Lyr Add: John Hartford songs

Subject: RE: REQ/ADD: John Hartford songs
From: GUEST,Julie
Date: 17 Aug 09 - 11:54 PM

Hey Y'all...I have been trying to find lyrics to the song "The Tall Tall Grass" to no avail. I love it and would appreciate anyone posting it that has them. Thanks

Subject: RE: REQ/ADD: John Hartford songs
From: Peace
Date: 18 Aug 09 - 12:05 AM

Are you sure it's a song?

Subject: RE: REQ/ADD: John Hartford songs
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Aug 09 - 12:19 AM

Julie...this is a folk site and next time start a thread requesting a lyric.......here's Tall Tall Grass

If a clone wants to get a new thread for Julie, have at it. I figure this is where she might come back.........

Spaw

Subject: RE: REQ/ADD: John Hartford songs
From: GUEST,Rosie in denver
Date: 01 Oct 09 - 05:39 AM

Trying to find the lyrics to Front Porch I've googled and can't find it
i know how it starts
My front porch looks right at your back porch
At the side of my house sits your car

Subject: RE: REQ/ADD: John Hartford songs Miss Ferris
From: bluerabbit10
Date: 22 Feb 10 - 03:31 PM

I transcribed this from "Steamboat Captain" on You Tube. John has Old Time Riverman and Gentle On My Mind on this video as well.
Miss Ferris, I need to listen some more, but I think the key is E, or maybe F.

Miss Ferris
John Hartford
Heading Down Into Mystery Train
Banjo tuned E, Capo 3, Key of:
Transcribed by: Verne Garrison
February 22, 2010 from You Tube, Steamboat Captain


Now I had a teacher when I went to school
She loved the river, and she taught about too
I was a pretty good boy, but she called my bluff
With her great big collection of steamboat stuff
Oh yeah

She had log books and bells and things like that
And she knew the old captains, and where they were at
She rode the Alabama and the Gordon C. Greene
And at Cape Girardeau, she was later renamed
Uh Huh

But her very favorite, as you all know
The Golden Eagle, Captain Buck's old boat
The old stern wheeler that sank and went to heaven
When I was in the fourth grade, in 1947
Uh Huh

I used to work real hard to get my school work done
But you couldn't fool Miss Ferris none
And if I went to sleep, or wasn't supposed to talk
She was a dead shot, with a little piece of chalk
Uh Huh

Oh me, Oh my, how the time does fly
Time seems to keep on rolling on by
Now I am not a student, and she is not a teacher
But we both still love the Mississippi River
Oh yeah


Verne

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: THE BURNING OF THE GRAND REPUBLIC
From: bluerabbit10
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 01:27 PM

I listened closely, and came up with this transcription...Verne

The Burning of the Grand Republic***
John Hartford
No End of Love
Banjo tuned E, Capo 3, Key of C
***Originally, the Great Republic, Capt Wm H Thorwegan
(Source: Way's Packet Directory 1848-1894)
   C                        
Last night, at eleven-thirty,
   G
At the foot of Les Peres Street
       C                        F
The pride and wonder of the western river
             G         C
Burned to the water's edge

    C                           
Calendar length, and calendar width
    G
And twelve feet down the hole
   C            F
Once carried 8,210
G         C
Bales of cotton

C                                 
A man came running at break-neck speed
                           G
Over the road past the dog pound

Out of breath he found a policeman on Dekalb corner
                            C
And he quickly turned in the alarm

    C                                    
The sidewheel steamer, the Grand Republic,
G                     
Was laid up for the summer
      C                        F
The iron-hulled steamer, Carondolet,
       G          C
Was tied up just outside

       C                                 
The watchman woke when he heard the flames
       G                                 
The bedding, carpets, and painted railings
       C                  F
Two ladies woke up, much too late
    G               C
To save the Grand Republic

      C                                                      
In a roar of horses, fire department rushed down to the river
      G                                                
The sky was flowing fleecy clouds turning to vermillion
       C                                        F
Even trees on the Illinois shore stood out in bold relief
                            G                         C
And a single glance told everyone, nothing they could do

       C                              
The lightning fingers of thirsty flames
       G                           
On layer, one layer of dried out paint
             C                        F
Until the grease-wood curled out of the windows,
            G            C
Eating their way to the roof

Key down:???
       Bb/Em
The Grand Republic was beautiful
      F/Am                           
As well as valuable and practical--
       Bb/Em             Em
It was even more spectacular
      F/D7          C/G ?
In a royal robe of flames

       C                                 
And the fire destroyed the Carondolet***
       G                  
As it added to the terror,
       C             F
The red flare had a brilliance
       G                C
That made the moonlight green


Hissing and crackling this funeral fire,
Road the water like a swan
One more agonized moment
And the pilot house toppled on

A million sparks rose in the air
Some of them, gone forever
A reporter from the Globe Democrat said,
It was like daylight for a mile

Key Down
    Bb/Em                     
And the crowd down on the levee,
      F/Am                        
Stood as long as they could dare
    Eb/Em       Em
Which was not very
          D7                      C/G
And by 12:30, the fire had done its work

   C                                 
By this late hour, they tried to find
    G
Thorwegan***, the Captain of Grand Republic
C          F
But he was nowhere
G    C
To be found

Instrumental:

This morning her hull lies black
With her engines melted down
And the twisted fleeting fingers
Are in the river where she lay

At the foot of Les Peres Street
The Pride of the Mississippi
The sidewheel steamboat, Grand Republic
Has burned to the water's edge****

Short instrumental:


***Ibid. Burned Sept 19, 1877. The Carondolet was rebuilt in summer of 1878. One of first boats in St Louis to have electric lights.

Subject: RE: REQ/ADD: John Hartford songs
From: bluerabbit10
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 11:06 AM

The Waltz of the Mississippi...John Hartford from Good Ol' Boys CD.
Anyone know the lyrics?
Thanks,
Verne

Subject: RE: req/ADD: John Hartford songs
From: Steamboat Willie
Date: 21 Mar 10 - 07:51 PM

John Hartford was one of my longest and dearest friends from 'way back' on the river-- some forty years ago when we met on the Steamer DELTA QUEEN. He was loved, and beloved, by so many friends and fans, and I can feel that love on these pages for our friend, teacher, mentor, prophet, philosopher, artist, and steamboatman.

Though I do not play music, I remain a devoted fan of his. Practically anything that has happened, or will happen, on the river, John also had a similar experience on the river in his own time, and his experiences are found within the lyrics of his songs; so I often quote his words of an appropriate tune to illustrate a point to be made, or to express a feeling I might have.

Maintain the faith. Play his stuff. Buy an album. Keep John Hartford's name and his music alive.

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WALTZ OF THE MISSISSIPPI (Hartford
From: bluerabbit10
Date: 13 May 10 - 08:52 PM

Waltz of the Mississippi...I listened to cd on Rhapsody and come up with these lyrics:

Waltz of the Mississippi
John Hartford: Good Old Boys
Chords by: Verne Garrison
Banjo tuned E, Capo 3, Key C

   C                  
On the old Mississippi
   F
Are girls in red dresses
    C                  
The one that's a beauty
       G7       C
She's broken my heart


In the shade of the woods
We are dancing together
On the old Mississippi
We drifted apart


To dare to have loved
The girl of such rareness
So fair and so perfect
She's nature's fine art


On the old Mississippi
There's a girl of my vision
On the old Mississippi,
She has broken my heart

Subject: RE: ADD: John Hartford songs
From: bluerabbit10
Date: 22 Jan 13 - 03:11 PM

Slumberin' on the Cumberland...looking for the lyrics...thank you.

Subject: RE: ADD: John Hartford songs
From: GUEST,hg
Date: 22 Jan 13 - 11:32 PM

http://www.countrytabs.com/tablature/John_Hartford/Slumberin_On_The_Cumberland_Chord_55972/




Verne, have you forgotten?

Subject: Lyr Add: MISS FERRIS (John Hartford)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Apr 13 - 01:59 AM

The version posted by bluerabbit10 above is very abbreviated compared to this one. The song tells a lovely story and is a great tribute to a teacher.


MISS FERRIS
As sung by John Hartford on "Me Oh My, How the Time Does Fly: A John Hartford Anthology" (1987).

1. Now I had a teacher when I went to school.
She loved the river, and she taught about it, too.
I was a pretty bad boy, but she called my bluff
With her great big collection of steamboat stuff,
Oh, yeah.

2. She had log books and bells and things like that,
And she knew the old captains, and where they were at.
She rode the Alabama and the Gordon C. Greene,
As the Cape Girardeau she was later renamed,
Uh-huh.

3. But her very favorite, as you all know,
Was the Golden Eagle, Captain Buck's old boat.
This old stern wheeler sank and went to heaven
When I was in the fourth grade, in 1947,
Uh-huh.

4. Well, the fash'nable Saint Louis society,
Takin' a trip on the Mississippi,
Asleep in their bunks with an after-dinner drink,
They didn't think that the boat would sink,
Oh, no.

5. Well, I know Captain Buck was a very sad man
When that old wood hull went into the sand,
And Miss Ferris she was sad for sure,
But immediately her mind went to work,
Oh, yeah.

6. Well, she did some politickin' that was tricky and hard,
And she got the pilot house for the schoolhouse yard,
And so instead o' studyin', I became a dreamer,
Dreamin' 'bout boats on the Mississippi River,
Uh-huh.

7. Now the Saint Louis levee was away downtown.
It was the lowest and the funkiest and the furthest down,
An elevated track and a cobblestone grade.
You could go down there and get hit in the head,
Uh-huh.

8. But the river was life; it was changin' all the time.
It was the street; it was the sluice; it was the old main line.
I started readin' the Waterways Journal and all,
A-followin' Captain Fred Way and C. W. Stahl(?),
Uh-huh.

9. I had to work real hard to get my school work done,
'Cause you couldn't fool Miss Ferris none,
And if I went to sleep, or I weren't supposed to talk,
Oh, she was a dead shot with a little piece o' chalk,
Uh-huh.

10. Oh me, oh my, how the time does fly!
Time and the river keep a-rollin' on by.
Now I'm not a student, and she's not a teacher,
But we both still love the Mississippi River,
Uh-huh.

11. Well, I went to see her this Christmas last,
And we took a little trip back through the past.
On the easy rocker we looked at pictures,
And we dreamed our dreams of the Mississippi River,
Uh-huh.

Repeat Verse 10.

[In this recording, on which Hartford plays banjo, he invites the "audience" to sing verse 10 line by line after him, both times—but their voices sound too good to be a typical audience, so I suspect they were a specially-recruited group of singer/musicians.

[A shortened version of this song—on which Hartford plays fiddle and omits verses 7 & 8, and there is no audience participation—appears on the various-artists albums "Classic Bluegrass Vol. 2 from Smithsonian Folkways" (2005) and "The Mississippi River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi" (1998).]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Hartford songs
From: GUEST,joseph
Date: 29 May 13 - 01:34 AM

does anyone know the lyrics to deackhand waltz? It starts "Down by the main deck stairway, my love and I did meet, she passed down through the (texas?) lounge with her slippers on her feet. Then ther's a verse that starts, "over by the lock line, my love and I did stand, and on my faded workvest, she placed her lovely hand, thats about all I remember except some lines from the chorus maybe which I think I am confusing with another verse

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Hartford songs
From: GUEST,hg
Date: 29 May 13 - 08:27 AM

I'll post it at the end of the day if no one else gets back first. Have to go to work.....

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Hartford songs
From: Art Thieme
Date: 29 May 13 - 06:23 PM

I had so much more time and times I could've spent more productively singing with this man on the Julia Belle Swain.
I wish we had our time again!!

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Hartford songs
From: GUEST,k hovey
Date: 19 Jan 24 - 03:56 PM

I am looking for the lyrics to Railroad Street. I cannot find them anywhere. I have listened to the song several times on Google, even slowing the speed down to 75% and 50% but there are still a couple questionable phrases. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Hartford songs
From: cnd
Date: 19 Jan 24 - 03:59 PM

k hovey,

I will be away from my computer for the weekend, but will be glad to help you come Sunday/Monday -- I listened through it once and I don't recall hearing any issues.

Subject: Lyr Add: Railroad Street (Hartford)
From: cnd
Date: 21 Jan 24 - 09:04 AM

The song is obviously about a vain person who's gained success in the music/show biz and lost sight of who they really are. One person on a Portuguese blog site (link) claims the Davidson County Flash line is a reference to Glenn Campbell, which would also track with the rhinestones and some other references in the song. The downside to this theory is that Campbell was from Pike County (Ark.)

The upside to the theory is that Davidson is the county in which Nashville resides, so Campbell certainly lived there -- but so did every country star. Porter Wagoner is another option -- he was famous for his bejeweled sequined jackets, and was also from Missouri, which lends credence to the allusions of knowing the target's family and previous life; on the other hand, they lived on opposite ends of the state.

I personally think it's about a woman (hence the "towel in your hips" line), but which woman it could be about is harder to say. Jim Shertzer, a music columnist for The Winston-Salem Journal in 1969, said the song was "a savage satire on a phony rising star," but that's the closest explanation I've been able to find. Explanation aside, here's the lyrics you requested. Lyrics transcribed by ear from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OArsSPI_oPA.


RAILROAD STREET
(John Hartford)

Light strains in on your bedroom door so you can't see who you've missed
Sham payment going to the critics about the towel on your hips
Rhinestones shining in your bridgework, flashing in the floodlight's glare
Mail-order patent-leather dancing boots, Vitalis in your hair

You're too much and I can't take it
Sorry but I think I'll leave
Back to see an old drunk I know
Living on Railroad Street

With your profile turned to the sunset and your image strapped in place
You memorize your ad-libs while you practice with your face
Wet-rock chin pointed skyward, half-shut eyes to the wind
Your part-time unemployed talent scouts tell me you're the living end

You're a legend, and let's face it
Sorry but I got to leave
I'm gonna hock my soul to the laundromat
Down on Railroad Street

You've rubbed off every subtle hint of what you used to be
It's all right there in the 8x10 with a headline plain to see
You're handing out your goblets full of California wine
To hold aloft in noisy prayer to the trophy on your shrine

You're too much and I can't hack it
I think I'd better leave
See some man about a dog
Down on Railroad Street

I didn't recognize you till you autographed my cast
And someone whispered "Could that be the Davidson County Flash?"
I know you'd be unhappy if you couldn't be a star
But I wonder if they realize just who you really are

I know, but I won't tell 'em
Instead I think I'll leave
Back to see your next of kin
Living on Railroad Street

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: John Hartford songs
From: GUEST,khovey
Date: 21 Jan 24 - 06:08 PM

Thank you so very much! You cleared up a couple words/phrases that I hadn’t heard quite right. I appreciate your help. My husband had read that John Hartford wrote it as a shot against Glenn Campbell after Glenn fired him from The Glenn Campbell Goodtime Hour which aired on CBS television from January 1969- June 1972. John Hartford was on the show for the first season. Then, reportedly Glenn’s wife did not like John and told Glenn to fire him so he did. Railroad Street as released in 1969. I have not been able to find anything to corroborate these statements or dates so who knows. Thank you.