Lyr Add: Generic Folksong

Subject: Generic Folksong
From: Trapper
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 12:50 PM

Reading the "Fame At Last" thread reminded me of a song I'd written a few years ago. I was inspired to do a "Generic Folksong" much the way Steve Goodman wrote his generic country song - "You Never Even Called Me By My Name". I tried to get as many folkie themes in one song as I could...

Comments and criticisms welcome!

- Al

GENERIC FOLKSONG
© Al Boyce

Come gather 'round me one and all, and listen to my song,
About nothing in particular, and seven verses long.
Of unrequited love and death, and trains and booze and war,
And if you like it longer, I'll do seven verses more.

CHORUS
So sing it loudly, sing it soft,
With ten-part harmony.
Sing a generic folksong,
A generic jamboree.

I'll tell a tale of woe, me lads, if you've not already guessed,
About a man came from the East (or North or South or West).
His girl had done him wrong you see, this tale I tell you true,
So he committed something that he shouldn't ought to do.

So listen up, good people, I'll tell you of his plight,
He tired of his running, so he stood his ground to fight.
He stood there 27 weeks, in rain and snow and sleet,
And when nobody came for him, he got a bite to eat.

It was in an all night cafe, friends, this fellow met his fate,
When a trucker opened up the door, his eyeballs filled with hate.
The trucker saw our hero, and looked him in the eye,
But the trucker didn't know him, so he passed him right on by.

Let me tell a little story of a man whose time had come.
A closer call he'd never had, as he gulped his glass of rum.
At the bottom of the bottle, no truth this man did find,
So he upped and joined the Army. Why? Well, nevermind.

Of defending of his country, I'll sing this sad refrain:
He didn't sustain an injury, or suffer any pain.
Upon the locomotive, he headed back for home,
He took it to the seaport, then sailed across the foam.

Now many years had passed (since the beginning of this song),
And the fair maid had forgiven him, the girl who'd done HIM wrong.
He married her last Sunday, and took her to his bed,
And when he fell asleep, she woke and shot him through the head.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: MMario
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 12:56 PM

tune! I must have a tune!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: Trapper
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 01:09 PM

MMario-

The verse is a combination of "Brennan on the Moor" and "The Sick Note". I don't know how to describe the chorus. Maybe I'll have to go try to figure out that Tune transcriber thingy....

- Al

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: MMario
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 01:12 PM

Always glad to give incentive to someone else learning to post tunes...*grin*

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 01:18 PM

Nice job, Al. It reminds me of another song that has given me great inspiration through the years, The Key of R (the database says it was written by William Day, but William Day says it wasn't - correction already submitted).
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: Allan C.
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 01:21 PM

I really like the song! But you asked for criticism. Here it is:

"So he upped and joined the Army. Why? Well, nevermind." In my opinion this line doesn't scan well. How about "Why? It makes no nevermind"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: Trapper
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 01:23 PM

Thanks Joe. The key of R was pretty funny! Course every one tells me I sing in the key of "L"... (At least they say it SOUNDS like "L"! :-D )

- Al

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 27 Mar 01 - 08:09 PM

Allan C-

Watch your country grammar there, son. It's "It don't make me no nevermind"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: lamarca
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 07:09 PM

Another excellent song in this vein is Dave Diamond's "Folksinger's Lament", which is in the DT here...

We seem to love making fun of the excesses of our musical genre!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: GUEST,Fred
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 10:35 PM

Great song! Loved it. I too would like a melody. Maybe try it at our next Singers Circle (if I dared).

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 28 Mar 01 - 10:56 PM

You've got a good thing going here, but the ending is too brutal.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Generic Folksong
From: MMario
Date: 29 Mar 01 - 08:24 AM

hmmm- maybe a ghostly revenge verse?