Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: erinmaidin
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 05:31 AM

I always found the song Anneke Gordon, chilling in the way she was forced into a loveless marriage to the point where her father demanded her bridesmaids remove her clothes and put her unwillingly into bed with her unwanted husband. I believe it poignantly points to the traditional abuse of daughters as bartering material for goods and gain.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 03:48 AM

Such marvellous responses - thank you! I hope to be back home in 48 hours and will then commence the deeper research based on your inputs.

Best Regards, John

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 03:27 PM

Roseanne Cash did a song on an older recording called, I believe, Rosie Strike Back and also in the country field there's Gretchen Peters' song Independence Day. In the Child Ballads there's Lord Thomas and Lady Margaret (Lady Margaret gets hunted by Lord Thomas's dogs and later poisons Lord Thomas).

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Cluin
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 02:43 PM

Marie and He
by Lennie Gallant

Marie and he, they lived down by the shore
I lived alone in a house they called next door
A quarter mile farther down the road from there
But it was close enough that I could always hear

Marie was only twenty-two, with three kids
Big sea-green eyes, but then they were mostly hid
Dark glasses covering all the damage he'd done
After his nights out on the rum

In the nearby town, everyone knew the score
From whispered stories traded down at the store
They could pretend they'd never seen `neath the shades
But every night I'd hear her meet his rage

We always played together, when we were young
They called her my sister though I never had one
I thought our time together would never end
But she was much sought after then

I remember the day he first sailed into town
I watched him watching her as she walked around
I felt as though a lifetime slipped through my hands
As Marie and he walked on the sands

But then the sands all washed away, leaving rocks
And he beat her and blamed her for his lousy job on the docks
No friends or money; he'd just rave about the sea
And tell his lies of how she wouldn't set him free

(chorus)

Last night I walked down the road by the shore
I just couldn't bear to hear her take it anymore
I waited for him to come staggering home
And I sent his body back to sea alone

(chorus)

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: muppitz
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 02:03 PM

One that hasn't been mentioned yet is "Blue Old Saturday Night", it's a Julie Matthews song which is on the Intuition album she did with Kathleen and Rosalie Deighton, Pat Shaw, Kate Rusby and Kathryn Roberts, John Wright did it on "The Things We've Handed Down".
I know the John Wright album is no longer available, not sure about the Intuition album.

I can hear the sound of your footsteps walking down the hall
Echo of the the door, it's slam, shook a picture off the wall
You start the car in the drive outside
Hit the pedal and you're gone
If leaving me is oh so easy, why bother coming home?

Chorus
Oh, old blue, old Saturday night
My baby's left me in tears again
Oh, old blue, old Saturday night
I'm on the rocks and he's rolling away

Oh how you hate the sound of raised voices
How yours would raise when I'd start to cry
And the trembling lips and the trembling fingers
Reached out to you and made your temper fly
I can't live here in this grey, grey world
I'm too afraid to speak my mind
And if leaving me means oh so little to you
Then coming back is just a lie

Chorus

When you get home and the lights are all out
You'll fumble at the doorway to turn them on
You'll stumble to the bedroom but the bed will be empty
Look around the house, you'll find me gone
And you'll remember all those silent moments
And they'll be ringing in your ears
There won't be voices raised tonight, but maybe there'll be tears

Oh old blue, old Saturday night
Your baby's left you in tears
Oh old blue, old Saturday night
You're on the rocks and I'm rolling away


Lovely song, Rosalie Deighton sings it on the Intuition album and makes a great job of it.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: JennyO
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 01:12 PM

There is a song in Australia which I love, called "He Says" by Karen Lynne. Here is a link to her website which has the lyrics, and an MP3 sample of the chorus of the song. It is on the album "Labour of Love".

I think I will post the lyrics here too:

He Says

(Karen Lynne Frencham, Heather Field)

I am walking in the garden, why don't I just walk out
and shut the gate behind me and forget
I could go and live in Melbourne
Just the kids and me
And I know he'd never find me there and yet

He'd be all alone without us
And I'd miss him when he's kind
Though I wouldn't miss his anger, or the pain
And maybe like he tells me, I'm just a useless fool
And I'm lucky to have a husband anyway

Chorus

He says he loves me and,
He says he's sorry and,
He says he needs me and it'll never happen again
But he says its my fault
Everytime he hurts me and,
I'm the one who's sorry for what he says in the end.

I dreamed that life with him would be like those fairytales
But it's a tragedy unwritten and unspoken
And though I lie to those around me,
and the bruises fade with time
It's much more than my bones that he has broken.

Chorus

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 12:50 PM

"Calum Moore" was written by "Andy Mitchel of Ullapool in Scotland" according to Vin Garbutt's notes on his LP "Little Innocents", which contains the song.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Midchuck
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 12:45 PM

Well, you're talking about maybe a third to a half of all bluegrass songs.

Gillian Welch's "Caleb Meyer" is good. Heard her do it on PHC, and it was the only time Garrison was ever speachless.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 12:31 PM

That's actually called "Behind The Wall" GS, and alanabit already suggested it...

My suggestions...

"Never So Lonely" by Garnet Rogers

Tommy swung a brush hook for the county all last year
Now he sits in some dark pool hall,
Pulling on a long necked beer
On one hand's tattooed the word""
On the other hand there is "hate"
He lights a smoke and rubs the scars on his knuckles

His wife is living here on borrowed time
She needs a place to call her own
Tommy's out, she can't stay here
Where she once called home
The marks of his "too-perfect" love are a shadow on her face
She shakes and waits beside him in the darkness

Never felt so lonely as when lying in his bed
The fear that lay between them
The brutal words he'd said
No more of flinching from his hands
No more of living with this fear
She's bought her ticket, she's made her plans
He's not worth another tear

She says she knows it's wrong
But while he's gone she sometimes misses him
The feeling comes too often
Stays too long, like phantom pain from a missing limb
She knows she's safer on her own
Thank God there were no kids
But had there been she till would
Find a way to leave him

Morning can't come too soon for her
She's up before the dawn
Tiptoes past him, locks his door
Waits out on the lawn
She looks back at the silent house
As the windows start to glow
And with her finger writes "Good-bye"
upon his windshield

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: GUEST,Spot
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 12:30 PM

Mudcats own Strupag has written one of the best 'Calum Moore' Covered by Vin Garbutt. It's a must.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 11:29 AM

Tracy Chapman.."Last night I heard the screaming"

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: GUEST,Folky1 (guest)
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 11:26 AM

Peggy Seeger has written two great songs on this topic, both true stories based on interviews with the women involved.

"Winnie and Sam" is a blues with a bouncy melody that is quite un-dirge-like.

"Emily" on the other hand is quiet, haunting and gripping in its telling of the story from the beginning of the relationship, through the abuse to her finally getting up the courage to leave the abuser. I remember hearing it on the radio for the first time. It was one of those songs that just makes you stop whatever you are doing and listen. The last verse interjects some hope to the song. Great song.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 09:28 AM

PI, but classic--
The Wee Cooper O'Fife

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Alonzo M. Zilch (inactive)
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 09:21 AM

One of the most powerful I know of is "She Sits on the Table" by Tom Paxton.

Tom has recorded it twice. It's on The Paxton Report (Mountain Railroad) and Best of Friends with Anne Hills & Bob Gibson (Applesed).

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 09:19 AM

Presumably you don't want murder songs (Banks of the Ohio, Tom Dooley etc)?
Some versions of Trouble in Mind have:

"I'm gonna grab me a picket
From my neighbour's fence
Gonna whup ma woman
Till she learns some sense"

RtS

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 09:09 AM

'Prince Heathen' by Martin Carthy
'The Old Oak Tree' from the first Boys Of The Lough album
All I can think of right now - which is probably a good thing.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 07:44 AM

One you may not have heard of:

Jim King Glasgow-based songwiter has a song which is exactly on this subject:

"Blood Red Roses"

- will you try to buy your way back in with a dozen blood-red roses?...

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: alanabit
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 07:15 AM

Two contemporary songs are Suzanne Vega's brilliant "Luka" and Tracy Chapman's "Behind the Wall". They should be easy enough to find with a Google search.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: GUEST, Hamish
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 07:11 AM

Suzanne Vega's "Luca". Brilliant.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: nutty
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 07:09 AM

Blue Bleezin Blind drunk is a favourite of mine .....its in the DT.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Wolfgang
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 06:54 AM

A stitch in time (that's what Liz means)

Glasgow Lullaby (in the DT)

the DT keyword search for such songs would be @abuse.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 06:43 AM

On a lighthearted sort of note(Not that abuse itself is lighthearted of course).."Capstick comes home" is a comedy song but has a man abusing his wife in it. Best wishes.

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 06:07 AM

Try Harvey Andrews' song 'PG', it's on 'The Margarita Collection' CD. Very masterful, very insightful, very moving. A masterpiece.

Can't do blue clickies, just search on 'Harvey Andrews' for his website.

SJ

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 04:00 AM

There's a song that Martin Carthy does about a man who beats his wife, she gets her revenge by sewing him into the bed and then lamming him with a skillet. I can't remember the words, and when I last saw Martin do it at Towersey a few years back, he couldn't either!

A quick search in the DT for various keywords failed to get a clue either, sorry. A search for Martin's back catalogue might do it, but I'm supposed to be at work!

LTS

Subject: RE: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: Peace
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 03:44 AM

creativefolk.com/abusesongs.html

Subject: Songs Re Violence/Abuse to Women
From: GUEST,John in Brisbane
Date: 23 Aug 04 - 02:39 AM

I'm currently in Cairns and Janet Hughes has asked me to nominate some songs on this subject. Suffice it to say that my knowledge is limited. Janet wishes to put together a musical programme to highlight the subject of physical abuse for both white and indigenous consumption. Unfortunately Janet sees and hears about abuse all too frequently.

While this is a super serious problem, she has requested that the songs are not too dirge-like - a tall ask in my opinion.

All assistance would be very much appreciated. The question of finding tunes for what I'm sure will be powerful lyrics may be difficult, but I'll tackle that problem as it arises.

Regards, John