Susan Tedeschi's Debut Album

Subject: Susan Tedeschi's Debut Album
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 25 Sep 98 - 12:28 PM

Has anyone else checked out Susan Tedeschi's first CD, "Just Won't Burn"? She's got a voice that brings to mind Janice Joplin and Bonnie Raitt by turns and has some pretty tasty Telecaster chops.

I think she's worth checking out. Be interested in others' reactions.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr Noah (Dave Van Ronk)
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 10 Dec 14 - 05:47 PM

The origins of this are mysterious to me. Could it be one of those songs that circulated in men's clubs and other private male gatherings in the first half of the 20th century, and didn't enter folk tradition until later?

The earliest version I know is long before Nina and Frederick's: "Brother Noah," as sung by Sam Eskin c. 1947 for the Library of Congress. Is this closest to the original?? Its chorus does make more sense in an old testament context:

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, lu, lu.

But the song as sung by the U.S. Marines at an early date (1940s? 1950s?) uses this chorus: Tralaloo, tralaloo, tralaloo, loo, loo.

(The go-to-hell verse dates back much further, to World War I, as the chorus of an entirely different, much more literary glee-club-type song, "Old Noah," which begins "Old Noah built himself an ark, the good old Christian soul.")

Here's the version sung by Sam Eskin for the Library of Congress in 1947:

BROTHER NOAH

Brother Noah! Brother Noah!
Can I come into the ark of the Lord,
For it's getting' pretty dark, and it's rainin' very hard,

CHO
Hallelu,hallelu,
Hallelu, lu, lu.

No, you can't, sir, no, you can't, sir,
No you can't come into the ark of the Lord,
Though it's gettin' pretty dark, and it's rainin' very hard, CHO

Go to hell, sir! Go to hell, sir!
Go to hell with your damned old leaky old scow,
'Cause it ain't goin' to rain very hard anyhow! CHO

That's a lie, sir! That's a lie, sir!
That's a lie, for you know damn well it's a sprinkling now,
It's a-sprinklin' now, gonna rain like hell.

Note: The marine version differs most in the final verse:

Young feller! Young feller!
Thats a doggoned lie, for y' know damn well
That it's getting' very dark, goin' to rain like hell, CHO

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr Noah (Dave Van Ronk)
From: Lighter
Date: 10 Dec 14 - 07:50 PM

Hi, Bob!

U.S. diplomat Post Wheeler (1869 - 1956) recalled singing the following at Princeton in 1893:

Mister Noah! Mister Noah! Won't you let me aboard
                                             your Ark of the Lord:
For it's raining mighty hard and I want to get aboard.
                Let me in! Let me in! Let me in!

Poor sinner! Poor sinner! You can't get aboard this Ark of the Lord.
If you want to get aboard you must get a passport.
                Get away! Get away! Get away!

Go to Hell, then! Go to Hell, then! Go to Hell, then,
                                        with your damned old scow!
For it ain't going to rain very long anyhow.
                Go to Hell! Go to Hell! Go to Hell!"

                   (Wheeler, "Dome of Many-Colored Glass," 1955).


That places the song at a far earlier date than any other source I've seen.

Next in line is this, from Meade Minnegerode's college novel, "The Big Year" (1921):

        Brother Noah ! Brother Noah !
        Can I come into the Ark of the Lord
        Cause it's getting kind of dark,
        Going to rain very hard,
                Turulu, turulu, turulululululu!

        No you can't, sir ! No you can't, sir !
        No you can't come in to the Ark of the Lord
        Though it's getting kind of dark,
        Going to rain very hard--
                Turulu, turulu, turulululululu!

        Go to hell then ! Go to hell then !
        Go to hell with your darned old scow,
        For it isn't going to rain
        So very much anyhow--
                Turulu, turulu, turulululululu!

        Young feller ! Young feller !
        That's the bluff of your life and you know darn well
        That it's getting very dark,
        Going to rain like hell--
                Turulu, turulu, turulululululu!


Frank Shay's "My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions" (1929) has a very similar text with "Halleloo" instead.

With Eskin's and Van Ronk's versions, those are the only texts of the song I know of.

It seems odd that it didn't appear in some post-1893 college songbook.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Mr Noah (Dave Van Ronk)
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 11 Dec 14 - 06:29 PM

Hello, Lighter,

Good finds! That just about doubles its historic span. Best wishes, Bob