Ol' Man River
by Paul Robeson
album: Great Paul Robeson (1996),
Ol' man river,
Dat ol' man river
He mus'know sumpin'
But don't say nuthin',
He jes'keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along.
He don' plant taters/tators,
He don't plant cotton,
An' dem dat plants'em
is soon forgotten,
But ol'man river,
He jes keeps rollin'along.
You an'me, we sweat an' strain,
Body all achin' an' racket wid pain,
Tote dat barge!
Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk
An' you land in jail.
Ah gits weary
An' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But ol' man river,
He jes'keeps rolling' along.
[Colored folks work on de Mississippi,
Colored folks work while de white folks play,
Pullin' dose boats from de dawn to sunset,
Gittin' no rest till de judgement day.
or musical part]
Don't look up
An' don't look down,
You don' dast make
De white boss frown.
Bend your knees
An'bow your head,
An' pull date rope
Until you' dead.)
Let me go 'way from the Mississippi,
Let me go 'way from de white man boss;
Show me dat stream called de river Jordan,
Dat's de ol' stream dat I long to cross.
O' man river,
Dat ol' man river,
He mus'know sumpin'
But don't say nuthin'
He jes' keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along.
Long ol' river forever keeps rollin' on...
He don' plant tater,
He don' plant cotton,
An' dem dat plants 'em
Is soon forgotten,
but ol' man river,
He jes' keeps rollin' along.
Long ol' river keeps hearing dat song.
You an' me, we sweat an' strain,
Body all achin an' racked wid pain.
Tote dat barge!
Lif' dat bale!
Git a little drunk
An' you land in jail.
Ah, gits weary
An' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But ol' man river,
He jes'keeps rollin' along!
That song will always be a classic, Bob. Thanks for reminding us, Boston.
Today in History
July 17
1453 France defeats England at Castillon, France, ending the Hundred Years' War.
1762 Peter III of Russia is murdered and his wife, Catherine II, takes the throne.
1785 France limits the importation of goods from Britain.
1791 National Guard troops open fire on a crowd of demonstrators in Paris.
1799 Ottoman forces, supported by the British, capture Aboukir, Egypt from the French.
1801 The U.S. fleet arrives in Tripoli.
1815 Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders to the British at Rochefort, France.
1821 Andrew Jackson becomes the governor of Florida.
1864 Confederate President Jefferson Davis replaces General Joseph E. Johnston with General John Bell Hood in hopes of defeating Union General William T. Sherman outside Atlanta.
1898 U.S. troops under General William R. Shafter take Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
1944 Field Marshall Erwin Rommel is wounded when an Allied fighter strafes his staff car in France.
1946 Chinese communists attack the Nationalist army on the Yangtze River.
1960 American pilot Francis Gary Powers pleads guilty to spying charges in a Moscow court.
1966 Ho Chi Minh orders a partial mobilization of North Vietnam to defend against American airstrikes.
1987 Lt. Col. Oliver North and Rear Adm. John Poindexter begin testifying to Congress regarding the Iran-Contra scandal.
In honor of Napoleon Bonaparte
I've lived in apartments, I've lived in a home
I travelled in trailers when I used to roam
But now in these places you won't have me dead
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head
I do what I want to; no worries, no care
If anyone bugs me I climb little stairs
Way up to a level where I feel no threat
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head
The stair climbing's nothing, I couldn't care less
I don't rush for busses and trains are a mess
There's no one to care for, I don't make a bed
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head
I like how I'm living, I'm nobody's slave
My head's above water, so don't make a wave
There's no door to lock and no dog to be fed
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head
So why should I move when the neighborhood's right?
No taxes to pay and no landlord to fight
Now I call this living, what's more, like I said
'cause Im happy I live in a split-level head
Now you keep your ulcers, your ills, and what's new
You sure couldn't have them and live like I do
You think I have problems, but you do instead
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head
I live with two people, I like both of them
He likes both of me and I like both of him
They're my alter-egos and to them I'm wed
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head
There's no civil status in my neighborhood
And its that kind of thinking, that keeps it so good
I don't take the lead but I like to be led
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head
?-?-?- ?-?-?- ?-?-?- ?-?-?- ?-?-?- ?-?-?- ?-?-?- ?-?-?- ?-?-?-
I've lived in apartments, I've lived in a home
(so why should I move when the neighborhood's right?)
I travelled in trailers when I used to roam
(No Taxes to pay and no landlord to fight)
But now in these places you won't have me dead
(Now I call this living, what's more, like I said)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
I do what I want to; no worries, no care
(now you keep your ulcers, your ills, and what's new)
If anyone bugs me I climb little stairs
(you sure couldn't have them and live like I do)
Way up to a level where I feel no threat
(You think I have problems, but you do instead)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
The stair climbing's nothing, I couldn't care less
(I live with two people, I like both of them)
I don't rush for busses and trains are a mess
(he likes both of me, and I like both of him)
There's no one to care for, I don't make a bed
(They're my alter-egos and to them I'm wed)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
I like how I'm living, I'm nobody's slave
(There's no civil status in my neighborhood)
My head's above water, so don't make a wave
(And it's that kind of thinking that keeps it so good)
There's no door to lock and no dog to be fed
(I don't take the lead, but I like to be led)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
So why should I move when the neighborhood's right?
(I've lived in apartments, I've lived in a home)
No taxes to pay and no landlord to fight
(I travelled in trailers when I used to roam)
Now I call this living, what's more, like I said
(But now in these places you won't catch me dead)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
Now you keep your ulcers, your ills, and what's new
(I do what I want to; no worries, no cares)
You sure couldn't have them and live like I do
(If anyone bugs me, I climb little stairs)
You think I have problems, but you do instead
(Way up to a level where I feel no threat)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
I live with two people, I like both of them
(The stair climbing's nothing, I couldn't care less)
He likes both of me and I like both of him
(I don't rush for buses and trains are a mess)
They're my alter-egos and to them I'm wed
(There's no one to care for, I don't make a bed)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
There's no civil status in my neighborhood
(I like how I'm living, I'm nobody's slave)
And its that kind of thinking, that keeps it so good
(My head's above water, so don't make a wave)
I don't take the lead but I like to be led
(There's no door to lock, and no dog to be fed)
'Cause I'm happy I live in a split-level head {together}
(What'd he say?)
What'd he say?
(Do you know what he said?)
I don't know what he said!
(No, I don't know what he said!)
Xiv Napoleon Lyrics
A split level head, edgar? Hilarious (I think)
I was expecting Bonaparte's Retreat, and in a way, folks, that's rather like edgar's song:
See you in the funny papers?
By MITCH STACY, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jul 16, 7:50 PM ET
CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. - Hard to believe it's been almost 75 years since ditzy flapper Blondie Boopadoop fell for bumbling Dagwood Bumstead in a love match made in the funny papers.
In those days, Dagwood was a rich playboy whose snooty parents greatly disapproved of the union. When he and Blondie married in 1933, the J. Boling Bumsteads disinherited their son, relegating him to a modest suburban life of raising kids, carpooling, battling blowhard boss Mr. Dithers and making really big sandwiches.
Now one of the most famous married couples in the world in the most widely read strip in comics history, Blondie and Dagwood are celebrating the milestone anniversary this summer in a running story line featuring cameos by their comics-page cohorts, whose creators also will pay tribute to "Blondie" by inviting the happy couple into their own panels.
Garfield, Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, baby Marvin, Dennis the Menace, Dilbert, the kid from "Zits" and others ?- a virtual who's who of the funnies ?- will drop in and out as the Bumsteads plan a huge party for an unspecified wedding anniversary to be celebrated in the Sunday comics Sept. 4. President Bush and wife Laura are also set to make an appearance.
Introduced by cartoonist Murat "Chic" Young on Sept. 8, 1930, "Blondie" is now written seven days a week by his son, Dean, who took over when his father died in 1973, and artist Denis Lebrun. Reaching about 250 million readers in more than 2,000 newspapers in 55 countries, "Blondie" ranks among the top five most popular strips in newspaper comics surveys year in and year out.
"It's survival of the funniest ?- it's like Darwinian evolution on the comics page," says "Hagar the Horrible" cartoonist Chris Browne. "It's such a funny strip. Humor really comes out of honesty, and there's a lot of honesty and lot of stuff we recognize in 'Blondie.'"
The Bumsteads have been depicted on a U.S. postage stamp, featured in a Library of Congress exhibit and inspired movies and a TV series. An overstuffed sandwich is known in pop culture lexicon ?- as well as in Webster's dictionary ?- as a "Dagwood." "Blondie" is an American institution, translated into more than 30 languages.
"God bless my daddy," the jovial Young says in an interview in his Clearwater Beach studio. "He was the genius who created this wonderful menagerie of characters. A monkey could do my job with the characters I have to work with. He left me this cast of characters and this dominant gene."
Dean Young, 65, has shepherded the Bumsteads through myriad modern day travails and family upheavals, including Blondie going off to work in her own successful catering business, a plot twist that made international headlines in 1991.
Twice in 75 years, though, it looked as if "Blondie" could go the way of "Terry and Pirates" and "Krazy Kat," into comics oblivion. The first time, during the Depression when hard-luck Americans tired of the flapper comics predominate in the day, Chic Young solved the problem by having Blondie and Dagwood marry and transition to a life of domesticity.
The second rough patch came in 1973 when Chic Young died of emphysema at age 73. Some 600 newspapers dropped the strip on that basis, despite Dean Young taking over after working alongside his dad for a decade. He rescued "Blondie" that time by modernizing the characters' situations and the Bumsteads' marriage, eventually getting back the papers he lost and adding 700 more.
Cartoon characters have been known to cameo in each other' strips from time to time, but nothing like what's happening in this summer's tribute. Browne notes that Hagar the viking will have to travel 1,000 years through time to show up at the Bumstead's gala. Garfield, of course, will be looking forward to the food.
"It's a way we get to pay homage to 'Blondie' and to Dean for their status," says "Garfield" cartoonist Jim Davis. "It also gives a nod to the comics as a community. These characters could all be neighbors. They look a little different, but we all look a little different too."
Young attributes the strip's longevity to the quality of the art and the gags, but also to Blondie and Dagwood's strong bond over all these years.
"You need to have lovable characters for people to like you," he says. "And I think a lot of that has to do with the love that Dagwood and Blondie have for each other in the comic strip. Look at all the dysfunction that's going on everywhere, and here's a man and wife, they love each other and they've loved each other all these years. The passion continues undiminished. And hopefully it's funny, too."
Thank you for posting that Letty. I have a guilty pleasure in still enjoying that strip after all these years. Don't mention it to anyone though or I'll be the laughing stock of the neighborhood.
I'm a comics buff. I love many strips, including that one.
Well, folks. Since edgar and Bob both admit to guilty pleasures, let's play a song dedication to Blondie from Blondie:
Blondie Lyrics
Heart Of Glass (Disco Remix) Lyrics
Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind (my mind)
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
In between
What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine
Love is so confusing, there's no peace of mind
If I fear I'm losing you, it's just no good
You teasing like you do
Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out had a heart of glass
Seemed like the real thing, only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
Lost inside
Adorable illusion and I cannot hide
I'm the one you're using, please don't push me aside
We coulda made it cruising, yeah
Yeah, riding high on love's true bluish light
Once I had a love and it was a gas
Soon turned out to be a pain in the ass
Seemed like the real thing only to find
Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
In between
What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine
Love is so confusing, there's no peace of mind
If I fear I'm losing you, it's just no good
You teasing like you do.
Well, folks, not exactly a match for the strip, but at least "Blondie" was there although disco is long gone.
Hey, dys. I clicked on the image to make it bigger, but it didn't work cause I'm watching my figure. <smile>
Beautiful, flower, listeners:
The petals on green are bursting with yellow,
With a plain wooden fence behind,
A wonderful way to bloom with the day,
A flower of delightful design.
Thanks, cowboy.
Fantastic picture of our dys with Sally, folks. He looks right at home in the backwoods.
Listeners, you would not believe the view that I just saw. Were it not for dys' lack of religion, I would say it's the place to go and commune with any diety. Up on the mountain top where the air is rare. Watching with careful eyes, buddy.
Letty wrote:Fantastic picture of our dys with Sally, folks. He looks right at home in the backwoods.
I got more the impression that dys couldn't see the wood for the trees, had no map and therefore a guide dog :wink:
I'm sure RA meant to include a picture of Charlie Steiner. He starred in one of ESPN's greatest moments, in a promo where he was supposed to be in love with a female boxer. Anyway, here's a photo of Charlie--he's the one on the right.
my personal favorite place in the world;
the view from 1/2 way up Cochitopa Pass
Dys
dyslexia wrote:my personal favorite place in the world;
When are they going to fix that sign so you don't have to stand there holding it up?
BBB
where we camped on Spring Creek Pass
same place different personality;
