Lyr Req: Ol' Man River

Subject: Old Man River Lyrics?
From:
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 04:21 PM

If anyone knows the words to the old cotton-loading song about the Mississippi R., Old Man River, would you please forward those? Thank you kindly.

Robert

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 04:28 PM

Robert, try a search in the database, using Ol' Man River, it's in there. It's not to old of a song & was used in musicals & movies not for loading cotton. Barry

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: alison
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 07:18 PM

Hi,

Most famously sung in "Showboat", so a search for musicals should find it.

slainte

alison

Subject: Lyr Add: OL' MAN RIVER
From: BSeed
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 08:50 PM

For my birthday in September my wife treated me to a stage version of "Show Boat": it's a great play, much more powerful than the sanitized '50s era movie. "Ol' Man River" was, of course, written for the play.

Ol' Man River

(verse)
Dere's an ol' man called de Mississippi,
Dat's de ol' man dat I'd like to be;
What do he care dat de world's go trouble?
What do he care dat de land ain't free?

(chorus)
Ol' Man River, dat Ol' Man River,
He don't say nuthin', he mus' know somethin'.
But Ol' Man River, he jus' keep rollin' along.

He don' plant taters, he don' plant cotton,
And them that plants 'em is soon forgotten,
But Ol' Man River, he jus' keep rollin' along.

You an' me, we sweat and strain,
Bodies all achin' and wracked wit' pain:
"Tote dat barge, lif' dat bale,"
Y'git a little drunk and y'lands in jail.

My heart gits weary and tired of tryin',
I'm sick of livin' but 'feared of dyin',
But Ol' Man River, he jus' keep rollin' along.

There's another verse that's sometimes sung that begins

Colored folk work on de Mississippi,
Colored folk work while de white folk play..."

--seed

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: alison
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 10:39 PM

Hi,

and the last line is

................'til the Judgment Day.

There's another verse too about the River Jordan,

"there's an old ????? called the River Jordan
That's the old ????? that I long to cross."

or something like that..... haven't seen the movie in years.

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Nov 98 - 11:16 PM

Of course, if one wanted to know the lyrics of the song, one might take Barry's sage advice above and search a database called the Digital Tradition. If one searched for [man river], one would find the song with full alacrity. If one were not able to search said database, one could lazily click here. One could, one would think; and, indeed, one should; but would one?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: gargoyle
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 01:07 AM

Another lifetime ago...before "membership" there was a posting (Click here) that included chording, for Ol' Man River, in the discussion forum.

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: BSeed
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 01:27 AM

One could search the db, Joe, but that would take all the fun out of it--now wouldn't it? Or has the program that is known as Joe Offer the code for fun incorporated into it? <#]:o)>>ooo[]. --seed

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 02:17 AM

It seems like Richard Rodgers and Jerome Kern get all the credit, and people kind of forget about the lyricist. These are powerful words that Hammerstein wrote for Kern's melody, and he continued to show a passion for social justice in the work he did with Rodgers. I wish I knew more about him - he must have been a remarkable person.
As Seed mentioned, the movie version of "Showboat" was sanitized, to the point where Lena Horne was not allowed to play the role of a light-skinned black woman. She did get to play a few scenes from "Showboat" in a later movie - I think it was a movie about Kern - and she did a great job. Did she have the part on Broadway?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: mm
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 08:09 AM

There's a moving recording of this song by a great American bass whose name escapes me - he was the first black man to play All-American football, spoke something like 6 languages fluently and if I remember rightly was also qualified as a doctor or something. He used "show a little spunk and you land in jail" - which seemed closer to the

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 01:11 PM

mm,

Could you be thinking of Paul Robeson?

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: BSeed
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 04:00 PM

Hey, Gargoyle--thanks for the link to the chords (and for posting them in the first place). As soon as I transpose it to a more banjo-friendly key, I'll try to work out the chords for the verse (and thanks to Justin for posting the words to the verse). --seed

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 06:52 PM

I had actually prepared the tune for this in DT friendly fashion and tried to post about 2 weeks ago. Alan's program (not unreasonably) limits the notation to 1000 notes - I think - the score to this song requires somewhat more than this to do it full justice. Question please of the DT managers, should I post the whole thing in two pieces, or simplify to its bare roots?

Regards
John

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: alison
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 07:59 PM

Hi John,

Can't find you in the list to send you a personal message. Please send me your e-mail address. either through my personal message thingy or

[e-mail]

Thanks

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: Pete M
Date: 29 Nov 98 - 11:28 PM

Just acoupler of notes,

The words written by Hammerstein, and sung on all the recordings I'm aware of including those by Paul Robeson have the sixth verse as:

"Darkies all work on de Mississippi, Darkies work while de white folks play,"

not "Coloured folk".

mm Paul adopted this song as an anthem for freedom and in addition to the change you note, sang the last verse as:

"I keep on laughin'
Instead of cryin'
I must keep fightin'
Until I'm dyin'
and ol' man river, He jes'keeps rollin' along!"

The other day I heard a recording made of him sinsing this at the Addington Railway works during his tour of New Zealand, where, typically he addressed, and sang to the workers in defiance of his "contract" which sought to limit his performances to those officially sanctioned. ie those where the promoter could make money.

I know Pete Seeger was trying to get a stamp issued in his honour to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth - did anything come of this or is the anti-communist "establishment" still too powerful in the US?

Pete M

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: SteveF
Date: 30 Nov 98 - 10:18 AM

Paul Robeson is intimately associated with this song. Because he was such a controversial character in his day, I thought some folks might be interested in his biography. The following is from Funk & Wagnall's:

"ROBESON, Paul (1898-1976), American singer, actor, athlete, and civil rights activist. He was born in Princeton, N.J., on April 9, 1898. At Rutgers University he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the first black All-American football player; he also graduated from Columbia University law school. As an actor, he scored his first major successes in New York City in 1924, appearing in Eugene O'Neill's All God's Chillun Got Wings and The Emperor Jones. His first vocal recital was in 1925 in New York City.

"A bass-baritone noted for the rich lyric vibrancy of his voice, Robeson became one of the most popular concert artists of his day. At the same time, he continued to be a major actor, appearing on the stage in Black Boy (1926) and Porgy (1928). Critics applauded his Othello. He also appeared in 11 motion pictures, notably Show Boat (1936), in which his singing of "Ol' Man River" was a highlight.

"Robeson lived in Europe from 1928 until 1939; he became an outspoken friend of the Soviet Union. During the 1950s, his refusal to sign a loyalty oath, his acceptance of the 1952 Stalin Peace Prize, and his militant advocacy of equal rights for American blacks sent his career into decline, and his U.S. passport was revoked for a time. Robeson lived his last decades in seclusion; he died in Philadelphia, on Jan. 23, 1976. His autobiography is Here I Stand (1958)."

In brief, Paul Robeson was an immensely talented figure who was constantly frustrated by the racism of his day. When he finally turned to Communism he was largely written out of the history books as an American hero. -- Steve F.

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: SteveF
Date: 30 Nov 98 - 03:42 PM

TV viewers who subscribe to cable or satellite services in the USA should note that Turner Classic Movies has scheduled the 1936 Show Boat film, with Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, and Paul Robeson for December 19th at 3pm.

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: Pete M
Date: 30 Nov 98 - 04:51 PM

Why do I get the impression that Funk & Wagnall is an American publication? Paul's first "success" on the stage was in London in the production of "Voodoo" produced by Mrs Patrick Campbell, where, as he tells it, he was supposed to whistle. He could not whistle, so started to hum. Mrs Campbell urged him to sing from the wings and overnight the play became a musical. On the opening night of Othello at the Savoy in 1930, he had twenty curtain calls. One might also expect a mention of his involvement in the Spanish Civil War and his continual fight against facism in America and the rest of the world. As to his career going into decline because of his beliefs. That may have been the impression in the US for the reason Steve mentions, but in Europe especially the UK, and the rest of the world it did not. Only his ill health, exacerbated by his treatment by the US authorities, and the loss of his wife caused him to withdraw from public life.

Paul must be one of the "great" human beings of this century, and it is difficult for those of us who want to admire the US, to understand how the reputation of someone of such stature can still be "written out of history" because of the paranoia of a few petty (in all senses of the word) politicians.

Pete M

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From:
Date: 30 Nov 98 - 10:46 PM

Someone on this thread wondered who played Julie (the part played by Ava Gardner in the movie of the musical) in the original Show Boat on Broadway. It was Helen Morgan who became very famous for her rendition of "My Bill" from same. She was also famous for "My Man" (French, Mon Homme) another torch song. She had a small voice, but used it effectively. The 1936 version of the musical also may have used Helen Morgan - I don't remember. There was a silent version (yes, of a musical) where some of the music was played (on organ or orchestra) as background and theme music, and where there were a few places where words were spoken. The story, however, was quite changed.

When I first heard Paul Robeson as a child, I heard him singing the Kol Nidrei on an RCA Red Seal Record. If there were such a thing as a coloratura bass, I guess he would be it. No other bass/baritone had the quality of tone that he had.

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Dec 98 - 01:55 AM

Hi, Pete - I think Paul Robeson has been written back into the U.S. history books. The anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950's pretty much died with the unsuccessful presidential campaign of Barry Goldwater in 1964. Ronald Reagan tried to resurrect it with his "evil empire" references to the Soviet Union, but nobody seemed to pay much attention to it. I don't think that sort of anti-Communism exists here any more. Robeson gets very favorable treatment in the U.S. media nowadays.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From:
Date: 23 Dec 00 - 05:38 PM

I would like to read the lyrics to Old Man River as it was originally written

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: fat B****rd
Date: 24 Dec 00 - 02:59 PM

I believe CJ that the "original" lyrics caused every AfroAmerican or AfroEnglish member of the chorus to walk out of a re-recording of Showboat some years ago !!

Subject: RE: Old Man River Lyrics?
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Dec 00 - 10:06 AM

I have to take isse with Pete M above.. there has been a discussion on this before. and I pointed out that when Robeson first recorded this in 1929 the original words were "Niggers all work on the Mississippi" .. it was re-recorded a few years later for the film with modified lyrics
When he died there was a prog about him on Radio 4 and they played the original.. I have a tape of it somewhere.