Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?

Subject: Lyr Add: LORD OF THE MOBILE HOME MANOR
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 08:28 PM

Hi! I'm looking for nomadic housing songs for my housing songbook: mobile homes, vacation vans, gypsy wagons, houseboats and anything else that I've missed. Here's an example of your classic greedy trailor park owner musing over his success:

LORD OF THE MOBILE HOME MANOR
(By Charles Ipcar with help from Tim Vogel and Dahlov Ipcar, April, © 1982 Tune: Ewan McCall"Legal-Illegal" Key: F (5/C))

C---------------G----------C
I used to work hard for a living,
F-----------C----------G7
Up with the sun in the morn,
F------------C------------F--------C
Down at the office from eight to five,
F-C---------------G---C-----G--------F
A slave to a boss who would flay me alive,
------C--------F---C-----F-----C--------G--C
Then fighting the traffic back home to the wife,
----F-C---F-C—F---C---G7--C
Just a cog in the big busi-ness whirl.


Then one day I saw in the paper,
An ad for some green pasture land,
A vision came to me: by buying that space,
I'd get myself out of that office rat race;
With a loan from the bank and a deed to the place,
I'd be Lord of the Mobile Home Manor.

So I surveyed the land on the weekend,
Laid out the drains and the lines,
Pads for the trailers, parking for cars,
A management office and junkfood snack bar,
A tot lot for children would be going too far,
I'd be Lord of the Mobile Home Manor.

Now when I was ready for tenants,
I thought who I'd want to live there:
No children, no pets, no motorcyclists,
No unmarried couples or creeping socialists,
Would find themselves on my "preferred guest list"
For a place at the Mobile Home Manor.

And as for those who would move in,
They'd have to abide by some rules:
No jogging, no gardens, no repairing cars,
No loud stereo music or electric guitars,
No patio parties or watching the stars,
Or be evicted from Mobile Home Manor.

No longer a slave to ambition,
I live off the rents of the land;
Sheltered by interest, insurance, and tax,
And clever accountants to cover my tracks,
I need never fear that IRS ax,
I'm the Lord of the Mobile Home Manor.

Landlady's Daughter, not to be confused with Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: GUEST,Denise:^)
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 08:34 PM

Isn't there a country song about, "This here's the queen of my double wide trailer,
With the polyester curtains and the redwood deck..."

Denise;^)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: CraigS
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 08:56 PM

Two songs I have heard seem relevant:

There's Thirty Foot Trailer, a Ewan McColl song bemoaning restrictions on travelling gypsies from the 60s,

and Roy Bookbinder had a song which I think was titled Gonna buy me a motorhome which is rather more in the vein you are looking for. As I understand it, Mr Bookbinder bought his motorhome and is still living in it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Stewie
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 09:04 PM

The Book Binder one is a joint effort by Tom Moore and Roy. Evidently, Moore came up with it after being taken on his first motorhome trip by Book Binder. It is on Book Binder's 'Bookeroo' album which has been reissued on CD - Rounder CD 3107.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: raredance
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 09:26 PM

Steve Goodman's "God Bless Our Mobile Home"

rich r

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 09:46 AM

Not bad, gang. The Ewan MacColl ones I've had for some time. Steve Goodman's I hadn't run across and I'll certainly look for Roy Bookbinder's one. Jon Campbell also has his tourist commentary,"The Winnabago Song." And there're rumors that Joel Mabus wrote an amazing song about Winnabagoing around Michigan's U.P. Maybe Big Mick knows about that one.

Mobile home tenants, of course, have many of the same problems that more conventional tenants have, plus a few that are special. Many are actually buying their "immobile" mobile homes and lease the lot, effectively trapping them in the park unless they can find some other sucker to bail them out.

Landlady's Daughter, not to be confused with Charley Noble and too lazy to re-set a "cookie."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Susan of DT
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 10:49 AM

Lots of Gypsy/traveler songs. Thirty Foot trailer already mentioned, but look at Barelegged Joe and When the Yellow's on the Broom. These are more about being free to go off and roam than the wagon itself.

Subject: Lyr Add: BURN DOWN THE TRAILER PARK^^
From: Trapper
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 11:11 AM

Here's my new favorite Trailer Park song...

- Al

BURN DOWN THE TRAILER PARK
Words and Music by Paul Thorn

I borrowed some money; i sold my car
I put an airstream trailer up on blocks
That satellite dish was my first mistake
She started watchin`Oprah Winfrey and Ricky Lane
She cut me down to once a week
At supper time there wasn`t nothing to eat
I was paranoid and scared to death
She came home with aqua velva on her breath

Chorus:
Burn down the trailer park
Shoot the pink flamingos out in the yard
I can`t live here since you broke my heart
I`m gonna burn down the trailer park

She hired the neighbor`s son to cut our grass
She gave him cold ice tea and a piece of pie
My landlord came while I was out of town
Our pipes got fixed and the rent went down
We fell asleep with the late show on
Now it`s 3.AM I wake up and she`s gone
I`ve got a strong suspicion she`s at it again
And since i don`t know which trailer she`s in
I`m gonna...

Repeat Chorus

Jenny Jones don`t understand Geraldo don`t understand Maury Povich sure don`t understand I`ve got a can of gas and I´m a dangerous man

Repeat Chorus...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 11:23 AM

I won't mention Duke Ellington's "Caravan"!
RtS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 11:39 AM

Porter Wagoner/Her and the car and the mobile home were gone

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 11:49 AM

And I won't mention Deana Carter's DID AH SHAVE MY LAIGS FOR THIS?.

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 01:18 PM

Wow, Trapper! I never ran across that one before. Is the last line spoken or is it missing some line breaks? It overlaps nicely with my arson chapter. Thanks bunches.

Of course, there's always "Sweet Betsy from Pike" for a more traditional RV song.

May your homefires keep burning,
Landlady's Daughter, not to be confused...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 01:38 PM

Amazing what one finds by searching for Winnebago in the threads: check out The North Country refreshed thread, not by Joel Mabus but our old friends Craig Johnson.;-)

LD

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Mr Red
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 05:59 PM

the Jolly Wagoner
is that near enough?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: bill\sables
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 08:08 PM

Alan Bell wrote one called Gipsy Lad. I don't have the words but the chorus went something like;

And my caravan is my only home
And the fire is always burning
From the snowy north to the sunny south
My wagon Wheels keep turning.

I'm sure Clansfolk will know it.
Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Aug 01 - 09:26 PM

Promising one, Bill. Hope someone finishes it.

LD

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Jim Cheydi
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 05:39 AM

John Hegley & The Popticians - 'My Mum Lives in a Mobile Home'

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 05:57 AM

I feel there is scope for someoneless musically challenged than myself to write something on Trailer Trash to the tune of Monster Mash.
RtS (Just a thought!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 06:27 AM

LOL!

~S~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 09:29 AM

I've got a double-wide plastic Jesus reserved for the winner of the "Trailer Trash" competition. Remember, the best songs come from personal experience, we're talking about a unique and somewhat endangered subculture. Hmmmm, maybe I should be re-considering Kitty Donohue's "Farmer in Florida.

LD

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: SharonA
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 10:45 AM

"Double-wide plastic Jesus"? You sure that's not a plastic Buddha?

Oooh, an unofficial Song Challenge! (and not a "past" one, either!) Lemme think on this...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Willie-O
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 01:07 PM

Somewhere in a Sing Out which I'm too lazy to search for:

Geritol Gypsy

I wanna be a Geritol Gypsy
Drive an RV ten yards long...
So pump me 40 gallons Bub
I want to roll with the Good Sam club
A ramblin' renegade grandpa, that's me!

--------------------------------

We used to live in a thirty-foot trailer. First home of our own during our married life. I have pictures of it going down the road after we sold it, entitled of course "Farewell to the 30-Foot Trailer".

Willie-O

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mobile Home Songs?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Aug 01 - 03:42 PM

So sad, Willie-o. I shouldn't have any trouble diging up "Geritol Gypsy." Sounds like something that was sent into Faith Petric.

I wonder if the Somalies have any songs for packing up their nomadic homes on their camels, if they still have any camels.

LD