Lyr Add: Disposable Lives (Black Gold)

Subject: Lyr Req: Black Gold
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 May 20 - 02:47 AM

Our fathers and mothers are husbands and wives
Our sisters and brothers disposable lives

All for the same of the (big?) black gold.

Another song Thad sang. Anybody heard it?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Black Gold
From: GUEST,fasteddy
Date: 09 May 20 - 03:27 AM

There is a Black Gold on The Essential Irish Folk Collection by The Jolly Beggarmen. Couldn't find the lyrics anywhere so had to go back to the old way of playing the track a hundred times and trying to figure out the words.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Black Gold
From: cnd
Date: 09 May 20 - 04:30 PM

I don't think that's the song Joe's looking for. You can listen to it here

I couldn't find much on Thad's song though

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Black Gold
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 09 May 20 - 07:58 PM

Who is Thad?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Black Gold
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 May 20 - 08:34 PM

Thad is a longtimer in the San Francisco Folk Music Club. He's very unassuming, but comes up with lots of interesting songs. He promised to send me the lyrics to this one.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Black Gold
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 09 May 20 - 09:34 PM

Many thanks, Joe. Here is a neat take of the 'wrong' Black Gold by D'Arcy Broderick. Same song as the one on cnd's link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gleQTCQIT80

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Black Gold
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 09 May 20 - 09:51 PM

Incidentally, the 'wrong' Black Gold was written by Pete St John. He certainly knows how to turn a phrase to tell a story. Love it.

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Disposable Lives (Black Gold)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 May 20 - 02:32 AM

DISPOSABLE LIVES
Music: Thad Binkley; Words: Lesley Calderon
Key: D

CHORUS:
        D                       A7           D
  Our fathers and mothers, our husbands and wives,
                                       A7
  Our sisters and brothers—disposable lives—
             G                       D
  Turned to pale rotting corpses, a thousand fold,
                                G          D
  And all for the sake of the thick black gold.

’Tis lies and deceptions that lead us to war,
And our armies are gleaned from the fields of the poor.
These flowers of our nation will never grow old,
They will sacrifice all for the thick black gold.

Yet our brave politicians dream, safe in their beds,
Of riches amassed on the backs of the dead.
And they offer up thanks as the bodies grow cold,
For profits they’ve made from the thick black gold.
Chorus

And so, in their greed, they can justify
The orphaned child and the widow’s cry;
Yet we mourn loud and long for the lives they’ve sold—
Sold just for the price of the thick black gold.

There are pools of blood on the desert sand,
Of our heroes slain in a heathen land.
Deny it you may, but the truth shall be told—
They died for the love of the thick black gold.
Chorus

2002
Words © Lesley Calderon, music © Thad Binkley


Thad's explanation:

Hi, Joe,

Here, as you requested Friday night, is a PDF of the song I sang, “Disposable Lives”.

A member of our writing class wrote the words as a poem almost twenty years ago and read it to the class.
It looked like a song to me, so I offered to write a tune for it.
Several years later, I actually did it and sang the song at a gathering where members of the class, including the poet, were present. It was well received.
I have no recorded copy of the tune and have not posted it to YouTube.

If you have further questions, let me know.

Stay safe,
Thad