Lyr Req: A Good Man Is Hard to Find (Eddie Green)

Subject: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Gern
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 12:31 PM

No jokes, please... I'm looking for this old barrelhouse song. It sounds like something that would fit well for Etta James or Maria Muldaur. I know it from Bob Wills, but I'm sure it originated with someone else. Anybody know it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 01:20 PM

Posted in this thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Gern
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 01:50 PM

Close, but not the same song. This one begins, "A good man is hard to find/you always get the other kind..."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Willa
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 02:04 PM

Here you are, Geri. Lyrics and tune.http://www.geocities.com/dferg5493/agoodmanishardtofind.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Gern
Date: 21 Jul 03 - 03:38 PM

That's it, all right, and older than I thought. There is a second chorus as well, if anyone knows that.

Subject: Tune Add: A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 03:27 AM

Here's a transcription from The Real Little Fake Book from Hal Leonard. Kind of a jazzy version (I don't much care for the rhythm), but recognizable. I also have this song on Ginny Reilly's solo album Oh, Ginny. She does a great job on it.

Lin

MIDI file: AGoodMan.mid

Timebase: 192

Name: A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Text: By Ed Green

Copyright: Copyright © 2003 by Hal Leonard

Key: C

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8

Start

0576 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 61 110 0142 0 61 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 69 110 0528 0 69 000 0048 1 70 110 0160 0 70 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 71 110 0256 0 71 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0640 0 69 000 0032 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0142 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0142 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 61 110 0142 0 61 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 68 110 0046 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0142 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0046 0 71 000 0002 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 72 110 0142 0 72 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0142 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 72 110 0142 0 72 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0142 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 72 110 0142 0 72 000 0002 1 60 110 0046 0 60 000 0002 1 62 110 0142 0 62 000 0002 1 63 110 0046 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 72 110 0256 0 72 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 1296 0 72 000

End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1

T:A Good Man Is Hard to Find

M:4/4

Q:1/4=120

K:C

G7^G|A11/2E/2^DE/2A/2|-A5E/2^DE/2A|-A9/2D/2^C3/2D/2A|

-A5^A2B|-BA2GB2GA|G2B3G2c|^GA^FG^DE^DE|GEDC2G^GA|

-A6E/2^D3/2|E/2A11/2E/2^D3/2|E/2A11/2D/2^C3/2|

D/2A11/2^G/2A3/2|B/2c2c2B2A3/2|-A/2G2^GA3^G3/2|

-^G/2c3/2A/2G3/2E/2DC5/2|-C/2c3/2A/2G3/2E/2DC5/2|

-C/2c3/2C/2D3/2^D/2Ec5/2|-c/2^DE2C3G^G/2|

-^G/2A2B2AB2A/2|-A5/2B2A2G3/2|-G/2c15/2|-c6||

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 03:35 AM

Shouldn't the title be the other way round?

I'll get me coat!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 03:51 AM

Sung, if my fading memory serves, by Mae West & Sophie Tucker, and on this side of the pond by "Two Ton" Tessie O'Shea.
Ralphie, I think Mae used to introduce it like that.."A hard man , nowadays, is good to find, hmmm hmmm!"

RtS
(can't find me bloody coat)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 04:32 AM

Roger,    Respect! R.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie
Date: 22 Jul 03 - 04:34 AM

And seriously...
It was great to follow the link, and remind meself of the tune again..
Part of the delight that is this thing called the "Cat".

R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 02:52 AM

Ralphie, I used to have a small pin (badge) which said just that!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 03:03 AM

Kat...I'm assumimg that your quest was successful! LOL!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Jul 03 - 03:34 AM

Many times over, Ralphie! **BG** I also used to have a bumper sticker which said Fight smog...ride a cowboy!

Sorry for the thread drift!

Subject: Lyr Add: A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (Eddie Green)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Aug 03 - 09:54 PM

From the sheet music at UCLA:


A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND
Words and music by Eddie Green
New York: Pace & Handy Music Co., ©1918.

1. My heart's sad and I am all forlorn.
My man's treating me mean.
I regret the day that I was born,
And that man of mine I ever seen.
My happiness it never lasts a day.
My heart is almost breaking while I say:

CHORUS: A good man is hard to find.
You always get the other kind.
Just when you think that he is your pal,
You look for him and find him fooling 'round some other gal.
And then you rave, you even crave
To see him laying in his grave,
So if your man is nice, take my advice
And hug him in the morning, kiss him ev'ry night,
Give him plenty lovin', treat him right,
For a good man nowadays is hard to find.

2. Yesterday my heart from care was free.
I sang all through the day.
Now the blues have overtaken me
Since my lovin' man has gone away.
I tried my best to treat him nice and kind,
But now these words are running through my mind: CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Aug 03 - 10:44 PM

The range of artists who have recorded this, and the variety of styles they use, is truly amazing: Bix Beiderbecke, Rosemary Clooney, Eddie Condon, Al Dexter, Alberta Hunter, Brenda Lee, George Lewis, Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra, Bessie Smith, Barbra Streisand, Hank Thompson, Fats Waller, Bob Wills, Nancy Wilson -- to name a few of the more famous ones.

Les Brown (and His Band of Renown) performs it with a different verse:

Now here's a story with a moral.
All you girls should pay some mind.
When you find a man worth keeping,
Be satisfied, huh? Make sure to treat him kind.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 11:37 AM

RedHotJazz.com has several recordings of A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND:

Marion Harris, 1919

Bessie Smith, 1927

Victoria Spivey, 1927

Lizzie Miles, 1928

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Genie
Date: 23 Nov 09 - 12:05 PM

You can also hear the full tune in several versions at YouTube:

Marion Harris 1919
Maria Muldaur
A bit of improv by Miss Major and her Minor Mood Swings