Origins: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request

Subject: Origins: Seeger's Old Devil Time
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jun 17 - 03:53 AM

Copy-pasted from an archive of the link posted by BKLick, http://www.livingmusic.com/catalogue/albums/pete/tracks/olddevil.html

Words and music by Pete Seeger, 1969
© 1969,1970 by Fall River Music, Inc., and Sigma Productions, Inc.


Pete Seeger - voice, 12-string guitar
Gaudeamus - chorus


It was back in the late 1960's when the telephone rang:

"This is Otto Preminger speaking. (Thick Viennese accent.) Are you the Pete Seeger who makes up songs and sings them?"

"Yes," I reply

"Well, I want to know if you can write me a song about the will to live."

"Why, that's my business."

"I have a movie which is about the will to live, and I want a song. Can you come to New York? You can see a screening of the rough cut of the movie."


A few days later Toshi and I were sitting in a comfortable apartment eating a very good meal with Hollywood producer Otto Preminger and his wife. He was a heavy-set man, ten or more years older than I. A direct and honest way of speaking.

We saw the movie screened in his living room. It had been made from a novel, written by a nurse, about three people who leave a hospital at the same time. They decide to pool their meager resources and get a house. One is a young man who will be in a wheelchair the rest of his life as a result of a beating. A young woman is permanently scarred because of car battery acid splashed in her face by a man she had spurned and then laughed at. The third is a young man who is an epileptic and will never know when his seizures may kill him. The story showed the capacity of ordinary people to survive.

"I need a song to go under the titles of the movie at the beginning of the picture. Will one month be enough for you? Can we set the date now for you to fly out to California for the song to be filmed?"

I said "Yes", and during the month spent numerous hours trying this idea and that, but not really being satisfied completely with any one idea. Toshi was a little worried.

"Do you think you have Preminger's song ready?"

"Yes, I think so." (I lied.)


We landed at Los Angeles to meet Preminger and a camera crew of four or five people.

"Can I hear the song now while we are waiting for the plane to Fresno?"

"Well, I have actually several songs. We'll see which one you think is best."

I believe I sang three or four to him - some old folk songs with some new verses. I can't remember which ones. They might have been gospel songs or spirituals.

"There are still a couple more I have in mind."

I could see Preminger was not enthusiastic about any one of them.

We had a one-hour plane flight to Fresno. It was now or never. I borrowed pencil and paper from Toshi. With the airplane drone in my ears, I managed to compose a "new" song. Nothing like a deadline to force something out of you. From the dregs of my subconscious I scraped five verses. Used some repetition, and a melody derived from old ballads.

In the Fresno airport I sang it for Preminger and the rest.

"Yes, that will do very well, I think," said he. "Why didn't you sing that one to me first?"

"I only just made it up in the plane."

"Oh, don't tell me that. You had it all along."

---

Here are the lyrics we have in the Digital Tradition:

OLD DEVIL TIME
(Pete Seeger)

Old devil time, I'm gonna fool you now
Old devil time, you'd like to bring me down
When I feel low, my lovers gather round
And help me rise to fight you one more time

Old devil pain, you've often pinned me down
You thought I'd cry and beg you for the end
At that very time my lovers gathered round
And helped me rise to fight you one more time

Old devil fear, you with your icy hands
Old devil fear, you'd like to freeze me cold
When I'm afraid, my lovers gather round
And help me rise to fight you one more time

Old devil hate, I knew you long ago
Before I learned the poison in your breath
Now when I hear your lies my lovers gather round
And help me rise to fight you one more time

No storm nor fire can ever beat us down
No wind that blows but carries us further on
And you who fear, oh lovers gather round
And we will rise to sing it one more time

@aging
filename[ OLDDEVIL
MC

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: BK Lick
Date: 20 Sep 16 - 06:33 AM

I've noticed that the story about Pete's writing the song for Otto Preminger is no longer available at that link, but it can still be found here.

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: 2feathers
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 02:37 PM

Thanks, Mag. I'll bet it's a great place for a sing before bed (or after breakfast.) Don't know when I'll get to go outwest, though.

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: MAG
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 01:32 PM

Claudia Schmidt I think is running a sort of bed and breakfast cum performance space with her husband in ?Wisconsin. Probably a great place for a rendezvous sometime.

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: 2feathers
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 10:47 AM

Bruce It is indeed a great story! Thank you so much for sharing it with me/us! I will use it as an intro when I sing Old Devil Time at the next sing at Lil's Song Circle. I also tapped into the sound bite of Pete singing an excerpt. I like Claudia Schmidt's take on the melody. When I listen to it, my eyes spill over. Music is a healer. Folk people are wonderful and make a great support system. I always think of them(us) as porpoises who come to lift up a wounded porpoise for air. To that end I wrote this for a limerick contest at a Folk Project week end in the early 80's (I had been recently widowed): "When the deeps of life give me the bends, I go to where trouble ends, Guitar, banjo and fiddle And me, in the middle, Surrounded by music and friends."

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: Tedham Porterhouse
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 10:02 AM

Sorry about that. When I said "moon," I was talking about "time."

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 12 Aug 01 - 03:28 AM

Bruce, thanks for that link...what a great story!

I first heard Claudia Schmidt perform in Philadelphia in 1981, and have a few of her albums (on vinyl!) She's a marvelous performer, and I think she does a helluva job on "Old Devil Time". Haven't heard her in a while, though.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: BK Lick
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 11:53 PM

Tedham was right except for mistyping "moon" instead of "time."

Great story about his writing the song for Otto Preminger in liner notes for the album "Pete."

Words and music by Pete Seeger, 1969
© 1969,1970 by Fall River Music, Inc., and Sigma Productions, Inc.

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: 2feathers
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 10:45 PM

Ted Porterhouse: Sorry, I should have thanked you for your try at the reference. I did go to Rounder records and buy the Claudia Schmidt CD. Thank you.

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: 2feathers
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 10:43 PM

Tedham Porterhouse: There seems to be some confusion in your response to my query. The song "Old Devil Time" was wrwitten by Pete Seeger, but there is another song called "Old Devil Moon" and it's not the same as "Old Devil Time" I still would like to know what date Pete wrote "Old Devil Time." Maybe Pete himself is out there somewhere and can answer!.

Subject: RE: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: Tedham Porterhouse
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 11:30 AM

Pete Seeger wrote "Old Devil Moon" for the film "Tell Me You Love Me Junie Moon" in 1969.

Claudia's version is on a CD that combines two of her LPs: Out of the Dark/New Goodbyes, Old Helloes. See this entry at Rounder Records- http://www.rounder.com/rounder/catalog/bylabel/fly/361/361.html

Subject: Seeger's Old Devil Time - data request
From: 2feathers
Date: 11 Aug 01 - 10:19 AM

Found the lyrics I wanted, found the name of the composer and lyrics writer (Pete Seeger). Have Claudia Schmidt's recording (LP). What a great website we have! Now I would like to know the year it was written, date of copyright and publisher of the music (if any). Also, would like to have Claudia's excellent rendition on a CD. Where is Claudia now?