The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #108354 Message #3845431
Posted By: GUEST,Nick in Croydon
17-Mar-17 - 06:51 PM
Thread Name: Songs about airplanes, aeroplanes, air travel
Subject: RE: Songs involving Airplanes
fretless (2008 Feb 4 at 6pm) quotes Airmail Special as beginning "When you wake this morning honey, keep your head up to the sky", but googling that brings only one hit:fretless's post of 2008.
I suspect Jim and Jesse were the first to record Airmail Special, in 1953. They begin it "Left New York this mornin early packed with mail so wide and high", yet every website I can find has "Left New York this mornin early traveling south so wide and high", which is nonsense, when you think about it. Traveling south so high, yes, that makes sense, but wide? What was it traveling wide of?
And another thing: is it a direct flight? Because if it is, do you go south from NY to get to California? Parts of California are further north than NY, according to my Odhams New Illustrated Atlas of the World!
Hartford, Seeger and Grisman -- could there be a more trustworthy trio? -- sing "packed with" as do three or four others on Spotify, though not all -- and they're not easy to find as there is a much-recorded jazz standard of the same name -- also, both songs are written airmail and air mail, in total disregard of poor internet-bound saps like me trying to search!
Anyway, I've settled on: Left New York this morning early Packed with mail so wide and high Sailing through the wide blue yonder It's that air mail special on the fly
Listen to her motors humming She is streaking through the sky Like a bird that's flying homeward It's that air mail special on the fly
Over plains and high dark mountains Over rivers deep and wide Like a mighty gallant warrior It's that air mail special on the fly
Over clouds so dark and stormy Over rugged peaks so high Carrying mail to Californi' It's that air mail special on the fly
Watch her circle for a landing Hear her moan and cough and sigh Now she's coming down the runway It's that air mail special on the fly
Does anyone have any corrections? fretless? I'm sure the blue yonder is wide and not wild, as some singers seem to sing. I would expect the mountains to be high-topped, but they do actually seem to be "high dark".
Anyway, it's a belting song if you can get it up to speed!