Songs about city life

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 15 Jun 12 - 12:13 PM

Up to the Rigs of London Town is a good one about the naive outsider putting one over on the city types

Mountains of Mourne - not really a folksong but a good one about the country boy looking at the city.

The Rocky Road to Dublin tells about a country lad being stolen from in Dublin and set about by yobs in Liverpool.

Ralph McTell's Streets of London - great song about down and outs in London.

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 15 Jun 12 - 10:39 AM

"Just Blew In from the Windy City"

from film Calamity Jane?

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: David C. Carter
Date: 15 Jun 12 - 09:33 AM

"Lou Marsh"

Phil Ochs

Subject: Lyr Add: THEY WON'T KNOW I COME FROM THE COUNTRY
From: Snuffy
Date: 15 Jun 12 - 09:17 AM

THEY WON'T KNOW I COME FROM THE COUNTRY

I've lived in the country all my life,
And I ain't got a chick nor a wife.
But I be a-goin' to London town next week
For the first time in my life.
I've heard talk about those rogues and thieves
They've got up London town:
When a fellow goes up from the country
Oh, they always takes him down

But they won't know I come from the country, no
Their little game I'll spoil.
I've bought these togs and the tailors say
They're the latest London style.
I've learned to talk like a Cockney
I can say "What ho!, not 'arf!"
But they won't know I comes from the country, no.
[laughter]
That's what makes I laugh

I'll go the Tower of London
That's where the Queen lives, so they say.
And of course I'll go to the Haymarket:
I'm a rare good judge of hay.
I'll see Piccadilly Circus,
For a circus show's all right
And I'll see those lovely performances
They have there every night.

But they won't know I come from the country, no
When for a stroll I go,
I'll wear my hat on the side like this
And I'll swing my stick like so
If a policeman says "Move on, there"
I shall say "What ho!, not 'arf!"
But they won't know I comes from the country, no.
[laughter]
That's what makes I laugh

Sung by Tom Smith on the Veteran cassette Many a Good Horseman

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: GUEST,Max Reiner
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 10:07 PM

"I Happen To Like New York" by Cole Porter. The more Brooklynese used in this vocal with piano, the better it sounds. Sing out of tune a bit, too, for schitck.

"I happen to like New York. I happen to to like this town,.
I like the city air, I like to drink of it.
The more I know New York the more I think of it.
...
Last Sunday afternoon I took a trip to Hackensack,
But after I have Hackensack the once over, I took the next train back..."

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Willie-O
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 08:29 PM

Look up "St John's Waltz" by Ron Hynes. It doesn't meet any of your listed criteria, but it's a brilliant portrait of the character of what may be the oldest continually inhabited city in North America, long as you consider Newfoundland part of North America. (St John's is perpetually feuding with Quebec City for this title; far as I know no American settlement has a decent claim.)

For a song about no particular city but which does meet your theme interests, look up "Paint Me a Picture" by David Essig. http://www.davidessig.com/rchg.html

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Jack Campin
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 07:52 PM

music and song of Edinburgh

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Anne Neilson
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 07:13 PM

For the city as a decadent, corrupting place -- what about Tom Paxton's song about a drug-addicted lassie who takes to prostitution?

"Cindy's Crying" -- gonna be a hooker on Bleecker Street.

Subject: Lyr Add: MOLLY MALONE
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 07:06 PM

I have the impression he's looking for older songs. One that occurs to me is "Molly Malone" that takes place in Dublin's "streets wide and narrow."

/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=4015

MOLLY MALONE

In Dublin's fair city where girls are so pretty
Twas there that I first met sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow
Through street broad and narrow
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"

Alive, alive oh, alive, alive oh,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"

Now she was a fishmonger and sure twas no wonder
For so were her mother and father before
And they each wheeled their barrows
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"

She died of a faver and no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh"

SRS

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Leadfingers
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 06:54 PM

Streets of Baltimore ?? or is that too Country ?

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: GUEST,Rog Peek
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 06:49 PM

City Boy - Phil Ochs

Rog

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: greg stephens
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 06:48 PM

The Rigs of London Town

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 05:12 PM

"Big Big City" - Moon Mullican (Moon doing Rockabilly, killer)
"Bright Lights, Big City" - Jimmy Reed
"Big City (Turn Me Loose)"- Merle Haggard (not sure if that's the correct title)
"Southbound" - Doc and Merle Watson

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 04:59 PM

Apart from Dalesman's Litany you'll find a host of songs that meet your requirements at www.yorkshirefolksong.net Try for instance the 16th century 'York, York, for my money'. York is so good they named it twice!!!

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: GUEST,Simon Finger
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 03:27 PM

Or, for that matter, other folk traditions, so long as it keeps the theme.

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: GUEST,Simon Finger
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 03:26 PM

I have no problem with using English folksongs if they work well enough for the big themes. Thanks for the suggestion!

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Young Buchan
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 02:14 PM

Ooops. Sorry. Didn't read the bit about wanting AMERICAN cities. You could try telling them it's Hull, Massachusetts and Halifax, Nova Scotia - but Wibsey Slack may be more of a problem!

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: Young Buchan
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 01:53 PM

Dalesman's Litany (From Hull and Halifax and Hell, Good Lord - deliver me.)

Subject: RE: Best 'city songs?'
From: pdq
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 01:27 PM

"I Ain't Broke, But I'm Badly Bent" was recorded at least three times by Rick Skaggs and tells of the problems of a country boy going to the city.

Subject: Best 'city songs?'
From: GUEST,Simon Finger
Date: 14 Jun 12 - 01:22 PM

I teach at a small college in Oregon, and this fall I will be teaching a course on the city in American history. I thought that folk song might be a good way to get at popular attitudes about cities, especially before 1900. So as I build this compilation, I'm looking for suggestions as to what I should include. I'm especially looking for songs that highlight any of the following themes, but would certainly appreciate any advice or suggestions the group may have.

*City contrasted with Country
*City as a place to find work
*the city as a place of fun and frolic
*the city as decadent, dangerous, and morally corrupting
*the "bumpkin" falling prey to the dangerous city
*the "bumpkin" outsmarting the city

Thanks for your help!