Lyr Req: Lake of the Dismal Swamp (Thomas Moore)

Subject: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From:
Date: 25 Sep 97 - 02:54 PM

Hey, Joe,

Ya know, it's not polite to tease. You mentioned this in another thread. Might we have the lyrics, please?

Shula

Subject: Lyr Add: LAKE OF THE DISMAL SWAMP (Thomas Moore)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Sep 97 - 06:07 PM

THE LAKE OF THE DISMAL SWAMP
(Thomas Moore, 1779-1852)

"They made her a grave too cold and damp
For a soul so warm and true;
And she's gone to the Lake of the dismal Swamp,
Where all night long, by a firefly lamp,
She paddles her white canoe.

And her firefly lamp I soon shall see,
And her paddle I soon shall hear;
Long and loving our life shall be,
And I'll hide the maid in a cypress tree,
When the footstep of death is near."

Away to the Dismal Swamp he speeds, -
His path was rugged and sore,
Through tangled juniper, beds of reeds,
Through many a fen where the serpent feeds,
And man never trod before.

And when on the earth he sank to sleep,
If slumber his eyelids knew,
He lay where the deadly vine doth weep
Its venomous tear, and nightly steep
The flesh with blistering dew!

And near him the she-wolf stirr'd the brake,
And the copper-snake breathed in his ear,
Till he starting cried, from his dream awake,
"Oh when shall I see the dusky Lake,
And the white canoe of my dear?"

He saw the Lake, and a meteor bright
Quick over its surface play'd, -
"Welcome," he said, "my dear one's light!"
and the dim shore echo'd for many a night
The name of the death-cold maid.

Till he hollow'd a boat of the birchen bark,
Which carried him off from the shore;
Far, far he follow'd the meteor spark,
The wind was high and the clouds were dark,
And the boat return'd no more.

But oft, from the Indian hunter's camp,
This lover and maid so true
Are seen at the hour of midnight damp
To cross the Lake by a firefly lamp,
And paddle their white canoe!

This is copied from Doubleday's "The Best Loved Poems of the American People," selected by Hazel Felleman, 1936. It's a great collection of poems, mostly the story-telling type.

Now, I tried to weasel out of typing this because it was not identified in the book as a "song," but since most of what Thomas Moore wrote was songs, I guess I'm obliged, since I mentioned it and Shula caught me…..

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Sep 97 - 06:10 PM

....and I was sure I turned off the bold type.
There! that should do it. Now, if Shula asks me to start typing from my books of Robert W. Service poems, I don't know what I'll do....
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Sep 97 - 06:39 PM

Oh, my. You'll never guess what I found. A Web site of poetry, including "Lake of the Dismal Swamp," which I just so arduously typed. Oh, well, here's the URL:
http://library.utoronto.ca/www/utel/rp/indexauthors.html

There was another thomas Moore poem I was tempted to type. I'm glad I didn't, since it's on the Web site. Here's an excerpt:The Time I've Lost In Wooing
Thomas Moore 1817

The time I've lost in wooing,
In watching and pursuing
The light, that lies
In woman's eyes,
Has been my heart's undoing.
Though Wisdom oft has sought me,
I scorn'd the lore she brought me,
My only books
Were woman's looks,
And folly's all they've taught me.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Dale Rose
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 01:16 AM

Have you heard the recordings of Robert Service poems by Hank Snow and Joe McDonald? Hank recites a bunch of the standards with instrumental background, and Country Joe sets a bunch of Service's war poems to music, and sings them in his own unique style. Great stuff!

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 03:34 AM

That sounds like an album I've got to have, Dale. Do you have any idea what the name of the album is?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Dale Rose
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 11:37 AM

Tales Of The Yukon RCA 4032 Hank Snow, 1968. The Spell of the Yukon, The Cremation of Sam McGee, Dangerous Dan McGrew, The Face on the Barroom Floor, The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill, The Ballad of One Eyed Mike, The Ballad of Hard Luck Henry, My Friends. If you like Hank Snow AND Robert Service, you are bound to LOVE this album. It features Chubby Wise and Chet Atkins doing the background music for Hank's recitations.

War, War, War Vanguard 79315 Country Joe McDonald, 1971. Forward, The Call, Young Fellow My Lad, The Man from Aphabaska, The Munition Maker, The Twins, Jean Desprez, War Widow, The March of the Dead. About this time, Joe could do no wrong for Vanguard, and they allowed him the freedom to do several projects that were a long way from his normal material. In addition to this one, he also recorded an album of country (yes, REAL country) music, and one of Woody Guthrie music. As I recall, I never saw this album in a record store~~I had to special order it. He composed the music for the poems.

The Spell Of The Yukon Columbia 8388 Stuart Hamblin, no date. Includes The Shooting of Dan McGrew, The Lure of the Little Voices, The Spell of the Yukon, and The Cremation of Sam McGee, along with six of his own compositions.

Talkin' To Your Heart RCA 2339 Jim Reeves, 1961. An album of recitations which includes only Spell of the Yukon.

I also have a Debbie McClatchy album which has one or two Service poems, but I did not run across it.

When I was teaching seventh grade literature, we always did a unit on Robert Service poetry. Almost without fail, sometime during their eighth grade year, the kids would ask to hear Jean Desprez and The Cremation of Sam McGee again.

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 02:47 PM

Thanks, Dale - that gives me a good start. I did a search at CDNow, but no luck. At least, I now know exactly what to look for. At one time, I had "Sam McGee" almost memorized, but it's starting to fade.....How come things don't stick in my memory like they used to?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Sheye
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 03:00 PM

Dale:

HUGE Service fan - it's a prerequisite in my family. Tales of the Yukon is an excellent album. Question: In the literally dozens of different publications of Service's work hanging their hats in my abode, I have never seen "The Face on the Barroom Floor" in print and am wondering if you have...

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Bruce
Date: 26 Sep 97 - 03:04 PM

Tune for Thomas Moore's "The time I've lost in wooing" issue #6 of 'A Selection of Irish Melodies', is "Peas upon a trencher".

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Dale Rose
Date: 27 Sep 97 - 11:12 AM

Sheye, I have not seen it either, but I only have one book of Service poetry. However, it is the first volume of his collected works, so it does have a huge selection of his work, including most of the poems I mentioned. I have a Canadian friend who is a fan, so I will check with her when I get a chance.

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From:
Date: 27 Sep 97 - 11:39 PM

Stompin' Tom Conners also recorded The Cremation of Sam McGee. Some liberties are taken with the text in order to get it to fit the music.

Is this the same Country Joe who sang The Draft-Dodger Rag?

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Dale Rose
Date: 28 Sep 97 - 12:54 PM

Yes, same Joe of Woodstock "fame". I can't see into his mind to figure out his views, but obviously people have always seen different wars in different lights. The back cover of the album includes a fictional letter from Joe to his wife. It is hand written and is partially covered by a rose, but it does bring out his sentiments, I believe.

Excerpts follow: (I have put in italics my interpretations of what lies behind the rose)

The President told us that we ain't fighting the germans but we're fighting the Prussians. I hope somewhere along the way they tell us how to tell the difference. . . I 'm still not sure why we're fighting the Huns but the U.S. wouldn't be spending so much money to send us here if they didn't have a reason.

Subject: RE: More Service Notes
From: LaMarca
Date: 03 Oct 97 - 05:50 PM

For youse R. Service fans out there, some more fun recordings (glad to learn about the Hank Snow, too!)

Both Debby McClatchey and Bob Zentz have set "The Ballad of Soulful Sam" to Music; slightly different tunes. Debby's version is on her "Light Years Away" album (I think...) and I don't know if Zentz has recorded his; if so, it'd be on his latest release, "It's About Time".

The late, great Canadian folksinger, Dave Parry, did a whole album of Service pieces, both as recitations and as songs, called "The Man From Eldorado" and other poems on another recording "The Wind That Walks the World(?)"; also has some great Kipling recitations and Canadian folksongs from the Yukon and NW Terr. We bought the tapes from Ian Robb; don't know where else to get them...

I don't think "The Face On the Bar-room Floor" was written by Service; Dave Parry recites it wonderfully on one of his tapes. I'll look up the author when I get home; I think it's printed in Frank Shay's "My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions."

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Dale Rose
Date: 03 Oct 97 - 06:35 PM

LaMarca, you must go to the thread entitled The Face On The Barroom Floor. The discussion jumped over there, including the fact that it was written by H. Antoine D'Arcy, and incorrectly credited to Service, possibly as a result of the Hank Snow recording. We found no other possible reason. (so far)

I hope I am not getting multiple postings here. First I got a 503, then a "network error, reset by peer" message, so this is the third time I am sending it. Make that seven

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From:
Date: 03 Oct 97 - 07:56 PM

That is a different Debby McClatchy song than I have. I have Ballad of Blasphemous Bill somewhere, but I haven't found it yet.

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Dale Rose
Date: 03 Oct 97 - 08:02 PM

Now why didn't that closer work? One more time, and if that doesn't get it, I am just going to leave it!

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Oct 97 - 04:25 AM

How's that?

Subject: Old Story Poems - Country Joe McDonald
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 12:05 AM

This morning, Gene sent me a link to the Country Joe McDonald Web Site. Under "lyrics," it has the Robert W. Service poems Joe recorded on his War War War album, which is now available as a CD.
Words to "Fixin'-to-Die Rag" are there, too, of course.
There's also some interesting information about Joes friendship with Malvina Reynolds. It's quite an interesting Web site.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Lesley N.
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 09:41 PM

A bit late here.... back to "The Time I've lost in Wooing" - I found the music in Songs of Ireland, Boosey & Co. book circa 1877 - Says the Air is "Pease Upon a Trencher..."

Funny, I just had someone write me about "Avenging and Bright" by Moore - which I'm working on... I just did a short bio of him on my pages because I've got a bunch of his music and didn't find any great links. Now I have TWO tunes to put up.

Subject: Tune Add: PEASE UPON A TRENCHER and CROOKAUN A...
From: Bruce O.
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 10:15 PM

X:1
T:PEASE UPON A TRENCHER
S: Aird's 'Airs I, c 1778
Q:160
L:1/8
M:2/4
K:G
GDGA|B2B2|AGAB|c2c2|GABc|dedB|cAeB|G2G2::\
gGGA|B2AG|aAAB|c2BA|GABc|dedB|cAdB|G2G2:|]

X:2
T:Crookaun A Venee (for Avenging and Bright)
S:Holden's 'Collection ... Irish Slow and Quick Tunes, c 1805
Q:120
L:1/8
M:3/4
K:Dm
A2|d2defd|e2a2ag|f2d2d2|c2A2A2|d2defd|e2a2ag|\
e2d2d2|d4::e2|f2f3/2g/2af|e2c2A2|BAGdcB|A2F2F2|\
f2fgaf|e2c2A2|B3/2A/G3/2F/E3/2D/|d4:|]

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Bruce O.
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 10:55 PM

P.S.: The first lines of all of Thomas Moore's songs in the ten issues of 'A Selection of Irish Melodies' are listed in the Irish tune index on my website and are followed by the name of the tunes to which they were sung. [There are very few of Moore's songs that weren't known by first line. He rarely gave them titles.]

Subject: RE: LYR.REQ.(JoeO):Moore, maiden/canoe/snake song
From: Lesley N.
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 06:14 AM

Bruce,

As much as I've been to your site how did I miss that? I guess it's a matter of not seeing the forest 'cause I'm always looking for a tree...