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Subject: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST,Davey Date: 09 Apr 09 - 11:31 AM Does anyone know any songs in the folk tradition about prisons? Davey |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Terry McDonald Date: 09 Apr 09 - 11:45 AM The Gaol Song, collected by the Hammond Brothers in Dorset. It's in the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Terry McDonald Date: 09 Apr 09 - 12:03 PM There's also, 'Limbo', about a debtor's prison. It's been recorded by Brass Monkey among others. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Nigel Parsons Date: 09 Apr 09 - 12:03 PM "It takes a worried man" |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Dave Sutherland Date: 09 Apr 09 - 12:06 PM "The Auld Triangle" "Durham Goal" |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Jack Blandiver Date: 09 Apr 09 - 12:09 PM Jim Eldon's I Wish there Was No Prisons is traditional. Have a look & listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H-td43zcQg |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Jack Blandiver Date: 09 Apr 09 - 12:13 PM Here's a link to Tommy Armstrong's Durham Gaol: http://www.mudcat.org/Detail.CFM?messages__Message_ID=197192 |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: SINSULL Date: 09 Apr 09 - 12:16 PM Take A Message To Mary Boston Burglar The Prisoner's Song |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Weasel Date: 09 Apr 09 - 12:21 PM Ace of Base - Strange Ways. Sorry. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Jack Campin Date: 09 Apr 09 - 01:30 PM There was a Folkways LP (now Smithsonian CD) of prison songs, "From the Cold Jaws of Prison". I presume CAMSCO can get it. There's a good prison song in the Penguin Book of English Folksongs. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: BobKnight Date: 09 Apr 09 - 02:12 PM Allentown Jail (Trad) That's The Sound Of The Men Working On The Chain Gang (Sung By Lee Dorsey if I remember correctly. Must be lots more though. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: topical tom Date: 09 Apr 09 - 02:48 PM Folsom Prison Blues- Johnny Cash Shackles and Chains-Hank Snow, Mac Wiseman In the Jailhouse Now-Hank Williams Sr. Ninety-Nine Years-Flatt and Scruggs Blue Wing-Tom Russell |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: BobKnight Date: 09 Apr 09 - 03:35 PM I thought of some others - but not traditional. Johnny Cash also had San Quentin - how could you overlook that, when you mentioned Folsom Prison Tom? Jailhouse Rock Coffeyville - mentioned in Doolin Dalton. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Marion Date: 09 Apr 09 - 03:54 PM The Midnight Special - about a mythical train that would pick up the prisoners to take them away from jail. Recorded by Leadbelly, among others. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego Date: 09 Apr 09 - 04:38 PM "Parchman Farm" by Mose Allison - a slice of wry: Well I'm sittin' over here on Parchman Farm Well I'm sittin' over here on Parchman Farm Well I'm sittin' over here on Parchman Farm And I ain't never done no man no harm Well I'm puttin' that cotton in an eleven foot sack Well I'm puttin' that cotton in an eleven foot sack Well I'm puttin' that cotton in an eleven foot sack With a twelve guage shotgun at my back I'm sittin' over here on Number Nine I'm sittin' over here on Number Nine Well I'm sittin' over here on Number Nine And all I did was drink my wine Well I'm gonna be here for the rest of my life I'm gonna be on this farm for my natural life Well I'm a gonna be here for the rest of my life And all I did was shoot my wife Also covered by John Mayall, among many others |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST,Blueknight Date: 09 Apr 09 - 06:17 PM Ewan Mcall's "Go Down You Murderers" |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST,mg Date: 09 Apr 09 - 06:54 PM 21 Years Birmingham jail Prison ship in Fields of Athenry Kevin Barry |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Steve Gardham Date: 09 Apr 09 - 07:16 PM Try www.yorkshirefolksong.net and click on the song 'Hedon Road Gaol' |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: PHJim Date: 09 Apr 09 - 07:20 PM Free From The Chain Gang Now - trad The Trains Never Stop In Kingston Prison - Roy Payne The last verse of many old murder ballads would qualify. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Barry Finn Date: 09 Apr 09 - 07:45 PM These Old Walls (Barry Finn) These old wall have held me, I've been here since 83 Day by day is the way I do my time Oh the weeks turn to yrs, a ship could float on all my tears I'm haunted by a good kid that I once knew Chorus: I can't go back & make a change Every day I cry & age I wish to God the hands of time would end my pain Every day when I awake, I can't believe I'm in this place I see myself & look & say what have you done I thought I was cool, I didn;t know I played the fool But there you go I'd never ilstened to anyone Chorus: I swear I hear these old walls weep when I lay me down to sleep I know at times I must be out of my mind I may not make it out alive, I may be here untill I die There's not a one who'll dig my grave long, wide & deep Chorus: So now there you go my friend, so good of you to come again It's not often in my day when it's not dim I really thank you for your time & be glad your times not mine And thank the stars that they can shine down on you. Chorus: Sorry, I don't know how to put up the music Barry |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST,Huw Date: 10 Apr 09 - 01:38 AM Chris Hastings and I have written a song called "The Gates Of Cardiff Jail" which is about Dic Penderyn, welsh working class hero. It was performed as part of the recent Song of the Earth show in South Wales. Huw Pudner |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Ebbie Date: 10 Apr 09 - 02:08 AM Barry, if I ever get to the Getaway again, I want to hear that song! Buddy Tabor of Juneau wrote a couple of songs after he performed at Folsom Prison. One is 'Wait for Me' and another is 'Why the Caged Bird Still Can Sing" and it has a line that I love: "Some of you will walk out of here, some of you will fly" |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: BB Date: 10 Apr 09 - 07:42 AM I don't know whether the '21 Years' mentioned by Guest mg above is the one on the Veteran CD 'When the May Is All in Bloom', but on there it's called 'Twenty-One Years on Dartmoor' sung by Louie Fuller. A most unusual song and very striking - at least, I found it so. Barbara |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: curmudgeon Date: 10 Apr 09 - 08:22 AM The Lag's Song by Ewan MacColl |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: JeffB Date: 10 Apr 09 - 09:05 AM Treadmill Song in Marrowbones |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Barry Finn Date: 10 Apr 09 - 09:05 AM Come to the Getaway this yr Ebbie & I promise to sing it It would be nice to see you again Tom, that song's older than MacColl, though he's my source too Barry |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST,John from Kemsing Date: 10 Apr 09 - 09:50 AM "The Prisoner`s Lament" sung by "Elsie`s Band". |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Jim McLean Date: 10 Apr 09 - 09:56 AM The Big Mansion Hoose ca'd Barlinnie Hotel. (Glasgow) |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Amos Date: 10 Apr 09 - 11:45 AM One of my favorites is Charlottesville. I laid all around the old jailhouse I didn't know what I could do. Had no money to keep out of prison, My friends had deserted mer, too. So quiet, now, little darlin' It grows so cold in Charlottesville The birds can hardly sing. And the leaves keep falling offthe trees, And won't be back until Spring. So quiet, now, little darlin' |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: VirginiaTam Date: 10 Apr 09 - 12:00 PM Another Man Done Gone? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZE6HfWbg1E |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Snuffy Date: 10 Apr 09 - 12:05 PM Curly Williams, (he's moved to a bigger house now) |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: topical tom Date: 10 Apr 09 - 05:20 PM Doing Time: http://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=1619 Click by Flatt and Scruggs. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: kendall Date: 10 Apr 09 - 08:22 PM Old Abner's Shoes (The war to resist northern aggression) Convict and the rose. Prettiest 2 chord song ever. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Barry Finn Date: 10 Apr 09 - 10:57 PM Tom, my thoughts were of "Virginia Lags" (which I had from Ewan's singing & which would be more towards slavery than prison) rather than MacColl's "Lags" Barry |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST Date: 11 Apr 09 - 03:29 AM Sleep come free me by James Taylor. More of an animal and less like a man, What they leave you ain't worth keeping, Brother let me tell you I have a clock with no hands, And the only way out is through sleeping. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Shalini Date: 11 Apr 09 - 03:58 AM Big Rock Candy Mountain in O Brother, Where Art Thou? |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Bonnie Shaljean Date: 11 Apr 09 - 04:45 AM Not traditional, but I can't let it go unmentioned, especially as there are other songwriters' works cited here. Give a listen to Anne Lister (Tabster) 's utterly brilliant song Locked In which looks at the situation from the viewpoint of the prisoner's loved ones, who also suffer. It's on her latest album A Twist in The Story and you can hear it if you click on the link for "Locked In" (second title down). http://www.annelister.com/twiststory.htm |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Bonnie Shaljean Date: 11 Apr 09 - 04:52 AM PS: Full track in the playlist on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/annelister |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: BB Date: 12 Apr 09 - 05:50 PM 'Janitors and Jailers' by Martin Long - but actually about animals in a zoo! Recorded by Keith Kenrick on 'Home Ground'. Barbara |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Bernard Date: 12 Apr 09 - 06:59 PM 'To Althea from Prison' - poem by Richard Lovelace, tune added by Dave Swarbrick. Lovelace was a supporter of Charles I and wrote the poem in 1642 whilst imprisoned for seven weeks in Gate House prison, Westminster, London for his support of the king... Swarb wrote the tune, recorded on Fairport's 'Liege and Lief' album, though he missed out the verse about King Charles! The classic lines 'Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage' begin the last verse. |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Bernard Date: 12 Apr 09 - 07:03 PM Ooops! That should have read 'Nine', not 'Liege and Lief'!! |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Leadfingers Date: 13 Apr 09 - 03:12 PM 'The Ballad of Winston Green Gaol' - Which may well be a Canal song as it refers to 'Th B C N ' - The Birmingham Canal Navigation . |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: robinia Date: 13 Apr 09 - 06:35 PM Let's not forget "Hang on the Bell" -- not exactly "about prisons" but it's a wonderful, sentimental prison song (and a favorite, along with "Molly Malone," of my generally unmusical father) |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: Thompson Date: 13 Apr 09 - 08:12 PM Priosún Cluain Meala here sung in English by the lost Jinny-Joe, Luke Kelly. Fields of Athenry In the Jailhouse Now Sam Hall and Johnny Cash's cheery version Grace The Old Triangle (at about 6.15, sung by Brendan Behan) etc, etc |
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Subject: RE: Songs About Prisons? From: GUEST,Black Hawk on works PC Date: 14 Apr 09 - 05:52 AM The Wall - Sung by Johnny Cash Walls of a prison - Sung by Johnny Cash I heard that lonesome whistle blow - Hank Williams Cold Hard facts of life - Porter Wagoner Only Loved three women - J.Rodgers Grey Stone Chapel - Glyn Shirley (spl.?) Cocaine Blues - Various Death Row - Slim Dusty Electric Chair(?) Marty Robbins Austin Prison - Sung by Johnny Cash Looking Through Prison Bars (title?) - Slim Dusty Eleven More Months & Ten More Days - Tex Morton(?) |
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