Lyr ADD: Spoon River (Michael Smith)

Subject: Looking for chords to Spoon River
From: Kazoo
Date: 10 Apr 98 - 05:26 PM

I have the lyrics but no chords or music. I heard this on a Steve Goodman album. Any help from you good people would be great. Thanks in advance. Kazoo

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: Art Thieme
Date: 12 Apr 98 - 02:43 PM

G                  C                           G
  All of the poor folksingers are losing their shirts,
                          C                 G
  All of the poor club owners sleep in the dirt,
                                                    C
  But you know & I know there never was reason to hurt,
                    G                             C           G
  For all of our lives were entwined in this b... S...here  on the folk scene!    

(This parody of Michael Smith's song sprang up around the Lincoln Avenue folk club scene in Chicago in the mid-'70s. But Kazoo, there are no chords for a kazoo!!!)

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: Art Thieme
Date: 12 Apr 98 - 02:48 PM

I set out the verse and inserted the G, C, D7 above the proper part o' each line -- then submitted it! Above is how it printed out. STRANGE. Art

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: Kazoo
Date: 12 Apr 98 - 09:10 PM

Thank you Art. Kazoo is actually a reference to Kalamazoo where I grew up. Maybe I should change it K-zoo.

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: Dawn
Date: 13 Apr 98 - 06:58 PM

Kazoo: Full lyrics and chords are in - don't anyone shoot me now - 8-) Rise Up Singing.

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Apr 98 - 02:46 PM

Art, to get chords to line up right, you can use the [pre][/pre] command (in angle brackets, of course). If you're lucky, it might turn out about the way you wanted it. I inserted it in your message and fooled around with the spacing a bit to make it look about right, but it's still not perfect. Maybe we can get it right with a little practice.
Maybe it's better to do like [shudder] 8-) Rise Up Singing and put the chords all together above the lyrics.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: Steve in Wisconsin
Date: 20 Apr 98 - 07:18 PM

Hmm...Interesting thread. #1 reason is that Spoon River has been discussed a lot lately at Steve Goodman listserv-check out his site at http://www.hepcat.com/goodman/

#2 reason why I found this interesting is that one of my best friends used to be known as The Grand Kazoo (long story)

Happy Days,

Steve

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: steve t
Date: 21 Apr 98 - 08:55 AM

In case you don't have RUS handy:
C Em F G C Em F G
Repeat
C C C7 C7 F F Fm Fm
C Em F G C Em F G
It sounds great if someone plays it in D and another player plays in C, capo 2.

Subject: RE: Looking for chords to
From: S.P. Buck Mulligan
Date: 21 Apr 98 - 09:56 PM

It makes some nifty harmonies to throw a Dm in there instead of the F.

And try this -

C Em But you know and I know Dm G C//E//A there never was reason to hurt D For all of our lives Dm F were entwined to begin with G C here in Spoon River

Subject: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From:
Date: 29 Sep 98 - 03:01 PM

I am looking for the lyrics for Spoon River written by Michael Smith sung by Claudia Schmidt.

Thanks! Mary

[e-mail]

Subject: Lyr Add: SPOON RIVER (Michael Peter Smith)^^
From: Roger Himler
Date: 29 Sep 98 - 08:22 PM

Mary my dear,

SPOON RIVER
by Michael Peter Smith

All of the riverboat gamblers are losing their shirts.
And all of the brave Union soldier boys sleep in the dirt,
But you know and I know there never was reason to hurt,
When all of our lives were entwined to begin with here in Spoon River.

All of the calico dresses, the gingham and lace,
Are up in the attic with grandfather's derringer case.
There's words whispered down in the parlor, a shadowy face,
The morning is heavy with one more beginning here in Spoon River.

Come to the dance, Mary Perkins; I like you right well.
The Union is preserved; if you listen you hear all the bells.
There must be a heaven; God knows, I've seen mostly hell,
My rig is outside; come and ride through the morning here in Spoon River.


Copyright 1970, Bird Avenue Publishing (BMI)

Enjoy the song! You wouldn't be Mary Perkins, now, would you?

Roger in Baltimore ^^

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: Stacy
Date: 29 Sep 98 - 10:26 PM

Cherish the Ladies do a lovely version of this song, also.

Stacy

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: Dawn
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 12:40 AM

I would say I still like Steve Goodman's version, but dare I go there? ;-)

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: Roger Himler
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 06:16 AM

Dawn,

When I first saw this request, my mind said, "But Mary is wrong, that's a Steve Goodman song!" Of course, 'twas I who was wrong.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From:
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 08:56 PM

Hi.

Should we post these lyrics for the Mudcat Database or for the International Lyrics Server (http://www.lyrics.ch)?

I am new to appreciating Claudia Schmidt myself. I will be sure to listen to those other artists doing Spoon River.

Thanks again.

-Mary

PS Mary Sullivan that is.

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: Roger Himler
Date: 30 Sep 98 - 09:02 PM

Mary,

The hard working people at the DT scan these threads twice a year and enter lyrics into the DT. So, we have done all the work we can hear. I am unfamiliar with how lyrics get into the International Lyric Server.

Enjoy Michael's song. Too bad you can't easily substitute your name for "Mary Perkins" when singing it.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: Dawn
Date: 06 Oct 98 - 01:38 AM

Hi -

Just heard Michael himself do this song with Anne Hills at a concert in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. I don't think I've heard it done more beautifully.

Subject: Lyrics and Chords for Spoon River?
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 03:36 PM

Can anyone tell me where I can find lyrics and chords for Spoon River? I love the song but don't know the words, OR the chords!

Help, Frank

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Lyrics and Chords for Spoon R
From: jeffp
Date: 01 Jun 00 - 03:43 PM

It's in Rise Up Singing, if you have that. If not, I'll post the lyrics and chords tomorrow if nobody else has by then. Lovely song.

jeffp

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: GUEST,Tom C
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 10:56 PM

Anybody done the chords for Spoon River?

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: DonMeixner
Date: 28 Jan 05 - 11:39 PM

I have the chords to this but it is full of walk ups and walk downs and partial chords. Each chord change seems to follow on the beat but like The Dutchman this is a little un predictable. I haven't played this in many years so this is strictly from an old memory.
No promises but it is close.

Don

The first line works along
C Em Am F C   
2nd line follows along these lines
C Em Am Dm G
The third follows
C Em Am C
The Fourth follow this line
C Dm F G   C


There is a G - C walk up after each line

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: riverblue
Date: 29 Jan 05 - 06:40 PM

there is probably a recording of Michael Smith and Claudia Schmidt playing this tune from the Charlotte's Web archives listed on
snapshotmusic.com. There are 30 years worth of live performance recordings just dying to be requested and preserved by all of us out here who live for and love folk music! Good LucK!

Subject: RE: Spoon River - Michael Smith/Claudia Schmidt
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 30 Jan 05 - 05:07 AM

Do they have all the tapes that Steve Powers made at Charlotte's Web back in the 1970s---when it was just a coffeehouse--before the saloon years even??? Leon Redbone, Steve Goodman, Dave Snaker Ray, Richard Pinney, Tom Dundee doin' "George Colgate", Michael Johnson, even my several gigs there. I opened for Bill Monroe one time too. It would be great to know those tapes have been saved somehow. At my age, it's just good to know about the footprints/splashes we have left on the sands/river of time!

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Spoon River (Michael Smith)
From: GUEST,John
Date: 23 Jul 10 - 06:32 PM

The chords to Spoon River are somewhat different depending on who does it. I believe there is modulation in the 4th line or 5th line from C to A or C to B if you can reach that note.