Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)

Subject: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: GUEST,Jim P
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 02:51 PM

Hi there,
I'm looking for the lyrics to Jody Stecher's "Seventeen Cents." I looked on here and on the web and just wasn't coming up with much, so thought I'd try posting my question on this forum. Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: GUEST,Greycap
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 07:44 PM

Let me have a look in my collection - give me about 24 hrs?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: GUEST,Greycap
Date: 12 Mar 07 - 07:56 PM

Just had a peek, can't find it - which CD is it on?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: GUEST,Jim P
Date: 13 Mar 07 - 12:01 AM

I believe it's called "Stay A While"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: GUEST,Greycap
Date: 13 Mar 07 - 01:46 PM

Well, I searched but, sorry, I haven't got that one -well, I tried...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen C
From: open mike
Date: 13 Mar 07 - 09:45 PM

yes it is on "Stay Awhile"
and Amazon says there are 26 of these available for sale used.
http://www.amazon.com/Jody-Stecher/artist/B000APJHFE

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: Ron Davies
Date: 13 Mar 07 - 10:49 PM

Yes, it is on Stay Awhile. I have the CD and should be able to get the words for you tomorrow. But this is rehearsal night so I got back late. Unfortunately it's too late to extract words tonight--it'll only be my best guess anyway. But tomorrow I'll do it--unless somebody else has beaten me---which often happens on Mudcat.

It's a real good CD--all of Kate and Jody's are, as you probably know.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: Ron Davies
Date: 14 Mar 07 - 11:05 PM

Well, didn't make it tonight. I'll try tomorrow night. Tonight I had to go out to get some baby food for one of our cats, who's not eating. Vet suggested baby food. Then Jan was on the computer. Tomorrow night has to be better.

Subject: Lyr Add 17 CENTS / SEVENTEEN CENTS (Jody Stecher)
From: Ron Davies
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 10:33 PM

"We're sorry but the artist has decided not to disclose the lyrics for this song". Jody must not want anybody else to sing his songs. Why do you suppose that's so?

And he'll probably get his wish--at least on this one. Or perhaps he's just trying to encourage the folk process--which is guaranteed to happen when you learn a song but can't quite get all the words--so have to guess--or make up plausible lyrics.

At any rate, this is my best guess--with much assistance from Jan.

17 Cents

17 cents is a whale of a lot
17 cents is what I got
Grocery bills, the heat and the rent
All I got left is 17 cents
(Chorus)
19, 18, 17 cents
Dirty old dime and the penny's bent
Ain't seen nothing of m'darlin' since
She left me here with 17 cents.

Down the road, round the bend
Look at the cold as the rain comes in
Over the fields and under the fence
My pocket was lined with 17 cents.
(Ch)

I got a letter from the IRS
"You owe back taxes--17 cents"
Wish I had all the money they spent
Spent on bringing in 17 cents.

(Ch)--except "Ain't seen nothing of m' Jody since...."

Chicken chow fong and pishu fried
Got hot chili on a Saturday night
Waitress threw me over the fence
Cause the tip I left was 17 cents
(Alternate chorus)
17 cents--soapy tea
She threw it on the table and it spilled on me
Chicken was fake and the greens was dead
Could have stayed home for 17 cents.

Went to Nashville--wrote me a song
Put it on a record by Fiddlin' John
.................Roy..............Jody------(can't figure out this line at all)
Royalty check was 17 cents
(Ch)

Down the road, skid row gents
Always begged for 17 cents
Never did find out where they went
To buy anything for 17 cents
(Alternate chorus)
17 cents for a cup of joe, ticket home or a burger roll
Never did find out where Ed spent
To buy such things for 17 cents

Repeat first verse.

Note: the "skid row gents" verse is the origin of the song. Jody--and some of his friends--were often asked by a particular man in San Francisco for 17 cents.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cent
From: Ron Davies
Date: 15 Mar 07 - 10:49 PM

Do you think he wants anybody who wants to sing the song to contact him directly? (The lyrics are also not in the CD case).

Otherwise----the folk process goes on.

Subject: RE: Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cents'
From: Stewie
Date: 16 Mar 07 - 01:51 AM

Hi Ron, I hear a few words a little differently. For your consideration:


Stanza 2, line 2 'Lookin' for gold at the rainbow's end'

3rd chorus 'Ain't seen nothin' of me doney since'

St 4, L 3 'The waiter ...

Chorus: 'Seventeen cents for soapy tea/He threw ...
'The chicken was pink and ...

St 5, L 3 'Bill Monroe and Joseph Spence'

Last chorus L 3 'To get such ...


--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cents'
From: Ron Davies
Date: 16 Mar 07 - 11:28 PM

Stewie--

I'm really impressed with what you heard. You got a lot more of the words than I did. I wonder if your hearing or your CD player is better than mine--or both. I was particularly struck by "Bill Monroe and Joseph Spence"--that makes perfect sense--seems exactly the kind of line Jody would come up with. And I'll bet there are few outside Mudcat who would get both references.

It really is a good song--much better with all your lyrics.

I knew when I tried to answer the question that I'm a bit of a bench-warmer in providing lyrics--there are far more skilled posters. I just felt that the thread might drop off if I didn't step in--and that it's important to try to answer musical questions--especially to give lyrics--if we can.

What's your take on why Jody doesn't want to release lyrics-either in the CD case or on his own website? Does he think he would lose royalties?

Subject: RE: Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cents'
From: Stewie
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 12:11 AM

Ron,

I have spent years trying to decipher Uncle Dave and other oldtimey mumblers and slurrers - Jody is relatively easy in that regard. I agree with you that all of Jody and Kate's CDs are gems. I have no idea why he does not want to release his lyrics.

Cheers, Stewie.

Subject: RE: Req: Lyrics to Jody Stecher's 'Seventeen Cents'
From: Ron Davies
Date: 17 Mar 07 - 09:43 AM

Stewie--

You may be used to deciphering lyrics. Still, your work is very impressive, as I've noticed before.

A few questions on this song.

1) What do you think the real diner dishes were? Chicken what? And what's "pishu fried"?

2) My guess about "Ed" must be wrong also. What is right?

3) And what's a "doney"--as in "my doney"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST,doney gal
Date: 04 Sep 07 - 07:44 AM

doney= sweetheart

from Our Southern Highlanders, Horace Kephart.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jul 10 - 02:22 PM

Anyone have the chords to this song?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Nov 10 - 07:21 PM

any body got chords for this song

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: open mike
Date: 10 Nov 10 - 01:24 PM

the Infamous String Dusters have it on their "album" Things That Fly.
http://music.thestringdusters.com/track/17-cents
you can hear the whole thing there....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 10 Nov 10 - 03:16 PM

never heard of a "burger roll"

have heard of a "butter roll"

and don't hear no "ED spent"

could it be "it spent"

maybe they played "hooky" during most of the diction classes in school.

G

PS.

But even the World Famous Hank Williams Sr. misspoke a time or two.

"Folks think I've gone crazy"

came out as

"Thanks, Folk I've gone crazy"

===

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 Nov 10 - 01:55 PM

Modest price rise since The Pajama Game with its

Seven and a half cents doesn't buy a hell of a lot,
Seven and a half cents doesn't mean a thing!
But give it to me every hour,
Forty hours every week,
And that's enough for me to be living like a king!

Here's the whole song.

Subject: Lyr Req: SEVENTEEN CENTS (Jody Stecher)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Nov 10 - 08:35 PM

This copy incorporates Stewie's corrections plus some of my own:


SEVENTEEN CENTS
Jody Stecher

1. Seventeen cents is a whale of a lot.
Seventeen cents is what I got,
The grocery bills, the heat, and the rent.
All I got left is seventeen cents.

CHORUS: Nineteen, eighteen, seventeen cents,
A dirty old dime and the penny's bent.
Ain't seen nothing of my {darlin'/doney} since.
She left me here with seventeen cents.

2. Down the road, round the bend,
Lookin' for gold at the rainbow's end.
Over the fields and under the fence,
My pocket was lined with seventeen cents. CHORUS

3. I got a letter from the IRS:
"You owe back taxes—seventeen cents."
Wish I had all the money they spent,
Spent on bringing in seventeen cents. CHORUS

4. Chicken chow fung and pichu fries(?),*
Got hot chili on a Saturday night.
The waiter threw me over the fence
'Cause the tip I left was seventeen cents.

CHORUS: Seventeen cents for soapy tea.
He threw it on the table and it spilled on me.
The chicken was pink and the greens was dead.
Could have stayed home for seventeen cents.

5. Went to Nashville, wrote me a song,
Put it on a record by Fiddlin' John,
Bill Monroe, and Joseph Spence.
The royalty check was seventeen cents. FIRST CHORUS

6. Down the road, the skid row gents
Always begged for seventeen cents.
Never did find out where they went
To buy anything for seventeen cents.

CHORUS: Seventeen cents for a cup of joe,
Ticket home or a burger-o.
Never did find out where it's spent
To buy such things for seventeen cents.


[* Google gives 17 hits on "chicken chow fung" but I haven't found anything like "pichu fries."]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST,Aaron S. Rose
Date: 24 Dec 10 - 08:44 AM

Just been working through this one myself. I think the first words of the last line of the second verse are, "The bucket" was lined...

I also did some listening and digging on the weird opening to Verse 4.

I think he's talking about a Chinese restaurant so I heard "pichu fries" as, "Pea shoot fry" As in a chicken & pea shoot stir fry.

The second line I think, but am no where near as certain, is "Haha chili". There are a couple references on oddball chinese sites that mention it.

Also, in the different chorus for that section, I think he says "Greens were dense" instead of "dead". It still makes sense and is a better rhyme.

Best regards,

Aaron

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 28 Dec 10 - 11:10 PM

Where can I find an audio file for this song? I must have had one back in November when I last posted to this thread, but I'm darned if I can find it now.

The String Dusters version, which Open Mike posted the URL for, is pretty clear, but it omits verse 4 and the following chorus.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Sep 12 - 09:31 PM

A version without the chinese restaurant verses, appears on a CD by Lynn Morris, titled "You'll never be the sun". It's Rounder CD0458.
Gene Warner

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: Gene
Date: 24 Sep 12 - 01:07 AM

There are several different renditions by various groups at

[Utube 17 cents]

Gene

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: BanjoRay
Date: 24 Sep 12 - 03:30 AM

Maybe he didn't want the lyric published because of his libel on Bill Monroe etc only paying 17 cents for a song? I expect the song may have been recorded by Jody before Bill died....

Ray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 24 Sep 12 - 06:51 PM

Here's what Jody has to say about it...

http://www.jodyandkate.com/music-1.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seventeen Cents (Jody Stecher)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 24 Sep 12 - 07:39 PM

The definitive lyrics are at that link.