|
25 Sep 14 - 05:06 PM (#3663701) Subject: Lyr Add: ANGER IN THE LAND, not by PP&M or Odetta From: Mrrzy ANGER IN THE LAND as performed by (I had thought it was Odetta but the Internet doesn't find her doing it, and the PP&M versions are cleaned of the second verse), recalled by Mrrzy Feel free to discuss the topicality of this song with the cops shooting threads, or the fact that the full version has been cleaned. ANGER IN THE LAND Oh, there's grievin' in the country. There's sorrow in the sand. There's sobbin' in the shanty, And there's anger in the land. There's been another lynchin' And another grain of sand Swells the mountain of resentment Oh, there's anger in the land A woman broods in silence Close beside an open door, Flung down on her flimsy doorstep Lies a corpse upon the floor. "You'll not ask me why I'm silent," The woman said to me. Her two eyes blazed in anger And her throat throbbed agony. "Once my heart could cry in sorrow. Now it lies there on the floor In the ashes by the hearthstone. They can't hurt it anymore." Oh, let the wind go cryin' yonder In the tree-tops by the spring. Let its voice be soft and feelin' Like it was a livin' thing. There's grievin' in the country. There's sorrow in the sand. There's sobbin' in the shanty, And there's anger in the land. See Dere's Trouble in De Land (click) |
|
26 Sep 14 - 09:32 AM (#3663840) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Anger in the Land, not by PP&M or Odetta From: GUEST,Fred McCormick Actually, you probably recalled it from the singing of Hedy West. It was written by her father and trade union organiser, Don West, and recorded by Hedy on her LP, Serves 'em Fine. Fontana STL5432. A very powerful song thought and one which should be back in circulation. It puts me in mind of that most frightening of all anti-racist songs, Strange Fruit. |
|
26 Sep 14 - 10:00 AM (#3663848) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Anger in the Land, not by PP&M or Odetta From: Mrrzy I don't think so - but thanks. We had it on a record when I was growing up, and I've never heard of her so we didn't have a record with her on it, if that makes sense. Wonder why they took the verse about the lynching out when they sang it, PP&M I mean. Bully for Hedy's father, too. |
|
26 Sep 14 - 10:20 AM (#3663856) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Anger in the Land, not by PP&M or Odetta From: Mrrzy Found another thread on this, that didn't pop up on my earlier search. Blicky. |
|
27 Sep 14 - 06:03 AM (#3664047) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Anger in the Land, not by PP&M or Odetta From: GUEST,Fred McCormick Mrrzy. If you've never heard of Hedy West, then I strongly recommend that you get an earful, for she was an absolutely wonderful singer. I can particularly recommend two compilations:- Hedy West Accompanying Herself on the 5-String Banjo Plus Volume 2. Vanguard VCD 71924. The strange title comes about because they represent two LPs which Hedy recorded for Vanguard in the early sixties. Ballads & Songs From the Southern Appalachians. Fellside FECD 241. That's a double CD which reprises three albums which she cut for Topic in the early/mid sixties; Albums, Old Times and Hard Times: Pretty Saro and other Appalachian Ballads: Ballads. The Fellside is, for my money, the most wonderful of the two, but you can find Anger in the Land on the Vanguard. |
|
28 Sep 14 - 10:52 AM (#3664245) Subject: Lyr Add: THERE'S ANGER IN THE LAND (Don West) From: Jim Dixon From No Lonesome Road: Selected Prose and Poems by Don West (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004), page 147: THERE'S ANGER IN THE LAND Don West
And there's weeping in the weeds, There is sorrow in the shanty Where a broken body bleeds. For there's been another lynching And another grain of sand Swells the mountain of resentment— Oh, there's anger in the land! And a woman broods in silence Close beside an open door Flung across the flimsy door-step Lies a corpse upon the floor! You'll not ask me why I'm silent; Thus the woman spoke to me. Her two eyes blazed forked anger And her throat throbbed agony. Let the wind go crying yonder In the tree-tops by the spring, Let its voice be soft and feeling Like it was a living thing. Once my heart could cry in sorrow Now it lies there in the floor In the ashes by the hearth-stone— They can't hurt it anymore! Did you ever see a lynching, Ever see a frenzied mob Mill around a swaying body When it's done the hellish job? Yes, the night was full of terror And the deeds were full of wrong Where they hung him to a beech-wood After beating with a thong. There's grieving in the plum-grove And there's sobbing in the sand, There is sorrow in the shanties— And there's anger in the land! [This poem was originally published in The Road is Rocky by Don West (1951). It was set to music by Hedy West. [Don West (1906-1992) was the father of Hedy West (1938-2005).] |
|
27 Feb 20 - 10:37 AM (#4036386) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There's Anger in the Land (D West, H West From: Mrrzy Refreshing this as I am still seeking the version I remember from my childhood... |
|
27 Feb 20 - 10:43 AM (#4036387) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There's Anger in the Land (D West, H West From: Mrrzy Forgot to say I listened to Hedy's version on YouTube and wow, what a voice, but they musta used voice-to-text for the errors in the lyrics, some of which are jarringly funny (errors, not lyrics)... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu8op8qWO9Y |
|
27 Feb 20 - 10:55 AM (#4036392) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There's Anger in the Land (D West, H West From: GUEST,Starship "There's Anger in This Land by Dorris Henderson with John Renbourn" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKPBd1enr94 |
|
27 Feb 20 - 03:11 PM (#4036442) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There's Anger in the Land (D West, H West From: GUEST,Starship I'm refreshing this thread in case Mrzzy doesn't return for six years. |
|
27 Feb 20 - 04:36 PM (#4036458) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There's Anger in the Land (D West, H West From: Mrrzy Thanks Starship! It mighta been on one of the Newport Folk Festval albums, in which case it probably was Hedy West, though how I could think that was Odetta's voice escapes me. Still, the lyrics aren't the same as what I remember... |
|
28 Feb 20 - 05:33 AM (#4036542) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There's Anger in the Land (D West, H West From: John MacKenzie I always loved Hedy's work, and I once booked her to perform at the folk club I ran back in the 60's. When I told her I admired both her and her work, she gave me a big hug and a kiss, after that I didn't wash my face for a day or two, what a lovely lady she was. I have Old Times Hard times in LP form. |