of them was this
“Abolitionists Hymn” set to the familiar “Old Hundredth.”,
which was published in the Genevan Psalter in 1551. John Pierpont
wrote the lyrics as a poem in 1842. If you have ever
accompanied a hymn singalong, you will know that many hymn
tunes change chords just about every beat. This one is no
exception, so don’t take it too fast. I have simplified
the chords somewhat from the nice rendition by Stephen
Griffith that can be found at the link below.
YER ILL-SPUN YARN
This old Scottish song has an
interesting prescription for the young man whose girl is
in a family way: Enlist
and see the world. If
you don’t care for the dialect, it is perfectly
appropriate to sing the conventional English words. Most are easy to
figure out. “Owsen
wis tae rin” means
“Oxen was to run”. A
bairn is, or course, a baby.
You can hear this song performed by The Corries
at the link below.
TWA
Recruiting Seargants [video]
TWA
Recruiting Seargants [lyrics and
chords]
IT AIN’T NO
USE
Who's
Is Gonna Buy You Ribbons [video]
Who's Is
Gonna Buy You Ribbons [lyrics and chords]
THE
WORST
THAT I’VE EVER BEEN HURT IN MY LIFE
The
Louvin
Brothers were an American country music duo composed of
brothers Ira Lonnie Loudermilk (1924–1965) and Charlie Elzer
Loudermilk (1927–2011), better known as Ira and Charlie
Louvin. They helped popularize close harmony, and could be
considered direct forerunners of duos like The everly
Brothers.. The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member. You can hear a
lovely rendition of this sing by Jim and Jesse at the link
below.
When I
Stop Dreaming [video]
When I Stop
Dreaming [lyrics and chords]
STILL AN ODE TO JOY
An
Old House Near the
Corner [audio]
An
Old House Near the Corner [lyrics & chords]
NO ONE EVER ASKED ABOUT IT
Pierce
says
he carried the idea for this song and his memories of Mr.
Zeidman around for many years before he finally wrote it. The newspaper
article that you can find here: open_the_article
tells the story
better than I could. He
uses a very original chord progression in the song, but just
about all the chords are quite accessible. For the A9 chord in line
2, just fret the third and fourth strings both at the second
fret, and that will work fine in this song. This song is on
Pierce’s new CD, Father’s Son,
just released in January of this year, or you can listen to
it by using the link below to view Pierce and David Webb
performance of the song. To
play along with the recording, capo at the first fret and
refer to the lyrics and chord sheet linked below.
Mr.
Zeidman [video]
Mr. Zeidman
[lyrics & chords]
TO MAKE THE
WOUNDED WHOLE
“Is
there
no balm in Gilead? Is
there no physician there?
Why then is there no healing for the wounds of my
people?” This
fine old African-American spiritual uses these words from
Jeremiah 8:22 to also allude to faith in the healing and
redemptive power of Jesus.
You can hear a lovely rendition of the song on the
Audio Archive at the link below. I have transcribed
it in the same key as the recording.
Balm in Gilead
[audio]
Balm
in Gilead [lyrics & chords]
THERE
IS NO JUDGE MORE FAIR THAN TIME
AND
I HEARD THE ANSWER
This
song became well known around Houston when Bill graciously
allowed Across The Water to perform and record it. Bill and Kate are
returning to Second Saturday October 13, and Hobos
will no doubt be requested, and much of the audience will
sing along. Here
are the chords and lyrics in case you want to practice up
for Second Saturday. You
can hear Bill and Kate perform this song at the link below.
I
have transcribed the song in G. If you want to
play along on the video, capo at the first fret.
Hobos
in the Roundhouse [video]
Hobos in
the Roundhouse [lyrics and chords]
LOCK MY HEART IN
A BOX OF GOLDEN
THE BIG FOOL SAID TO PUSH ON
ANOTHER
TIME
AND PLACE
WRAP
ME
UP IN ME OILSKINS AND JUMPER
WE TOOK CARE OF THE BOYS
The Folk Alliance International invited Joe Crookston, our February 10 Second Saturday artist (see Page 1) to be the Artist in Residence at the 2016
Conference in Kansas City MO. Joe collaborated with the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, digging into their archives of letters,
photographs, field recordings and objects from WWI. After reading hundreds of letters, Joe chose to tell the story of Florence Hemphill, a woman.
A nurse of Scottish ancestry from Wilson County Kansas. A worker less honored in the history books. Florence was a courageous medical presence
in France during some of the most intense fighting. This song is on Joe’s newest CD, Joe Crookston 2017, or you can hear it at the link below.
THE LONELIEST BOY IN THE TOWN
HE’LL
GO NO MORE A-ROVIN’
NOTHING
MATTERS WHEN YOU’RE FREE
NEITHER
WIND NOR RAIN CARE FOR BRAVERY
TEN
GUNINEAS IN GOLD I WILL SLIP IN YOUR FIST
We
could
consider this a 19th century anti-war song. It was first
collected around 1840 in Limerick by Patrick Weston Joyce. Many traditional
songs tell of aggressive recruitment tactics and paying the
king’s gold or getting young men drunk to get them to enlist. I haven’t previously
seen one where the would-be “recruits” take matters into their
own hands quite as forcefully as Arthur McBride and his
cousin. You can
hear a charming rendition of this song by an unidentified
group at the link below.
I
BELIEVE IN LIGHTNING BUGS
NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON A BONNIE WEE
LASSIE
A BACH
ROAD JOURNEY
The Road to Lubeck by Paul Cooper
STEADY
AND
GRACEFUL, SOLID AND WISE
Submitted
By Paul Cooper
For those of us
who don't attend hockey games or ice skating rinks, a Zamboni is the big
four-wheeled machine that comes out and smooths out the ice
between skating sessions. Named
for its inventor, Mr. Zamboni, this graceful monster makes quite
an impression especially on kids. This song was written
by Chris Hartman's sister Mary Hartman. The chorus of it was
read by Garrison Keiller on his radio show during his Christmas
song contest, and the song has also been heard on NPR's popular
program, Car Talk. Mary says "Our local (minor league) hockey
arena sometimes plays part of it between periods at hockey games
when the Zamboni comes out". Mary says "We
play it in C. I play G chords with the capo on the 5th fret,
and Janet plays in C with no capo."
Mary performs with the
trio Humphrey, Hartman and Cameron out in state of Washington. Their website is http://humphreyandhartman.com/. (It is worth
visiting for the banjo haiku alone.) Please note
that the audio file was made available by Mary for
purposes of learning the song. It is not to be added to
your permanent collection.
The
notes to Across the Water's second album say: Joe Scurfield was a
schoolmate, fellow soccer and rugby team player, and one of
Steve's first musical collaborators. Came the time for
the leaving, Steve and Joe went separate ways, neither knowing
that they were to attend universities in adjacent towns, not
20 miles apart, both continuing to pursue their musical
interests. Thirty
years later, watching the Old Rope String Band while both were
appearing at the Chester (England) Folk Festival, Steve
recognized the balding, bearded troubadour as his erstwhile
friend despite playing the fiddle whilst being supported
upside-down with his head in a bucket of water! Sadly only a
couple of years after renewing the acquaintance, Joe was run
down by a drunk, speeding 'joyrider'in a stolen car whilst
making his way to his local pub in Newcastle to catch last
orders. "Time
gentlemen, please" is a common phrase in the parlance of
English pub landlords to announce that it is closing time.
WILLIE GOGGIN'S HAT
By
Jack Hardy
Jack
Hardy was kind enough to give Across the Water permission
to record this song, and I am boldly assuming his
permission also extends to reproducing our version of it
here. This
song was inspired by one of Jack's many trips to
We perform the
song in G, capoed up two frets. You can of
course adjust the capo position to suit your vocal range,
A POPPY BY ANY
COLOR
A
HOLE IN THE HEART
When
Lucy Nell Andrews passed away, her family's Email screens
lit up with condolences and tributes from singers and
songwriters from all over the country who had graced her
living room. Lucy
Nell's house concerts were one of the pillars of the
Lyrics and Chords
A
Hole In The Heart of Texas [audio]
Way out Here by Ken
Gaines
Ken
opened our May Second Saturday Concert songwriter's circle
with this fine original.
Having heard Ken perform it for six or seven years
now, it's still one of my favorites. You can
substitute an F chord
for the Fmaj7
Ken plays at several points if you want a more folky
feeling, instead of the shimmery Fmaj7. You can
hear Ken perform this song with Karen Mal on his excellent
CD, Catfish Moon,
or solo on the HFMS Music archive web page at http://houstonfolkmusic.org/HFS_Audio_Archive.html
MY WEDDING DAY
(C.
Mims) Pandulce Music BMI
Connie was one of the
panel of three singer-songwriters who gave us such a
fantastic show at our May Second Saturday
Concert. She graciously gave us permission to
publish this song of hers in the Rag. "My
Wedding Day" is from Connie's 2008 CD release "Go
Deep", produced by Jack Saunders at White Cat
Studios, Houston. Connie performs this one with capo
at Fret III. The chord
designated as C2 in the chorus looks like this:
You
can see Connie perform this song on YouTube at: Connie
on YouTube, or listen to it on the Audio Archive
page of the HFMS website at:
http://houstonfolkmusic.org/HFS_Audio_Archive.html.
JUST PUT 'IM IN A HEARSE
Bully
of
the Town
You
will hear this tune frequently as an instrumental
performed by bluegrass and old-time music groups. For years I
thought it was a fiddle tune without words until I heard
someone sing it at a bluegrass jam in New Jersey. There are many
variations on the lyrics -- these are my favorites. I think the
last verse is a classic! Even if you
don't choose to learn the song, you should listen at
least once to Gid Tanner and his great guitarist Riley
Puckett. They
were important pioneers in the development of the music
we know today as bluegrass.
THAT RIVER LIFE FOR ME
WAS JUST A DREAM
In
1856 the steamboat Arabia struck the stump of a
submerged walnut tree in the mighty Missouri River
just south of
THE ANGELS
SING A LULLABY
Ben
Bedford's songs are often historical -- sometimes
literary -- sometimes both, as in this fine song
about Jack London.
The last verse is comprised almost entirely
of allusions to
AND WILLIE
WILL SING AT MY SERVICE
By Paul
Cooper
WAR
STORY
by Paul Cooper
SECOND
GENERATION SUNSHINE
By Paul
Cooper
This
is a first for our recently inaugurated song column. In January
we featured Mattie
May by Zachary's mom, Carolyn Davis. This month
we are happy to present this lyrical delight which
Zachary first performed for us at one of the pickin
parties a few months back. The first
verse and chorus show the actual chords created by
the lively guitar lick he uses in the accompaniment. The second
verse and chorus show a simplified version if you
just want to strum it.
You can hear this song on Zachary's online
profile at Reverbnation
or at the link below.
Lyrics
and Chords
Sunshine
[audio]
GARFIELD,
HE'S AS HUMAN AS HUMAN CAN BE
Another
song by one of our talented members, Eric
wrote this song back in the 1980s. He
says he sent the song to the creator of the
DOWN
IN
This
is another song by one of our many talented
members, Lloyd Ernstes. Lloyd
has helped us out many times by running sound
at our Second Saturday concerts. You
can hear Lloyd's demo of this song at the link
below. Lloyd
recorded and mastered the demo at his studio
and music store in
FAEN
WOULD I BE IN MY AEN COUNTRY
HFMS
member Tony Paiotti did a nice job performing this
fine old traditional song at our May 2013 Second
Saturday concert.
Tony plays it in G, capoed at the third
fret. You
can of course capo to suit your own vocal range. You can
hear a recording of Tony's performance by using
the link below.
You can hear more of Tony's songs at www.youtube.com/user/1AcousticTony.
SO LONG
IT'S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YUH
This one is dedicated to
our member and good friend Cal Perry,
who passed away on June 6. This
is one of the songs Cal and I performed
at Houston Christian High School's
presentation on Shakespeare's As
You Like It with a backup folk
band.
So
Long It's Been Good To Know You
[Lyrics]
Video
with Rob Tepper lyrics as shown Video with Woody
(alternative lyrics)
THEY
FOUGHT ALL IN ONE MIND
I WAS ONCE A STATELY MANSION
RUN OL' MOLLY RUN
by
Paul Cooper
TELLIN’ HER LIES ON ME
by
Paul Cooper
Elizabeth
Cotton was a pioneer of American urban
folk music, and particularly of the guitar
style known as two finger pickin’. She
played a standard strung guitar
left-handed, which to most of us would be
upside down. If you don’t know the story
of how she was “discovered’ while working
in the household of Pete Seeger’s family,
it is worth looking up. Cotton wrote a
number of other great songs, including Freight
Train and Shake Sugaree,
that have been recorded by a great number
of artists. I suspect a lot more people
know her music than know her name. You can
hear this song performed by Elizabeth
Cotton on YouTube on the link below:
BEEN SO LONG
HFMS member Gaylee Malone
performed this classic sixteen-bar blues
at the November pickin’ party – one of
many fine songs she has written. Gaylee
says everything in the song is taken from
actual experience. She
was one of the girls sittin’ at the
station waving at the boys in green. You
can hear this song on Gaylee’s CD, or at
the link below.
SHE WAS VERY FOND OF DANCING
MOVED HIS BODY LIKE A
CANNON BALL
BANKS OF MARBLE
By Les Rice
At our
April 2014 song circle, Jorge
Palomarez sang this
beautiful love song in Spanish. His
title for the song is “No Me Dejes
Aqui” (Don’t Leave Me Here).
You can go
to links below for the audio and the
lyrics in Spanish along with the
English translation.
UPSIDE DOWN LICKIN’ UP THE
WHISKEY
by Paul Cooper
HAVE TO DO IT
WHILE I’M HERE
Phil
Ochs was a major voice in the Folk
Revival and Anti-war Movement of the
1960’s, though his music is not
heard much today. Born
in
El Paso, Texas, he took his own life
in 1976 at the age of 35. This
song, "When I'm Gone", is a
philosophical statement couched in
lovely poetic images, and based on a
simple “turnaround” chord
progression.
ONCE
WE
WERE BOLD…
A MIGHTY DAY
The
Hurricane
of 1900 made landfall on September
8, 1900, in the city of Galveston,
Texas. It had estimated winds of
145 miles per hour (233 km/h) at
landfall, making it a Category 4
storm on the Saffir–Simpson
Hurricane Scale. It was the
deadliest hurricane in US history,
and the second costliest hurricane
in U.S. history based on the
dollar's 2005 value (to compare
costs with those of Hurricane
Katrina and others).
THAT
KIND
OF LOVE
THROW THE VANDALS IN COURT
BRENNAN ON THE
MOOR
Willie
Brennan
was an outlaw from County
Tipperary – the same county as the
Clancy brothers, whose inspiring
version of this song can be heard
at the link below.
This is such a great story,
it is hard not to be sympathetic
to Willie – though he is hanged in
the end, according to the rules
that outlaw ballads must follow.
Brennan
on the Moor [youTube video]
Brennan
on the Moor [lyrics and
chords]
Growing
up
in Dallas in the 1950s, I was
aware there was a place east of
downtown called Deep Ellum, but I
knew very little about it.
I did know that it was
inhabited by folks with
considerably darker complexions
than ours, but I did not know that
much of the music that represents
mainstream 20th century
American blues was being invented
and performed there.
Most importantly, I knew
that Mom and Dad didn’t think it
was any place us kids should be
going.
In the 1920s and ‘30s,
Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Blind
Lemon Jefferson and Bessie Smith
all performed there.
The 1950s still saw the
likes of Lightnin’ Hopkins, Blund
Willie Johnson and T-Bone Walker
performing there, among many
others.
Today, Deep Ellum’s status
has been elevated to that of a
historical district, but I think
this song captures well the flavor
of the place in its heyday.
You can hear Jerry Garcia
and the Grateful Dead perform this
tune at the link below.
Deep Ellum [youTube
video]
Deep
Ellum [lyrics and chords]
MAYBE
– IT’S HARD TO SAY
RIDE THROUGH THE
LONELY NIGHT
Hickory
Hill
put on a fine show for us at the
April Second Saturday concert.
This song by John Early,
one of the founding members of the
group, was among the ones they
performed.
Like many bluegrass lead
singers, John pitches his songs
pretty high.
I have taken it down from
the key of A to G for slightly
easier singing. If you want to
play along with the recording, you
can just capo at the second fret
and follow the chord symbols shown
below.
You can listen to the song
on Hockory Hill’s CD, Freedom,
or at the link below.
Freedom
[audio]
Freedom
[lyrics and chords]
This
beautiful
song tells the story of how Prince
Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie
Prince Charlie) escaped in a small
boat after the defeat of his
Jacobite uprising of 1745.
Disguised as a serving
maid, Charles was spirited from
Uist to the Isle of Skye after his
defeat at the Battle of Culloden
in 1746.
You can hear this song at
the link below.
If you want to play along
with the group on the recording,
capo at the first fret and play
the chords in D as indicated
below.
SCRIPT
ENOUGH
TO BUY THE COMPANY STORE
Jean
Ritchie,
who died June 1 of this, first
recorded The
L & N Don’t Stop Here
Anymore in 1965.
Since then it has been
covered in recordings by at least
21 other artists, and live by
countless other folk singers.
Born in an unincorporated
community in the Cumberland
Mountains of south eastern
Kentucky, Jean went on to graduate
Phi Beta Kappa from Kentucky
University, and later was awarded
a Fulbright Scholarship to trace
the links between American ballads
and songs from Britain and
Ireland.
You can hear Jean’s
original recording of this song at
the link below.
I
have transcribed the song below in
the same key as the original
recording, Am.
The
L & N Don't Stop Here
Anymore [video]
The L &
N Don't Stop Here
Anymore [lyrics and
chords]
This
traditional
song has been covered countless
times by folk, folk rock and
country artists – often with the
lyrics altered to memorialize the
passing of a particular person, as
in the Byrds’ 1963 version that
was a eulogy for John F. Kennedy.
The lyrics shown here are
the way I learned it from a
folksinging friend in the early
1960’s, before different versions
such as Willie Nelson’s (which can
be heard on the sound track of Brokeback Mountain) and others
became popular.
The version recorded by The Greenbriar Boys, which can
be heard at the link below.
It is very similar to the
way I first heard it (which is the
way that sounds right to me, of
course).
A couple of chords shown
below are slightly different, but
fit perfectly with the melody.
GONNA LAY MY HEAD
Wikipedia
lists 38 recorded covers of this
song since it was written in 1924
by jazz pianist Richard M. Jones.
It quickly became a blues
standard, and many artists added
lyrics of their own.
I have included my favorite
verses from a variety of sources
in this transcription.
The song can be found in a
variety of styles, treatments and
chord progressions.
The Jerry Garcia Acoustic
Band’s 1987 version is based on
the chords shown here.
You can hear this version
at the link below.
A FLOWING GLASS I’LL
RAISE
I was
thinking about our October Second
Saturday concert with Bryan
Bowers, and remembered Bryan’s
lovely rendition of this song (The
Lake of Ponchartrain).
The story obviously happens
in America, though the song is a
staple in the repertoire of many
Irish groups, such as the Hothouse
Flowers, whose beautiful version
can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKq0odvgtmc, or
at
the link below.
GONNA
SLIP
MY CABLE
AND
FRANCE
SO FULL OF WINE
AND
SHE
WELCOMES THEM WITH OPEN ARMS
TO DESTROY THE COMMERCE OF THE NORTH
This
hard-driving
shanty tells the story of two Civil War Vessels, the
Confederate Sloop of War Alabama and the U.S.S. Kearsarge. The Alabama was
built in England in the shipyards at Birkenhead (the South
had no significant shipbuilding industry at that time),
while the Kearsarge came from Maine and was named after
Mount Kearsarge in New Hanpshire. You can hear a
great version of this song, including the line from Oh Susanna by a
group called Schooner
Fare at the
link below.
Roll
Alabama Roll [video]
Roll
Alabama Roll [lyrics & chords]
GOOD NIGHT AND JOY BE WITH YOU ALL
This
beautiful
traditional Irish song was also the most popular parting
song in Scotland till Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne in
1788. The Parting Glass
is one of many traditional songs that Bob Dylan adapted,
giving it the title Restless
Farewell, and penning some lovely lyrics of his own (not stealin’ –
it’s the folk process).
Sometimes the song is sung to a slow, regular
cadence, and sometimes very freely without a consistent
rhythm. It is
beautiful either way. You
can listen to a fine solo rendition by the now-departed
George Donaldson of Celtic Thunder
at the link below.
You can play along with the recorded track using the
chords below and capoing at the third fret (C minor). The arrangement
below has a lot of chord changes. It reminds me of a
hymn. But the
frequent chord changes are quite manageable if you take it
slow, which
ONE
OF THEM IS GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME
This
is
one of my favorite bluegrass songs. I love the way
it goes back and forth between the major and the
relative minor chords.
In fact, I like it so much I put in another minor
in the third line of the chorus. You can hear a
nice version of this song by the all-female bluegrass
band Della Mae
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t-kwIKluRg. My all-time
favorite version of this song is probably the one by
Tony Rice, but I thought naming a bluegrass band Della
Mae in honor of this great song was such a brilliant
stroke that it deserved some recognition. You can also
hear this song Audio at the
link below.
AT
THE
DAWNING OF THE DAY
These
words were first published as a poem in 1946 by the Irish
Poet Patrick Kavanaugh.
Later, when the poet met Luke Kelly of the Dubliners,
Kelly set it to the tune of the traditional Irish song, The Dawning of the Day,
which is also still performed today. This song has been
performed and recorded by a great many artists. You can hear
a lovely version by Mark Knopfler at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zftcuVQDcNM, or at the link
below.
Raglan Road [video]
Raglan Road
[lyrics and chords]
LOVE
BETRAYS ALL SECRETS
David Massengill tells the story that
when this song was once recorded by a group in Montana, they
listed the song as “traditional” because it sounded so much
like a “real” folk song it never occurred to them to look up
whether there was an author.
David says that was one of the greatest compliments
he ever received. There
are several recordings of David performing this song on
YouTube. I like
the one at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juFDzw94fJ8,
or you can listen to it on at the link below.
Road
To Fairfax Co. [video]
Road
To Fairfax Co. [lyrics and chords]
WILL
YE
GO, LASSIE, GO?
THAT’S THE GEM OF IRELAND’S CROWN
WHEN EVERYBODY’S HOME
by Paul Cooper
I NEVER WANTED TO FLY HIGH
YOU WONDER CAN YOU EVER GO HOME
We
love to listen to HFMS Board member Gayle Fallon do her
original songs. Her honey-colored contralto voice and her
World War II-era Martin guitar make a perfect combination.
Gayle’s varied career took her many places. She served in
the military for a number of years before being President of
the Teachers’ Union here in Houston. This song speaks of
deep personal experience, and we appreciate Gayle sharing it
with us. You can hear this song at the link below.