The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #26919   Message #327407
Posted By: Haruo
25-Oct-00 - 08:28 PM
Thread Name: Lyr/Chords Req: The Good Reuben James
Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: The Good Reuben James
No, but God willing you have a soundcard and can thus acquaint yourself with it from the MIDI.

According to Rod Smith's online encyclopedia,
Wildwood Flower an American song written in 1888 by Maud Irving and J.P. Weber, and popularized by the Carter Family (the original title was "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets"). Perhaps the favorite tune of beginning guitar pickers who want to go beyond strumming and into playing melody lines. The tune was used by Guthrie, Woody for the song "Reuben James". It's interesting to note that the lyrics have become nicely muddled over the years. Faith Petric, writing in her "Folk Process" column in a 1992 Sing Out! gives the original first verse: "I'll twine 'mid the ringlets of my raven black hair,The lilies so pale and the roses so fair,The myrtle so bright with an emerald hue,And the pale aronatus with eyes of bright blue." Those who know the song are invited to compare their version with the above - chances are, you'll have "twine and will mingle" for the first line, and "pale emanita with eyes look like blue" for the fourth, plus a few other minor changes.
A banjo rendition is available in MIDI here, depending on how your mind works may be more helpful than the plain melody in the DT — or maybe both together will help...

Wait, here, Try This!

Liland