Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Jan 11 - 04:08 PM

You can hear an actual recording of a whip-poor-will's* call at the web page of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

* Yes, they really spell it with hyphens.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 11:49 PM

Hi, Nadine. For some reason I could only hear a little bit of this video. I wonder if this is the song you heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZDMk8H9510

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From: GUEST,Nadine
Date: 26 Jan 11 - 03:15 PM

I came to this thread as I too am searching for a beautiful folky song I heard on the radio. It was sung by a "grrl band" (I think the radio announcer said), the singer had a voice something like K D Lang if I had to draw comparisons, and the part I remember about the lyrics was that in the chorus was "Cry, cry, whipporwhil cry..."
Any ideas? Tried googling those lyrics but nothing comes up.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Jun 10 - 06:44 PM

See this thread for more songs about whippoorwills: Lyr Req: Whippoorwill.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Jun 10 - 11:05 AM

pretty song! i really like whippoorwills. did you know that they had blue, white, and black feathers? they are also very, very, fluffy and can barely fly. kind of like a chicken.

                - maddie ☺☻¢¾

Subject: Lyr Add: WHIP-POOR-WILL
From: masato sakurai
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 10:16 PM

Custer LaRue's "Whippoorwill Song" is on her Lullaby Journey [with sound clip]. An Ozark version was collected by Vance Randolph (in Ozark Folksongs, vol. IV, rev. ed., 1980, pp. 354-355; with music).

       WHIP-POOR-WILL
(Sung by Mr. Doney Hammontree, Farmington, Ark., Feb. 8, 1942)

In the starry night so still,
Listen to the whippoorwill,
Forest shades repeat his song,
Dreamily it floats along,
Sadness fills and thrills his lay,
Singing all the summer night away,
Listen to that plaintive trill,
Whippoorwill, sad whippoorwill.

CHORUS:
Hark the whippoorwill!
Hark the whippoorwill!
Sadly sings the whippoorwill,
Hark, the whippoorwill!
Hark the whippoorwill!
Listen to the whippoorwill.

Softly falls the star-light glow
O'er the shadowed world below,
Fragrance floating through the air,
Dewey freshness everywhere.
Night and song our joys divide
In the balmy eventide,
Who can guess the thoughts that thrill
Heart of sweet-voiced whippoorwill?

Other birds are blithe and gay
Singing but in morn's bright ray,
While the whippoorwill's sad tone
Greets us when the day has flown.
While we sing in joy and glee,
May we learn, dear singing bird, from thee,
May we like thee, whippoorwill,
Even in grief go singing still.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From:
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 07:07 AM

Barbara correctly identified the song for me, thanks for all the response that will enable me to get a copy of it. Helen

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From: Barbara
Date: 23 Nov 02 - 02:21 PM

I have that song on a CD of lullabies by the classical/folk singer Custer LaRue (a woman with a high, pure soprano). "Hark, the Whipoorwill" has a flute echoing the line, right? Call and response? and the notes are do, do, do, (low)so, mi? Makes it sounds like a whipoorwill?
She sings with the Baltimore Consort.
I can't lay my hands on that CD right at the moment, but I imagine you could find it on line with the information I'm giving you. Custer is recorded by Dorian Recordings, and I usually have to look in the classical part of the music store to locate her, even though most of what she sings are folk tunes. The one I am looking at now is called "the Daemon Lover" and contains "traditional ballads and songs of Scotland and America". I think the lullaby recording is just called "Lullabies".
Hope that helps.
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hark the Whippoorwill
From: raredance
Date: 22 Nov 02 - 10:27 PM

Nigel,
While they may have an extra syllable, I don't think I've ever heard them pronounce a really good "p"

rich r (compounding useless information)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: whippoorwhil
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Nov 02 - 08:31 PM

BBC Radio 3 posts its playlists on its website: Click here. I don't know which program you were listening to, so I couldn't identify the song myself, but maybe you can.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: whippoorwhil
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 12:19 PM

Totally off topic, but a naturalist (as opposed to a naturist) recorded the song of this bird. As in the song "When whippoorwills call" (My blue heaven). He discovered that the call is actually 'whip-up-poor-will'. The additional syllable only being identified when a slow play back was used.

Nigel (keeper of useless information!)

Subject: Add: WHEN IT'S TIME FOR THE WHIPPOORWILL TO SING
From: harpgirl
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 11:43 AM

...is it this song?

WHEN IT'S TIME FOR THE WHIPPOORWILL TO SING
As recorded by the Louvin Brothers

Oh the stars and the silver moon is shining.
All around is the sweetness of the spring,
But I'm sad and in loneliness I'm pining
For the one I know I'll never see again.

CHORUS: How I long for the day when I shall meet her,
If it be where the angels sweetly sing!
She is mine and the thought of her grows sweeter
When it's time for the whippoorwill to sing.

When I left with the thought I'd be returning,
Soon to her with the wealth and joy I'd bring,
I returned but too late and now I'm yearning.
She has gone and in loneliness I sing. CHORUS

I remember the night she made the promise
And these words said to me great joy did bring:
"I'll be true and you know you'll find me waiting
When it's time for the whippoorwill to sing." CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: whippoorwhil
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 02:52 AM

There're dozens of whippoorwill songs, but I couldn't find a song with that title. Probably not WHIPPOORWILL, or MAPLE ON THE HILL.

~Masato

Subject: whippoorwhil
From:
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 03:00 AM

I have just heard a beautiful folk song from some American mountains or other on radio 3. It was called Hark the whippoorwil. Any idea where I can get lyrics for it. The annoucer was too quick with the name of ht esinger for me to catch it.