Req: songs by Harry Belafonte and the Islanders

Subject: RE: Req: songs by Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: The Doctor
Date: 30 Jun 17 - 05:15 AM

'Hold 'em Joe' was also recorded by Johnny Silvo and Dave Moses on their 'Live from London' LP, which I have.

Subject: Lyr Add: HOLD 'EM JOE (Harry Belafonte)
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 29 Jun 17 - 10:47 PM

Tedham Porterhouse: "Harry Belafonte recorded some singles in the early 1950s. I'd guess that his half of the LP in question is probably from that period because he was recording his own full albums by 1955.


Hold 'Em Joe
Words and Music by HARRY THOMAS
(Based on Traditional Song)

Introduced by HARRY BELAFONTE in the Broadway Production , "John Murray Anderson's ALMANAC"

HOLD 'EM JOE_HOLD 'EM JOE_HOLD 'EM JOE
but don't let him go.
HOLD 'EM JOE, I say HOLD 'EM JOE_HOLD 'EM JOE
but don't let him go.

Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Spring 'round the corner, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Everybody want water, HOLD 'EM JOE.

A fu-ma la-ca tchim-ba, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Everybody want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE.

1. We on a journey he don't walk straight
and that is because he's so underweight;
Donkey of mine he don't like no weight
Put him on a cart he never walk straight.

Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Everybody want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
The people want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
A fu-ma la-ca tchim-ba, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey need water, HOLD 'EM JOE;

2. My ole donkey went courtin' one day
with a donkey named Melda across the way;
She was twice his age, he put up a fight,
Now he's cryin' every night.

Ah lemme go, darlin' Melda.
You breaking my backbone.
Lemme go, darlin' Melda, you breakin' my…
EVERYBODY!
Lemme go, darlin' Melda,
You breaking my backbone.
Once again now!
Lemme go, darlin' Melda,
You breaking my backbone.
A little louder!
Lemme go, darlin' Melda,
You breaking my backbone.
A little gentler
Lemme go, darlin' Melda,
You breaking my backbone.

Ah, some people say that my donkey is bad
an' that is because he's from Trinidad;
Donkey of mine he won't work at all,
All he want to do is break out him stall.

Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Sing out de chorus, HOLD 'EM JOE;
And sing a little louder, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
And you go on water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Me donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
A fu-ma la-ca tchim-ba, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Donkey want water, HOLD 'EM JOE;
A sing a little softer, HOLD 'EM JOE;
A sing a little softer, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Now sing a little louder, HOLD 'EM JOE;
Donkey want water,
HOLD 'EM JOE!

Copyright 1954 FOLKWAYS MUSIC PUBLISHERS, INC., New York, N.Y.

As mentioned above, the covers on the 1960-1961 Belafonte-Islander compilations are performed by the Islanders, not Belafonte.

I've posted the slightly longer Belafonte RCA single here with more interaction between the singer and the chorus. It is more reflective of the Belafonte Las Vegas reviews. The JMA Almanac Review version was a bit more restrained.

For more detail on the song origins see here:
thread.cfm?threadid=137313

YT: Belafonte - Hold 'Em Joe

Subject: Stone Cold Dead in the Market (Macbeth the Great)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 06:19 PM

Lyr. Add: Stone Cold Dead in the Market
Macbeth the Great 1946 (Calypso at Midnight Concert)

1
Ah, he's stone cold in the market,
He's stone cold dead in the market,
Well, if he's stone cold dead in the market,
I ain't kill nobody but me husband.

(First verse with slight variation used as chorus)

2
Well look, I lash him with the pot and the frying pan,
I lick him with the pot and the frying pan,
Well if I lick him with the pot and the frying pan,
And if I kill him, he had it coming.

Chorus

3
Last night I went out drinking,
When I came home he gave me a beating,
Believe me, friends, I doesn't care,
If they set me down on the electric chair.

Chorus

4
Oh look, the family, they're swearing to kill me,
The family, they're swearing to kill me,
Well look, the family is swearing to kill me,
And if I kill him, he had it coming.

Chorus

5
Oh, Payne dead, Payne dead, he's stone dead,
And if Payne dead, Payne dead, he's stone dead,
And if I kill him, he is me husband.

Chorus

There is one thing that I am sure,
The vagabond, he cannot beat me no more,
So I catch up the rolling pin,
And I work on his head 'til I bash it in.

Chorus

Macbeth the Great is Patrick McDonald.
Lyrics from booklet inserted in album.

Wilmouth Houdini = Frederick Hendricks = Wilmouth Sinclair = St. Clair. The calypso copyright by him. Macbeth sang it the same year that Houdini took out the copyright.

Macbeth the Great sang this at the famous Calypso at Midnight Concert, Dec. 21, 1946, at Town Hall, New York. The Concert was fully recorded, organized by Alan Lomax. All songs available on cd, "Calypso at Midnight."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: dknutt
Date: 14 May 11 - 08:39 PM

Couple of corrections, if anybody's still interested in this old thread.

ONLY ONE LIKE ME
I'm pretty sure the line quoted above as
"I feed on maiden dust from the road o'er the hill"
is actually:
"My feet are made of dust from the road o'er the hill..."

NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES
I'm pretty sure the next to the last line is:
"And the smiling DOWN of a thousand eyes."

Also, the lyrics given for LIE STONE DEAD IN THE MARKET are not exactly the same as Belafonte sings them on the referenced album.

Subject: mathilda
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Dec 03 - 12:29 PM

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: raredance
Date: 05 May 02 - 01:34 AM

I see that Bear Family has just released a 5 CD set of early Belafonte 1949-1957 along with a 100 page book. They usually do a very good job.

rich r

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: greg stephens
Date: 03 May 02 - 08:15 AM

Jim I'll take your advice (or try).Time you get to the end of a thread, it's beyond my fast deteroriating brain to remember how it started, let alone when! But maybe Gray Eagle justs pops in once a year so I'll timed this right.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 May 02 - 07:59 AM

Greg: Don't hold your breath waiting for a response from Gray Wolf. He (or she) hasn't been heard from since May, 2001.

When I post lyrics, I figure I'm doing it for posterity, not only for the benefit of the original requester. It's a step toward getting the song into DigiTrad. I've been responding to a lot of old requests lately, but I do it only when the song interests me or when it's very easy. Otherwise, I add it to the list at PermaThread™ Unanswered Requests.

Sometimes a response does spark a new discussion, and the posting of additional versions, and that's very satisfying. And a few times I've e-mailed the requester, when an address was provided, and gotten an enthusiastic thank-you. But I recommend you at least look at the date of the original request before you respond.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: greg stephens
Date: 03 May 02 - 05:52 AM

(duplicate letter,possibly).I'm sitting looking at the Belafonte/Islanders LP at this moment, and thinking, well I could easily transccribe a song or two off this. But surely, Gray Wolf,this is a record you own and are fond of, and the accents arent too incomprehensible and youre an English speaker (well, writer). Which tracks are giving you problems? Be glad to help but dont want to waste my time. cheers. greg

Subject: Lyr Add: THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (Belafonte
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 May 02 - 01:02 AM

Copied from http://w1.871.telia.com/~u87125666/lyrics/night_has_a_1000_eyes.htm

THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES
(Buddy Bernier & Jerry Brainin)

Don't whisper things to me you don't mean,
For words down deep inside can be seen by the night.
The night has a thousand eyes,
And it knows a truthful heart from one that lies.

Though romance may have called in the past,
My love for you will be everlasting and bright,
As bright as the starlit skies,
And this wondrous night that has a thousand eyes.

I've live my life walking through a dream,
For I knew that I would find this moment supreme.
A night of bliss and tender sighs,
And the smiling dawn of a thousand eyes.
The night has a thousand eyes.

[Recorded by Harry Belafonte, 1950.]

Subject: Lyr Add: ONLY ONE LIKE ME (sung by H Belafonte
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 May 02 - 01:00 AM

Copied from http://w1.871.telia.com/~u87125666/lyrics/onlyonelikeme.htm

ONLY ONE LIKE ME
(?)

You better listen. You better listen.
You better listen. You better listen.

As I was walking through the woods one day,
I saw a strange man walking on his way.
I stopped him to talk awhile and hear his story told.
And as he talked this story did he unfold:
My daddy was an oak tree. My mama was a deer.
I was born one morning in the spring of the year.
I cut me out a heart from yellow daffodil.
I feed on maiden dust from the road o'er the hill.
When I weep my tears are deep, deep enough to fill the sea.
I'm a lonesome man 'cause there's only one like me.
Yes there's only one like me. What an awful, awful fate to be one of a kind.
No matter where you roam, you may never ever find all your natural peace of mind.
And never find a home.

[Recorded by Harry Belafonte, 1950.]

Subject: Lyr Add: ANNABELLE LEE (sung by Harry Belafonte)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 May 02 - 12:59 AM

Copied from http://w1.871.telia.com/~u87125666/lyrics/annabellelee.htm

ANNABELLE LEE
(Jack Segal, based on a poem by Edgar Allan Poe)

Annabelle Lee, Annabelle Lee,

Oh the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of my beautiful Annabelle Lee.,
And the stars never rise but I see the bright eyes
Of my beautiful Annabelle Lee.

We're never apart, for I gave her my heart.
She gave her heart to me.
And I love with a love that is more than just love,
My adorable Annabelle Lee.

Yes, he gave his warm heart to sweet Annabelle Lee
For he loved her so dearly, you see,
To think of her charms have been here in my arms
To think she loves only me.

Heaven offers no more.
I've been there before,
In the arms of my Annabelle Lee,
Annabelle Lee.

[Recorded by Harry Belafonte, 1950.]

Subject: Lyr Add: SIMPLE, SIMPLE (sung by Harry Belafonte)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 May 02 - 12:57 AM

Copied from http://w1.871.telia.com/~u87125666/lyrics/simple.htm

SIMPLE, SIMPLE
(Jack Segal & Evelyn Levine)

Simple, simple, life is a simple tune.
Simple, simple, simple like an exercise.
That's the song I'm writing 'bout my darling's eyes.
Play it on the piano or a sweet celeste,
Just so when she hears it, she will feel she's been caressed.

Simple, simple, simple, not a symphony.
Life is oh so simple 'cause my love loves me.
Play it sweet and simple, gently I insist.
Just so when she hears it she will know that she's been kissed.

Life is oh so simple like a melody.
When I can give all my love to thee.
Life is oh so simple like a melody.
When he can give all his love to me.

Simple, simple, simple, like an exercise.
That's the song I'm singing 'bout my darling's eyes.
I will sing it softly like a cooing dove.
I put it on a record and I'll send it to my love.

[Recorded by Harry Belafonte, 1950.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: Tedham Porterhouse
Date: 07 May 01 - 05:46 PM

Harry Belafonte recorded some singles in the early 1950s. I'd guess that his half of the LP in question is probably from that period because he was recording his own full albums by 1955.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: graywolf1980
Date: 07 May 01 - 05:42 PM

The Donkey song is by the Islanders. It appears on one of the threads above in a link where the album is. The title is different though; there, they call it "Hold 'Em Joe." Thanks for your help everyone!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: mousethief
Date: 07 May 01 - 05:26 PM

The Night has a Thousand Eyes was recorded by Bobby Vee (making it to #3 in 1962). Presumably Harry Belafonte sang a cover of this version? If we knew who sang it first it would help date the album.

Alex

Subject: ADD: Stone Cold Dead in the Market^^
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 May 01 - 05:13 PM

STONE COLD DEAD IN THE MARKET
(Frederick Hendricks)

She: He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.


He: Last night I went out drinking,
When I came home I gave her a beating;
So she cotch up up de rolling pin,
And went to work on my head 'til she boshed it in.

I lie cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
I lie cold dead in de market,
She kill nobody but her husband

She: I lick him with de pot and de frying pan,
I lick him with de pot and de frying pan,
I lick him with de pot and de frying pan,
And if I kill him, he had it coming.

He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.

He: My family is swearing to kill her,
My family is swearing to kill her,
She: His family is swearing to kill me,
And if I kill him, he had it coming.
He's stone cold dead in de market,

He: He lie cold dead in de market,
Stone cold dead in de market,
He lie cold dead in de market,
She kill nobody but her husband

She: There's one thing that I am sure
He ain't going to beat me no more
So I tell you that I doesn't care
If I was to die in de 'lectric chair

He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.

He: (spoken): Hey, child, I'm coming back and bosh you on the head one more time.
She: (spoken): No, no, man, you can't do dat

He's stone cold dead in de market,
He's stone cold dead in de market,
The criminal is stone cold dead in de market,
I kill nobody but me husband.


(this source says the song was written by Frederick Hendricks, Northern Music/ASCAP)
Transcribed from "Ella Fitzgerald, 75th Birthday Celebration" (Decca CD) (duet with Louis Jordan)

Another source attributes it to Wilmoth Houdini, 1946.

@humor @calypso @murder
filename[ COLDDEAD
JRO
Apr01 ^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 May 01 - 04:16 PM

Click here for some interesting remarks on "Stone Cold Dead in the Market." I'll in the process of transcribing the lyrics and will post them later.
Could Tingalayo be the donkey song Belafonte sings? I think I've heard him sing it.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: GUEST,Steve Irwing
Date: 07 May 01 - 02:40 PM

http://w1.844.telia.com/~u84405227/cxs115.htm Sorry can't do the blue thang...but this is from the site Joan at Wigan posted...this is the link to the actual album with linkable lyrics Hope this helps

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: MMario
Date: 07 May 01 - 02:16 PM

Thanks joan!

Annabelle Lee

possibly the donkey song?

Subject: Lyriucs source: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: Joan from Wigan
Date: 07 May 01 - 02:05 PM

Lyrics for most of the songs that Harry has recorded can be found at this site:http://w1.844.telia.com/~u84405227/hbsongs.htm (click)

Subject: Harry Belafonte and the Islanders
From: graywolf1980
Date: 07 May 01 - 07:59 AM

I have this old LP that I really love. Side A is titled Harry Belafonte sings five early folk songs and Side B is the Islanders. If anyone can help me get the lyrics to the songs below, I would greatly appreciate it! Of the 10 songs on the record, only one was listed in the Digitrad.

1. Venezuela (listed in the Digitrad) 2. Simple, Simple 3. Annabelle Lee 4. Only One Like Me 5. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes

1. When the Yankees Come to Town 2. Lie Stone Dead in the Market (hilarious song!) 3. The Donkey Song 4. Tomorrow Man 5. Mary Walk