Lyr Req: Garlic Song (Ruthie Gorton)

Subject: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 May 01 - 12:37 PM

(Purists, yes, I searched both the DT and the Forum first.)

I'm sure that isn't the title, but the line was in the song, so as a nod to the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, that is what I titled the thread.

Heard it on NPR last night as I was dozing off, part of Acoustic Cafe. A woman, singing about all the good things that grow in the garden, something about some grow underground, some grow tall / but (something something) the garlic's the best of them all. Named a lot of herbs, went through its history, really nice song. I'd like to add it to my food repertoire...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: MMario
Date: 14 May 01 - 12:46 PM

Mrzzy - it wouldn't be this one here would it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 14 May 01 - 07:51 PM

This song was featured in the documentary film called "Garlic is Better Than 100 Mothers", or something like that. I believe Ruthie Gorton, a wonderful songwriter, now goes by Rutthy Taub, but I might be mistaken about that, also. (Gotta find some more ginkgo...) Great song. Ever been to the Gilroy Garlic Festival? Garlic ice cream--yum!!!

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 May 01 - 09:07 PM

MMario, tthanks! That is it, indeed. Also, you can get garlic ice cream at The Stinking Rose, a SF garlic restaurant. Yum yum.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: MMario
Date: 14 May 01 - 10:55 PM

okay - anyone got the tune?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 14 May 01 - 11:11 PM

I kind of remember it, but I don't have the tune written down and I'm not sure I sing it accurately. But I'll try to put what I remember into NWC and send it to you. As I recall, The Stinking Rose restaurant was prominently featured in the film I mentioned above.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: MMario
Date: 14 May 01 - 11:19 PM

Thanks Mark!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Gypsy
Date: 15 May 01 - 08:46 PM

Mark, pretty please, share tune with me, too? We sell huge beauteous garlic at farmers market, and whatta great theme song to hum!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 15 May 01 - 09:18 PM

I'll try to get it done within the next day or two, and then will send it to whomever puts tunes on the DT. I forget whether it's Dick or Joe or ? I'll tell you in advance that I'm a little fuzzy on the third line, as I'm only remembering the tune from having heard it in the movie about 15 years ago. It's kind of a generic folk tune. (Sorry, Ruth, if you're reading this!) The film is out on videotape, so if you have a good source for old videos you might try that.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: MMario
Date: 15 May 01 - 09:25 PM

Mark - if you want to send it to me - ([e-mail]) I can post the miditxt here and will see the nwc file gets to the right place. it's one of the ones on "the list"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Sep 03 - 07:44 PM

MMario, did we ever get a tune for this? I sent a personal message to Mark Cohen, reminding him of his promise. Then it occurred to me that you might have received it from him.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 04 Sep 03 - 11:18 PM

Joe, I just got your PM and sent you the NWC and MIDI files for the tune. I thought I had sent them to Mmario back then, but with the way my memory works....

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: LadyJean
Date: 04 Sep 03 - 11:26 PM

My desperation remedy for sinus trouble is to eat a clove of raw garlic. It isn't a pleasant experience, but it works. I might mention that I'm single. I don't know that it would be the best remedy for married people.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 04 Sep 03 - 11:37 PM

One of my favourite songs!

The Song as it was noted by me in the credits of the film (of vintage about 1970) was named

"Garlic is the Spice of Life."

I could not get the author from the film credits, but did get

As Sung by Deborah Wright in the Movie
"Garlic is as good as 10 mothers".

I note that the DT version has Ruthie Gorton as the author.

But actually the song is split between just one fenmale voice for some verses, and two female voices for other verses - in two separate keys a semitone apart...... no mention of the second singer.

I copied down the words and hacked out a version of the tune (well it works for me!) in my head from the film... played on SBS some years ago... wasn't easy under the circumstances, what with two keys and all...
:-)


That was long before I stumnbled across the Mudcat.


A few minor quiibles on the words as I heard them from the film.

Third line first verse

"But they all have their qualities, this you should know,"

First line 3rd verse

"Since Biblical times in all parts of the earth,"

and fourth line 3rd verse

"We would throw out our poisonous pills."



But then me ears ain't what they used ta be -

They used ta be me eyes!

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 02:58 AM

Thanks to Mark Cohen, we have a tune for Ruthie Gorton's "Garlic Song":

Click to play

What do the rest of you think of the text corrections from Foolestroupe? Should the be added to the Digital Tradition? I think Foolestroupe's "poisonous pills" is better, but the other two don't make no nevermind neither way.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 03:43 AM

Reiterating what I said two years ago, I can't vouch for the accuracy of that tune...it was reconstructed from a 15-year-old memory. (Not a 15-year-old's memory...!)

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 08:16 PM

Another thing just came to mind,

The Film maker (whose name I can't remember) I am sure went on to become a famous documentary maker who is still active. This was one of his early efforts.

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 08:19 PM

Joe Offer: "What do the rest of you think of the text corrections from Foolestroupe? Should the be added to the Digital Tradition? I think Foolestroupe's "poisonous pills" is better,"

Whoohoo!

My first SERIOUS contribution to this place!


Oooohhh, I think I'll go lie down now...

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 09:46 PM

Foolestroupe, I know not from the film, but the third and fourth lines of the first verse go together, as one sentence. The clear meaning is that they're all fine, BUT garlic is best of them all.

The function of the BUT in the preceding sentence, as more or less setting the first clause aside, is taken on by "though" at the beginning of the third line. "But" at the beginning of that line won't cut it.

Too bad she didn't get into the song garlic's well-known blood-pressure-lowering powers. Oh, well, you can't have it all, I guess.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 10:04 PM

Uncle_DaveO : "the third and fourth lines of the first verse go together, as one sentence"

Good point.

I don't claim complete accuracy, I videotaped (later accidentally taped over), played audio back into a microcassete, which I used over and over in conjunction with replaying the necessary parts of the video a few times for continuity feel.

So why not add the necessary verse :-) It's been done here before... :-)

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 05 Sep 03 - 10:10 PM

I have corrected my copy as per Uncle_DaveO's suggestions.

I wonder if this (but/though) is an example of the singer "folking the words", as per other threads...

:-)

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 11:01 AM

Oooh-ooh! Oooh-ooh! I'm all folked up!

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 11:05 AM

I personally have trouble with the first line of the fifth verse, which seems just unsingable as posted. It just won't scan for me.

For my purposes I've dropped "its", and pronounce "selenium" and "germanium" as "selenyum" and "germanyum" respectively. That makes it possible to sing.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: GUEST,Doss
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 02:08 PM

Hi, Sorry to butt in, but if you're interested in finding the movie information, there's THE movie Bible for movie information called The InterNet Movie Data Base. Their web site is http://www.imdb.com/search

Put in your title "Garlic Is As Good As 10 Mothers". You are taken to another information page, which will take you to a cast of characters
and the producer and the director of the movie, as well as other interesting facts about it.

The movie date, BTW, is 1980, not 1970 as someone back towards the beginning of these posts had thought.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Stewart
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 07:02 PM

Here's a mp3 of Charlie King singing this song HERE

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Blackcatter
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 07:39 PM

Gee - I thought this would have been a play on the song Juice of the Barley

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 06 Sep 03 - 08:54 PM

Thanks, Stewart. Looks like my memory wasn't terribly far off. Far enough, though. Of course, it's always possible that Charlie folk-processed the tune (he says, in a foolish attempt to preserve some of his musical self-esteem, which is low enough as it is)

One correction: Charlie seems to be singing a word that sounds like "Allisum"--the correct term is allicin. (HA!) Interestingly, though allicin has long been assumed to be one of the most important health-promoting components in garlic, this site gives lots of plausible reasons why that may not be the case. In fairness, this is the website of the manufacturers of Kyolic, who go out of their way to say that their product is different because it does NOT contain allicin. But the science they cite seems to make sense. Oh, well, you pays your money and you takes your choice...

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 07 Sep 03 - 01:50 AM

Mrrzy

look at all the excitement you caused here...

You know you shouldn't get these old folkies er fogies going...

:-)

And thanks GUEST_Doss... 1980 it is... but it had the feel of the 70's... :-)

On Movies, Cool Hand Luke has a version of "Plastic Jesus" done as a slow tear jerker, not the flat out pace I usually hear it done...

Who else does it slow?

The SONG... mumble.. one track minds like a record...

Robin

Subject: Movie "Garlic Is As Good As 10 Mothers".
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Feb 04 - 05:55 AM

Reading the fine print in my TB Guide says that the Movie "Garlic Is As Good As 10 Mothers" is to be shown on ABC TV (Qld) Ch 2 at 1:55pm Eastern non-daylight saving time 18/feb/2004.

Of course this info is only of use probably to Queenslanders, and I'm sorry I didn't pick it up earlier.

Robin

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 Feb 04 - 10:10 AM

Well,

I had forgotten just how much good "folk music" was in this movie.

Apart from some good Cajun, and various other styles including "Swiss-Italian"???!!!, near the beginning is Bessie Jackson singing "Bar-be-Que Bess" - a song about a woman who "wants her meat", if you wil pardon the expression... We should try to get the words etc for this, if not already here.

Ruthie Gordon also sings "The Garlic Waltz", something else worth getting.

Robin

Subject: Les Blank films
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 18 Feb 04 - 10:53 AM

I just found a treasure for you!

While I was looking for a list of Les Blank's films so I could tell everyone how great they ALL are, not just "Garlic Is as Good...", I found that the UC Berkeley Media Resource Center (here) has streaming RealPlayer clips from many of them: Chulas Fronteras, J'ai Ete au Bal, God Respects Us When We Work but Loves Us When We Dance, In Heaven There Is No Beer?, Always for Pleasure, Hot Peppers, Gap-Toothed Women, The Burden of Dreams and many others. There's also a link to Les's Flower Films Web site where the films are available for purchase on video.

This is brilliant work from a lover of real music, real food, real living. I recommend it highly.

Subject: Ruthie Gorton
From: GUEST,Corey Weinstein
Date: 14 Aug 04 - 12:12 PM

Dear Friends,
   I am trying to get in touch with Ruthie Gorton who wrote a song about my cousin some years ago...does anyone know how to reach her?????????
Thanks, Corey at [e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 24 Jan 08 - 11:22 PM

Refresh
(well perhaps not QUITE the right thing to say in this case) ....

:-P

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Gaelic
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Apr 08 - 10:08 AM

I ran across this old thread will searching for a Gaelic song. You will note that the "e" is adjacent to the "r" on the standard keyboard. The Mudcat search engine can be educational!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Gaelic
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 06 Apr 08 - 11:18 AM

LOL

Nice one Charley!

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Juice of the Garlic
From: salrog
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 06:45 PM

Claudia Schmidt and I recorded Ruthie Gorton's The Garlic Waltz on our Red House Record. Anyone know how to contact Ruthie /Rutthy Taub