Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues (Steep Canyon Rangers)

Subject: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: NightWing
Date: 07 Oct 18 - 01:51 AM

On Steep Canyon Ranger's 2005 album One Dime at a Time, there's a good drinking song that I'm trying to learn: Yesterday's Blues.

HOWEVER, I can't quite make out all the lines. I have everything but three lines: one in the chorus and one each in the 2nd and 3rd verse.

You can find the song on YouTube (if you don't have the album) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrgAWUcTTSU. Below you'll find the lyrics I've been able to distinguish. The underscores indicate missing syllables; the times indicate the timestamp in that YouTube video.

Any help would be appreciated!!!! In particular, if you know of any other recordings, tell me about them!!!

BB,
NightWing

Yesterday's Blues
Steep Canyon Rangers
One Dime at a Time (2005)

Well the sun's coming up and I'm fading fast.
Night's hanging around but it won't last.
Street lights are dim, giving way to the dawn
An' it's that time of night to be going home.

Well, the facts we need ain't in the morning news.
If what you believe in, believes in you.
While the world's asleep, these dreams are real.
And the night belongs _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [0:46]

Chorus:
Closing down the night in the morning light.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [0:56 2:14 3:02] to make a few things right.
Bringing in tomorrow however we choose.
Just shaking off yesterday's blues.

On top of the world between the dark and the light.
It's good to have an old friend here by your side.
And yesterday's blues will be the last to go.
Then we'll sing the song _ _ [2:02] as the roosters crow

[Chorus]
[Chorus]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: leeneia
Date: 08 Oct 18 - 01:09 PM

and the night belongs till the sun comes up the hill OR
and the nights be long till the sun comes up the hill. (Admittedly that's the wrong dialect.)

I can't figure out the second one.

And we'll sing this song all night till the rooster crows.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: leeneia
Date: 09 Oct 18 - 01:32 PM

Well, NightWind, it looks like nobody can figure out the original words. So why don't we fill in the blanks ourselves so the song can live on?
==============
Well the sun's coming up and I'm fading fast.
Night's hanging around but it won't last.
Street lights are dim, giving way to the dawn
An' it's that time of night to be going home.

Well, the facts we need ain't in the morning news.
If what you believe in, believes in you.
While the world's asleep, these dreams are real.
And the night goes on till the sun comes up the hill.

Chorus:
Closing down the night in the morning light.
Takes a lot of trouble to make a few things right.
Bringing in tomorrow however we choose.
Just shaking off yesterday's blues.

On top of the world between the dark and the light.
It's good to have an old friend here by your side.
And yesterday's blues will be the last to go.
Then we'll sing a song all night until the roosters crow.
========
This is the folk process. Folks are constantly modifying, improving and patching up old songs. It's more important to keep a song alive than it is to preserve every syllable somebody else wrote, unless the song is a masterwork, which this one is not.

This is a bluegrass song. In bluegrass, the songs are mostly an excuse to play stringed instruments. Think of the song as a 2 by 4, and the stringed instruments as the gingerbread (aka carpenter's lace) which is attached to it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: leeneia
Date: 09 Oct 18 - 01:35 PM

In case you are not familiar with gingerbread trim, here is a link to some images:

https://www.pinterest.com/mistyymoonlight/gingerbread-trim/?lp=true

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Oct 18 - 11:01 PM

Here’s what I think I hear:

Verse 2 line 4:
And the nights are lost till the sun comes over the hill.

Chorus line 2:
Settle up some old dues, make a few things right.

Verse 3 line 4:
Then we'll sing the song to the tune that the rooster crows.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: leeneia
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 12:24 PM

That's a good guess on the second one. Settle! I thought I heard 'Sales', but that was unlikely.

I wonder if the Original Poster will ever come back.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: NightWing
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 03:23 AM

The OP has been hanging around for many years, Leenia. He'll always come back ... sooner or later :-D

Jim, I think you've hit it for the Chorus line ...

"Settle up some old dues, make a few things right"

...and for the Verse 4 line ...

"Then we'll sing this song to the tune that the rooster crows."

... At least, that's what I'm gonna sing until I can ask them :-)

I'm not so sure about the Verse 2 line though. I'm thinking that ...

"And the nights are long 'til the sun comes over the hill"

... sounds closer to what they are singing. But I'm still not convinced that the italicized part matches what they're singing. Sooner or later I'll get to hear them sing it or hear another recording and we'll see then. [Actually, I was mildly hoping that someone here might actually KNOW them and be able to ask :-) ]

Meanwhile, now I've got reasonably accurate words to sing.

BB,
NightWing

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Yesterday's Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers
From: leeneia
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 10:37 PM

It's hard to believe. If you've ever heard the half-raucous, half-strangled sound of a rooster's crow, you'd find it hard to believe that anybody would want to sing to its tune.