Hi, Charley-
Here are the notes and lyrics from the CD booklet from Larry Kaplan's delightful Worth All the Telling collection, Folk-Legacy CD-122

1. SONG FOR GALE (Kaplan, © 1988, BMI)
Larry: guitar, 2nd guitar, vocal • Frank: fiddle

This was written for E. Gale Huntington of the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Gale is an author, historian, farmer, fisherman, sailor, teacher, fiddle player, song collector, and a close friend who, in his 90 years, has brought so many wonderful songs to so many people. During one of his recklessly slow drives "up island," Gale recalled for me how quickly so much has changed there.

Song For Gale
(Larry Kaplan, 1988)

Blue skies,
South wind,
Fish jumping into your hand.
What a time to be working
Old Nantucket Sound
From the islands into the mainland.

Worn out,
Smelling of bait,
You'd come home by the end of the day.
And the sun over West Chop,
Those warm summer breezes,
Made you think it would never change.

CHORUS
Get me my fiddle,
We'll sing all the old songs.
Now you take the high notes
And I'll sing the low.
Good times and hard times,
They're worth all the telling;
It won't matter to me
If you sing 'em that well.

I remember the time
When you worked for a living,
Pushing hard just to get back to shore.
When you busted your back
Or you just wouldn't eat.
They don't talk much of that anymore.

When you sat with the old folks,
Fell asleep from their stories,
Stayed awake with the howling winds,
Sang your songs till the children
Were all tucked away warm,
And the night tides come rolling back in.
Get me my fiddle...

Blue skies,
South wind,
Fish jumping into your hand.
What a time to be working
Old Nantucket Sound
From the islands into the mainland.
Get me my fiddle...

---

Now, here's what I hear on the recording:

Blue skies,
South wind,
Fish jumping into your hand.
What a time to be working
Old Nantucket Sound
From the island into the mainland.

Worn out,
Smelling of bait,
You'd come home at the end of the day.
And the sun over West Chop,
Those warm summer breezes,
Made you think it would never change.

CHORUS
Get me my fiddle,
We'll sing all the old songs.
Now you take the high notes
And I'll sing the low.
Good times and hard times,
They're worth all the telling;
It won't matter to me
If you sing 'em that well.

I remember the time
When you worked for a living,
Pushing hard just to get back to shore.
When you busted your back
Or you just wouldn't eat.
They don't talk much of that anymore. (no chorus here)

When you sat with the old folks,
Fell asleep from their stories,
Stayed awake with the howling wind,
Sang your songs till the children
Were all tucked away warm,
And the night tides come rolling back in.
Get me my fiddle...

Blue skies,
South wind,
Fish jumping into your hand.
What a time to be working
Old Nantucket Sound
From the islands into the mainland.
Get me my fiddle...

---

From the CD bookled:

Some lyrics in this recording may differ from those included in this booklet. The intended words are the printed versions. (LK)

---

Sol, what Cindy Kallett album is it on? Anybody know of other recordings of this song? I swear I've heard it from other singers, besides Kaplan and Zentz.