Lyr ADD: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: cnd
Date: 10 Feb 21 - 01:20 PM

It looks as if there are two threads on this song: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=27479

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 03:08 PM

Thanks for the typo catch. Reposting with correction here.
Yes, this is from the Tony Rice recording. Is there a recording by Carpenter? I searched but turn up anything.




John Wilkes Booth was a Southern man;
Son of an actor in Maryland;
Bound for fortune on a gas-lit stage;
Bound to die at a tender age.

From Washington to Baltimore
He played the bills and he slept with whores;
And he burned inside with a hatred deep
For the man who caused the South to weep.

Young Abe Lincoln wasn't young no more;
A tired old man when he won the war;
And he dreamed at night of his death by the hand
Of a bitter world and a faceless man;

And he saw his body in a ghastly dream
Draped in black while his widow screamed;
Two silver dollars on his eyelids lay;
“Abraham Lincoln has died today.”

CHORUS:
And they said there were five, and they said there were ten;
Some said there was never more than just one man
Who would smile to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixieland.


John Wilkes Booth and his band of men
They'd failed before but would not again;
And Good Friday dawned with a fickle sun,
Then Booth declared the day had come.

And the word was passed and the guns were brought
Down to Mary Surratt’s boarding house;
Sealed in a note Booth named just four,
But would the gallows swing with many more.

CHORUS
(Same as before)

John Wilkes Booth went to his grave
With a bullet in his neck and a broken leg;
A patriot in his fantasy
Of redemption, grace, and bravery.

And those who were hanged and those who spent
Their lives behind a jailer's fence,
Only Booth could have proved them free
Of the taint of the conspiracy.

CHORUS
For they said there were five, and they said there were ten;
Some said there was never more than just one man
Who would smile to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixieland.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: cnd
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 12:28 PM

GerryM,

"Played the bills" is certainly correct if you listen to the lyrics and know JWB's history -- he was an actor. Plays are often advertised using playbills; to it's a form of metonymy.

As for the double the, that's pretty obviously a minor typo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: GerryM
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 01:36 AM

Logan Green, "He played the bills..." Really? "played"?

"The the word was passed..." Really? "The the"?

Don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate your efforts, but if Tony Rice (or anyone else) actually sang "The the" then I think we can be excused for not following along.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: cnd
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 12:40 AM

It appears as if you used the recording of Tony Rice, which can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv-5cy_mjoc

I agree entirely with your rendering of the lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: GUEST,Logan Green
Date: 04 Jan 21 - 10:23 PM

I'd like to submit an update to the lyrics. I listened on professional mastering headphones and was able to hear syllable details often lost.
I found eight new corrections to the previous posting (including the ones by Guest,BD), four spelling corrections, and some punctuation changes commonly used with this kind of poetry.



John Wilkes Booth was a Southern man;
Son of an actor in Maryland;
Bound for fortune on a gas-lit stage;
Bound to die at a tender age.

From Washington to Baltimore
He played the bills and he slept with whores;
And he burned inside with a hatred deep
For the man who caused the South to weep.

Young Abe Lincoln wasn't young no more;
A tired old man when he won the war;
And he dreamed at night of his death by the hand
Of a bitter world and a faceless man;

And he saw his body in a ghastly dream
Draped in black while his widow screamed;
Two silver dollars on his eyelids lay;
“Abraham Lincoln has died today.”

CHORUS:
And they said there were five, and they said there were ten;
Some said there was never more than just one man
Who would smile to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixieland.


John Wilkes Booth and his band of men
They'd failed before but would not again;
And Good Friday dawned with a fickle sun,
Then Booth declared the day had come.

The the word was passed and the guns were brought
Down to Mary Surratt’s boarding house;
Sealed in a note Booth named just four,
But would the gallows swing with many more.

CHORUS
(Same as before)

John Wilkes Booth went to his grave
With a bullet in his neck and a broken leg;
A patriot in his fantasy
Of redemption, grace, and bravery.

And those who were hanged and those who spent
Their lives behind a jailer's fence,
Only Booth could have proved them free
Of the taint of the conspiracy.

CHORUS
For they said there were five, and they said there were ten;
Some said there was never more than just one man
Who would smile to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixieland.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: John Wilkes Booth (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
From: GUEST,guy
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 10:59 PM

John Wilkes booth Chords

Intro
C F Am G       C Em Am G

Verse

C       F   Am       G
John.....Man Son..... Maryland
C       F       Am      G       C    Em Am G
Bound    Stage   Bound   Tender Rage

C            F       Am      G
Wash    Baltimore   played   Slept
   
C         F      Am    G      C    Em
burned   Deep    Man    south Weep
C                      F
Young Abe Lincoln wasnt young no more
Am                     G
Tired old man when he won the war

C         F    Am    G         C
Dreamed   Hand Bitter faceless Man

Bridge

C         F       G         Am
Said..    Five... Said...   Ten

C          F         G
.Said..      Never... Man   

C          G       F   F    Am
..Smile to   See Mr. Lincoln   Dead

chorus

C      F    Dm
Name. God. Dixie

C      F      G    C
Name . God . Dixie Land

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Toni Rice's John Wilkes Booth
From: GUEST,BD
Date: 02 Jan 09 - 02:56 PM

Some additional corrections:
"He saw his body in a ghastly dream"

Some asid there was never more than just one man
Who'd smile to see Mr. Lincoln dead..."

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: JOHN WILKES BOOTH (M C Carpenter)
From: CrazyGeorge
Date: 18 Jan 08 - 01:11 PM

Hi - just wanted to update the larger thread with lyric and chord corrections:

JOHN WILKES BOOTH
(Mary Chapin Carpenter)

INTRO. - C - F - Am - Em - F - C

John Wilkes Booth was a southern man,
Son of an actor in Maryland,
Bound for fortune on a gas-lit stage,
Bound to die at a tender age.

Washington to Baltimore,
He played the bills and he slept with whores,
And he burned inside with a hatred deep
For the man who caused the south to weep.

Young Abe Lincoln wasn't young no more,
Tired old man when he won the war,
And he dreamed at night of his death by the hand
Of a bitter world and a faceless man

And he saw his body in a ghastly green,
Draped in black while his widow screamed.
Two silver dollars on his eyelids lay.
Abraham Lincoln has died today.

CHORUS:
They said there were five and they said there were ten.
Some said there was never more than just one man.
Oh, it's awful to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixie Land.

John Wilkes Booth and his band of men
They'd failed before but would try again.
When Good Friday dawned with a fickle sun,
Then Booth declared the day had come.

The word was passed and the guns were brought,
Down to Mary Sarrat's boarding house.
Sealed in a note, Booth named just four,
But would the gallows swing with many more.

CHORUS

John Wilkes Booth went to his grave
With a bullet in his neck and a broken leg,
A patriot in his fantasy
Of redemption, grace, and bravery.

And those who hanged and those who spent
Their lives behind a jailer's fence,
Only Booth could have proved them free
Of the taint of the conspiracy.

INTRO:   C - F - Am - Em - F bass run back to C
VERSE:   C - F - Dm - G
         C - F - Am - Em - F - C
CHORUS: F - Em - Am
         Em - F - Em - G
         Am - G - Em - C

<<< Still working on this >>> - the bass notes are not the same as the chords here
The bass run is basically C - B - A - G - C

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Toni Rice's John Wilkes Booth
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Jan 07 - 05:46 PM

This is quite a song. Has Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded this herself?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Toni Rice's John Wilkes Booth
From: GUEST,LDahn
Date: 22 Jan 07 - 05:52 PM

You hace stated the chorus thus:

CHORUS: "They said there were five and they said there were ten.
Some say there was never more than just one man.
Oh, it's awful to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixie Land."

But, it ought to read:

"They said there were five and they said there were ten.
Some say there was never more than just one man
Who would smile to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixie Land."

Booth was perhaps the only known one who would smile to see Linc' dead, "in the name of Dixie" - i.e., in hopes to save the South.

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: JOHN WILKES BOOTH (M C Carpenter)
From:
Date: 08 Sep 99 - 02:04 PM

Here are the words as best as I can decipher from the recording. I also included the chords as best as I can figure after listening to the recording several hundred times. Please feel free to correct any mistakes.

Thanks, John

JOHN WILKES BOOTH
(Mary Chapin Carpenter)

INTRO. - C Am G, run to C

John Wilkes Booth was a southern man,
Born of an actor in Maryland,
Bound for fortune on a gas-lit stage,
Bound to die at a tender age.

Washington to Baltimore,
He played the bills and he slept with whores,
And he burned inside with a hatred deep
For the man who caused the south to weep.

Young Abe Lincoln wasn't young no more,
Tired old man when he won the war,
And he dreamed at night of his death by

And he saw his body in a ghastly dream,
Draped in black while his widow screamed.
Two silver dollars on his eyelids lay.
Abraham Lincoln has died today.

CHORUS: They said there were five and they said there were ten.
Some say there was never more than just one man.
Oh, it's awful to see Mr. Lincoln dead
In the name of God and Dixie,
In the name of God and Dixie Land.

John Wilkes Booth and his band of men
They'd failed before but would try again.
When Good Friday dawned with a fickle sun,
Then Booth declared the day had come.

The word was passed and the guns were brought,
Down to Mary Sarrat's boarding house.
Sealed in a note, Booth named just four,
But the gallows would sway with many more.

CHORUS

John Wilkes Booth went to his grave
With a bullet in his neck and a broken leg,
A patriot and his fantasy
Of redemption, grace, and bravery.

And those who hanged and those who spent
Their lives behind a jailer's fence,
Only Booth could have set them free
From the taint of the conspiracy.

  INTRO. - C Am G bass run back to C
  VERSE  - C F Am G
           C F Am Em G C
  CHORUS - F Am G C Am G. F Em F
  --------C------Am--------Dm
  In the name of God and Dixie.

HTML line breaks added, and changed from all caps. --JoeClone, 11-Aug-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Toni Rice's John Wilkes Booth
From: Dale Rose
Date: 14 Aug 99 - 10:18 PM

Can't help at the moment, but at least this will move it back to the top again. The title IS John Wilkes Booth. It was written for Tony by Mary Chapin Carpenter and was on his Native American album, 1988. MCC sang harmony on several tracks on the album.

Subject: Toni Rice's John Wilkes Booth
From:
Date: 14 Aug 99 - 10:48 AM

Looking for lyrics to Toni Rice's Abe Lincoln song - don't know if it's called John Wilkes Booth or not. the chorus goes: some said there were five, some said there were ten, some said there were never more than just one man ...in the name of God and Dixie, in the name of God and dixieland.

can anyone help?