Lyr Add: Oh Brandy Leave Me Alone (Josef Marais)

Subject: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 23 Mar 99 - 11:24 PM

There is a song of this title in the db and it is credited to Joseph Marais, but the verses aren't much like the version on an old ten-inch lp I used to have of Marais and Miranda. Here's the song, as much as I remember of it:

"Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone" (chorus_
Oh, brandy, leave me alone,
Oh, brandy, leave me alone,
Oh, brandy, leave me alone:
Remember, I must go home.

My sweetheart would never know me
If she could only see me now,
With a drink in my hand,
And a frown on my brow.

(chorus)
I tried talking to her father
To put a good word in for me,
But her father said, "No, sir, You're no son for me."

(chorus)

If anyone knows any of the other verses, I'd love to see them added. --seed
^^

Subject: Lyr Add: O BRANDEWYN LAAT MY STANN
From: Allan S.
Date: 24 Mar 99 - 09:08 PM

Hi Seed: I bet you never expected to get an answer. The song you are looking for is O BRANDEWYN LAAT MY STANN. The book is "Suid-Afrika se eie Lieddjies" = "South Africa's own songs". The problem is that they only give the chorus as follows and none of the verses. Over there it is one of the old trad songs equal to On Top of Old Smokey

O brandewyn laat my Staan
O brandewyn laat my Staan
O brandewyn laat my Staan
want ek wil nou Huis toe Gaan

This translates as:

O Brandy wine let me stand
O Brandy wine let me stand
O Brandy wine let me stand
what I will now house to go [I now want to go home]

Somewhere I have it all in Afrikaans, but it is buried in one of 70 C-90 tapes and I don't know where to find it. My suggestion is to search Afrikaans music. If I remember there are several sites for South African music stores. Just found a web site www.cfb.co.za/artlist.shtm. If that doesn't work omit the part after the forward slash. If not try the S.A. embassy for help 3051 Massachusetts Ave. N.W., Washington DC 20008

I can send a Xerox by snail mail if you give me your address. Contact me at [e-mail]

Tot siens Alles von die besta Allan
^^

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 24 Mar 99 - 09:34 PM

Thanks, Allan. There's always hope on the Mudcat. Do my verses sound at all like the song as you remember it? Some of the other songs on the album I had were "Pity the Poor Patat," "Train to Kimberly" (is that the right destination for the train?) and the Xhosa "Click Song"--which I recalled when I saw "The Gods Must Be Crazy." --seed

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: Allan S.
Date: 24 Mar 99 - 10:31 PM

Yes, what you have sounds like what Marais and Miranda sang. Somewhere I have a 78 album of these songs. My god, you are almost as old as I am if you remember them. I just pulled one of my tapes and it may be the one I am looking for but not sure it appears to have the oldies on it. Won’t know till tomorrow when I have time to go through it. The book I have includes the following:

Sarie Marais, vat jou goed en trek [Pack your trunk Ferria Johnie with the wooden leg]
Die Stellenbosch se Boys [The Stellenbosch boys]
Ver in die wereld Kittie [Far in the world Kitty]
Ou Tante Koba [Old auntie Kobe she is so dumb she stirs her coffee with her thumb]
Mama ek wil n man he [Mama I want a man]
Jan Pierewiet [John Perewiet]
Good morning, my wife. here is a kiss for you. good morning, old man. there is coffee in the can.

If I remember Marais and Miranda sang all of them. No problem to copy and send the tape if you want it. The problem is that they are in Afrikaans. Xerox is no problem. Yes I know the Kimberly train it may be on the tape??? In fact a friend of mine lives in Kimberly, wife works at the Kimberly mine museum. A good song is HERE COMES THE ALABAMA very popular with the Cape Malay Population. Refers to the Alabama which was a confederate raider in our civil war. In a hurry so don’t mind the typos. Allan

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: Allan S.
Date: 25 Mar 99 - 08:38 AM

I have found the 2 12 inch lp's of Joseph Maris and Miranda if you want them let me know It has Sarie Maris, Train to Kimberky,When it rains, Ma says Pa says , Pity the poor patat, Sugarbush, Oh brandy leave me alone, Animal cries, Jonnathan, Umbira Melody Rercord2 THe cape cart, THe bouquet, If ma strises me down, THe crickets, ihashe, till the queen bee arives, farmer of brienz, The scorned lover, ah Groot noodle soup, JOHNNY WITH THE BANDY LEGS, MEISSIEFONTEIN, ANTIE MINA'S COOKING THE SIRUP, polly, goind down to cripple creek recorded 1955 Deca and Harminy recordings. let me know and I can copy on to tape will need mailing address no problen as I have plenty of time Allan

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: Allan S.
Date: 25 Mar 99 - 10:24 PM

I just did this to bring it up the the top of the list Seed Do you want me to make a tape of the 2 Joseph Mareis records?/ Let me know Allan

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 26 Mar 99 - 03:08 PM

Allan, I swear I posted this last night: I'd love to have the tapes--and I'll tape some of my favorite things for you. --seed

Charles Kratz 1509 Everett Street El Cerrito, California 94530 USA

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: Allan S.
Date: 26 Mar 99 - 07:47 PM

I will start taping next week also go to Staples and XeroX the book of songs. HOw did you get interested in Music from South Africa?? I will throw in a tape of current SA Music. Not bad stuff but I am not fluent in the language. It appears to be a mixture of Low German, Flemish, ENglish and various native words. Allan

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 27 Mar 99 - 02:59 PM

Allan, again one of my posts to you failed to make it onto the thread--I've had this problem before--probably at times when half the 'cat population is on line and posting at the same time. Anyway, thanks again. (As I said, I had an old 10 inch LP of Marais/Miranda, most of the songs in English. I think my father may have picked it up in England when he and my mom went in 1960 and my mom had it when I lived with her for a few months after I got out of the Peace Corps in 1965. I hardly remember the performances, mostly just the song "Oh,Brandy...." --seed

Subject: RE: LYRICS ADD: Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone]
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 02 Apr 99 - 01:34 AM

Allan, you're wonderful. The tape arrived today--the first dozen songs were on the LP I had--only the Xhosa song was missing. Because they were so familiar to me, I wasn't bothered by the singing much, although Miranda's voice could get annoying at times (lots of times). And it was great to hear the old songs again (I really like some of them--and I don't think they did anything reprehensible in writing new verses and a new tune for the verses of "Brandy"--although it seems Joseph Marais' authorship of the version in the DB seems questionable. It was great also to hear the voice of another Mudcateer (Art Thieme's is the only one I'd heard before). I'm greatly enjoying the songs on side two--I guess I was about a quarter of the way through when my wife insisted I use earphones so she could go to sleep. I stopped the tape instead and will listen to the rest tomorrow and start thinking what I could send you in return. Thanks again.

For everybody else who may care, here is the complete song, thanks to the kindness of Allan S.:


Oh, Brandy, Leave Me Alone
(from the singing of Marais and Miranda)

(Chorus)
Oh, brandy, leave me alone,
Oh, brandy, leave me alone,
Oh, brandy, leave me alone;
Remember, I must go home.

My gal's got another fella, I don't know the reason why.
I said "Hello, dear," She said "Hello and goodbye."
(chorus)

Last Sunday I [he]* tried to see her [me], I [he] knocked on my door all day.
There I [he] stood in the cold with my [his] dying bouquet.
(chorus)

I tried talking to her father to put a good word in for me,
But the old man said "No, sir, you're no son for me.
(chorus)

My sweetheart would never know me if she ever saw me now.
With a drink in my hand and a frown on my brow.
(chorus).

*on the record, this verse is sung by Miranda, from the woman's point of view. I put the appropriate pronouns for this interpretation into brackets after the pronouns the man would use if he sang all the verses.

--seed

--