Origins: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream

Subject: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Janie
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 09:45 AM

I was surprised to find nothing in the DT or on the Forum when I was looking for these lyrics a little earlier.

^^^
Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream
words and music by Ed McCurdy

Last night I had the strangest dream
I'd ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war

I dreamed I saw a mighty room
Filled with women and men
And the paper they were signing said
They'd never fight again

And when the paper was all signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful pray'rs were prayed

And the people in the streets below
Were dancing 'round and 'round
While swords and guns and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground

Last night I had the strangest dream
I'd never dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war.

TRO-©1950,1951 & 1955 Almanac Music, Inc.
New York, N.Y. Copyrights renewed

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 09:54 AM

DT entry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Janie
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 10:02 AM

Guest,

How did you find it? First I did an advanced search using the 1st two lines in both the DT and the Forum. Then I browsed the "L's" to be sure. What am I missing or doing wrong with my searches?

Thanks,

Janie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 10:34 AM

Try using UNIQUE words combo in a song, such as [mighty room]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 11:01 AM

So is the Digitrad title "Last Night I had a Happy Dream" wrong? I've never heard it by that title. I grew up with and love that song.

SRS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 11:06 AM

Put in - last night - and it appears. Nice to have it in a thread with the proper title, though.
Comes up under the full title as well, which is unusual for Mudcat.

The music- I seem to remember it used with another song. Perhaps just my faulty memory, but can anyone say yea or nay?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Janie
Date: 08 Oct 03 - 11:56 AM

SRS & Q,

When I looked at the DT link provided by "Guest" (maybe I'm spelling challenged, or have a mote in my eye that blocks out the songs and threads I'm looking for-heh?)there were lyrics for both "Happy" and "Strangest" dream. One of threads that the link leads to says Ed McCurdy rewrote lyrics for "Happy" dream. I presume both songs have the same tune.

Now I gotta go print out the "Happy" lyrics iffen I can find them again!

Janie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Hrothgar
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 04:57 AM

It has also been used for an Irish song called (let's not argue too much about Gaelic spelling - just accept that the spelling is as confusing as the pronunciation) "Gro ma chridhe."

If I remember correctly, it starts "Last night I had a happy dream."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Amos
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 09:38 AM

PLease note that the original lyric refers to a room filled with men, and was modified in Janie's version to accomodate political correct notions at the expense of some scansion.

A

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 09:41 AM

The first line, as quoted, is incorrect. One time I sang it as it is cited above and Ed corrected me, saying "I wrote it as 'Last night I had the strangest dream, I'd NEVER dreamed before.' Please sing it as I wrote it or don't sing it." It's an easy error to make and it's often cited incorrectly, but he wanted it sung the way he wrote it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: SINSULL
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 09:54 AM

I remember someone quoting him as saying "Screw the folk process. My song is perfect as written" or similar words. Seems someone tried to be helpful by adding a verse or two. It is perfect in its simplicity.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 10:25 AM

Don't put too many words into the search--one spelling error will screw up the whole thing. "Strangest Dream" would work jes' fine.

And titles, as I mentioned before, are a snare and a delusion. Too many variants.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 10:31 AM

I've always liked this song, even though I've always felt it to be hopelessly naive. Who said "if I can lead you into the promised land, somebody else can lead you out of it"?

Steve

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Janie
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 12:12 PM

I wondered about the "women and men." My memory had been that it was "and the room was full of men." I cut and pasted the lyrics from another website--that was 2 long days ago so the memory is dim--I think it was lyrics.net.

Janie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 02:22 PM

My father sang this song often when I was small, and sang the "never dreamed before" lyrics. There are songs that it is awfully tempting to add to. For example, I've heard verses added onto "Housewife's Lament," that while they work, it doesn't mean they belong there. They rather beleaguer the point, actually.

SRS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 02:48 PM

Interesting to look through the material in Google on this song.

The cover by Simon and Garfunkel really spread the line,
"I ever dreamed before," which is grammatically incorrect, changes the tense from the first line, and would never have been said by Ed McCurdy. EBarnacle is correct with "I'd never."

Some websites make no mention of Ed McCurdy and leave the impression that the song is by S & G. One even lists it among S & G's "Collected Songs."

Several sites, mostly European, have "I never," also grammatically incorrect since the first line is in the past tense. At least the transcriber heard "never."

The NIH website adds a four line repeat to the last verse, and adds a final verse which mentions "non=violence." It dilutes the message.

Several try to be politically correct (Janie version at top) and change the 1950 original. When this is done, the song should be cited Ed McCurdy, revised or arranged by ---.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 10:23 PM

I believe the "women and men" was promulgated by Pete Seeger. He did this with a lot of songs that the Sloop Singers and others did.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Deckman
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 11:34 PM

I feel compelled to add a note to this thread. Last Memorial Day weekend, in the U.S.A., I was one of the participants in the "Coffee House Reunion Concert (I called it the Olde Farts Concerts) at the Pacific Northwest Folklife Festival. It was decided that I should open the concert, and I chose to sing "Strangest Dream" as my opener. I agree with Sinsull, it's a perfect song as written. As I introduced the song, I mentioned that I chose this song as representive of what we were singing in the Seattle coffee houses in the 1950's, and it even seems more fitting today.

It's not often that I get "goose bumps" as I'm singing on stage, but this song and the presentation, did that for me. What was it that someone said: "deja vu ... all over again?" CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Janie
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 07:59 AM

Wish I could have been there to hear your rendition, Bob. The reason I was looking to refresh my memory of the lyrics is exactly because it is timely once again.

Janie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Deckman
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 12:07 AM

Hi Janie, I thought I'd add another thought. As a song singer, I well know the skills to present a song, or how to embellish a song, or how to twist a song to fit the audience. This song, "Strangest Dream", and at this time, was an EVENT for me. It's happened a few times before in my life ... where the song and moment connect. But this day, I simply stood there, presented the song as cleanly as I could, meaning that I got out of the way of the song, and let the song happen. It was quite wonderful.

I hope I do NOT NEED to sing it again! CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Mr Happy
Date: 28 Oct 07 - 11:46 AM

Nice version from the Corries here:http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=h5KwL2KaLyA

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: LeTenebreux
Date: 28 Oct 07 - 12:30 PM

I remember listening to the Weavers doing this.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: EBarnacle
Date: 28 Oct 07 - 04:05 PM

Q, analytically the word "never" agrees with what it modifies--that he had never dreamed that specific dream previously.

Subject: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 02 Apr 10 - 04:24 PM

I recently listened to the CD "Gay Life in Dikanka - R.Crumb's Old-Time Favorites". Track 15, recorded in France 1n 1930, Les Jours Gais Ont Passe by A.Scriabine & Ses Cosaques sounds to me to have
the same tune as the well known Ed McCurdy anti-war song.

Anyone agree, and if so, know any possibility that McCurdy had
heard that song? Is the tune associated with any other
songs?

Thanks, Thomas.

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 02 Apr 10 - 04:59 PM

It's my understanding that McCurdy derived his song from the gospel song "The Third Man", which may be heard here, performed by The Little Country Trio--scroll down, it's near the bottom of the list. This is timely--today is Good Friday and the song describes the scene on Golgotha.

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 02 Apr 10 - 05:24 PM

Bob,
thanks for this reference - do you have any information
about the composer/date of the sacred song "The Third Man"?
The Little Country Trio seems to have been active in the
mid-1960's-70's.
Thanks, Thomas.

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 02 Apr 10 - 09:04 PM

I have no more info, but I think all the downloads at the Juneberry Listening Room site are digitised 78s so the recording of "Third Man" probably pre-dates the 1960s.

Meanwhile, a hint from the main Mudcat "Strangest Dream" thread leads to this Irish song about a Happy Dream, which seems to bring us closer to 1930s France than the Little Country Trio connection.

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: open mike
Date: 02 Apr 10 - 09:17 PM

many peace, union and other activist songs use a familiar tune
the term for this is a "zipper" song where new lyrics are inserted,
"zipped" in to change the meaning of a song.

the first time i clicked on that MP3 link, my computer crashed,
hope others are more successful.

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Stringsinger
Date: 03 Apr 10 - 07:09 PM

Ed wrote this song in a satirical vein. He never considered it much more than a dream.
Pete Seeger popularized it and turned it into a legit anti-war song.

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Stringsinger
Date: 03 Apr 10 - 07:14 PM

I listened to "the Third Man" and except for the opening line, I don't see the similarity.
"Strangest Dream" could be any number of old hymns. The harmonies in this song are
more sophisticated than the old country harmonies. I doubt that McCurdy picked it up
from "The Third Man".

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 04 Apr 10 - 05:27 AM

Curiously enough I went to see a production of Oh What A Lovely War yesterday. They played a record of that at the opening and closing of the show.

It's still around. Sadly, so is war.

Subject: RE: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Selchie - (RH)
Date: 04 Apr 10 - 07:52 AM

But still we fight, and still we bomb
And still the children scream
How many more must die before
It isn't just a dream

Subject: RE: Origin: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 01:11 PM

The Little Country Trio was active from the 1960s until the mid 1980s. They recorded several albums.

Subject: RE: Origin: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: GUEST,UD
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 01:34 PM

Juneberry has The Little Country Trio`s recording of The Third listed as being recorded anywhere from the 1920s-1950s. This is incorrect. The webmaster has been notified but has failed to make any corrections. It`s from their first album which was recorded in the 1960s.

Subject: RE: Origins: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: GerryM
Date: 07 Dec 21 - 04:42 AM

It was noted upthread that the DT has a song, Last Night I Had A Happy Dream, with a claim that Ed McCurdy got Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream by rewriting the Happy Dream song. I can't find anything else on the net to corroborate that version of events; I can't find anything that pins down a date for the composition of the Happy Dream song; I can't find anything that suggests that Strangest Dream came first, and Happy Dream was a rewrite of Strangest Dream.

In short, I can't find any convincing evidence as to which of the two songs came from the other (and they are too similar for me to believe that they were written completely independently of each other, though I'm open to both songs being based on some earlier third song).

Anyone have any hard facts?

Subject: RE: Origins: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Dec 21 - 03:08 PM

I knew Ed McCurdy in New York. He was an accomplished singer and performer. He said that he wrote this song rather in a cynical mode since he didn't actually believe that we could achieve world peace. It was such a "dream".

It caught on as an anthem.

Pete I believe changed the words to include men and women.

Ed has recorded a bit and you can hear his performance backed by Erik Darling,
a great tasteful five string banjo player, IMHO, one of the best after Pete.

I think he did the album called "Pills to Purge Melancholy" if I'm not mistaken. (Or was the Will Holt?)

Ed was known for being a knowledgeable authority on bawdy songs.

I think his album was on Elektra Records. He was a fine man.

Subject: RE: Origins: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: meself
Date: 08 Dec 21 - 04:47 PM

The first two lines are nonsensical - but that's okay: we all know what he means, and it doesn't seem to bother anyone. It surprises me, though, that he would have been fussy about 'never' and 'ever', since neither makes sense ... !

Subject: RE: Origins: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 08 Dec 21 - 08:15 PM

Below some bits of information regarding McCurdy's Strangest Dream.
Best wishes, Thomas.



The RICHMOND Organization has this listing:
1950 LAST NIGHT I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM   Work ID: 420108903
       ALMANAC MUSIC INC

McCurdy performed at Village Vanguard, New York City in 1950


MUDCAT:
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 29 Apr 06 - 10:37 AM

I was lucky enough to be Ed's chauffer when he played at Cobourg's Waterfront Festival many years ago. He had many interesting stories to tell about Joan Baez (He had a monsterous crush on her*), Judy Collins and Stacey Keach and Merrick Jarrett. He said he completed Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream at Merrick's kitchen table and Merrick was not overly enthusiastic about the song when he showed it to him.

*I saw him play the Strangest Dream with Jamie snyder on guitar at Mariposa and part way through, Joan Baez walked out and started to put on a harmony. He said that was one of his finest memories.




"Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream"
"King's Highway"
    became the official theme songs for the PEACE CORPS and VISTA



BEAR FAMILY BF 15009 LAST NIGHT I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM            LP 1976
[Produced by Ed McCurdy; Recording Engineer, Joseph Allison; Liner Notes by Richard Weize;
Translation by Petra Weize; Transcriptions by Ed McCurdy; Cover Design by Wolfgang Glandt;
Cover photo by Hedy West; recorded January 1976 in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, USA with the
help of Tracy Schwarz and Hedy West. Album production by Richard Weize for Bear Family Records.]

THE BEAR ECD 611-AG RAMBLIN' BOY                      CD 1995 EAN-Nr: 4016497061123
    Don Paulin, Ed McCurdy, Hedy West, Anita Carter, Lesley Schatz

A1 Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream   1:47      The BEAR ECD 611 (4)
A2 Mrs. McGraw                            2:55      The BEAR ECD 611 (6)
A3 Spanish Is a Loving Tongue             1:55
A4 The Streets of Laredo                  2:35
A5 The Chisholm Trail                     1:37
A6 Whoopie Ti Yi Yo                      2:11
A7 Jolly Old Rogers                      1:49
A8 Bally Nure                            1:09
B1 Good Old Mountain Dew                  3:05
B2 The Nightingale                        2:08
B3 Poor Boy                               3:20
B4 Venezuela                              1:44
B5 Acres of Clams                         3:45
B6 Drill Ye Tarriers                      1:44
B7 Blow the Candles Out                   1:21
B8 Midnight Special                      1:55      The BEAR ECD 611 (5)


CooP - FAST FOLK Musical Magazine SE-101 Vol.1, No.1               LP 1982 FEB, Smithsonian CD-r
Produced by Jack Hardy
[booklet: Ed McCurdy photo cover
          3 page partial transcript: McCurdy interview by Frank Mazzetti (January 24, 1982)]

Recitation & vocal: Ed McCurdy
Guitar: Frank Christian
Bass: Mark Dann
Background vocals: The Speakeasy Chorus
(Susan Brewster, Jack Hardy, Ansel Matthews,
Suzanne Vega, Dough Waterman, Ilene Weiss)

B6 When Soldiers Die on Battlefields      Ed McCurdy 1:35
B7 Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream   Ed McCurdy 1:58




ED's PLACE PRODUCTIONS [Ed McCurdy] THOUGHTS AFTER SIXTY                   cassette 1987
AMAZON                                                                      download MP3 2011
EP - ???????? details unknown, offered on eBay, perhaps a lacquer. Probably bootleg.

Ed Mccurdy, Doug johnson, Dana McCurdy, the Anthony Strings
*-with Children's Choir
[Recorded by Jim McCurdy, New York]

1. Whiskey                                 2:36
2. John Browns Body                        3:37                EP A1
3. I Come To The Garden Alone             2:52
4. Trouble In Mind                         2:39                EP A2
5. Lukey's Boat                            1:36
6. My Walkin' Cane                         1:44
7. If I Check Out                         1:25
8. A Sailors Prayer                        2:36
9. My Thoughts                            3:01                EP B1
10. Spanish, The Loving Tongue             2:53                EP B3
11. Dick Darby                              3:14
12. Joe's Barroom                           2:21                EP A4
13. A Capitol Ship                         4:01
14. Now We Lay Us Down                      1:23                EP B2
15. If I Can't Be Your Lover                3:37                EP A3
16. When Soldiers Die                      1:55
17. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream-* 3:17                EP B4



CBC Radio-Canada Service International
RM-91 (MG-1994) expiry date 1st July 1964
"Hard, Hard times"
"Luke's Boat"
"Derry Derry Down"
"Ridin' Old Paint"
"Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream"
"Get Along Home"

Subject: RE: Origins: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 09 Dec 21 - 12:49 AM

Hrothgar: “It has also been used for an Irish song called (let's not argue too much about Gaelic spelling - just accept that the spelling is as confusing as the pronunciation) "Gro ma chridhe."

If I remember correctly, it starts "Last night I had a happy dream."

Bob the Postman: “Meanwhile, a hint from the main Mudcat "Strangest Dream" thread leads to this Irish song about a Happy Dream, which seems to bring us closer to 1930s France than the Little Country Trio connection.”

Gra-mo-chroi. I'd Like to See Old Ireland Free Once More
“DESCRIPTION: "Last night I had a happy dream* ... I thought again brave Irishmen Had set old Ireland free." Some modern heroes are named and Father Murphy and the Wexford men of ninety-eight. "It's Gra-mo-chroi, I'd like to see old Ireland free once more"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1912 (Olochlainn-IrishStreetBallads)”

*These seem to be the 1960s lyrics in all my stuff. When did the happy/pleasant dream lyric actually-really-truly first appear?

Sort of the same melody but way up-tempo:
Oh! Grammachree, I'd like to see old Ireland free once more,
And see the times we used to have in the good old days of yore;
I'd like to see the harp and shamrock waving over Erin's shore,
I'd like to see old Ireland free, oh, grammachree asthore!
[Land League Band, John W. Kelly, c.1907?]

Subject: Origins: Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Dec 21 - 05:33 PM

Thank you' Phil. That helps tie it together. I think maybe we should discuss "Happy Dream" in a Separate Thread (click)