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31 Jan 00 - 08:49 PM (#171381) Subject: New Frankie & Johnny From: BobLusk I'm looking for lyrics to "New Frankie & Johnny" probably by Shel Silverstein It starts- Now Frankie, was a fine looking woman had a man named Johnny She laid down, she laid down a hundred dollars for a suit of his clothes And Frankie, walking arm and arm down along Canal Street Franki loving Johhnny, lord evrybody knows. - -It's sort of a ragtime progression |
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25 Sep 09 - 10:06 PM (#2731533) Subject: Lyr Add: NEW FRANKIE AND JOHNNY SONG From: Jason Xion Wang Oops, I'm also looking for its lyrics. Is this firstly sung by Bob Gibson or Shel Silverstein? I only have a version by Bob Gibson and a version by John Denver and it seems that their lyrics and tunes are quite different from each other. I got the lyrics to the version from Gibson but I don't have the version from Denver. I hope that somebody could transcribe it. Thanks! John Denver's Version Bob Gibson's Version Here's my transcription of the Bob Gibson version. Sorry that I cannot recognize what John Denver was singing in his version. English is not my mother tongue. The New Frankie And Johnny Song (Bob Gibson & Shel Silverstein) Frankie, she was a fine-looking woman, had a man named Johnny And she loved him, Lord she laid done a hundred for a suit of clothes Don't you see them walking arm-in-arm down along Canal Street Frankie loved Johnny and lord everybody knows Well now Frankie came home one evening just a little bit early And she thought, better stop at the corner for a bottle of beer Well, she sat down, she told her troubles to the fat bartender Said, "tell Fat Daddy, has my Johnny man been here?" He said, "Frankie", he said, "I'm terrible sorry you asked me that question You know, well I'm about as honest as a man can be So Johnny walking down Main, he's feeling no pain Slipping and sliding with a gal named Annabel Lee" Well, and Frankie said, "oh no, no, it can't be so" She said, "I know, no, my candy man wouldn't treat me wrong" Well, she sat there, she had a few more beers, she shed a few more tears Said, "I'm tired of getting that mean old runaround" Well and Frankie got out of a taxi on a corner of Clark Street And looked up, she saw Johnny and Annabel swinging there Well she pulled out, she took deadly aim with her 44 pistol Shot her Johnny in the middle of his big affair Well, now Frankie, she was a fine-looking woman, had a man named Johnny And she loved him, Lord she laid done a hundred for a suit of clothes Don't you see them walking arm-in-arm down along Canal Street Frankie loved Johnny and lord everybody knows Hey-hey, Frankie loved Johnny and lord everybody knows! |
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25 Sep 09 - 10:07 PM (#2731534) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny From: Jason Xion Wang I hope that somebody could help me transcribing the lyrics of John Denver's version - Thanks! |
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25 Sep 09 - 10:07 PM (#2731535) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny From: Jason Xion Wang Sorry, I mean "help me to transcribe"... |
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26 Sep 09 - 03:01 AM (#2731632) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny From: Jason Xion Wang Correction: Line 4 of the second verse Said, "tell me, Fat Daddy, has my Johnny man been here?"" |
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28 Sep 09 - 10:58 AM (#2733190) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny From: Jim Dixon DDPro: Here is my transcription from John Denver's singing. I have boldfaced the words that are different from the version above. These words are relatively unimportant. They really don't change the meaning. Singers frequently change some minor words in this way to suit their own sense of rhythm or to make the words fit their own colloquial style of speaking. Ordinarily, I wouldn't consider it worthwhile to transcribe a new version that is different only in such small ways from one that has already been posted, but since you asked, and since English is not your native language, I thought this might help you understand it better. THE NEW FRANKIE AND JOHNNY SONG As sung by John Denver Frankie, she was a fine-looking woman, had a man named Johnny, And she loved him, Lord, she laid down a hundred for a suit of clothes. Don't you see them, walking arm-in-arm down along Canal Street? Frankie loved Johnny and, Lord, everybody knows. Frankie, she came home one evening just a little bit early, And she thought, ought to stop at the corner for a bottle of beer. She sat there, and she told her troubles to the fat bartender, Says, "Hey, Fat Daddy, has my Johnny man been here?" He said, "Frankie", he said, "I'm terrible sorry that you asked me that question, 'Cause you know, and I know, I'm 'bout as honest as a man can be. Saw Johnny, he was walking down Main and a-feeling the pain, Just slipping and a-sliding with a gal named Annabel Lee." Frankie said, "Oh no, no, it can't be so, 'Cause I know, I know my candy man wouldn't treat me wrong." She sat there, had a few more beers, shed a few more tears, Said, "I'm tired of getting this mean old runaround." Then Frankie, well, she got out of the taxi at the corner of Clark Street, Looked up, she saw Johnny and Annabel swinging there, Pulled out, took deadly aim with a 44 pistol And shot her Johnny in the middle of his big affair. You know, Frankie, she was a fine-looking woman, had a man named Johnny, And she loved him, so much she laid down a hundred for a suit of clothes. Don't you see them, pretty as they were, walking arm-in-arm down along Canal Street? Frankie loved Johnny and, Lord, everybody— Whole neighborhood was a-talkin' about it— Frankie loved Johnny and, Lord, everybody knows! Yeah! |
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28 Sep 09 - 02:03 PM (#2733357) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego Van Dyke Parks and Terry Gilkyson had a hand in a big group called "The Greenwood County Singers" back in the 1960's. Unfortunately for the group, they were not only too large to last, but came along just as Randy Sparks was putting together the "New Christy Minstrels." "The New Frankie & Johnny" song was possibly their only one to get a lot of air time on radio back then. Their version was the first I had heard of it. They used twelve-strings (it sounded like more than one) to drive the big sound. I later learned that Gibson and Silverstein were the composers. |
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29 Sep 09 - 10:19 AM (#2734077) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny From: Jason Xion Wang Jim, Thank you so much for the lyrics! Also thank you for the information of folk music! |
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30 Sep 09 - 08:27 PM (#2735445) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Jason Xion Wang And oh, I still cannot understand what's the difference between "dong" and "a-doing". I think they are the same, though there might be some slight differences. Can anybody tell me? Thanks, Jason from China |
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01 Oct 09 - 07:52 AM (#2735734) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Jim Dixon Pronouncing "a-" before a verb that ends with "-ing" is simply a dialectical usage, common in colloquial speech in the southern United States and in parts of England. It is never used in formal or standard English. It doesn't change the meaning of the word. |
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01 Oct 09 - 08:46 AM (#2735763) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverst From: GUEST,Gerry I'd say there's a fair bit of difference between "feeling the pain" and "feeling no pain," with the latter making much more sense in the context. |
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01 Oct 09 - 09:10 AM (#2735779) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Jason Xion Wang I agree with you, Gerry. I think John was to sing "feeling no pain", but his mistook it as "feeling the pain" just because the speed was much too fast. |
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01 Oct 09 - 09:11 AM (#2735781) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Jason Xion Wang Thank you, Jim. I used to think that "a" means "and", I now I know that I'm wrong. |
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01 Oct 09 - 11:30 AM (#2735876) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Cool Beans The Brothers Four also recorded the Gibson/Silverstein version and it received a fair amount of airplay back in the day. |
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02 Oct 09 - 01:16 AM (#2736382) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Art Thieme A week before he died, Bob Gibson held his own wake. It was in a large room at a hotel on the shore of Lake Michigan North of Chicago. He had sent around invites to some of us in Chicago and we sang for Bob well past midnight. He stated that he missed the music more than anything, and he just wanted to hear it another time. Shel used my guitar that night to do 3 or 4 songs. But it was Rick Neely who did this "Frankie And Johnny" that night. -- By then Bob was too ill with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and couldn't play at all. He passed away in his sleep -- exactly a week after his farewell party. One of the songs I did for Bob was Jerry Rasmussen's "A Handful Of Songs." --- When my 1998 CD "The Older I Get, The Better I Was" came out on Waterbug Records, I used that tape we had from the party to end the CD. ---- Bittersweet memories. Shel is gone too. Art Thieme |
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02 Oct 09 - 03:53 AM (#2736434) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Jason Xion Wang Oh my, what a sad story. God bless you, Art. God bless all the folk singers. May Bob and Shel rest in peace. |
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03 Oct 09 - 04:38 AM (#2737149) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: GUEST,Folk on mobile phone Good song. I like it. |
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06 Jun 11 - 08:46 AM (#3165908) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: GUEST,Don Hale Yes it was a great rewrite and he did a magnificant job with playing it and singing it. He was a great performer and had his own way of Playing the 12 string. I never saw anyone else use the same technique but him. My rother lived in Chicago at that time and he and I got to know Bob pretty well. Those were great times. Don Hale |
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06 Jun 11 - 04:16 PM (#3166133) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Chris in Portland Don - check out Fare-thee-wells Rich Grumbecker is the man who sent Bob Gibson to the builder of his 12-string! They were interviewed on River City Folk a few weeks ago, perhaps you can find an archive copy. Chris in Portland |
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06 Jun 11 - 06:07 PM (#3166191) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: New Frankie & Johnny (Gibson/Silverstein) From: Leadfingers I DO like the idea of a Wake before you actually die ! |