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17 Mar 19 - 04:13 PM (#3982711) Subject: Origins: Irish From: GUEST Years ago I heard a sketch of a tune from an old friend, Sam Kennedy in Los Angeles and it has haunted me for years. It starts: "Open the door quietly, there's something to tell you dear. Open the door no wider than the crack upon the wall.... Open the door quietly, there's something to tell you dear. Anyone have information on this? |
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17 Mar 19 - 06:18 PM (#3982727) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: Mick Pearce (MCP) There have been some earlier requests for this (2000 and 2003 iirc) without success. Hope things have changed! Mick |
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17 Mar 19 - 06:26 PM (#3982729) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: Iains Is it this? Pete Seeger sings one verse of "Open the Door" on Love Songs for Friends and Foes, Folkways FA 2453. Open the door softly, I've something to tell you, dear. Open it up no wider than the crack upon the floor. Open the door softly, I've something to tell you, dear. Warm summer grasses have whispered it in your ear. Skeins of shining waters ask you patiently to hear. Tall lonely timbers have taught it to the deer. Sad winds in autumn will tell you as they pass by. Wild geese flying eastward leave their music in the sky. Listen at evening and answer the wild birds' cry. (repeat first verse) https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=47629 |
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17 Mar 19 - 06:40 PM (#3982732) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: Joe Offer I KNEW I should have known this! Thank you, iains. -Joe- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgawtBLj5Bw |
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18 Mar 19 - 01:09 PM (#3982893) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: Stringsinger Thanks, Iains, This has got to -be it. Now I know. |
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18 Mar 19 - 03:09 PM (#3982922) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: Iains Stringsinger I made a request for lyrics on mudcat 20 years ago. I had a comprehensive reply within 24 hours. As a result of that response any time I see a request for lyrics I feel compelled to at least make a search, even if I cannot guarantee success. |
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18 Mar 19 - 09:51 PM (#3983008) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: GUEST,JIm I I heard this sung by Archie Fisher on an old LP many years ago. He said in the notes that he got the first 3 lines from Peter Seeger and added the rest himself. |
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19 Mar 19 - 12:54 PM (#3983135) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: Stringsinger That's probably where Sam Kennedy got it, from Pete's recording although Sam was a good friend of Pete and it might have been the other way around since I heard the song sung by Sam in 1950. But just the first verse though was with "quietly" instead of "softly". It's a lovely plaintive melody in the Mixolydian mode like many Irish tunes. I think it's sean nos in the keening style. |
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19 Mar 19 - 01:16 PM (#3983142) Subject: RE: Origins: Irish - Open the door quietly From: GUEST,Martin Ryan No a song I’ve heard before. Listening to Seeger’s singing, the tune is bery close to “Lonely Banna Strand” - and probably has antecedents which will bubble up later... Regards |