Fav. Historical Story-songs

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: JedMarum
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 01:03 PM

This is a collection of historical songs from the US Civil War. There are some quick loading sound samples, too.

Here's another link with more detail about the songs, lyrics, notes, references, etc.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: SmokinBill
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 12:56 PM

Just last week I wrote a song in this vein. It's about something that actually happened in my little hometown a couple of years ago. Johnstown, N.Y., has a population of about 9,000, so I guess I wrote it for a very small audience.

I set it to the tune of "Pretty Boy Floyd" because the title character is something of a folk hero around here now. (His nickname is "The Fox", in case you're wondering about the second-to-last verse.) When I get it recorded, I'll throw the .mp3 up on my Web site.


"The Ballad of Mayor Bill"
Copyright 2004 Bill Ackerbauer


Come, gather 'round me, people
And a story I'll rehash
Of how the mayor got arrested
Just for picking up some trash

It was here in lovely Johnstown
Where the Cayadutta flows,
And Mayor Pollak's story
Is one that everybody knows

When he was elected,
He took right to the streets
To set a good example
For all the people he would meet

The mayor got some funny looks
While on his daily rounds
But he was on a mission
To beautify Johnstown

It was over on West State Street
On a pleasant summer day
The mayor saw some garbage
That he thought he'd throw away

A jug of wiper fluid
And a tattered children's sled
Were all it took to get some folks
Screamin' and seein' red

The cops took down some statements
And they slapped him with the charge
They said he was trespassing
And he took it pretty hard

The mayor had his day in court
The judge dismissed his case
The mayor was vindicated
To the cops' disgrace

The mayor said he'd had enough
And he wouldn't run again
He was sick of all the disrespect
From his own policemen

The police and the old boys
Ran him out of City Hall
And the moral of the story
Is plain to one and all:

If you love your city
And you'd like to make a change
You'd best forget about it
Or folks will call you strange

Leave that garbage where it falls
To pick it up's a crime
"To hell with all the neighbors,"
Just let the town decline

But if you're willing to take a risk
And think outside the box
To make your town a better place,
You must be crazy like "The Fox."

Do this for me, people,
Next time you see old Bill
Pat him on the back for me
And say I wish him well

Smokin' Bill's Digital Depot

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Burke
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 05:50 PM

allecat, there's an old discussion on the Spanish American War you could look at.

Also just put Spanish American War in the search box & see what comes up.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Big Mick
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 04:06 PM

Two of my recent favorites were written by Canadian Bill Gallaher. They are "The Last Battle" which tells of the Meti, and "Augustus and Catherine" which tells of the Candadian Overlanders.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 03:25 PM

Some Matt McGinn historical songs:
( see www.matmcginn.info for words & music)
Ballad of John McLean ( about the Scottish Republican )
Ballad of the Q4       ( about the building of the QE2)
Benny Lynch            ( about the Glaswegian Boxer )
The Man they Couldn't Hang ( a man from Exeter who was sentenced to be hung for murder but just wouldn't go down )
the Ibrox Disaster       ( when 66 people died at the Ibrox Stadium )

and many more, no doubt

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: MMario
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 03:16 PM

Camsco or Folk Legacy would be good bets for a lot.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: GUEST,allecat
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 03:12 PM

Is there anywhere where I can buy or download many of these songs by the original musicians or those who have remade them?

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 03:09 PM

Allecat - the DT is the Digital Tradition. A summery can be read here.

If you look closely at the 'lyrics and knowledge Search' box you will notice that there are checkboxes for two things - the DT and the forum. The forum is the database of discussion threads here - the DT is the copy of Digital Tradition hosted here at the Mudcat by Max.

the Digital Tradition can also be accessed via Yet another Digital Tradition page - an independent site that has the nice feature of displaying sheet music for those songs with tunes in the database.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: GUEST,allecat
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 02:56 PM

I have been reading the feedback, it has been great. I teach high school and I am trying to put together cd's for each time period I teach. Are there any songs about Spanish-American war?
Also I am new to this what is the DT?

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 29 Jun 01 - 04:08 AM

I can't remember the band's name (shame!) who recorded "The Train That Carried Jimmie Rodgers Home." (Nashville Bluegrass Band?)

Cracking piece of modern-ish folk history.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 28 Jun 01 - 06:06 PM

A Canadian net friend sent me a CAS TAPE of

The Death Of Will Rogers And Wiley Post and also

The Last Flight of Will Rogers And Wiley Post

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Amos
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 10:41 PM

I thought it was "man gets woman knocked up, can't confront marrying so kills her, the dumb shit"!!

A

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Walking Eagle
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 04:22 PM

I agree with the discussion about And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda. War sucks and that's that! Don't know why I favor American Civil War songs then. Sheridan's Ride, and The Casto Hole come to mind. These songs were very local to West Virginia and are unlikely to be on any databases.

Another one, a turn on the common man-wants-woman-but-can't-have-her-so-murders-her folk theme is a song based on fact. The Ballad of Frankie Silver. She supposedly murdered her husband in Western North Carolina and was the first woman executed in North Carolina. These lyrics might be on a database somewhere.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Amos
Date: 27 Jun 01 - 12:27 AM

Several all time standards in my personal book:

The Golden Vanity
High Barbaree
The Days of Forty Nine
The Ox-Driver's Song
The Blue Mountain lake
John Henry
Mule Skinner Blues
The Unreconstructed Rebel
Soldier Oh Soldier
Lord Randal
Lord Lovell
Barb'ry Ellen

Many of these are illustrative rather than anecdotes of a particular events. The Springhill Mining Disaster and a number of similar songs come to mind as well from the whole '30s-50's period of labor unrest.

A

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Midchuck
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 07:57 PM

I'm very partial to Tom Russell and Ian Tyson's Claude Dallas, even though the facts appear to be that Dallas was considerably more cold-blooded than the song makes him out to be.

Kendall did a great "rewrite" of Sir Patrick Spens, called Patrick Spenser, at Old Songs a couple of times. I came back and found the lyrics in the DT, but I need the melody. Badly. Would you get on that, please, Kendall, right away?

Peter.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Chicken Charlie
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 06:16 PM

Don't know if these were actual history or imitations thereof, but "Barrett's Privateers" and "Flowers of Bermuda" are great Stan Rogers cuts. Also "Witch of the Westmereland." Also his "Rise Again" (Mary Ellen Carter).

For truly old stuff from the British Isles, I favor Patrick Spens, Battle of Harlaw, and Johnny O'Breadisley--lots of fun done unaccompanied in coffee houses.

Barbree Allen, Fair Ellender, Silkie, Stewball.

Also interminable Western "Bad Man Ballads"--Jesse James, John Hardy, Railroad Bill, Frankie & Johnny (x3), Betty & Dupre (x2), Lazarus in the Van Ronk version. Best of all is Staggerlee--I believe my personal best on that one was a seventeen minute marathon version with all known verses, broadcast by one of those 10-watt local radio stations from a coffeehouse in Eugene Oregon c.1972. The sound engineer loved it. It's been all downhill since.

CC

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From:
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 05:22 AM

Try some of the recordings of Dave Stone. He's got the Journey, about the emigration of the Scots into Canada. Down Through Halifax covers the settlement years of Halifax, and soon they will have a CD of songs about the Halifax Explosion.

The Journey
Down Through Halifax
December 6m 1917 - Halifax Explosion in Story and Song
Birth of a Queen - The Bluenose

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 04:08 AM

Coleraine Regatta - doesn't commemorate a big historical event, just one old, blind man's day out by train to Coleraine. He gets drunk, has to be escorted home. End of story. But it's a cracker nevertheless.

"Come all kind friends and true
And to me pay attention
On the 17th June
The first of my adventures
The Derry Standard came to us
And it bore a special motive
Saying on the 23rd June
Will be held Coleraine Regatta"

etc.

"The Death of Queen Jane" and "Derry Gaol" (as sung by the Bothy Band on Afterhours)

"Don't Cry In Your Sleep" - one of the most touching of Scottish ballads

"Ben McCulloch" by Steve Earle

"Johnny Come Lately" by Steve Earle aagain

And many many more if I could just get my brain in gear.

Pay The Reckoning

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: georgeward
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 03:03 AM

Sinsull, there is a ballad of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Ruth Rubin wrote it. Good song. I just did it with a group of school kids in NYC. Thought I got it from the DT, but I'm not finding it now. I'll dig out my notes. -George ::-.--O

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 02:22 AM

Judy Cook recently recorded a gem called Daughters of the Revolution. The event the song describes may be fictional, but there's a lot of truth in the song, and a nice touch of humor.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From:
Date: 26 Jun 01 - 01:29 AM

I wrote one about Kosovo but I forgot it. I have one about Sarejvo. Just email me if you want words. mg

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:50 PM

Eric Bogle wrote 'Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo' after a true event, and Karine Polwart's 'Whaur Dae Ye Lie', also about Srebrenica, is heartrending in its simplicity. Then there is Allan Taylor's 'Libertas Ragusa. I've heard none on Africa, though, other than South Africa.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: mousethief
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:26 PM

This is what I was thinking of: Paxton did one called "On The Road From Srebrenica" -- it was during the war in Bosnia.

Alex

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: mousethief
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:23 PM

Help me, Rwanda?

Sorry, poor taste.

Alex

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:20 PM

Rwanda?

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: mousethief
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:11 PM

I thought Paxton did one about Kosovo. Maybe it was about ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. It's been a while.

Alex

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: jaze
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 06:02 PM

"China" by Joan Baez about Tiannemen Square(sp?) I'm surprised no one has written a song about the horror of Kosovo. Perfect subject for a folk song. Where are Dylan and Baez when you need 'em?

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 04:39 PM

Did anyone mention "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" which summed up the depression in a few verses.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 04:26 PM

There's a distinction to be drawn here between songs about historical incidents and songs that illustrate (even though not literally based on a true incident) a historic period or movement. A lot of the songs named so far really belong in the second category.

Some more of that sort are The Buffalo Skinners, and Guthrie's If You Ain't Got the Do Re Mi.

Then there's another classification to be made, between songs that were sung roughly at the time they deal with and those that are sort hark back from later times to the times they speak of.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: mousethief
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 02:16 PM

Many of the songs written and sung by expatriate British "folkie" Al Stewart are historical in nature. He sings songs about such diverse historical topics as Admiral Lord Fischer, the WW2 German/Nazi invasion of Russia, the fall of Constantinople in 1543, and Lindy's famous airplane ride across the Atlantic. Check out all his lyrics at:

The Annotated Al Stewart

Alex

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 12:13 PM

click here

And in the immortal words of Roseanna Annadanna "Nevermind". Does answering your own question break a record?

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: SINSULL
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 12:10 PM

Are there any songs out there about the Triangle Shirt Factory fire?

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: RWilhelm
Date: 25 Jun 01 - 12:08 PM

We used to do a whole set of disaster songs including the following. I beleive these are all in the DT database:

Jay Gould's Daughter
The Wreck of the Old 97
Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
The Baltimore Fire
The Brooklyn Theater Fire
Lady Franklin's Lament
The Mermaid
Rye Cove
The Galveston Flood
The Ship Titanic
The Titanic (Leadbelly's)

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Jun 01 - 07:39 PM

Utah Phillips' "Enola Gay" gave me shivers the first time I heard it.
"Mary Hamilton", "When The Evening Star Went Down" (Shipwreck via Work),"The Hills Of Shiloh" (modern take on it),"Henry Martin" (the pirate), "Hey Nellie Nellie" (also modern take on Civil War theme). The 'chucks (?) do a beautiful, moving ballad about Mary Brown, wife of John Brown. Could go on forever with this one.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From:
Date: 24 Jun 01 - 06:11 PM

For those who are interested, Eleanor of Aquitaine (sp?)was first the wife of Phillip of France who divorced her when she bore only girls. After marrying Henry II she had several sons including Richard Th Lion Hearted and Prince John. By the time Prince John came alone, Henry had split up his relm to the point where he had no land for Prince John, hence John's was known as John Lack Land. King Henry ordered Queen Eleanor to deed her holding in Aquitaine and Anjou to John. She refused saying that these lands were reserved for the son who would rule: Richard. King Henry then locked her in a tower and told her she would get out when she signed a deed which stated in her room ot rooms(I'm not that sure of the size of her apartment or whatever you want to call it.) King Henry waited 13 years and she never did sign the deed. After Henry II death, Richard had her released. In the end, however, Prince John became King John after Richard's death as Richard left no heirs. ( The fact he never consumated his marriage may explain this.) I learned a different version (much cleaned up) during the 1960's. The fact that the Chad Mitchell Trio was singing this song may have had a great deal to do with why the version was much less racy than the one I found here. Then again, I grew up in Massachusetts and I can assure you that puritanism isn't dead - just the Puritans! Hope you enjoy this epistle.

Oh by the way, if you want to keep what happened to King Henry VIII wifes fate straight. just remember this rhyme:

Divorced, beheaded,died. Divorced, beheaded, survived!

Enough esoteric for today.

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Bert
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 01:42 PM

Don't forget to search DT for 'Stanley Holloway' for some excellent historical stories.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Bert
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 01:36 PM

MatthewB, I didn't know you had a book. Tell us about it.

Art, and you have to tell us all about ...the fine historical Minnesota ballad, "THE POKEGAMA BEAR"

Bert.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Art Thieme
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 10:50 AM

Hey folks, John Berquist just posted a few before this one. John is a Minnesota folklorist, singer, amazing player of many kinds of squeeze boxes and accordions. Sadly (or happily--depending on your point of view) he and his family are now in Chicago part time and would be a perfect person to have at the University of Chicago Folk Festival if anyone there will take my SUBTLE hint!!!!! John, I know you might rather be in Minnesota for the winter, but we've got to take lemons and make lemonade. (Believe me, I know.)

Anyhow, John Berquist is the person I learned the fine historical Minnesota ballad, "THE POKEGAMA BEAR" from. It's on my recent CD fer Waterbug.

As they always say in Minnesota, "So..."

Art

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Ely
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 03:28 AM

Galveston Flood (Wasn't that a mighty time? . . .)

1913 Massacre

Jesse James (the Golden Ring version, which is more accurate than the more other one)

Prairie Grove ("Come all you sons of Ioway and listen to my song . . . ")

I thought there should be a song about James Root, who saved a trainload of people during the huge forest fire in Hinckley, Minnesota, in September, 1894, by driving to an abandoned, water-filled gravel pit and having them all get out and soak themselves. Somebody else has published a song about it already, but I didn't like it so I'm making up my own (not for publication or anything--I'm not a songwriter by any means). It's not one of my *favorites* yet but I'm working on it.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: John Berquist
Date: 14 Oct 99 - 02:58 AM

There are some lumbering ballads about accidents, especially on river drives. Two good ones are the classic 'Jam on Gerry's Rocks' and 'River Through the Pine' Check Edith Fowke's books for starters. And Lightfoot's opus about the Edmund Fitz.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Matthew B.
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 11:50 PM

Bert, I'm glad you mentioned Santiano. Here's what I wrote about it in my book (as a footnote to one of the many delightful versions of this song):

According to The Book of Lists, General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna (1795?-1876) was one of the 5 worst generals in military history. In the Mexican-American War alone (1846-1848), he lost every battle he ever fought! Early in his career, Sam Houston's men caught him in his underwear, trying to escape from the bed of a woman while his troops were being decimated by an attack that came during their siesta!! A dozen years later, he fled a losing battle in the Mexican American War so quickly that he left behind his famous wooden leg, which the Americans found. Soon, folks all over America were wearing little wooden-leg pins on their lapels to "honor" this event. However, this ignoble ending has not stopped us from totally reversing history for the sake of a good sea shanty. In this version, Santy beats Taylor. After all, his name is so much more musical, that he deserves the glory for that reason alone.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Susan A-R
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 11:21 PM

Tommy Sands There were Roses (I heard him sing it this weekend, and he described it as a true incident which he was finally able to commit to song about ten years after the fact.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Amaranth
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 10:25 PM

A favourite of mine is "MacDonnel on the Heights" it is written by Stan Rogers and is on his album "from fresh water".

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: northfolk/al cholger
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 08:32 PM

How about a little misleadership...have been listening to a new recording of Utah Phillips stuff, titled, Moscow Hold, Fits the topic, hysterical story songs....

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Mían
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 07:10 PM

jeez, my mind is going a bit haywire in trying to comply with the search for favorite historical stories. Let me show you what path it took before I stopped it in amazement:

Roll On, Columbia, Roll On
Washington, My Home
Frere Jacques
Allouette
From the Land of sky Blue Waters (Hamm's, the Beer Refreshing)
Who will Buy This Wonderful Morning
The Boxer(Simon and Garfunkel)
Ohio (CrosbyStillsNashandYoung)
And It's One,Two,Three, What Are We Fightin' For?
...

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Bert
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 05:04 PM

The shanty Santayana says "General Taylor ran away, he ran away at Monterey" which is not ture.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Matthew B.
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 02:47 PM

How about "historical" songs that are deliberately, wildly inaccurate? Any examples?

(That doesn't count overly heroic but supposedly accurate songs like Davy Crockett)

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Frank Hamilton
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 12:47 PM

One of the things that I've noticed is that supposedly historical songs may or may not be factually accuraate. One of my faves is the American folk song "Jay Gould's Daugher", the daughter of the famous railroad robber baron. His daughter is depicted as being spoiled but Sam Hinton tells us that in fact his daughter was a well-known philanthropist. I believe I can trust folk ballads as much as I do for most history books for historical accuracy.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: McCSharon
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 12:27 PM

Any more songs from the 1840-1860's that have been recorded recently? My father loves these old songs, need a November Birthday present.

Subject: RE: Fav. Historical Story-songs
From: Jane Bird
Date: 13 Oct 99 - 12:14 PM

I'm rather fond of Queen Eleanor's Confession, which isn't entirely historically accurate, but is based on the story of Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his mistress "Fair" Rosamund Clifford.

This ballad is also mentioned in Hardy's novel Return of the Native, which is how I came to research it.

Jane