Lyr/Chords ADD: Wisconsin (Brian Davies)

Subject: Glenn Yarborough Wisconsin song
From: GUEST,Sheila in Wisconsin
Date: 18 Aug 00 - 11:41 PM

Wow, I just found Mudcat for the first time. What a great site! Anyway, I would like the lyrics and chords to a song by Glenn Yarborough (spelling?) that I think is called "The Old Wisconsin That I Knew." That is a phrase in the song, in any case. I have also heard that the recording is out of print, and wonder if anyone knows if it's been re-issued, or where I might download it on-line. Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Glenn Yarborough Wisconsin so
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Aug 00 - 02:27 AM

Well, Sheila, I found some Websites that might interest you:

• http://www.glennyarbrough.com/
• Folk Era Records
• Rediscover Music

Unfortunately, none seem to have song-by-song listings of the recordings. The lists I did see did not have the song.
Apparently, the song is called simply "Wisconsin," on an album called YARBROUGH COUNTRY, Warner 1817 LP. This page (click) shows that Wisconsin Public Radio played it as recently as December 12, 1999, on their "Simply Folk" program. The contact person for the radio program is Judy Rose (click to e-mail), phone [phone].
I'll keep looking.
-Joe in Sacramento, formerly from Racine-

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WISCONSIN (Brian Davies)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Feb 08 - 12:03 AM

This looks like it might be the song that was wanted--8 years ago.

Copied from David HB Drake's web site:

WISCONSIN
(Brian Davies)

Capo 3 to sound in D#

  (C)         G                                              C
  There's the town--Guess it's better seen in early light of morning
             Am            F                                    G
  Looks run down--Father wrote that it's been losing since the new highway went through
               G                                             C
  Here's the place--I was born and raised with seven at the table.
             Am           F                                G
  Looks so small--Wonder how this farm can raise a family comfortably at all?
         G
  And I want to show you fields I reaped and gathered as I grew
         C                            C
  And I wanted you to see the old Wisconsin that I knew.

Other days--might see deer in open field beside the cattle
Unafraid--until Chicago rifles taught them all to keep inside the woods.
Find the door--many years since this old barn has felt a hammer
Many more--since I heard the sound the wind makes fifty feet above the floor
It's a sound that sets you dreaming if it's dreaming that you do
And I wanted you to see the old Wisconsin that I knew.

    F                                        Em
  October brought the winter snows from Canada
        F             G                C
  We'd pass away the time until the spring
  F                                   Em
  April brought the good smell of the earth again
            Dm       G
  Too many years ago it seems.

Is it late?--In remembering I've forgotten of the hour
Come away--watch the sun die in the pine trees, watch the moon rise on the lake
It's a land that sets you dreaming if it's dreaming that you do
And I wanted you to see the old Wisconsin that I knew.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,Bill
Date: 03 Nov 08 - 06:03 PM

FYI --- Wisconsin Public Radio also used this song as a theme of sorts for a radio program called, if memory serves me correctly, "Pages from a North Country Notebook". No longer being broadcast, it featured readings from (the late) George Vukelich's books of the same name.

There was, however, an audio tape made of some of these same readings. I have it, but it's been a long time since I've played (or even seen) it, so I'm not sure if the song was included on that tape.

Bill S.
bicyclebill_2000 at yahoo dot com
(spelling out 'at' and 'dot' supposedly fouls up the spambots)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,Marty
Date: 14 Oct 10 - 06:14 PM

The song Wisconsin is one of my favorites also and I've looked for a copy for years. I just found out it was re=published in 2008 in an album called "Let Me Choose Life/Yarbrough Country" and it's available through Amazon and lots of other online stores so I'll be ordering it.

http://www.amazon.com/Let-Choose-Life-Yarbrough-Country/dp/B001LDRP1M/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287091490&sr=1-1-fkmr0

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,Karl Noll
Date: 08 Dec 10 - 11:29 PM

This is awesome! I have been looking for a copy of this song for over a decade. I had a multiple scratchy cassette recordings of it from Pages of a North Country Notebook on Wisconsin Public Radio but could never get the whole song without some interuption or voice over. Finally, I will get it one on the republished Let Me Choose Life/Yarbrough Country CD thanks to a question posed 10 years ago and anwered 8 years later. Amazing! Thank you!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,Dave G.
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 07:31 AM

Hello Bill S.

In your note about the song 'Wisconsin' (by Glenn Yarbrough)
you mentioned that
"Wisconsin Public Radio also used this song as a theme of sorts for a radio program called, 'Pages from a North Country Notebook'. No longer being broadcast, it featured readings from (the late) George Vukelich's books of the same name.

There was, however, an audio tape made of some of these same readings. I have it."

This audio tape (from 1988) that you mentioned is out-of-print now but I've been trying to find a copy of it for a couple of years now.

Would you be interested in selling your copy? Or loaning it out?

Sincerely,
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Sep 11 - 06:18 AM

[e-mail] I have most of the old "Pages from a North Country Notebook" radio shows on CD. Am willing to share at no or little cost of production and shipping. I am a radio archivist.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Sep 11 - 11:46 PM

Guest of 29 Sep 11 - 06:18am, please use a consistent guest name and come back to visit Mudcat. Or join Mudcat! What else have you been archiving?

SRS

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,I am brian davies and
Date: 11 Apr 12 - 04:23 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Apr 12 - 08:27 PM

Hi, Brian -
I hope you'll come back and tell us the story behind this song.
There's a YouTube Video of the song by another performer, but I don't like it.
-Joe, from Racine Wisconsin-

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Apr 12 - 09:41 AM

Here's a link to a man who has (in my opinion) one of the finest voices in popular music today. Kerry Christensen.

Right click on the symbol next to "Old Wisconsin" to hear a good sample of the song.

rich and warm and accurate

His yodeling is great, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,underwillows
Date: 13 Jul 13 - 10:02 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,Mark Pedersen
Date: 19 Apr 18 - 09:39 AM

Phillip Anich from the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua has a recording called "Riding My Vocal Range" has a version of "Old Wisconsin" that is really nice. Phillip has a great voice.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Wisconsin (Glenn Yarbrough)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 03 Apr 21 - 10:17 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KvYZYHfuGA

Sung there by Maffitt and Davies (the writer of the song).

Subject: ADD: Wisconsin (Brian Davies)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Apr 21 - 05:53 PM

And just because I like the lyrics unmixed with the chords. This is from Jim's post above. I still haven't found a recording to use to verify these lyrics.


WISCONSIN
(Brian Davies)

There's the town--Guess it's better seen in early light of morning
Looks run down--Father wrote that it's been losing since the new highway went through
Here's the place--I was born and raised with seven at the table.
Looks so small--Wonder how this farm can raise a family comfortably at all?
And I want to show you fields I reaped and gathered as I grew
And I wanted you to see the old Wisconsin that I knew.

Other days--might see deer in open field beside the cattle
Unafraid--until Chicago rifles taught them all to keep inside the woods.
Find the door--many years since this old barn has felt a hammer
Many more--since I heard the sound the wind makes fifty feet above the floor
It's a sound that sets you dreaming if it's dreaming that you do
And I wanted you to see the old Wisconsin that I knew.

October brought the winter snows from Canada
We'd pass away the time until the spring
April brought the good smell of the earth again
Too many years ago it seems.

Is it late?--In remembering I've forgotten of the hour
Come away--watch the sun die in the pine trees, watch the moon rise on the lake
It's a land that sets you dreaming if it's dreaming that you do
And I wanted you to see the old Wisconsin that I knew.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords ADD: Wisconsin (Brian Davies)
From: GUEST,#
Date: 03 Apr 21 - 08:21 PM

03 Apr 21 - 10:17 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KvYZYHfuGA

Check the lyrics against that link at that post. It is sung there by the song's writer.