Origins: Belle Starr (Woody Guthrie)

Subject: Origins: Belle Starr (Woody Guthrie)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Nov 23 - 02:25 PM

Robert Rodriquez wanted me to find a recording of Belle Starr by Irene Salatan. What I found was a performance by the Kossoy Sisters at the 1971 Fox Hollow Folk Festival - Irene Kossoy Salatan and her sister Ellen Kossoy Christenson, with Tony Saletan singing bass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXvJjoYPGM8



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Starr

Subject: Origins: Belle Starr (Woody Guthrie)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Nov 23 - 10:21 PM

BELLE STARR (DT) (Woody Guthrie) Belle Starr, Belle Starr, tell me where you have gone Since old Oklahoma's sand hills you did roam? Is it Heaven's wide streets that you're tying the reins Or single footing somewheres below Eight lovers they say combed your waving black hair Eight men knew the feel of your dark velvet waist Eight men heard the sounds of your tan leather skirt Eight men heard the bark of the guns that you wore Cole Younger was your first and the father of your girl And the name that you picked for your daughter was Pearl Cole robbed a bank and he drawed the life line But I heard he was pardoned after twenty years time Your Cherokee love, Blue Duck was his name He loved you in the sand hill before your great fame I heard he stopped a bullet in 1885 And your Blue Duck's no longer alive You took Jim Reed to your warm wedded bed And from out of your love was born the boy, Ed A pal killed Jim Reed by the dark of the moon And your son Ed was blowed down in a drunken saloon Then there was Bob Younger, you loved him well He rode with the James boys out down the long trail They caught him in Minnesota along with the gang He died down in jail in the cell or the chain You loved Mr. William Clarke Quantrill And his Civil War guerrillas in the Missouri hills He hit Lawrence Kansas and fought them still And when he rode out, two hundred lay killed They say could have, they whispered you might Have loved Frank James on a couple of nights He fought the Midland Railroad almost to death Then in 1915 Frank drawed his last breath They say it could be, they say maybe so That you loved Jesse James, that desperado Jesse got married, had a wife and a son Was shot down at home by the Ford brothers' guns Belle Starr, Belle Starr, your time's getting late But how is Jim Younger, did you hear his fate? He was jailed and then pardoned for all he had done And he blowed his own brains out in nineteen and one Eight lovers they say combed your waving black hair Eight men knew the feel of your dark velvet waist Eight men heard the sounds of your tan leather skirt Eight men heard the bark of the guns that you wore Belle Starr, Belle Starr, tell me where you have gone Since old Oklahoma's sand hills you did roam? Is it Heaven's wide streets that you're tying the reins Or single footing somewheres below.

Belle Starr (Guthrie Website) Words and Music by Woody Guthrie Belle Starr, Belle Starr, tell me where you have gone Since old Oklahoma's sandhills you did roam? Is it Heaven's wide streets that you're tying your reins Or singlefooting somewhere below? Eight lovers they say combed your waving black hair Eight men knew the feel of your dark velvet waist Eight men heard the sounds of your tan leather skirt Eight men heard the bark of the guns that you wore. Cole Younger was your first and the father of your girl And the name that you picked for your daughter was Pearl Cole robbed a bank and he drawed the life line But I heard he was pardoned after Twenty Years time. Your Cherokee lover, Blue Duck was his name He loved you in the sand hills before your great fame I heard he stopped a bullet in Eighteen Eighty Five And your Blue Duck's no longer alive. You took Jim Reed to your warm wedding bed And from out of your love was born the boy, Ed A pal killed Jim Reed by the dark of the moon And your son Ed was blowed down in a drunken saloon. Then there was Bob Younger you loved him well He rode with the James boys out down the long trail They caught him in Minnesota along with the gang He died down in jail in the cell or the chain. You loved Mister William Clarke Quantrill And his Civil War guerrillas in the Missouri hills He hit Lawrence Kansas and fought them still And when he rode out Two Hundred lay killed. They say could have, they whisper you might Have loved Frank James on a couple of nights He fought the Midland Railroad almost to death Then in Nineteen Fifteen Frank drawed his last breath. They say it could be, they say maybe so, That you loved Jesse James that desperado, Jesse got married, had a wife and a son, Was shot down at home by the Ford brothers guns. Belle Starr, Belle Starr, your time's getting late, But how is Jim Younger, did you hear his fate? He was jailed and then pardoned for all he had done, And he blowed his own brains out in Nineteen and One. Eight men they say combed that black waving hair Eight men knew the feel of your dark velvet waist Eight men heard the sounds of your tan leather skirt Eight men heard the bark of the guns that you wore. Belle Starr, Belle Starr, tell me where have you gone Since old Oklahoma's sand hills you did roam? Is it Heaven's wide streets that you're tying your reins Or singlefooting somewhere below?

Tune by Pete Seeger and Jack Elliot
Copyright Sing Out
@outlaw @west @American
filename[ BELLSTAR
TUNE FILE: BELLSTAR
CLICK TO PLAY
SOF

Looks like the DT lyrics are almost exactly the same as those in the Woody Guthrie Website.

Subject: ADD: Belle Starr (Emmylou Harris)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Nov 23 - 03:24 AM

Hey, there's another song titled "Belle Starr."

BELLE STARR
(Emmylou Harris)

My mamma and my daddy
Told me that love is a two-way street
But lately baby, you've been finding
New ways of dragging your feet

So come on, make your best shot
You don't have to take the blame
I'll be your Belle Starr
You can be my Jesse James

There's lonely people everywhere
From Abilene to Arkansas
The way they run for cover
You'd think love was against the law

Well I don't need a pistol, baby
You won't have to rob a train
You can be my Belle Starr
And I can be your Jesse James

I know you've done some hard time
Baby, and you've got your doubts
When you feel surrounded
And it's looking like there's no way out

I'll come riding to your rescue
All you gotta do is call my name
I'll be your Belle Starr
You can be my Jesse James

It don't take a genius, baby
There ain't no big mystery
You can't play it safe
And still go down in history
So saddle up the horses

'Cause we're headed for the hall of fame
I'll be your Belle Starr
You can be my Jesse James
I'll be your Belle Starr
You can be my Jesse James


Source: LyricFind (corrected by Joe Offer)
Songwriters: Emmylou Harris
Belle Starr lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.


Live performance by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU_3RGocuCI

Subject: RE: Origins: Belle Starr (Woody Guthrie)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 Nov 23 - 04:30 PM

Hi, Thompson - I didn't really see that as "celebrating" Quantrill. I thought Woody did a pretty good job of reporting the essence of each of Belle Starr's lovers in a single verse. Some were good, and some not. Quantrill was not.

Subject: RE: Origins: Belle Starr (Woody Guthrie)
From: Felipa
Date: 12 Nov 23 - 10:23 AM

https://www.biography.com/crime/belle-starr

https://www.grunge.com/645164/the-untold-truth-of-outlaw-belle-starr/

Subject: RE: Origins: Belle Starr (Woody Guthrie)
From: Thompson
Date: 07 Nov 23 - 05:09 AM

Unusual for Woody Guthrie to be celebrating the Confederate thug Quantrill