Shoals of Herring - Makem & Clancy

SONG Shoals of Herring

WRITTEN BY Ewan MacColl

PERFORMED BY Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy

APPEARS ON This was a tune they did in concert; I can't find it on an album or CD.

A couple of hours ago I heard a sad piece of news: Liam Clancy, the last of the legendary Clancy Brothers and long-time musical partner of the late Tommy Makem, passed away earlier today. He was 74.

The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were the voice of Irish traditional music to the US popular audience. If you thought of Irish music in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, these were the voices you heard. Their records were everywhere, they were on all the variety shows - Ed Sullivan, of course, and the Johnny Cash show among others - and all the folk festivals. They were certainly no strangers here in Newport, both with the Newport Folk Festival and the various Irish heritage festivals which pop up here and there through the year.

Liam Clancy on his own was a gifted musician who had a strong following in the Folk Music community. He was good buddies with Bob Dylan, and he often sang with and sang on the albums of Dylan, Pete Seeger, Oscar Brand, Odetta, and others. He was the youngest Clancy brother and by far the most popular; he was also the only Clancy brother to have documentaries made of his life - the 2006 Irish Television documentary The Legend of Liam Clancy and the 2009 full length biography by Alan Gilsenan called The Yellow Bittern: The Life and Times of Liam Clancy,

I chose the song "Shoals of Herring" because I heard Liam and Tommy sing this on many occasions here in Newport, and because the song was written by one of my favorite songwriters and folk artists, Ewan MacColl. Besides being a tourist town, Newport also has a considerable commercial fishing fleet, and songs of the sea and of fishing for a living are big here. It may be why Liam and Tommy always sang it when they visited us. It's not a landlubber's fantasy about life out on the sea; it's a working fisherman's song about his life of hard work, long days, and long stretches out to sea.

LYRICS

With our nets and gear we're faring
On the wild and wasteful ocean.
Its there that we hunt and we earn our bread
As we hunted for the shoals of herring

O it was a fine and a pleasant day
Out of Yarmouth harbor I was faring
As a cabinboy on a sailing lugger
For to go and hunt the shoals of herring

O the work was hard and the hours long
And the treatment, sure it took some bearing
There was little kindness and the kicks were many
As we hunted for the shoals of herring

O we fished the Swarth and the Broken Bank
I was cook and I'd a quarter sharing
And I used to sleep standing on my feet
And I'd dream about the shoals of herring

O we left the homegrounds in the month of June
And to Canny Shiels we soon were bearing
With a hundred cran of silver darlings
That we'd taken from the shoals of herring

Now you're up on deck, you're a fisherman
You can swear and show a manly bearing
Take your turn on watch with the other fellows
While you're searching for the shoals of herring

In the stormy seas and the living gales
Just to earn your daily bread you're daring
From the Dover Straits to the Faroe Islands
As you're following the shoals of herring

O I earned my keep and I paid my way
And I earned the gear that I was wearing
Sailed a million miles, caught ten million fishes
We were sailing after shoals of herring

I found this video of Liam and Tommy singing "Shoals of Herring" in February of 1977 at the National Stadium in Dublin. Obviously the boys sang this often; listen to the audience singing along!

And with that I bid a fond farewell to Liam Clancy, the last living member of a legend. With his passing an era has truly ended.

Cool Drink of Water

SONG: Cool Drink of Water
BY: Tommy Johnson
PERFORMED BY: Tommy Johnson

APPEARS ON: Tommy Johnson: Complete Recorded Works 1928-1929 (Document); Rory Block: Gone Woman Blues (Rounder)

If someone wanted to create a fictional blues legend, it would be hard to improve on the real life legend of Tommy Johnson—the “other” & lesser-known blues playing Johnson from the Delta region. In fact, Tommy Johnson shares much with Robert Johnson (the two were not related); in both cases, there’s was a story circulating that each had sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in order to master the blues—however, while we don’t know for sure whether Robert Johnson was behind this story about himself, we do know that Tommy Johnson played an active role in telling how he had come to mastery of the blues. Both were exceptional guitar players & singers—Tommy Johnson was known to play the guitar behind his back, behind his head, & toss the guitar in the air mid-song—all this happening roughly 40 years before the heyday of Jimi Hendrix; of course, Charlie Patton, who was Tommy Johnson’s contemporary, also engaged in this sort of showmanship. The most important thing is that—showmanship aside—Johnson could really play.

His voice was also remarkable. For my money, he had the most compelling falsetto in old-time blues—a sound that brings to mind the great “high lonesome” voices of Appalachian music, but in a much different setting. The effect is similar, however—that tingling sense of existential despair that rings true whether it’s sung by a white banjoist from the mountains—Roscoe Holcomb, for instance—or the African-American man from the Mississippi Delta.

Johnson’s lyrics are often quite interesting in themselves, even above his ability to put them across vocally, & you could make an argument for today’s song, “Cool Drink of Water” having perhaps his most compelling lyrics. A song of betrayal & displacement that leaves a lot of gaps for the imagination, it begins with the enigmatic & chilling statement “I asked for water, & she gave me gasoline.” The song goes on to describe how the singer is trying to get back home by “riding the blinds.” For those who don’t know, this meant catching a (free) ride on a train by riding on the front platform of a passenger car’s baggage car. The fact that baggage was piled up against the door meant that the seat was relatively secure, because the door wouldn’t be opened. Still, the rider was vulnerable to a shower of water or hot coals if the fireman decided to dislodge him—you can read about this & other ways to catch a train hobo-style here on the Hobohemia page. The fact is that while riding the blinds was safer than riding the top or riding the rods, there is no way to ride with much real safety on the outside of a fast-moving train!

Johnson only recorded 16 songs—a real shame, because he never recorded after 1929, tho he lived until 1956. Apparently, he believed (erroneously of course) that he had signed away his right to record. Sadly, he was also a severe alcoholic. He wrote the song “Canned Heat” about drinking Sterno, & there is every reason to believe this is autobiographical.

The sound quality on Johnson’s recordings isn’t what we might wish, but the power of his playing & singing does come thru. Oh yes, & that is mandolin you hear in the background, played by Charlie McCoy; the mandolin is a much under-rated blues instrument!

Rory Block also does a fine cover of this on her great Gone Woman Blues album; Block’s voice has a spectacular range & she’s really able to do justice to Johnson’s music. Of course her amazing guitar playing helps too! She does change the line “this train ain’t none of mine” to “this train don’t run no more”—unfortunately, an appropriate revision in the contemporary U.S.

Hope you enjoy the song.

Cool Drink of Water

I asked for water, and she gave me gasoline
I asked for water, she gave me gasoline
I asked for water and she gave me gasoline
Lord, Lordy, Lord

Crying, Lord, I wonder will I ever get back home
Crying, Lord, I wonder will I ever get back home
Lord, Lordy, Lord

I went to the depot, looked up on the board
I looked all over, "How long has this east bound train been gone?
Lord, Lordy, Lord

Lord, I asked the conductor, "Could I ride these blinds?"
(Want to know, can a broke man ride the blinds)
"Son, buy your ticket, buy your ticket, 'cause this train ain't none of mine"

"Son, buy your ticket, train ain't none of mine"
"Son, buy your ticket, 'cause this train ain't none of mine"
Lord, Lordy, Lord
"Train ain't none of mine"

COOL DRINK OF WATER: Tommy Johnson

Poor Boy Blues

SONG: Poor Boy Blues

BY: traditional, but this version is particular to Ramblin’ Thomas

PERFORMED BY: Ramblin’ Thomas

APPEARS ON: Ramblin’ Thomas & the Dallas Blues Singers: 1928-1932 (Document); The Anthology of American Folk Music, vol.3, “Songs” (Smithsonian Folkways)

There’s a different sense of narrative in much of old-time music, a narrative that’s built on stock phrases & repetition. When we think of the lyrics to old time songs, & particularly old country blues, we’re struck by the preponderance of so-called “floating lyrics”—lyrics that appear in many songs: “the sun will shine in my back door someday”; “the good book it tells you, you’re gonna reap just what you sow”; “my mind was wandering like the wild geese in the west”—a list could go on for several pages. But what does the use of these recurring phrases tell us about blues lyrics?

For me, the “floating lyrics” bring up two points. First, blues is fundamentally improvisational, & this applies to the lyrics as well as to the music. We know that the old blues players were known to extemporize lyrics in the same way the calypsonian singers did. The composition method was essentially oral, not written, & so these recurrent phrases allowed the singer to continue his song in much the way that epic poets would use epithets like “wine-dark sea” or “rosy fingered dawn” in order to continue the narrative flow.

Second, the blues are “universal”—while they are filled with intense personal feeling, there is a sense that the singer is also everyman; the emotional content of these songs is profound because it isn’t circumscribed by individual biography; & the use of these phrases underlines its universal nature.

One such phrase is the simple but poignant “poor boy long ways from home.” In fact, this phrase hasn’t simply recurred in songs, but also in the titles of several distinct blues. The song we’re considering today is “Poor Boy Blues” by Ramblin’ Willard Thomas, but there are also songs called “Poor Boy Long Way From Home” by Barbecue Bob, Bukka White, Gus Cannon, & RL Burnside, among others. The links in the previous sentence will take you to YouTube videos of each song. You can also check out the Bukka White version on my Robert Frost’s Banjo blog right here in today’s post.

I’ve always found Ramblin’ Thomas’ “Poor Boy Blues” to be incredibly moving. It’s a stark song: the slide guitar accompaniment is spare, & the lyrics leave gaps that are filled with questions. Why is the singer in Texas now, & why must he “work or leave,” after he lived as he pleased in Louisiana? Why doesn’t he like land? Other “Poor Boy” songs, such as Gus Cannon’s & Bukka White’s versions, it’s clear that the singer is in prison—in White’s case, on a prison farm. I’m not sure that really fits these lyrics—for instance, the “work or leave” line. Thomas’ “poor boy” seems to be more in the position of an itinerant worker who has to leave home to find his livelihood. But beyond these specific considerations, the song describes a deep homesickness & loneliness, the sense of being “a stranger in a strange land” that many will recognize in their own hearts.

Not much is known about the singer Ramblin’ Thomas. He did record some sides for Paramount in the 1920s, & he was known to be a peripatetic sort, so he came by his nickname honestly, & the fact that he was itinerant no doubt informed the great feeling he brings to this song. You can read more about his biography at the Allmusic site. Here are the lyrics, & you can enjoy the song in the video below!

Poor Boy Blues

Poor boy, poor boy, poor boy long ways from home.

I was down in Louisiana, doing as I please,
Now I'm in Texas I got to work or leave.

Poor boy, poor boy, poor boy long ways from home.

If your home's in Louisiana, what you doing over here?
Say my home ain't in Texas and I sure don't care.

Poor boy, poor boy, poor boy long ways from home.

I don't care if the boat don't never land,
I'd like to stay on water as long as any man.

Poor boy, poor boy, poor boy long ways from home.

Poor boy, poor boy, poor boy long ways from home.

And my boat come a rockin', just like a drunkard man,
And my home's on the water and I sure don't like land.

Poor boy, poor boy, poor boy long ways from home.

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth : They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)

SONG They Reminisce Over You

WRITTEN BY Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Tom Scott

PERFORMED BY Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

APPEARS ON Mecca and the Soul Brother


Most people have their lives shaped by a combination of support, adversity, and change. The hip hop generation has been dealing with some serious issues at a younger age than we should have. We deal with the loss of our peers for foolish reasons. We got to live through and experience the community changing right before our eye and watched friends and family members struggle. We also understand the value of having support and appreciation for the people that helped us along the way. Every now and then you have to reminisce and pay respects to the good people in our lives in the past and the present and show them how much we care.

There is no hip hop song that embodies this feeling more than “They Reminisce (T.R.O.Y.)” by Pete Rock and CL Smooth. It was recorded on their album Mecca and The Soul Brother in 1992. This is one of the five best hip hop songs ever and shows the power of the genre when it’s done correctly. The song is named after Troy ‘Trouble T Roy’ Dixon who was a member of Heavy D and the Boyz. He died in an accident while they were on tour in 1990. The instrumental track produced by Pete Rock features a horn and bass line sample by a song called “Today” by Tom Scott. The horn sample begins the song and sets the vibe. CL Smooth raps three verses in this song. The first one is about his mother and how she overcame the struggles of being a teenage mom. The second is about his grandfather who was his father figure growing up. The third voice is dedicated to their friend Troy that the song is named after. The lyrics are poetic, intricate and yet easy to follow. He does an excellent job of painting a portrait of the people in the song. It’s too bad this group got caught up in the beginning of the G-Funk gangster rap explosion and their positivity couldn’t sustain and give them a more accomplished career. I hope it’s a consolation for them that after 17 years since this song was released there hasn’t been a hip hop song any better. There have been some as good but not better.

I didn’t know much about Trouble T. Roy when he was alive other than he danced with Heavy D. If someone is going to dedicate a song to your memory this is how it should be. We should all strive to leave a positive memory to the people in our lives. If there is anyone listening to this song for the first time after reading this blog I hope it brings a positive memory of someone in your life like it does for me.

Lyrics

Verse One:

[CL]

I reminisce for a spell, or shall I say think back
22 years ago to keep it on track
The birth of a child on the 8th of October
A toast but my granddaddy came sober
Countin all the fingers and the toes
Now I suppose, you hope the little black boy grows, huh
18 years younger than my mama
But I really got beatings cause the girl loved drama
In single parenthood there I stood
By the time she was 21, had another one
This one's a girl, let's name her Pam
Same father as the first but you don't give a damn
Irresponsible, plain not thinking
Papa said chill but the brother keep winking
Still he won't down you or tear out your hide
On your side while the baby maker slide
But mama got wise to the game
The youngest of five kids, hon here it is
After 10 years without no spouse
Momma's gettin married in the house
Listen, positive over negative for the women and master
Mother Queen's risin a chapter
Deja vu, tell you what I'm gonna do
When they reminisce over you, my God

Verse Two:

[CL]

When I date back I recall a man off the family tree
My right hand Poppa Doc I see
Took me from a boy to a man so I always had a father
When my biological didn't bother
Taking care of this so who am I to bicker
Not a bad ticker but I'm clocking pop's liver
But you can never say that his life is through
5 kids at 21 believe he got a right too
Here we go while I check the scene
With the Portugese lover at the age of 14
The same age, front page, no fuss
But I bet you all your dough, they live longer than us
Never been senile, that's where you're wrong
But give the man a taste and he's gone
Noddin off, sleep to a jazz tune
I can hear his head banging on the wall in the next room
I get the pillow and hope I don't wake him
For this man do cuss, hear it all in verbatim
Telling me how to raise my boy unless he's taking over
I said pop maybe when you're older
We laughed all night about the hookers at the party
My old man standing yelling good God, almighty
Use your condom, take sips of the brew
When they reminisce over you, for real

Verse Three:

[CL]

I reminisce so you never forget this
The days of wayback, so many bear witness the fitness
Take the first letter out of each word in this joint
Listen close as I prove my point
T to the R-uh-O-Y, how did you and I meet?
In front of Big Lou's, fighting in the street
But only you saw what took many time to see
I dedicate this to you for believing in me
Rain or shine, yes in any weather
My grandmom Pam holds the family together
My Uncle Doc's the greatest better yet the latest
If we're talking about a car, Uncle Sterling got the latest
I strive to be live 'cause I got no choice
And run my own business like my Aunt Joyce
So Pete Rock hit me, nuff respect due
When they reminisce over you, listen

[Pete Rock]

Listen, just listen
To the funky song as I rock on
And that's word is bond
I'm not playin
Everybody, just coolin
This song we dedicate
To the one and only
Never be another
he was my brother
Trouble T-Roy
It's like that y'all
And you don't stop
Pete Rock and CL Smooth for '92
And we out, later

The Beatles: Let It Be

SONG Let It Be

WRITTEN BY John Lennon and Paul McCartney

PERFORMED BY The Beatles

APPEARS ON Let It Be (1970); Past Masters, Vol. 2 (1988) Let It Be...Naked (2003)

John Lennon never liked "Let It Be," the Beatles great song of consolation. He said that he couldn't hear the Beatles in it and guessed that Paul McCartney wanted to write a version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which he didn't intend as a compliment. Lennon was partly right about his first contention and all wrong about the second: McCartney wrote "Let It Be" before "Bridge."

"Let It Be" is an atypical Beatles song, in that it is constructed around the introductory piano chords instead of the guitar chords that informed most of their music. But McCartney knew what he was doing: The piano lends a degree of intimacy that he probably couldn't have found in a guitar. Billy Preston's organ enters, quietly at first, to add a gospel element, then Ringo Starr's drums slowly add rock to the mixture. George Harrison adds an anthemic guitar solo and suddenly we do have a Beatles song: A sampling of styles and influences that cohere into an organic whole, perfectly summoning forth the spirit of maternal warmth and consolation at the heart of the song.

And that's what "Let It Be" is about: As troubles mount, set them aside and take perspective. How bad are they, really?

LYRICS

When I find myself in times of trouble

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom: let it be

And in my hour of darkness

She is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom: let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom: let it be

And when the broken hearted people

Living in the world agree

There will be an answer: let it be

For though they may be parted

There is still a chance that they will see

There will be an answer: let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom: let it be

And when the night is cloudy

There is still a light that shines on me

Shine until tomorrow: let it be

I wake up to the sound of music

Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom: let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

Whisper words of wisdom: let it be

Smiling Faces Sometimes

SONG Smiling Faces

WRITTEN BY Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong

PERFORMED BY The Temptations, The Undisputed Truth

APPEARS ON Sky’s the Limit (1971), The Undisputed Truth (1971)


I thought about this song after watching some of the discussion on health care and the vote on Senator Baucus’ version of the reform bill on Tuesday. For the last few weeks I backed away from most of the coverage because the rhetoric got a little over the top for me but I have been keeping track of what’s going on. It appears to me that there has been a lot of lies and misinformation from every side designed to throw off the American public from the real issues. The worst part about that is that it’s been done by the people of their own political party. Some Republicans tell their supporters they are fighting for their civil liberties and freedoms and at the same time lobbyists for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies line their pockets and dictate their actions. Some Democrats are doing the exact same thing except they have to fool their constituents by introducing bills for reform that are missing the key elements to keeping insurance companies honest. In the end we will have both groups together shaking hands on Capital Hill in harmony because big business got what they wanted.

That leads me to the song “Smiling Faces”. It was original recorded by The Temptations in 1971 and then by the Undisputed Truth Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1971(I know most of the songs I write about were recorded before I was born but I can’t help it), Smiling Faces speaks about how some people can appear to be your friend and have your best interest at heart but really have the wrong intentions. I’m sure when Whitfield and Strong wrote the song they were thinking about it from a more personal angle. Fortunately for me I don’t have personal references to go on for this song. In a broader sense I can relate well to the message in the song. Living in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina has opened my eyes and taught me valuable lessons about how some people can appear to be supportive and understanding of your needs and issues one minute and then turn around and plot ways to take advantage of your vulnerable state the next. You have to be careful not to judge too quickly and paint anyone in a positive or negative light.

The Temptations version is over 11 minutes long and features Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals. It was going to be edited down for a single release but he left the group before that could happen. This may be the one instance where I prefer another version of a song over a Temptations’ version because I personally prefer the Undisputed Truth’s version. This song was their shining moment and their only top 40 hit. Both versions sound similar but you can tell the difference in them. Norman Whitfield made a good living recording the same song with different artists at Motown. He wrote “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” that was recorded by The Miracles, Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight and The Pips. He also wrote “War” that was recorded by The Temptations and Edwin Starr. I guess if you have a hit then you need to get everything you can out of it.

Lyrics:
Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don't tell the truth uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof

The truth is in the eyes
Cause the eyes don't lie, amen
Remember a smile is just
A frown turned upside down
My friend let me tell you
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don't tell the truth, uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
Beware, beware of the handshake
That hides the snake
I'm telling you beware
Beware of the pat on the back
It just might hold you back
Jealousy (jealousy)
Misery (misery)
Envy

I tell you, you can't see behind smiling faces
Smiling faces sometimes they don't tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof

Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don't tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
(Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes)
(Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes)
I'm telling you beware, beware of the handshake
That hides the snake
Listen to me now, beware
Beware of that pat on the back
It just might hold you back
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don't tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof

Your enemy won't do you no harm
Cause you'll know where he's coming from
Don't let the handshake and the smile fool ya
Take my advice I'm only try' to school ya

Richard Thompson: Keep Your Distance

SONG Keep Your Distance

WRITTEN BY Richard Thompson

PERFORMED BY Richard Thompson

APPEARS ON Rumor and Sigh (1991); Watching the Dark (1993)

Richard Thompson's triple-threat combination of literate songwriting, expert guitar playing, and impassioned singing have made him one of rock's most respected performers. Though his melodies are rooted in English folk music, Thompson's lyrics often reflect modern conflicts and existentialist dilemmas. Other songs, such as his masterpiece "From Galway to Graceland," grace us with exquisite simplicity and tenderness.

A great breakup song, "Keep Your Distance" combines highly literate lyrics ("sweeping out the footprints where I strayed") with terrific folk-rock hooks to look back on relationship that imploded under the pressures of its own intensity. The singer fears any contact with a former lover because involvement with that person cost both of them "our souls, our lives," far too great a price in Thompson's estimation. Love, after all, should lead to one's best self, not consign it to oblivion ("what can I do but fall").

But what of the enigmatic final line: "With us it must be all or none at all." While the thrust of the song leads to the conclusion that "none at all" is preferable, Thompson remains tempted and intrigued by the possibilities of "all." Even though he knows that that is a "desperate game," the chance that he might succumb to its lures are enough to warn his lover to "keep your distance." Because in the end, he knows that -- if she doesn't -- he will fall. Which raises the question: Why is the onus on her to keep distance between them? Maybe because he knows that he's incapable of doing so on his own.

LYRICS

If I cross your path again

Who know where? Who knows when?

On some morning without number

On some highway without end

Don't grasp my hand and say

"Fate has brought you here today"

Fate is only fooling with us, friend

Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance

When I feel you close to me what can I do but fall?

Keep your distance, keep your distance

With us it must be all or none at all

It's a desperate game we play

Throw our souls, our lives, away

Wounds that can't be mended

And debts that can't be paid

Oh I played and I got stung

Now I'm biting back my tongue

And sweeping out the footprints where I strayed

Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance

When I feel you close to me what can I do but fall?

Keep your distance, keep your distance

With us it must be all or none at all

Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance

When I feel you close to me what can I do but fall?

Keep your distance, keep your distance

With us it must be all or none at all

With us it must be all or none at all

With us it must be all or none at all

Note: That's Shawn Colvin on backing vocals and rhythm guitar. Also, the hum fades out as soon as the music starts.