I had to step off my soapbox to correct a History exam, but I ain't done talkin'.

I will admit to really screwing up a song once by using Rise Up Singing. I was in a dimly-lit tavern in Whitby, and it was my turn to sing. I decided to sing Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More," a song I know well and have sung many times. But the formatting for that song in Rise Up Singing is a little strange, and the dim lights made it hard to read - so I screwed the song up royally. I made sure to add a "cheatsheet" to my song folder for that song, so I can sing it with no problem next time. I actually need to look at only the first word or two for each verse - but it has to be in context, with all of the words there in case I need them.

So, that's one time where I admit that my use of the Blue Book was a problem.

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To be fair, I guess I should give an example of intolerance on the part of people who rely on the Blue Book. When it's my turn, I try to teach or lead a song without printed lyrics. A number of people bring photocopied songs to the Sacramento Song Circle. Usually, these "away from the book" experiences are pretty good, and add variety to our singing. However, there are times when a significant number of people just don't join in if the song isn't in the book, and their lack of participation can kill a song - expecially if they decide that the song is an opportunity for conversation.

Then there's my attempt to lead the sea chantey "Rio Grande" this month. The Sacramento people tend to want to have all the people sing all the verses of sea chanteys, and they don't quite understand that this sort of song works best in a call-and-response format. As a result, we don't sing many chanteys - but I chose to sing "Rio Grande" from the book this month, and insisted on call-and-response format. Well, I started singing, and about the third vesrse, somebody stopped me and demanded to know why I was singing "RYE-o," when obviously it should be pronounced "REE-o." So, I decided I need to invite Chanteyranger and Radriano and Dick Holdstock to Sacramento to conduct a remedial chantey-singing session.

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But while I'm on my soapbox, I wanna talk about Guys With Guitars, and Women Who Sing Loud To Correct Others. The worst Guys With Guitars are the Singer-Songsmiths, because they think their songs are so much more innovative than familiar songs, so they one to sing one of their songs for every song that the entire rest of the group sings. And the Guys With Guitars can always jump in quicker than us a cappella folks, because they can strum a chord any old time and we a cappella singers often have to have a moment of quiet so we can hear the beginning of the melody in our heads. And then when we do fit a song in, the Guys With Guitars and the Women Who Sing Loud To Correct Others all do their best to take the song away from the us, to places where the we may not want to go. Because, of course, the Guys With Guitars and the Women Who Sing Loud To Correct Others are so much better than us meeker sorts.

Now, I'm sure that many of you know that I, Joe Offer, am no shrinking violet - but I have to say that I am sometimes intimidated by the Guys With Guitars and the Women Who Sing Loud To Correct Others and the People Who Condemn My Use of a Songbook or Cheatsheet.

Makes it damn hard to sing a song sometimes, with all those intolerant jerks in the way.

-Joe Offer-