Songs That Tell Stories

Thanks for that history. I knew part of the story, from when the record was first released, but its nice to fill in gaps.

Ballad of John Henry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMHLWmgi7WY&feature=related

I've been enjoying all the "telling" songs.

great story there letty...
I remember the Smothers Brothers take on it.
Dick would sing:
"When John Henry was a little baby,
sittin on his daddy's knee
Papa picked him up and yelled to his wife
"Dis baby done wet on me"

I like the story of John Henry. First time I heard that version. Good one.

She loves that one!

This one was new to sozlet, she liked it!

Her contribution:

I was about sozlets age when I heard it.

Remember when Big Bad John was first released? "At the bottom of this mine lives one hell of a man -" It was changed very shortly to "big big man."

I always loved that song and I think I was turned on to folk music by Harry Belafonte's appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

My mother hated John Henry . . . but, my mother hated a great many things . . . when that song was performed, she would mutter about how stupid it was for a man to compete with a machine.

Once, after turning on the radio in media res as I always seem to do, I heard one of the French folkies . . . what an exaggeration! there were only two, Pierre Ben Susan* and Gabriel Yacoub . . . talking about his own frustration with song writing. He said that he wondered why his songs didn't sound like all the traditional songs he had heard through out his life. One day, he realized that the songs that have come down from the past are the "masterpieces," the best of the best. After that, he wasn't nearly as frustrated and could continue to work without the pressure of competing with those masterpieces.

*It had to have been Pierre who is more comfortable speaking English than Gabriel.

Talking about Gabriel and Pierre reminded me of two of their great songs. Gabriel's is one of his own, a modern musing on life and love, here played simply on keyboards (sorry the sound isn't the best, but it is typical of youtube postings):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMMvqZ27SVU

There is a great version of Gabriel's song by Joan BAez and Maxime Le Forestier. It's surprising that such a personal musing makes a great duet. Generally, Joan annoys me but her French accent is good for an American.

The other is actually from Pierre's second album, a great long traditional ballad of an unfortunate king. It was miscredited to Gabriel by the poster and, about once a month, someone realizes that it is Pierre singing and not Gabriel.

The song is seven minutes long. If you ever drive with me, you better hope Pierre's CD is not in my player as I listen to this on repeat for up to an hour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3NvqcNwqD0

edgar says:

jeez, I'd never heard that before, ed, network censors at the time must have gone ballistic.

I remember Big Dan Ingraham, on WABC in New York, playing it one day:

song: "At the bottom of this mine, Lies a big, big man"
Big Dan, with mike on: "All skwunched up"
song: "Big Jooohhhhnnnn, Big, bad John" and music fade

Which was totally teenage humor, but then that was my humor level at the time. Maybe still.

BTW, the velvet in these men's voices makes me swoon.

here is that version. although the person who posted it credited it to John Cash, it is Mr Dean singing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHyeDf0K2n8&feature=related

I like Big John by Jimmy Dean.

Here's another song that tells a story.



Casey may be a myth, however.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBvCRpUWl5Q&feature=related

I listened to both songs without fully understanding what I was hearing.

I love Casey Jones, letty.

A friend once told me, "The only Bob Dylan song I like is Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road." 'Course Dylan never got close to that song

Here's a version of John Henry, "Spike Driver Blues" by the legendary Mississippi John Hurt, Pete Seeger in the background. Follow the links at the end and you can get John's "Stagger Lee", also a gamblin' man story song.


Casy Jones was suuposed to have been a sounthern enginerr, in Virginia, or someplace like that--the video above has Northern commuter rail trains in it, which I kinda liked, always nice to see the MBTA hauling thousands around Massachusetts, if you're from here, the ones with the purple and gold stripes are T trains. Also the Providence and Worcester shortline RR shows up at the end. Cool.