What is the 'Voice of Nell'

Subject: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: GUEST,Doug Grabill
Date: 08 May 15 - 09:35 PM

It is from the last verse in "I can't feel at home in this world anymore"

http://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=2804

The whole line is
"I hear the voice of Nell that I have heard before"

Thanks! -Doug

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: Jeri
Date: 08 May 15 - 10:01 PM

I'm pretty sure it should be "I hear the voice of them, that's gone on before".

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: GUEST,Doug Grabill
Date: 08 May 15 - 10:32 PM

Thanks, Jeri! There is always variations in folk song lyrics, but 'the voice of Nell' is in the Carter Family version, which I view as authoritative :)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yE3kW9-tjO8

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: Megan L
Date: 09 May 15 - 02:16 AM

Jings I haven't listened to that for years. Having grown up with aunt and cousins called Helen they were always called Nettie or Nellie so I always accosted it as being someone about to die hearing the voice of their mother,sister or daughter.

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 09 May 15 - 04:40 AM

At about 0:52 in
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yE3kW9-tjO8
I hear "I hear the voice of them that I have heard before..."

I wonder if you could you narrow down the phrase you hear as 'Nell'.

It certainly appears in print as Nell.
They also mention angels. I wonder if someone has has a dyslectic moment when writing it up? Or transcribed a badly written 'them'?

(happened with waves>leaves in "...sprightly dance. The leaves beside them danced...")(Wordsworth)

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: GUEST,Doug Grabill
Date: 09 May 15 - 06:30 AM

Thanks, Freddy!

Yes, that's the place in the song. Looking at the printed lyric (Nell) and listening to the song, I heard it as Nell. But since you suggested it is 'them' instead, I listened again and heard 'them'.

It could be that it was mis-transcribed early on, then the mistake was just copied over on other sites. I'll try to find another early version of the song to see what they say.

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: Megan L
Date: 09 May 15 - 08:20 AM

Damb phone I just discovered it put accosted when I was typing accepted.

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: GUEST,Doug Grabill
Date: 09 May 15 - 08:33 AM

Yah, I hate autocorrect too, lol

I found this old version of the the song by 'Two Gospel Keys'... they sing "I hear the voice of (something)"

But I can't hear what their 'something' is... any help out there on this one? Its at 1:06. http://youtube.com/watch?v=1pDi6T_gZw0

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 09 May 15 - 08:54 AM

I hope you get some more on this.

Albert E. Brumley seems to get a lot of credits to it
http://hymnal.calvarybaptistsv.org/485.html
Yes the Gospel Keys seems older ytube and Spotify links here >
/Two+Gospel+Keys/_/I+Dont+Feel+At+Home+In+This+World+ 

There is another thread which might have more info, I didn't read it all. But see http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=27901#344202 
"Stewie - PM       Date: 20 Nov 00 - 06:34 PM 
Charles Wolfe says the Monroes learned the song from the 1935 'hit' record by the Prairie Ramblers on ARC, but the song had its roots deep in the black gospel tradition. In his liner notes to vol 5 of the Rounder set of Carter RCA material, Wolfe said it had been recorded before the Carter's 1931 recording by several black gospel groups ...."


btw my Wordsworth misquote should have been the line " Outdid the sparkling leaves in glee "

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 May 15 - 09:58 AM

Thanks for the link, Doug. The song is interesting, but I couldn't understand the words at 1:06 either.

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: Jeri
Date: 09 May 15 - 11:19 AM

"those that's gone before."

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 15 - 01:58 PM

http://freemusicarchive.org/member/stevenarntson/blog/the_absent_second_an_explanation


That is worth reading because the writer has done what looks to me to be some excellent word presenting this multi-named song's history with roots as far back (at least) to 1909.

Subject: RE: What is the 'Voice of Nell'
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 15 - 02:08 PM

That is an interesting article. In going through the versions on YouTube, I saw that rocker Beck recorded a version of Woody's 'Got No Home'