Posted on 02/26/2005 1:13:23 PM PST by HairOfTheDog
I love a good lyric… imagery in words that remind us of a great character, place or state of mind, even if we've never been there. I wanted to collect and share a few classics that I think are more than a song, they do more than make you want to sing along. They tell an engaging story. These are my favorites that I could think of… I am sure you have some too. I hope you can listen to them, because though the lyrics are good, they are cold without the environment of their music.
In no particular order…
THE WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD
Gordon Lightfoot
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called ’Gitche Gumee’
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early.
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T’was the witch of November come stealin’.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin’.
When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind.
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’.
Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya.
At seven p.m. a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, it’s been good t’know ya
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searches all say they’d have made whitefish bay
If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
May have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.
Lake Huron rolls, superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams;
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below lake Ontario
Takes in what lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the maritime sailors’ cathedral.
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call ’Gitche Gumee’.
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early!
THE GUNNER'S DREAM
Pink Floyd (Waters)
Floating down through the clouds
Memories come rushing up to meet me now.
In the space between the heavens
and in the corner of some foreign field
I had a dream.
I had a dream.
Good-bye Max.
Good-bye Ma.
After the service when you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
You hear the tolling bell
And touch the silk in your lapel
And as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream.
A place to stay
"Oi! A real one ..."
Enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud
About your doubts and fears
And what's more no-one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue kicking in your door.
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no-one kills the children anymore.
And no one kills the children anymore.
Night after night
Going round and round my brain
His dream is driving me insane.
In the corner of some foreign field
The gunner sleeps tonight.
What's done is done.
We cannot just write off his final scene.
Take heed of his dream.
Take heed.
THE LAST RESORT
The Eagles
She came from Providence,
The one in Rhode island
Where the old world shadows hang
Heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
Like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea
She heard about a place people were smilin’
They spoke about the red man’s way,
And how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
To the great divide
Seeking a place to stand
Or a place to hide
Down in the crowded bars,
Out for a good time,
Can’t wait to tell you all,
What it’s like up there
And they called it paradise
I don’t know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
While the town got high
Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
Through the canyons of the coast, to
The Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
Hungry for power
To light their neon way
And give them things to do
Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught ’em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus People bought ’em
And they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea
You can leave it all behind
And sail to Lahaina
Just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: ’Jesus is coming’
Brought the white man’s burden down
Brought the white man’s reign
Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
’cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here
We satisfy our endless needs and
Justify our bloody deeds,
In the name of destiny and the name
Of god
And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
What it’s like up there
They call it paradise
I don’t know why
You call someplace paradise,
Kiss it goodbye
THE DOWNEASTER ALEXA
Billy Joel
Well I’m on the Downeaster Alexa
And I’m cruising through block island sound
I have chartered a course to the vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound
We took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
And left this morning from the bell in Gardner's bay
Like all the locals here I’ve had to sell my home
Too proud to leave I worked my fingers to the bone
So I could own my Downeaster Alexa
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can’t fall asleep
I’ve got bills to pay and children who need clothes
I know there’s fish out there but where God only knows
They say these waters aren’t what they used to be
But I’ve got people back on land who count on me
So if you see my Downeaster Alexa
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel
Now I drive my Downeaster Alexa
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they told me I can’t sell no stripers
And there’s no luck in swordfishing here
I was a bayman like my father was before
Can’t make a living as a bayman anymore
There ain’t much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain’t no island left for islanders like me
ALLENTOWN
Billy Joel
Well we’re living here in Allentown
And they’re closing all the factories down
Out in Bethlehem they’re killing time
Filling out forms
Standing in line
Well our fathers fought the second world war
Spent their weekends on the jersey shore
Met our mothers in the USO
Asked them to dance
Danced with them slow
And we’re living here in Allentown
But the restlessness was handed down
And it’s getting very hard to stay
Well we’re waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved
So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron and coke
And chromium steel
And we’re waiting here in Allentown
But they’ve taken all the coal from the ground
And the union people crawled away
Every child had a pretty good shot
To get at least as far as their old man got
But something happened on the way to that place
They threw an American flag in our face
Well I’m living here in Allentown
And it’s hard to keep a good man down
But I won’t be getting up today
And it’s getting very hard to stay
And we’re living here in Allentown
I was cutting the rug
Down at a place called The Jug
With a girl named Linda Lu
When in walked a man
With a gun in his hand
And he was looking for you know who.
He said, 'Hey there fellow,
With the hair colored yellow,
Watcha tryin' to prove?
'Cause that's my woman there
And I'm a man who cares
And this might be all for you.'
I was scared and fearing for my life.
I was shakin' like a leaf on a tree.
'Cause he was lean, mean,
Big and bad, Lord,
Pointin' that gun at me.
I said, 'Wait a minute, mister,
I didn't even kiss her.
Don't want no trouble with you.
And I know you don't owe me
But I wish you'd let me
Ask one favor from you.'
(Chorus)
'Won't you give me three steps,
Gimme three steps mister,
Gimme three steps towards the door?
Gimme three steps
Gimme three steps mister,
And you'll never see me no more.'
Well the crowd cleared away
And I began to pray
As the water fell on the floor.
And I'm telling you son,
Well, it ain't no fun
Staring straight down a forty-four.
Well he turned and screamed at Linda Lu
And that's the break I was looking for.
And you could hear me screaming a mile away
As I was headed out towards the door.
Fun thread over here.
You folks will be good at this game...
A Boy Named 'Sue' (Shel Silverstein)
My daddy left home when I was three,
And he didn't leave much to Ma and me...
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him 'cause he run and hid,
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me 'Sue'.
Well, he must o' thought that is was quite a joke,
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk.
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red,
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head.
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named 'Sue'.
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fists got hard and my wits got keen.
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made me a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars,
And kill that man that give me that awful name.
Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town, and my throat was dry.
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me 'Sue'.
Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold,
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do! Now you gonna die!"
Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes,
And he went down, but, to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.
I tell ya, I've fought tougher men,
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.
And he said: "Son, this world is rough,
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough,
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said good-bye.
I knew you'd have to get tough or die,
And it's that name that helped to make you strong."
He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight,
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you 'Sue'."
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I come away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!
Did someone say story ballads?
I am a maid that's deep in love (1)
But yes I can complain
I have in this world but one true love
And Jimmy is his name
And if I do not find my love
I'll mourn most constantly
And I'll find and follow Jimmy thro'
The lands of liberty
Then I'll cut off my yellow hair
Men's clothing I'll wear on
I'll sign to a bold sea captain
My passage I'll work free
And I'll find and follow Jimmy thro'
The lands of liberty
One night upon the raging sea
As we were going to bed
The captain cried "Farewell my boy,
I wish you were a maid
Your rosy cheeks, your ruby lips
They are enticing me
And I wish dear God with all my heart
A maid you were to me''
"Then hold your tongue, dear captain
Such talk is all in vain
And if the sailors find it out
They'll laugh and make much game
For when we reach Columbia shore
Some prettier girls you'll find
And you'll laugh and sing and court with them
For courting you are inclined"
It was no three days after
Our ship it reached the shore
"Adieu my loving captain
Adieu for evermore
For once I was a sailor on sea
But now I am a maid on shore
So adieu to you and all your crew
With you I'll sail no more''
"Come back, come back, my own pretty maid
Come back and marry me
I have ten thousand pounds in gold
And that I'll give to thee
So come back, come back, my own pretty maid
Come back and marry me''
I haven't heard that in AGES!
Do you recall what album that's off of?
I used to have it on vynal.
(Yes, I'm an aging geek!LOL!)
Thanks for the ping - I'm gonna keep reading........I can think of a few, but the post that started this nailed 3 of mine!!!!
Pentangle off the Cruel Sister album...I am an English/Scottish/Irish folk music junkie...
and another one: Jack Orion
Jack Orion was as good a fiddler (7)
As ever fiddled on a string
And he could make young women mad
With the tune his fiddle would sing
He could fiddle the fish out of salt water
Or water from a marble stone
Or milk from out of a maiden's breast
Though baby she'd got none
He's taken is fiddle into his hand
He's fiddled and he's sung
And oft he's fiddled unto the King
Who never thought it long
As he sat fiddling in the castle hall
He's played them all so sound asleep
All but for the young princess
And for love she stayed awake
At first he played a slow grave tune
And then a gay one flew
And many's the sigh and loving word
That passed between the two
Come to my bower, sweet Jack Orion
When all men are at the rest
As I am a lady true to my word
Thou shalt be a welcome guest
He's lapped his fiddle in a cloth of green
A glad man, Lord, was he
Then he's run off to his own house
Says, Tom come hither unto me
When day has dawned and the cocks have crowed
And flapped their wings so wide
I am bidden to that lady's door
To stretch out by her side
Lie down in your bed, dear master
And sleep as long as you may
I'll keep good watch and awaken you
Three hours before 'tis day
But he rose up that worthless lad
His master's clothes did don
A collar he's cast about his neck
He seemed the gentleman
Well he didn't take that lady gay
To bolster nor to bed
But down upon the bower floor
He quickly had her laid
And he neither kissed her when he came
Nor when from her he did go
And in and out of her window
The moon like a coal did glow
Ragged are your stockings love
Stubbley is your cheek and chin
And tangled is that yellow hair
That I saw yester' een
The stockings belong to my boy Tom
They're the first came to my hand
The wind it tangled my yellow hair
As I rode over the land
Tom took his fiddle into his hand
So saucy there he sang
Then he's off back to his master's house
As fast as he could run
Wake up, wake up, my good master
I fear 'tis almost dawn
Wake up, wake up the cock has crowded
'Tis time that you were gone
Then quickly rose up Jack Orion
Put on his cloak and shoon
And cast a collar about his neck
He was a lord's true son
And when he came to the lady's bower
He lightly rattled the pin
The lady was true to her word
She rose and let him in
Oh whether have you left with me
Your bracelet or your glove?
Or are you returned back again
To know more of my love?
Jack Orion swore a bloody oath
By oak and ash and bitter thorn
Saying, lady, I never was in your house
Since the day that I was born
Oh then it was your young footpage
That has so cruelly beguiled me
And woe that the blood of the ruffian lad
Should spring in my body
The she pulled forth a little sharp knife
That hung down at her knee
O'er her white feet the red blood ran
Or ever a hand could say
And dead she lay on her bower floor
At the dawning of the day
Jack Orion ran to his own house
Saying, Tom my boy, come here to me
Come hither now and I'll pay your fee
And well paid you shall be
If I had killed a man tonight
Tom I would tell it thee
But if I have taken no life tonight
Tom thou hast taken three
Then he pulled out his bright brown sword
And dried it on his sleeve
And he smote off that vile lad's head
And asked for no man's leave
He set the sword's point to his breast
The pommel to a stone
Through the falseness of that lying lad
These three lives were all gone.
Night Chicago Died
(Paper Lace)
My daddy was a cop on the east side of Chicago
Back in the U.S.A. back in the bad old days
In the heat of a summer night
In the land of the dollar bill
When the town of Chicago died
And they talk about it still
When a man named Al Capone
Tried to make that town his own
And he called his gang to war
With the forces of the law
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be!
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed!
And the sound of the battle rang
Through the streets of the old east side
'Til the last of the hoodlum gang
Had surrendered up or died
There was shouting in the street
And the sound of running feet
And I asked someone who said
"'Bout a hundred cops are dead!"
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be!
I heard my mama cry
I heard her pray the night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed!
And ther was no sound at all
But the clock upon the wall
Then the door burst open wide
And my daddy stepped inside
And he kissed my mama's face
And he brushed her tears away
The night Chicago died
Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed!
The night Chicago died
Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night it really was
Brother what a fight it really was
Glory be!
The night Chicago died
Na-na na, na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na
The night Chicago died
Brother what a night the people saw
Brother what a fight the people saw
Yes indeed!
I remember that one! I was 15, and it was popular during Mardi Gras that year...along with Our House (I think) by CSN&Y and Sad Lisa by Cat Stevens...
Speaking of Cats, here's a different ballad:
On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime
She comes out of the sun in a silk dress running
Like a watercolour in the rain
Don't bother asking for explanations
She'll just tell you that she came
In the year of the cat
She doesn't give you time for questions
As she locks up your arm in hers
And you follow till your sense of which direction
Completely disappears
By the blue tiled walls near the market stalls
There's a hidden door she leads you to
These days, she says, I feel my life
Just like a river running through
The year of the cat
Well morning comes and you're still with her
And the bus and the tourists are gone
And you've thrown away the choice and lost your ticket
So you have to stay on
But the drum-beat strains of the night remain
In the rhythm of the new-born day
You know sometime you're bound to leave her
But for now you're going to stay
In the year of the cat
YES!
That's the one!
Noting the Jack Orion" one, too.
Grandpa wore his suit to dinner
Nearly every day
No particular reason
He just dressed that way
Brown necktie and a matching vest
And both his wingtip shoes
He built a closet on our back porch
And put a penny in a burned out fuse.
Chorus:
Grandpa was a carpenter
He built houses stores and banks
Chain smoked camel cigarettes
And hammered nails in planks
He was level on the level
And shaved even every door
And voted for eisenhower
’cause lincoln won the war.
Well, he used to sing me blood on the saddle
And rock me on his knee
And let me listen to radio
Before we got t.v.
Well, he’d drive to church on sunday
And take me with him too!
Stained glass in every window
Hearing aids in every pew.
Repeat chorus:
Now my grandma was a teacher
Went to school in bowling green
Traded in a milking cow
For a singer sewing machine
She called her husband mister
And walked real tall and pride
And used to buy me comic books
After grandpa died.
Repeat chorus:
Here's another traditional ballad, this time by Steeleye Span:
Oh the blacksmith courted me nine months and better.
He fairly won my heart, he wrote me a letter.
With his hammer in his hand he looked so clever
And if I were with my love I'd live forever.
Oh where has my love gone with his cheeks like roses?
He's gone across the sea a-gathering primroses.
I'm afraid the shining sun might burn and scorch his beauty
And if I were with my love I'd do my duty.
Strange news has come to town, strange news has carried.
Strange news flies up and down that my love is married.
Oh I wish them both much joy though they won't hear me
And if I were with my love I'd do my duty.
What did you promise me when you lay beside me?
You said you'd marry me and not deny me.
If I said I'd marry you it was only to try you
So bring your witness love and I'll not deny you.
Oh witness have I none save God Almighty.
And may He reward you well for the slighting of me.
And her lips grew pale and wan, it made her poor heart tremble,
For to think she had loved one and he'd proved deceitful.
Definitely The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and....
The Ballad Of Casey Diess - Shawn Phillips
Twas a man of youthful features
Twas a boy of sorrowful eyes
Watching out but looking inwards
Tall and stately and full of life
In his life he spoke so rarely
In his mind he cried for light
Painting perceptions trying to capture
That which he saw in his questioning strife
Once in lisbon, twice in london
Travelling around for all of his time
Looking for and finding a goddess
He took diana to be his wife
Of the children they'd begotten
Two had died without knowing life
And the third i know not whereof
But if she lives she will yet be kind
Casey had a mark of simple value
He had a star between his eyes
In his hands he held an axe blade
The greek symbol of thunder and fire
On a night when the heavens were crying
He went out and took his blade
Chopping wood to warm his hearthside
The lightening came and my brother died
Bring him no wine from far away vineyards
Tell him no tales of the canyon's might
But wish him peace and eternal wisdom
For he has died and he died by light
LOL! We must be about the same age.
Amd i bet we have a bunch of the same music, too
Took me a moment to recognise "Year of the Cat".
Here's one I REALLY like. I admire anyone who can do the fiddle right!
The Devil Went Down To Georgia
Charlie Daniels Band
(Miscellaneous Movie Songs Compilation)
The devil went down to Georgia
He was looking for a soul to steal
He was in a bind cause he was way behind
And he was willing to make a deal
When he came across this young man
Sawing on a fiddle and playing it hot
And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump
And said, "Boy" let me tell you what
I guess you didn't know it
But I'm a fiddle player too
And if you'd care to take a dare
I'll make a bet with you
Now you played pretty good fiddle,boy
But give the devil his due
I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul
Cause I think I'm better than you
The boy said "My name's Johnny
And it might be a sin
But I'll take you bet, your gonna regret
Cause I'm the best that's ever been"
Johnny rosin up your bow
And play your fiddle hard
Cause hell's broke loose in Georgia
And the devil deals the cards
And if you win
You get this shiny fiddle made of gold
But if you lose, the devil gets your soul
The devil opened up his case
And he said "I'll start this show"
And fire flew from his finger tips
As he rosined up his bow
And he pulled the bow across the strings
And it made a evil hiss
Then a band of demons joined in
And it sounded something like this
When the devil finished Johnny said
Well you're, pretty good old son
But sit down in that chair right there
And let me show you how it's done
Fire on the mountain run boys run
Devils in the house at the rising sun
chicken in the bread pan picking out dough
Granny does your dog bite no-child-no
The devil bowed his head
Because he knew that he'd been beat
And he laid that golden fiddle
On the ground at Johnny's feet
Johnny said "Devil just come on back
If you ever want to try again
I done told you once, you son of a bitch
I'm the best that's ever been" he played
Fire on the mountain run boys run
Devils in the house at the rising sun
chicken in the bread pan picking out dough
Granny will your dog bite no-Child-no
When he was sober he could hardly remember the first verse!
I have this song in a naughty version, and a nice version. This is the nice version: (In the naughty version, the sailor is slipped a mickey and has to report back to his ship after running undressed except for a barrel through the streets of New York):
As I walked down the Broadway
One evenin' in July,
I met a maid who asked me trade,
An' a sailor John says I...
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
To Tiffany's I took her
I did not mind expense,
I bought her two gold earrings
An' they cost me fifteen cents
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
Says she "you lime juice sailor,
Now see me home you may."
But when we reached her cottage door,
She unto me did say...
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
"My flash man, he's a Yankee,
Wid his hair cut short behind,
He wears a pair of long seaboots,
An' he's bosun in the Blackball Line."
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
"He's homeward bound this evenin',
An' wid me he will stay.
So get a move on, sailor-boy,
Get crackin' on yer way."
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
So I kissed her hard an' proper,
Afore her flash man came.
An' fare-ye-well, me Bowery gal,
I know yer little game.
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
I wrapped me glad rags 'round me,
An' to the docks did steer.
I'll never court another maid,
I'll stick to rum an' beer.
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
I joined a Yankee bloodboat,
An' sailed away next morn.
Don't ever fool around wid gals,
Yer safer off Cape Horn.
Then away, you santee,
My dear Annie
Oh, ye New York girls,
Can't ye dance the polka?
Hmmm.
Don't know that one, but it is very traditional.
All these old names coming up.
Haven't thought of Steeleye Span in years.
Steeleye Span did the naughty version!
But I like sea songs, so I managed to collect both versions.
Here's a non-nautical one:
Took my fam'ly away from my Carolina home
Had dreams about the West and started to roam
Six long months on a dust covered trail
They say heaven's at the end but so far it's been hell
And there's fire on the mountain, lightnin' in the air
Gold in them hills and it's waitin' for me there
We were diggin' and siftin' from five to five
Sellin' everything we found just to stay alive
Gold flowed free like the whiskey in the bars
Sinnin' was the big thing, lord and Satan was his star
And there's fire on the mountain, lightnin' in the air
Gold in them hills and it's waitin' for me there
Dance hall girls were the evenin' treat
Empty cartridges and blood lined the gutters of the street
Men were shot down for the sake of fun
Or just to hear the noise of their forty-four guns
And there's fire on the mountain, lightnin' in the air
Gold in them hills and it's waitin' for me there
Now my widow she weeps by my grave
Tears flow free for her man she couldn't save
Shot down in cold blood by a gun that carried fame
All for a useless and no good worthless claim
And there's fire on the mountain, lightnin' in the air
Gold in them hills and it's waitin' for me there
Fire on the mountain, lightnin' in the air
Gold in them hills and it's waitin' for me there
Waitin' for me there
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