ADD: The Sky Above, the Mud Below (Tom Russell)

Subject: Lyr Add: THE SKY ABOVE, THE MUD BELOW^^
From: Stewie
Date: 08 Nov 99 - 06:27 PM

Another fine ballad from the pen of Tom Russell (I hope this one isn't lurking already in the forum somewhere):

THE SKY ABOVE, THE MUD BELOW

Two men rode in from the south, one rainy autumn night
(The sky above, the mud below)
They walked into the Deacon's Bar, they was Mexican by sight
(The sky above, the mud below)
They threw a horsehair bridle down, 'We trade this for whisky rounds'
The Deacon slammed a bottle down – the two men started drinkin'

Their hair was long and black, tied up behind their ears
(The sky above, the mud below)
Their faces were identical, like a man beside a mirror
(The sky above, the mud below)
Someone whispered, 'That beats all, their wanted poster's on the wall
Twin brothers name of Sandoval, horse thieves from Boquillas'

That bridle and the belts they wore were braided grey and black
(The sky above, the mud below)
The colour of a roan horse once belonged to Deacon Black
(The sky above, the mud below)
Fastest horse for miles around, he'd been stolen from the old fairgrounds
A month ago outside of town – we tracked but never found him

The Deacon was a preacher who had fallen hard from grace
(The sky above, the mud below)
He owned the bar and a string of quarter horses that he'd race
(The sky above, the mud below)
Deacon he could drink and curse, though he still quoted sacred verse
He was sheriff, judge and owned the hearse – a man you did not anger

The sky above, the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
Two horse thieves from Mexico drinkin' hard and singin'

One brother he spoke English so 'Deak' inquires as to their work
(The sky above, the mud below)
The man says, 'Mister we braid horsehair - bridles, ropes and quirts
(The sky above, the mud below)
This fine bridle I did make, a roan horse killed by a leg bone break
He's horsehair rope now, horse meat steak – we cleaned him to the bone'

The brothers they were ignorant or didn't know just where they were
(The sky above, the mud below)
The Deacon's face grew darker as he measured every word
(The sky above, the mud below)
'You horsehair sons of bitches stole my claim to earthly riches
Someone go and dig a ditch – there may well be a hangin'

One brother reached inside his shirt, searching for his gun
(The sky above, the mud below)
Too late, for Deak had whipped around his sawed-off Remington
(The sky above, the mud below)
The twins they raised their hands and sneered – Deak was grinnin' ear to ear
He says, 'Court's in session, hear ye, hear ye, yer's truly is presidin''

The trial commenced and ended quick, they didn't have a hope
(The sky above, the mud below)
Deak says, 'We'll cut your hair now, boys, then you can braid yourselves a rope
(The sky above, the mud below)
The Old Testament, it says somewhere, eye for eye and hair for hair
Covet not thy neighbour's mare – I believe that's Revelations'

Now, that fancy horsehair bridle it hangs on Deacon's wall
(The sky above, the mud below)
Next to the wanted poster of the brothers Sandoval
(The sky above, the mud below)
And the twisted rope so shiny black, the artifact that broke their necks
Their craftsmanship he did respect – they should've stuck to braidin'

The sky above, the mud below, the wind and rain, the sleet and snow
The Deacon's hearse a-rollin' slow in the first blue light of morning

Author: Tom Russell
Copyright Frontera Music ASCAP

Source: Tom Russell 'The Rose of San Joaquin' Hightone Records 8066

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Sky Above, the Mud Below
From: Sourdough
Date: 08 Nov 99 - 11:14 PM

I don't know the music but it's a fine piece of poetry.

Sourdough

Subject: 'The sky above and the mud below'???
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 02:15 PM

A song by a guy who's name escapes me about some horse-hair braiding Mexicans and a hanging or some such thing???

Any info on the song is greatly appreciated!

Don't let me down, Mudcat!

;-)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Jerry Dingleman: The Boy Wonder(inactve)
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 02:55 PM

Clinton,

It's a Tom Russell song. Tom has recorded it on a couple of his albums. It's also on one of Ramblin' Jack Elliott's recent albums.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Midchuck
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 03:09 PM

I sing it, but I don't know if I have the lyrics anywhere on disk or not. And if Tom has a lyrics page, I've never been able to find it.

If no one posts the lyrics soon, I'll try to type them out over the weekend.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 03:29 PM

very cool the both of ya!

ta eh!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: JenEllen
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 03:42 PM

Heya Clinton, try Here There are a coupla other threads too, canna find 'em right now tho...
~J

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Sorcha
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 03:45 PM

No lyrics from me either, but a short RA sample here. Scroll down a bit.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Gypsy
Date: 01 Feb 02 - 09:03 PM

Clinton, do ye have the tune? Here's some chords: Capo on 3rd fret-in Gm
em c
d em
g g d Am C
em am B7 B7-Em
Wish i was a little more fluent in posting, but you can at least play with the chords.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Feb 02 - 12:00 PM

Ta Gypsy... I'll try yer chords when I'm messing about finding the key that I'll use...

and ta to Morpheus!

.-)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Midchuck
Date: 02 Feb 02 - 12:28 PM

Here's what I use - I figured it out myself, so it may not be what was intended:

[Em]Two men rode in [G]from the south, one [D]rainy autumn [Em]night
(The sky a[D]bove, the mud be[Em]low)
They walked into the [G]Deacon's Bar, they was [D]Mexican by [Em]sight
(The sky a[D]bove, the mud be[Em]low)
They [G]threw a horsehair [D]bridle down, [Am]'We trade this for [Em]whisky rounds'
The [G]Deacon [D]slammed a [C]bottle [B7]down - the [Em]two men [D]started [Em]drinkin'

(Bridges are same pattern as last 2 lines of verses.)

Peter.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Feb 02 - 12:41 PM

SO the album key seems to be out of Am.... one of my all time favorite keys...

.-)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Feb 02 - 01:09 PM

So it's looking like what I've come up with is

[Am]Two men rode in [C] from the south, one rainy autumn [Am]night
(The sky a[G]bove, the mud be[Am]low)
They walked into the [C]Deacon's Bar, they was Mexican by [Am]sight
(The sky a[G]bove, the mud be[Am]low)
They [C]threw a horsehair [G]bridle down, [Bm]'We trade this for [F]whisky rounds'
The [Am]Deacon [G]slammed a [C]bottle [Bm]down - the [Am]two men started drinkin'

Neat reach with the pinky to get the dischord in the Am between verses... I might end up capoing this up a fret or 2 so I don't have to sound like Johnny Cash when I sing this.. Hey... Did he ever cover this? It'd seem to be right up his alley eh!

Man oh man do I ever wish I was playing solo tonight, so I could do this one...

.-)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: MAG
Date: 02 Feb 02 - 04:32 PM

I could never grok why a couple of horse thieves would steal a horse to eat who was a racer, and tough as leather, and then braid a very distinctive coat so they would be sure to get caught. Deserving of removal from the gene pool, no doubt.

MAG

Subject: Interpretation: "The sky above, the mud below"
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 02 Feb 02 - 04:53 PM

They steal the horse ( likely BECAUSE it's a prize winner) While riding off with it, it stumbles and breaks its leg...

So the job isn't a total write-off*, they braid the hair, and (especially considering what I suspect is the era of the song) feed themselves and their families with the meat.. (there were NOT always grocery stores full of raised-in-a-cage-on-grain-and-dope meat...)

The problem with your assessment Mag, is that you are judging the 'past' through the eyes of the present...

.-)

*Seen the movie Snatch, when the 2 guys try to knock over the bookies when ALL BETS ARE OFF... Better to make off with a bag of copper coins than nothing right?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Clifton53
Date: 03 Feb 02 - 01:02 AM

Maybe it's just my ears Clinton but I hear that second part a little different;

They(C)threw a horsehair(G)bridle down (Dm)we trade this for(Am) whisky rounds
The(C) deacon (G) slammed a (F) bottle (Em) down,
The(Am) two men (Am/G)start to(Am) drinkin'

Good luck with it, it is a crowd pleaser fer sure.

Clifton

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Midchuck
Date: 03 Feb 02 - 09:29 AM

Clifton, have you tried an E major rather than the minor between "bottle" and "down?" Or even an E7? It's a little more...aggressive?

Peter.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Clifton53
Date: 03 Feb 02 - 12:06 PM

Well put Midchuck, and I think your right with the E major or E7, thing is I jump around a lot with the bass on this song the lines get a bit blurred.

Clifton

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 03 Feb 02 - 03:03 PM

"the lines get a bit blurred. "

I know exactly what yer getting at mate!

LOL!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: technission
Date: 03 Feb 02 - 06:45 PM

Allll-righty! something a newcomer can illuminate, I'm holding the CD right here by Tom Russell, "Song of the West" , 1997 byHMG/HighTone records. (www.hightone.com) FYI this disc includes other gems you may have heard on alternative radio; Gallo Del Cielo, Claude Dallas, El Llano Estacado, Navajo Rug (written by Ian Tyson, didja know, not Jerry Jeff Walker as some think...)

If I ever found a Tom Russell site I didn't bookmark it. I found music and lyrics to some Russell tunes on Tabs Planet but didn't archive this particular song. Here's a URL (hey I'm new don't ask ME to create a blue clicky) you can copy to your browser to get right to Gallo Del Cielo which would put you in the hood:

http://www.tabsplanet.com/tabs/dynamic.php?title=Gallo%20Del%20Cielo&artist=Tom%20Russell&file=t/tom_russell/gallo_del_cielo.crd

If you can't turn up the lyrics to TSA,TMB bribe me on PM and maybe I would input them to you off the liner notes... And here's URL to Internet Cowboy, an Ian Tyson site with info on him + other Canadian "cowboy" musicians - I didn't even know of this acknowledged genre until a bit over a year ago, and was surprised how many Tyson songs have been made (more?) popular by artists covering them... say la vee, nyet?

http://www.nucleus.com/~cowboy/index.html

now let your fingers do the walking,

hasta cerveza, michael

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud be
From: Jerry Dingleman: The Boy Wonder(inactve)
Date: 03 Feb 02 - 06:56 PM

"Navajo Rug" was co-written by Ian Tyson & Tom Russell. They do a duet version of it in Tom's "Cowboy Real" album.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud below'
From: Gypsy
Date: 03 Feb 02 - 09:25 PM

All you gotta do with tough meat like that is pull out the pressure cooker......or can it up!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud below'
From: technission
Date: 04 Feb 02 - 12:37 AM

WoooHoooo, Boywonder, I !!gotta!! hear that duet version of the rug!! Thanks for the headsup! ;>)#

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud below'
From: GUEST,Ed Bollix
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 02:58 PM

I wonder if Odd Enough or the Distractions will cover it first... Thanks for the Dm...

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud bel
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 03:11 PM

What? Cover "Sky Above..."?

Not really a 'band' song in my opinion... But that's never stopped either band before has it?

Heh!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: 'The sky above and the mud below'
From: Ed_Bollix
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 06:26 PM

It has not... Chris and I worked on it this afternoon... Problem is playing it slow enough, we tend to hyperoddafy everything. We also mixed down a few of the Christmas songs, it's sounding pretty good. We are waiting to get with Bill the bass player on Tuesday... It's all very close.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE SKY ABOVE, THE MUD BELOW (Tom Russell
From: Ed_Bollix
Date: 01 Dec 02 - 07:09 PM

THE SKY ABOVE, THE MUD BELOW.
(Tom Russell)

Two men rode in from the south, a rainy autumn night.
    The sky above and the mud below.
They walked into the Deacon's Bar; they were Mexican by sight.
    The sky above and the mud below.
They threw a horsehair bridle down. "We trade this for whisky rounds."
The deacon slams a bottle down. Two men start to drinkin'.

Their hair was long and black, tied up behind their ears.
    The sky above and the mud below.
Their faces were identical like one man beside a mirror.
    The sky above and the mud below.
Then someone whispers, "That beats all. Their wanted poster's on the wall.
Twin brothers' name of Sandoval, horse thieves from Boheious."

Now the bridle and the belts they wore, braided gray and black,
    The sky above and the mud below.
The color of a roan horse once belonged to Deacon Black.
    The sky above and the mud below.
The fastest horse for miles around, he'd been stolen from the old fairground.
A month ago outside of town, we tracked but never found him.

Now the deacon was a preacher who'd fallen hard from grace.
    The sky above and the mud below.
He owned the bar and a string of quarter horses that he'd race.
    The sky above and the mud below.
Yet Deacon he could drink and curse though he still quoted sacred verse.
He was sheriff, judge, he owned the hearse. A man you did not anger.

The sky above and the mud below.
The wind the rain the sleet the snow
Two horse thieves from Mexico
Drinking hard and singing.

One brother he spoke English. Deak inquires as to their work.
    The sky above and the mud below.
The man says, "Mister, we braid horsehair bridles, ropes, and quirks.
    The sky above and the mud below.
Yeah, that fine bridle we did make our own horse killed by a leg-bone break.
He's horsehair rope now, horse-meat steak. We cleaned him to the bone.

Well, these gentlemen they were ignorant or didn't know just where they were.
    The sky above and the mud below.
The deacon's face grew darker, as he measured every work.
    The sky above and the mud below.
"You horsehair-braiding sons of bitches stole my claim to earthly riches.
Someone go and dig a ditch. There may well be a hanging."

One brother reached inside his shirt a-searching for his gun.
    The sky above and the mud below.
Too late for Deak had whipped around his sawed-off Remington.
    The sky above and the mud below.
The twins they raised their hands and sneered. Deak was grinning ear to ear.
He says, "Court's in session. Hear ye, hear. yours truly is presiding."

Well, the trial commenced and ended quick. They didn't have a hope.
    The sky above and the mud below.
Deak says, "We'll cut your hair now, boys, and you can braid yourselves a rope.
    The sky above and the mud below.
The Old Testament it says somewhere 'eye for eye and hair for hair.'
Covet not thy neighbor's mare. I believe it's Revelations.

Now the fancy horsehair bridle, it hangs on deacon's wall,
    The sky above and the mud below.
Next to that wanted poster of the brothers Sandoval.
    The sky above and the mud below.
And the twisted rope so shiny black, the artefact that broke their necks.
Their craftsmanship he did respect. They should have stuck to braiding.

The sky above, the mud below.
The wind and rain the sleet the snow
The deacon's hearse is rolling slow
In the first blue light of morning.

How is it played? This is popular opinion. I changed it around a bit and I think it's how Tom Russell played it on Songs of the West.

(Am) Two men rode in (C) from the south, one rainy autumn (Am) night
(The sky a(G)bove, the mud be(Am)low)
They walked into the (C) deacon's bar. They was Mexican by (Am) sight
(The sky a(G)bove, the mud be(Am)low)
They (C) threw a horsehair (G) bridle down (Dm) we trade this for (Am) whiskey rounds
The (C) deacon (G) slammed a (F) bottle (Em) down,
The (Em) two men (Em/G) start to (Am) drinkin'

Es