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Subject: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST,Matthias Paul Date: 15 Jan 04 - 02:56 PM Hello, In february we play the drama "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. For our Program I'm looking for songs and lyrics which argue more or less directly with the HUAC. Can you help me? With the best thanks in advance. Matthias Paul |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Charley Noble Date: 15 Jan 04 - 07:43 PM Probably the best source of such songs I can think of is Broadside Magazine during the 1960's, edited by "Sis" Agnes Cunningham and Gordon Frezier. There are also several songs by Malvina Reynolds that directly address HUAC and anti-HUAC demonstrations. I seem to remember one was a parody of "Charming Billy Boy." Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Peace Date: 15 Jan 04 - 08:54 PM Waist Deep in the Big Muddy--Pete Seeger |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Joe Offer Date: 15 Jan 04 - 09:33 PM Well, I was going to post Talking Unamerican Blues, but we already have it in the Digital Tradition. There's a slightly different transcription here (click). -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: MAG Date: 15 Jan 04 - 10:07 PM Richard Farina's HUAC Blues comes to mind. He and Mimi did it on, I think, Songs for a Grey Day. it ends with: Say your prayers and the pledge of allegiance every night And in the morning you'll be feeling all right. Apparrently based on his true experiences after visiting Cuba. I understand that he WAS Cuban. |
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Subject: ADD: House Un-American Blues Activity Dream From: Joe Offer Date: 16 Jan 04 - 12:19 AM House Un-American Blues Activity Dream (Richard Fariña) I was standing on the sidewalk, had a noise in my head. There were loudspeakers babbling, but nothing was said. There were twenty-seven companies of female Marines. There were presidential candidates in new Levis jeans. It was the red, white and blue planning how to endure. The fife, drum and bugle marching down on the poor. God bless America, without any doubt. And I figured it was time to get out. Well I have to b'lieve that in between scenes, good people. (?) Went and got em done in the sun, good people. (?) Tourist information said to get on the stick. You ain't moving 'til you're grooving with a Cubana chick. So I hopped on a plane, I took a pill for my brain, and I discovered I was feeling all right. When I strolled down the Prado, people looked at me weird. Who's that hippy, hoppy character without any beard? Drinking juice from papayas, singing songs to the trees. Dancing mambo on the beaches, spreading social disease. Now the Castro convertible was changing the style, a whole lot of action on a blockaded isle. When along come a summons in the middle of night, saying, "Buddy, we're about to indict." When I went up on the stand with my hand, good people. You've got to tell the truth in the booth, good people. I started out with information kind of remote. When a patriotic mother dragged me down by the throat. "If they ask you a question, they expect a reply!" Doesn't matter if you're fixin' to die. Well I was lying there unconscious feeling kind of exempt. When the judge said that silence was a sign of contempt. He took out his gavel, banged me hard on the head. He fined me ten years in prison, and a whole lot of bread. It was the red, white and blue making war on the poor. Blind mother justice, on a pile of manure. Say your prayers and the Pledge of Allegiance every night. And tomorrow, you'll be feeling all right. (the above is my transcription of what I hear on the studio and Newport Folk Festival recordings -JRO-) Notes from http://home.alltel.net/humans/farina.html:
Note that I have a questions on a couple of lines above. If you can furnish corrections, please do. |
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Subject: ADD: Joe McCarthy's Band From: Joe Offer Date: 16 Jan 04 - 04:24 AM Joe McCarthy's Band (Joe Glazer) Oh, my name is Joe McCarthy I'm the leader of the hand I don't play in the concert hall but on the witness stand. I have the finest orchestra in Washington, D.C. And night and day I love to play McCarthy's Symphony. Oh, Jenner howls and Bill D. yowis and Mundt says "Pour it on!" The drums go bang, the cymbals clang from Maine to Oregon. And Hickenlooper tootles the flute as victims take the stand The sweetest music ever heard is Joe McCarthy's Band! Toodle-de-do, try to sue Toodle-de-do, Just try to sue Toodle-de-do, I'll tell you more But I'll never never never say it off the Senate floor! Now I'm the best investigator in the Senate hall Who cares about the evidence, I use a crystal ball. I taught J. Edgar Hoover and his Boy Scout FBI That proof is nut required when you're out to catch a spy. When I started chasing Communists I claimed two hundred five And then I swore 'twas eighty one to keep the thing alive Then fifty-seven varieties of reds and pinks galore They're climbin' on the ceiling and they're creepin' ou the floor. Well, I'm the biggest headline chaser in the U.S.A. I'd rather chase a headline than a Commie any day. I've called 'em red, I've called 'em pink and everything between But the fact is that I'm colorblind, I can't tell red from green! from Songs for Political Action, Bear Family Records |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: MAG Date: 16 Jan 04 - 10:36 AM I always thought "Man goin' 'round takin' names" -- at least as sung by PP&M -- would apply to McCarthyism as well as slavery. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Charley Noble Date: 16 Jan 04 - 12:41 PM Here's a link to one of the Mudcat HUAC threads:Click here! Guest MP, before I go to the trouble of transcribing Malvina Reynolds' song, I'd like to know if it's of interst. Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: dick greenhaus Date: 16 Jan 04 - 02:10 PM "Yes the Bolsheviks came, kicked me out in the cold And all I had left were some diamonds and gold. But I'll get my revenge here, and I'll have no pity By giving my testimony to the House Unamerican Activities Committee..." try a search for Rasputin in DigiTrad |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST,Larry Kaufman Date: 16 Jan 04 - 03:23 PM You may want to get your facts right before starting a thread linking Senator Joe McCarthy to the HUAC. Joe McCarthy was a senator. He was never in the House of Representatives. The H in HUAC stands for House or Representatives. (House Unamerican activities committee) This was started 7 years before Joe McCarthy got in the Senate. Joe McCarthy and the HUAC have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with each other. For more information you may want to read Ann Coutlers new book "Treason". She gives great detail about McCarthy and the HUAC. In 1995 Congress released transcripts of broken Russian codes and spy documents during the 1940's and 50's. They actually proved that McCarthy was correct. Not a popular subject but confirmed by the New York Times in 1995. You may also want to research Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers. It is fascinating. Hard to believe today, but FDR and his VP Wallace were more afraid of Winston Churchill and Great Britain than they were of USSR and Joe Stalin. (Who FDR called "Uncle Joe" |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST Date: 16 Jan 04 - 03:39 PM Thanks to all of you for your helpful and friendly answers! I'm quite happy about theese lots of material. To Charley Noble: Thanks for your offer to translate, but if we will use the text, we'll take the english original version. To Larry Kaufmann: Thank you for your corrections, your references and suggestions are very interesting. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: MAG Date: 16 Jan 04 - 09:36 PM Don't start that tripe about Alger Hiss (again); those transcripts "proved" absolutely nothing against him. They contain an anonymous pencilled note that an operative might have been Hiss, with a question mark. period. And Whittaker Chambers was a sorry little man who happened to be gay and felt rejected by Hiss. He was used, used, used. Crap. The misinformation continues to roll downhill. No pun intended. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Bo Vandenberg Date: 17 Jan 04 - 12:55 AM Personally I think that the most eloquent thing that can be said against McCarthy is to help rebuild the great Americans that the regime persecuted. How bout playing Mighty Lak A Rose or some other suitably glorious Paul Robeson during your intermission. I'd also consider gathering foreign views of United States domestic policy to underscore that informed citizens establish a point of comparison to judge their government. S |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Joe Offer Date: 17 Jan 04 - 02:29 AM
Charley, of course there's interest in the Malvina song (unless we have it already). -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: ray bucknell Date: 17 Jan 04 - 07:36 AM "We're after Rosie Clooney, we've gotten Pinky Lee; And the day we get Red Skelton won't that be a victory!" 'Ray |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BILLY BOY (Malvina Reynolds) From: Charley Noble Date: 17 Jan 04 - 11:58 AM Joe- You've listed Malvina's parody of Billy Boy in your index but I can't find it in the threads or the DT so here it is: BILLY BOY-4 (Words by Malvina Reynolds, © 1963 by Schroder Music Co.; music traditional; in LITTLE BOXES AND OTHER HOMEMADE SONGS. p. 20, Oak Publications 3002) Did they wash you down the stairs, Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Did they wash you down the stairs, charming Billy? Yes, they washed me down the stairs And they re-arranged my hair With a club in the City Hall rotunda. Were they pigeons in the square, Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Were they pigeons in the square, charming Billy? There were pigeons in the square, And stool pigeons in the air, And they fouled up the City Hall rotunda. Did they set for you a chair, Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Did they set for you a chair, charming Boy? No, the D.A.R. was there, And there wasn't room to spare, So we stood in the City Hall rotunda. Was the House Committee there, Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Was the House Committee there, charming Boy? The Committee it was there, Spreading slander everywhere, While we sang in the City Hall rotunda. Did the people think it fair, Billy Boy, Billy Boy, Did the people think it fair, charming Boy? No, they didn't think it fair, And they notified the Mayor, And he wept, and he wept, and he wept, and he wept, While they mopped up the City Hall rotunda. Notes by Malvina: "in may, 1960, the House UnAmerican Committee came to San Francisco and subpoenaed, amongst others, a university student." I believe the demonstrators were "washed down the stairs" with a fire hose. Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Joe Offer Date: 18 Jan 04 - 03:17 AM Thanks, Charley. Yeah, I have the songbook - I just didn't realize that's where it was. Thank you very much for posting it. -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST,Ed Brody Date: 01 Oct 06 - 02:15 PM I have the words to Shootin with Rasputin in the Folksinger's Wordbook, but does anyone know who wrote the song and when? Thanks. Ed |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Charley Noble Date: 01 Oct 06 - 08:44 PM Ed- I'm not sure why you are posting this request here. Probably you should start a new thread asking about the origins of "Shootin' with Rasputin" which I think, by the way, is a brilliantly witty song. My copy of the song was from the Oak publication THE PANIC IS ON, pp. 38-39, But there is no information on who composed it. Good luck in your search! Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: dick greenhaus Date: 02 Oct 06 - 12:58 AM I've always heard it attributed to Gene Raskin (Those Were the Days, Tingalayo etc.) not sure what name it was copyrighted under (I think The Russian Emigre, but there are other possibilities.) my pet line is the spoken " I was penniless, bit the Czar.......he was Nicholas!" |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Charley Noble Date: 02 Oct 06 - 08:26 AM Jerry Silverman, who edited THE PANIC IS ON, was another editor who was either sloppy or deliberate about not identifying composers of such songs. I still have a balailika from "the days" when I attempted to play such songs. I should sell it on eBay! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Susan of DT Date: 02 Oct 06 - 09:20 AM You might also look at John Birch Society and Jack Ash Society |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: dick greenhaus Date: 02 Oct 06 - 11:03 AM For those with a real interest in such matters (and deep pockets) I commend the marvelous Bear Family 10-CD set "Songs for Political Action". |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Janice in NJ Date: 02 Oct 06 - 11:12 AM I remember hearing Lee Hays sing this verse as part of Wasn't That a Time? when the Weavers had their final union in 1980: Informers took their Judas pay, To tell their sorry tale, The boys in Congress had their day, And free souls went to jail. I won't speak ill of the dead, but I am sure that Lee had several of his fellow folk singers in mind. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: NH Dave Date: 02 Oct 06 - 12:23 PM Either Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding or Stan Freeburg and Daws Butler did a single named Baa Baa Black Sheep back in the 50's, that characterized the entire process, with The March of the Gladiators as part of the theme song - for our British members, this is the song played at our circuses that ushers in the parade of the clowns, ridiculing the entire process. Some of the dialog included, "Mr. Sheep, Are you now or have you ever been pink?" "Well, yes, the last time I was shorn, but now I'm blue from the cold." interrupted by numerous pointless, requests for points of order. Dave |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Charley Noble Date: 02 Oct 06 - 01:46 PM There was also "The Committee", a radio drama produced by the Canadian Broadcasting System in the 1950's which was a breath of fresh air for those of us in the States near enough to the border to access it. I think Max Furgenson was associated with this project. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Charley Noble Date: 02 Oct 06 - 01:49 PM That should have been "Max Ferguson" above. Charley Noble, who should google first before shooting his mouth off! |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: Thomas Stern Date: 04 Oct 06 - 03:34 PM Dalton Trumbo - Confessional issued on a 12" 78. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST,Ken Brock Date: 04 Oct 06 - 08:45 PM Either Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding or Stan Freeburg and Daws Butler did a single named Baa Baa Black Sheep back in the 50's, that characterized the entire process, with The March of the Gladiators as part of the theme song - for our British members, this is the song played at our circuses that ushers in the parade of the clowns, ridiculing the entire process. Some of the dialog included, "Mr. Sheep, Are you now or have you ever been pink?" "Well, yes, the last time I was shorn, but now I'm blue from the cold." interrupted by numerous pointless, requests for points of order. I'm not sure, but I think this is Stan Freberg's "Point of Order". It's on the 4CD box set Tip of the Freberg. |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: John MacKenzie Date: 05 Oct 06 - 03:46 AM I was thinking of a couple of Phil Ochs songs that would fit the theme, although I don't rightly know their genesis. William Worthy and Celia. Giok |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST,Ancient Briton Date: 05 Oct 06 - 03:55 AM When I first briefly looked at this thread I thought it was about "Carthyism". Interesting concept for UK folkies? |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser) Date: 05 Oct 06 - 07:05 AM Biggest problem round here is McCartneyism |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: GUEST,Bob Coltman Date: 05 Oct 06 - 09:47 AM Charley, Are you referring to the unofficial CBC production "The Investigator"? "I am the Chief! I AM THE CHIEF!" "From UP HERE...to DOWN THERE." etc. That was a breath of fresh air indeed. I don't know whether it's currently available, but it ought to be. Sure would be timely. (And we thought we were in trouble in the 50s!) Bob |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: DebC Date: 05 Oct 06 - 09:50 AM There is also the Ochs song "The Ballad of John Henry Faulk" Debra Cowan |
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Subject: RE: Lyrics against/about McCarthyism From: KenBrock Date: 10 Oct 06 - 04:18 PM Stephen Sondheim has a related lyric in "I'm Still Here" from FOLLIES (1971) - "I've been through Herbert and J. Edgar Hoover ... that was fun and a half". |
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Subject: Lyr Add: BALLAD OF JOHN HENRY FAULK (Phil Ochs) From: GUEST Date: 10 Oct 06 - 07:57 PM THE BALLAD OF JOHN HENRY FAULK By Phil Ochs I'll tell you the story of John Henry Faulk. I'll tell you of his trials and the troubled trail he walked, And I'll tell of the tyrants, the ones you never see: Murder is the role they play and hatred is their fee. On the TV and the radio John Henry Faulk was known. He talked to many thousands with a mind that was his own, But he could not close his eyes when the lists were passed around, So he tried to move the Union to tear the blacklist down. His friends they tried to warn him he was headin' for a fall. If he spoke against the blacklist he had no chance at all, But he laughed away their warnings and he laughed away their fears: For how could lies destroy the work of many honest years? Then slowly, oh so slowly, his life began to change. People would avoid his eyes, his friends were actin' strange, And he finally saw the power of the hidden poison pen When they told him that his job was through, he'd never work again. And he could not believe what his sad eyes had found. He stared in disbelief as his world came tumblin' down, And as the noose grew tighter, at last the trap was clear: For every place he turned to go, that list would soon be there -- Oh, that list. And is there any bottom to the fears that grow inside? Is there any bottom to the hate that you must hide? And is there any end to your long road of despair? Is there any end to the pain that you must bear? His wife and children trembled, the time was runnin' short, When a man of law got on their side and took them into court, And there upon the stand they could not hide behind their eyes, And the cancer of the fascist was displayed before our eyes. Hey, you blacklist, you blacklist, I've seen what you have done. I've seen the men you've ruined and the lives you've tried to run, But the one thing that I've found is, the only ones you spare Are those that do not have a brain, or those that do not care. And you men who point your fingers and spread your lies around, You men who left your souls behind and drag us to the ground, You can put my name right down there, I will not try to hide -- For if there's one man on the blacklist, I'll be right there by his side. For I'd rather go hungry to beg upon the streets Than earn my bread on dead men's souls and crawl beneath your feet. And I will not play your hater's game and hate you in return, for it's only through the love of man the blacklist can be burned. Notes: (C) 1963 Phil Ochs. Broadside #26. |
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