Nancy Schimmel, still telling stories and singing around the area, mostly in the womyn's community.

I actually got to hear Malvina play "If You Love Me" on her piano on Parker Street shortly after she composed it. Good timing on my part. I shared a graphics studio a couple doors down, so I often walked by. That particular block of Parker Street was often called "the Anarchist's Block" because a house across from where my studio was had a large banner slung between the second floor windows that said "Anarchy". Mal's house was actually pretty well kempt and tame, tho I recall the interior as being all dark stained wood, and dark.

One of the joys of living in Berkeley in the '70's was that I often ran into Malvina at fundraisers and singing circles and protests. I always thought she wrote "Rim of the World" about one of my housemates, tho she said it was a pastiche when I asked her, and I'm just about positive "Rosie Jane" is about Rosalie.
She once came by to look at a guitar I had for sale, and stayed an hour or two, singing with us. She had just written the Cotton Mill Song at that point, and sang it for us.
I think the words but not the chords to "When You think You've Hit Bottom" are in the links Joe copied from the site, Charlie. I always liked that song, and loved the way she would drop an octave (maybe) on the word "down".

When I heard her sing the song about "One Little Mouse", I recall that she actually sang the F word, not "mucked" -- and I was shocked to hear it come out of the mouth of this little white haired lady.

Couple more of my favorites are "No Hole In My Head" and "You Can't Make a Turtle Come Out".
Blessings,
Barbara