Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind and Rain

Subject: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Francy
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 08:10 PM

Would sure appreciate the chords to "Oh the Wind And Rain" Thanks Frank ofc Toledo

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: GUEST,greg stephens
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 08:51 PM

Is this the Shakespeare-type song or something else?(Bit perplexed)

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Francy
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 09:06 PM

The Child Ballad #10

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: masato sakurai
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 09:34 PM

Jerry Garcia recorded it as Dreadful Wind And Rain (lyrics). Jody Stecher's version is HERE.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Gypsy
Date: 12 Jul 02 - 10:40 PM

We use D,C,G. Pretty obvious how to make them fit, once you start playing. Best of luck, we like this tune/song alot!

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: raredance
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 01:11 AM

NIce recording on Red Clay Ramblers "Stolen Love" album. good comment Kat.

rich r

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: masato sakurai
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 03:50 AM

THE WIND AND RAIN (Two Sisters) is in the DT; socre & other notations are at the Digital Tradition Mirror (Click here).

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: fogie
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 04:15 AM

There are a lot of versions of this,( and Dylans turn turn turn again song.) I've just listened to it on Songcatcher.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: X
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 10:46 AM

The lyrics and chords are at www.rukind.com

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: John Minear
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 02:02 PM

Fletcher Collins recorded Dan Tate's version back in November of 1941 for the Library of Congress. It must have been re-recorded in 1962 by McNeill (in the DT). The '62 recording is available on VIRIGINIA TRADITIONS: BALLADS FROM BRITISH TRADITION, from Global Village Music, 245 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001, [phone] and http://www.the-forum.com/globalvillage. For more on Fletcher Collins, click on Limber Jim.

There is also a fine recording of this song by Kilby Snow on the autoharp, made by Mike Seeger in 1966, on KILBY SNOW: COUNTRY SONGS AND TUNES, from Smithsonian Folkways, cassette 03902. Snow's version was published in SING OUT, but I don't have the vol. or date. And of course there is Mike Seeger's own version of this on MIKE SEEGER: SOLO - OLDTIME COUNTRY MUSIC, from Rounder (cd 0278).

Bertrand Bronson, in Vol. I(?) of his THE TRADITIONAL TUNES OF THE CHILD BALLADS, 10, The Two Sisters, #93 "The Two Sisters", p. 183, has a version from Pageton, West Virginia, sung by Rev. J.L. Sims, October 13, 1931, collected by Mrs. Buchanan and published in Barry and Buchanan, BFSSNE[BRITISH FOLK SONGS SUNG IN NEW ENGLAND(?)], No. 12(1937), p. 10. {Whew!} It goes like this:

Two little girls in a boat one day -
Oh, the wind and rain -
Two little girls in a boat one day,
Crying, oh, the wind and rain.

They floated down on the old mill dam

Charles Miller came out with his long hook and line,

He hooked her out by the long yellow hair,

He made fiddle strings of her long yellow hair,

He made fiddle screws of her long finger bones,

And the only tune the fiddle would play,

The tune looks to be about the same as that of Tate and Snow. I would be interested to know if anyone knows of other, earlier versions with the "wind and rain" refrain. Tate was from Fancy Gap, Virginia, and Snow was from Grayson County, Virginia. Is this strictly a Virginia/West Virginia tradition?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: raredance
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 04:32 PM

The Red Clay Ramblers liner notes says that their version is an amalgam of Dan Tate's and Kilby Snow's. In McNeil's book "Southern Folk Ballads Vol. 2" He cites Brewster (Ballads & Songs of Indiana) as having done a more extensive study of the ballad. It was Brewster's opinion that the song began in Norway before 1600, spread to the rest of Scandanavia, then Britain and North America. McNeil also describes the "wind and rain" refrain as a leter develpoment, but he gives no dates.

rich r

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 05:14 PM

The song group itself has been discussed rather a lot here in the past, but to restrict myself to the sub-group in question, I'd comment only that Dan Tate was recorded again in 1979, by Mike Yates. Tate learned the song from his sister, and Yates speculates that she and Kilby Snow may have learned it from the same source. The refrain does seem to be unique to Virginia.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: John Minear
Date: 13 Jul 02 - 07:05 PM

In his liner notes for the Kilby Snow album, Mike Seeger quotes Snow, who says "By memory from Grandfather Thomas Snow as Tom Big Bear, a Cherokee Indian, born 1812, died 1916, age 104." Snow says that when he learned this song from his grandfather, he was "around 95 years old...I wasn't more than seven or eight years old...."

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Art Thieme
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 06:38 PM

I did this on my old NPR radio show about 1984 and we got more than just a few complaints. Most said it was about sanctioning abusing women---even murdering women. I went on the next week and answered those folks. First I said I was sorry they had heard it that way. It surely was not my intent that they see it that way. Then I noted, as had Lenny Bruce, that "a knowledge of syphyllis was not in any way condoning the going out and contracting of that disease." It was just to educate people to the darker side of history and how the folk songs reflect that. We never had any more communications about it that I ever heard of after that. But I still do think about that episode. The women's movement of 20 years ago certainly did raise my consciousness and I think I'm better for it. After that I almost always introduced the song saying I meant no offense at all. "This is an old ballad and not to be analyzed using modern sensibilities. To not sing it would be like burning books. No way can I do that so try to see it as the artifact it might be and, please, sing along. It's got a fun refrain to sing."

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 09:34 PM

The Shakespeare comment above seems to have been overlooked. I'm typing now having returned from the club (02-30 UK time). As I remember it (and I'm not searching at this time of night)

When I was but and a little tiny boy,
With a Heigh Ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy
And the rain it raineth every day"

That last line definitely makes it a British song!!

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: IvanB
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 09:47 PM

Frank, Rick Fielding recorded a version I really like on his CD "This One's the Dreamer." I use E, A and D, but, if I remember correctly those don't match Rick's key for it.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: masato sakurai
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 10:30 PM

From King Lear (Act III Scene II):

"He that has and a little tiny wit,--
With heigh-ho, the wind and the rain,--
Must make content with his fortunes fit,
For the rain it raineth every day."

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Art Thieme
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 11:16 PM

Masato, I can hear contratenor Alfred Deller singing this song as I read your post, A folk radio show out of Chicago in the late 50s, The Meetin' House, used to sign off with his rendition of the song every week. Somewhere I have a recording of that but we are packed up to move.

And when I came to man's estate,
With a hay-ho, the wind and the rain,
'Gainst navery can I never......
And I hope to please you every day.

With a hay-ho the wind and the rain,
And I strive to please you every day.

or whatever...

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 11:30 PM

Isn't that on the Songcatcher CD too? Or something else I have lying around here somewhere.... damn CRS.....

~S~

Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THAT I WAS AND A LITTLE TINY BOY
From: masato sakurai
Date: 14 Jul 02 - 11:54 PM

Art, thanks for the reminder. I've just found my CD: Alfred Deller, The Three Ravens: Elizabethan Folk & Minstrel Songs (Vanguard Classics OVC 8104), where the title is THE WIND AND THE RAIN. The lyrics are from Twelfth Night (Act V. Scene 1), which has a full version of the song:

Clo. When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain;
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came to man's estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain;
'Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gates,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came, alas! to wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain;
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came unto my beds,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain;
With toss-pots still had drunken heads,
For the rain it raineth every day.

A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain;
But that's all one, our play is done,
And we'll strive to please you every day.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: MAG
Date: 15 Jul 02 - 02:26 AM

Armstrongs did Twa Sisters, and I was more struck by the sibling rivalry -- very real -- than the brutal treatment of the favored sister.

Twenty years ago, our nerves were newly sensitized and easily bruised. I was not a complainant to your show, Art (in fact, a big fan) but I did other things I am not proud to remember.

Probably just freaked out Amos by my my response to "Keep on Truckin' " -- another story.

Oh, and if you want a stellar recording of Twa Sisters, you can't do better than Gerry Armstrong.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Art Thieme
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 01:15 AM

Masato,

YES!!! And thank you. Reading the lyrics brings back memories of simpler times.

MA,

The Armstrongs were dear friends and I do miss them a ton. You are correct about Gerry. I recently went back and re-read the thread that was here when Gerry passed on. They were the first in America to record "SIMPLE GIFTS"----on their LP for Folkways with that as the title. I feel that is the PERFECT song for these sad times we are living in:

Tis the gift to be simple
Tis the gift to be free,
Tis the gift to come down
Where we ought to be...

Art

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: vectis
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 05:35 PM

From my 1872 complete Shakespeare
THE WIND AND THE RAIN

When that I was and a little tiny boy,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
A foolish thing was but a toy,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came to man's estate,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
'Gainst knaves and thieves men shut their gate,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came, alas! To wive,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
By swaggering could I never thrive,
For the rain it raineth every day.

But when I came unto my bed,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
With toss pots still had drunken head,
For the rain it raineth every day.

A great while ago the World began,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,
But that's all one, our play is done,
For the rain it raineth every day.

Song closes Twelfth Night, or, What You Will -
Shakespear. Between 1586 & 1604 when he was in London

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 13 May 08 - 06:53 PM

Picking up this thread six years later, I am looking for George and Gerry Armstrong's lyrics to "The Dreadful Wind and the Rain." Or Howie Mitchell's? (the two are identical I believe).

Can anyone supply the lyrics off the Armstrongs' album? Seems amazing that the DT has only a derivative version ... the Armstrongs introduced the song and if memory serves, their lyrics were better.

I too miss George and Gerry (the correct spelling of her name, by the way). They were good friends and kind to me and I will never forget them.

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Rumncoke
Date: 13 May 08 - 10:21 PM

I just remembered that I know this - it isn't in my book. What a strange thing the memory is.

There were two sisters come walking by the stream
Oh the wind and rain
One run behind pushed the other one in
Oh the dreadful wind and rain

Johnny gave the younger one a gay gold ring
Didn't give the older one any old thing

She pushed her in the river to drown
And watched her as she floated down

She floated till she came to the miller's pond
Father, cried the children, there swims a swan

The miller pulled her out with a drifting hook
He took that lady from the brook

He laid her on the bank to dry
Till a fiddler fool came passing by

He made fiddle pegs from her long finger bones
Repeat?

And he made a fiddle bow from her long yellow hair
Repeat?

He made a little fiddle from her white breast bone
A fiddle to melt a heart of stone

But the only tune that the fiddle would play
Was oh the wind and rain
The only tune that the fiddle would play
Was oh the dreadful wind and rain.

It is definitely American English, in this form. Can't remember where I heard it though.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Stewie
Date: 13 May 08 - 10:57 PM

Bob, below is a transcription from the CD 'The wheel of the year: thirty years with the Armstrong Family' [Flying Fish FF70594, 1992]. I hope this is what you want. The CD also has a version of the 'Two Sisters' under the title 'Lay the Bent'.

Jody Stecher also recorded a fine version of 'The two sisters' which he cobbled together from a number of sources on his 'Going Up on the Mountain' album. He was backed with some beaut fiddle playing by Hank Bradley. He also recorded an expanded version accompanied by oud and mandolin on his CD 'Oh The Wind and Rain: Eleven Ballads' Appleseed APR CD 1030.

WIND AND RAIN

Two little sisters went a-walking one fine day
Oh the wind and the rain
One pushed the other into the water, water deep
And she cried the dreadful wind and the rain

Along came the miller with his old grab hook
Oh the wind and the rain
He fetched her out from the bottom of the brook
And she cried the dreadful wind and the rain

He made fiddle strings from her long yellow hair
Oh the wind and the rain
He made fiddle pegs from her long finger bones
And she cried the dreadful wind and the rain

The only tune that my fiddle can play
Oh the wind and the rain
The only only tune that my fiddle can play
Is oh the dreadful wind and the rain

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Stewie
Date: 13 May 08 - 11:01 PM

I should have mentioned in my previous post that Stecher's version of 'The Two Sisters' on 'Going up on the Mountain' was titled 'Oh the Wind and Rain'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 14 May 08 - 05:01 AM

Martin Carthy records and sings it with the title The Bows of London - explanation here:

"The Bows of London
Ever since I head Jody Stecher sing a luminous song called The Wind and the Rain - a version of The Two Sisters - I have wanted to sing it. Its overwhelming feature is its concentration on that aspect of the story dealing with the building from the murder victim's remains of a fiddle which then takes on a life of its own and ultimately unmasks the murderer. Having found my own efforts at singing this to be as unconvincing as my efforts at American songs usually are, I cast around for a tune from this side of the water, came upon The Bows of London and then tried to stay close to Jody's words. A 'Bow' is the bend in a river."

The tune does fit the lyrics chillingly well.

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 14 May 08 - 07:12 AM

Stewie. many thanks. The miracles of DT!

And yes, the Stecher version is a fine one. It's the one in the DT.

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr/Chords Req: Oh the Wind And Rain
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 10 Jul 09 - 06:15 AM

Johnny Collins (RIP) did a terrific version of this on Free and Easy, unaccompanied on the verse & with a couple of chords behind the refrain. Three chords in total - they come in under the bolded words:

Oh the wind and the rain...
Crying in the dreadful wind and rain...

It's three rather than four because the first 'rain' chord is repeated under 'Crying'.

It may be a long shot, but can anyone tell me what those chords are? The melody notes, if it helps, are F#, E and C# respectively.