Songs of hardship and oppression???

Subject: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Animaterra
Date: 15 May 98 - 04:39 PM

I'm putting together a program that includes songs of oppression, songs of outrage at same, and songs of power and unity. Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Barry Finn
Date: 15 May 98 - 05:12 PM

Animaterra, on the oppression side of the question, here are a number on recordings, Southern Journey-Earliest Times, Vol. 13, Georgia Sea Island Singers (or any thing else by them, they're touring the festival scene this summer, Vol. 1&2, Prison Songs, Prison Worksongs; Arhoolie CD#448, Wake Up Dead Man; Rounder CD#2013, Negro Folk Music Of Alabama; Ethnic Folkways Library #FE4417, Negro Prison Camp Worksongs; Ethnic Folkways Library #FE4475. Some of the other Lomax Southern Journey volumes would be helpful to you too. From your post in 'How You Got Started' it sounds that you may still be in the Boston area (I'm in southern N.H.). This years Mystic Seaport Festival is gearing towards Afro-American influence on worksongs & how they affected sea shanties, it may be of interest to you. Drop me a line if there's anything I can help with, or even a neighborly Hi. Barry

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Jon W.
Date: 15 May 98 - 05:41 PM

There's the old standby "Hard Times Come Again No More" by Stephen Foster. There are several derivatives and also parodies (after all, humor is one reaction to hardship) in the DT. Plus I recall a thread on the Highland Clearance songs a few months ago, you can search the forum for it.

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: McGrath
Date: 15 May 98 - 06:49 PM

Of course it is pointless and even insulting to remind you that the Irish tradition is filled with songs of hardship and oppression. However it may assist your exercise to get into the minds of the hard-pressed and o-pressed.

Two books which I highly reccomend are Patrick McGill's "Children of the Dead End" and Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes". Read both and you will marvel at the resiliance of humanity and every song of the oppressed will have a new meaning. Trying to live the life of the oppressed is difficult as those who usually undertake such experiments have the safety net of a "normal life" awaiting them. But these books, with their authors gift for words, paint vivid pictures.

Read these books and "Hard Times Come Again No More" will touch parts of your heart which you may not have known had ever existed.

Wishing you good luck and every success on your worthy programme.

Frank McGrath
Nenagh Singers Circle

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: alison
Date: 15 May 98 - 11:11 PM

Hi,

Try "Now I'm easy".... there's been heaps of threads on this one already. Definately falls into the hardship category....

The "Ballad of 1891" was in a thread here not so long ago too.

I highly recommend "Angela's Ashes"... one of those books you just couldn't put down.

Slainte

Alison

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: KickyC
Date: 15 May 98 - 11:22 PM

One of my favorites for power and unity is "Bread and Roses". It's is a Mel Bay book on songs from American History. I don't have it here right now. It was from the Women's Sufferage Movement. As for a song of oppression, the Weavers did one called "Hay Una Mujer" which is about women missing in Chile at the hands of the government. I also really like Woody Guthrie's "Deportees". That's really about hardship and oppression.

Kicky

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 May 98 - 02:31 AM

Here is a link to a list of all the different categories of songs in the Digital Tradition Folk Song Database. You'll find all sorts of topics that deal with hardship and oppression. If you put the words hard times in the search box in the upper right corner of this page, you'll find a good selection. One song that I like especially is Rigs of the Time.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: DWDitty
Date: 16 May 98 - 06:48 AM

How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times & Live

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Animaterra
Date: 16 May 98 - 08:21 AM

Thanks for all the great sources. I know a few of them, but this forum is such a great resource, I'm always interested to hear others' ideas and favorites!

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Moira Cameron
Date: 16 May 98 - 03:35 PM

How about opression a little closer to home, like "Rolling Home Drunk" recorded by Paddy Tutty (about wife abuse), or "Well below the Valley" recorded by Planxty (and myself) (about incest.)

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: rich r
Date: 17 May 98 - 12:50 AM

Hit your regional libraries and look for "Hard hitting Songs for Hard-Hit People" by Alan Lomax, Woody Guthrie & Pete Seeger (Oak Publications, 1967) Great book has close to 200 songs on the theme, some well-known and some a bit obscure, e.g. The Dickman Song, Knuts to Knudsen, You Kick and Stomp and Beat Me and many more.

rich r

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 May 98 - 01:50 AM

Good suggestion, Rick. I'm still looking for the ultimate Woody Guthrie songbook, but "Hard-Hitting Songs" has a big collection of them. Can anybody suggest and in-print Guthrie songbook for me?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Bert
Date: 18 May 98 - 04:03 PM

Take a look at "Songs of Peace, Freedom and Protest" By Tom Glazer.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 May 98 - 07:09 PM

Bert, you've got me confused. In 1960, Edith Fowke and Joe Glazer did a book called Songs of Work and Freedom, published by the Labor Education Division of Roosevelt University of Chicago. In 1973, the book was reissued by Dover with a different cover and new title, Songs of Work and Protest, and it's still in print and costs $10.95 US. Is this the same book you're talking about, or did Joe do another one so he could get us more confused?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 18 May 98 - 09:08 PM

The Tom Glazer book was published in 1970 by David McKay Company, Inc. New York, library of congress catalog card #70-114739, dedicated "to the innocent victims of oppression everywhere . . ."

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: KickyC
Date: 18 May 98 - 10:09 PM

Joe asked for an in-print Woody Guthrie book. Sing Out! has one called "Woody Guthrie: Roll on Colombia" which contains 26 songs, 96 pages and sells for $9.95 or so. I have seen it before at a nearby music store, or you can order directly from Sing Out! 1-800-4-we-sing.

Kicky

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Bruce O.
Date: 18 May 98 - 10:21 PM

I seem to remember, but wouldn't swear to it, that Joe and Tom Glazer were brothers. Those are different books above.

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 May 98 - 10:21 PM

Ooops! Got Tom & Joe Glazer mixed up. Are/were they related?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Bert
Date: 19 May 98 - 10:41 AM

The book that I have is packed away in a box somewhere so I can't say exactly when it was printed.

I bought my first copy of it way back in the early to mid Seventies. It was a paperback and got so well used that it fell apart.

I was lucky enough to find a used hardcover copy at 'The Booklegger' in Huntsville, AL.
When I moved to Pennsylvania it got packed and I haven't been able to unearth it yet.
It's titled "Songs of Peace, Freedom and Protest"

He also wrote a couple of other great books, one I think was titled simply "Folk Songs" and the other "Guitar"

I lent out my copy of each of these to different friends and I guess they found good homes because they stayed 'lent'.

I don't know why I keep doing that.

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Bill D
Date: 19 May 98 - 11:16 AM

In reply to Joe's question above...I have two 'Ultimate Woody Guthrie songbooks' and I can't figure out the relationship between them...the first is a paperback, and was published in 1963 by Ludlow music and the cover says."the 'nearly' complete Woodie Guthrie Folk Songs"...and introduced by Pete Seeger. It has some songs which Woody didn't originally write, but which he 'messed with'...as well as most of his own stuff. The other is hardback ..."The Woodie Guthrie Songbook"...and was published in 1976 by Grosset & Dunlap and edited by Marjorie Guthrie and Harold Leventhal, with lots of bibliograpy and pictures, but far fewer songs (60). I doubt either is in print. I seem to remember some story about altercations involving Marjorie Guthrie about who had the right to publish what songs..etc. In any case, this older paperback has as many Woody songs as I have seen anywhere...let me know if you have any questions about specific songs...

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: McGrath
Date: 19 May 98 - 11:55 AM

There is a nice slim volume titled;
The Easter Rising In Song and Ballad:
by Desmond C. Graves;
ISBN 0 900707 51 8 (hard back); ISBN 0 900707 57 7 (paper back)
Published in 1980 by Stanmore Press Ltd. for
Workers' Music Association
236A Westbourne Park Road
London W11

It contains over thirty songs which are arranged such that you can compare the before, during and after of the rising. Songs that reflected the feelings of those who were inspired to revolution; the description of the rising; the execution of the leaders etc. and shows some interesting contrasts and points of view about the 1916 Rising.

Slán
Frank McGrath
Nenagh Singers Circle

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: erica
Date: 19 May 98 - 12:07 PM

my friend Cat just sang this great song about Harriet Tubman for me, about the underground railroad and all...didn't know where it was from though. so first, it might work for the program, and second, does anyone know it? (not any sort of a vague description or anything)...oh, i should probably check the DT.

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: northfolk
Date: 19 May 98 - 12:23 PM

Don't neglect the Union movement, (It is not always an oxymoron) The Oil Chemical and Atomic Workershave produced a couple of cassette tapes, as well as videotapes about specific struggles. These resources will provide material that is not widely circulated, but good stuff. I don't know what is still available, but it is produced by the Research and Education Department, OCAW is online at www.ocaw.org

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Nora
Date: 19 May 98 - 12:36 PM

Ronnie Gilbert and Holly Near released a recording together and it's on that. I lent it to someone years ago and haven't seen it since. Have no idea whether it's still in print. Ladyslipper, Inc. in Durham, NC, would be a good place to check if you want to find a recording of it. I've heard other performances of it and probably other recordings as well, but I don't think I have any. I didn't see it in the database, either.

Nora

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Animaterra
Date: 19 May 98 - 09:18 PM

I know the Harriet Tubman song, if you're referring to "Come on up, I got a lifeline..." etc. Great idea!!! This forum has given me enough material for several programs! I'm looking forward to the Old Songs Festival to hear the Georgia Sea Island singers; I've also collected a beautiful Yiddish song called S'dremlen feygl; I'm looking over the Irish and union songs; this concert is supposed to end with unity and power; maybe that's for another thread! Thanks, everyone!

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: Nora
Date: 19 May 98 - 10:19 PM

How about More than a Paycheck - Sweet Honey in the Rock

Nora

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: belter
Date: 20 May 98 - 03:06 PM

There was kind of a talk song on a resant public tv irish music show about food being exported from dublin at the hieght of the potato famin. It was a long list of food stufs wich were shipped out "on a single day" I could try to find out more if your interested.

Also, you could pick up a Clancy Brothers and Makem song book. You'll find many songs of both hardship and rebellion. One that stands out is The Praties They Grow Small.

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: rechal
Date: 20 May 98 - 07:05 PM

Practically anything Hazel Dickens sings would fall into this category.

i.e. Busted (also sung by Ray Charles), Aragon Mill (by Si Kahn, also recorded by Planxty), Working Girl Blues, etcetera.

Also Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues (Pete Seeger and others), Ain't No More Cane On This Brazos, Paddy Works on the Railway, on and on.

Subject: How about...
From: Debbie
Date: 22 May 98 - 01:14 PM

How about "Get up stand up" from Bob Marley.. of course that isn't what i'd class folk but still, it's the right theme. And that should be on quite a few of the cd's for sale at the moment, i don't know if the lyrics are available here though... good luck

Debbie

Subject: RE: Songs of hardship and oppression???
From: judy
Date: 22 May 98 - 03:24 PM

Eric Bogle's Glasgow Lullaby (in DT) about a drunken husband coming home and how the wife deals with it

"Request of the Poor" on a record by Staverton Bridge (will try to add the lyrics later when I have time)

enjoy!
judy