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Lyr Req: Electricity (Jimmy Murphy)

07 Mar 01 - 08:22 PM (#413067)
Subject: Electricity
From: jofield

Years ago, I used to do a little country/bluegrass tune called "Electricity" which had a chorus that went:

You can't see elec-tricity as it moves along the line,
But how in the world can you doubt it, when you can see it shine?
When you get salvation, it's something you can feel.
You won't need nobody to tell you that it's real.

Anyone got the full lyrics to this one?

Thanks,
James.

08 Mar 01 - 12:45 AM (#413190)
Subject: Lyr Add: ELECTRICITY (Jimmy Murphy)
From: Stewie

Jimmy Murphy's party piece. Can't say the lyrics of this one do much for me, but his energetic performance and phenomenal guitar playing are something else. I prefer his lovely rendition of 'Shanty Boat Blues' and his gentle 'It Seems I Always Get What I Don't Want'. Here's 'Electricity' for you:

ELECTRICITY
(Jimmy Murphy)

CHORUS: Well, you can't see electricity a-moving on the line.
How in the world can you doubt it when you can see it shine?
When you get salvation the current you can feel.
You won't have to have nobody to tell you that it's real.

Some people don't know good music when they hear it in the air.
Some people they don't know God when they kneel down in prayer;
But let me tell something and I'm not a-gonna tell you wrong:
When you get salvation you'll know it by its tone.

Chorus

Some people don't believe in religion; they think it's all a fake.
It's just as real, good people, as eating a T-bone steak.
It's as sweet as any honey that any bee could make,
With a good old sugar molasses and a great big chocolate cake.

Chorus

This old-time salvation he gave to me and you.
I'm a-feasting on the mountain like Jesus told me to.
I'm a-drinkin' from God's fountain that flows from up on high.
I'm a-feasting on the mountain where God's fountain won't run dry.

Chorus

Words and music by Jimmy Murphy. Copyright Southern Melody Pub. Co. BMI.

Source: transcription of reissue on Jimmy Murphy 'Electricity' Sugar Hill SHCD-3890.

--Stewie.

08 Mar 01 - 01:13 AM (#413199)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity
From: jofield

Ah, Stewie, ya done it again. But I am chagrined to admit I have never heard of Jimmy Murphy. What era are we talking about? 50's? And was he bluegrass, country, or what? I am imagining a Roy Acuff-type bouncy entertainer.

Merci bien.

08 Mar 01 - 03:59 AM (#413236)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity
From: Stewie

James,

Murphy's brief recording career was in the 1950s when he made a few recordings for Columbia and Victor. He was from Alabama and his influences were the blues records of Blind Boy Fuller, Leadbelly etc and the Opry. He was an excellent guitarist and his early recording career was promoted by Chet Atkins, another superlative guitarist. His commercial problem was that he did not fit neatly into either Nashville country or bluegrass and consequently faded into obscurity. All his 50s recordings have been collected together on a Bear Family CD: 'Sixteen Tons Rock 'N Roll' BCD 15451. In the 70s, he was 'rediscovered' and made an album, titled 'Electricity', for Sugar Hill with bluegrass musicians such as Ricky Skaggs and Jerry Douglas. The CD I transcribed from (details given above) comprises the original 1978 Sugar Hill album plus additional tracks that were previously omitted because of time constraints. I was wrong in stating above that the 'Electricity' on the Sugar Hill CD was a reissue of his 1951 recording - it was a 'new' (ie 1978) recording - but the lyrics are identical. Murphy died in 1981. He was/is much admired as a guitarist and also for his fine hard-country voice. He is well worth a listen. If you are curious, get the Sugar Hill CD and, if impressed, work back to the Bear Family collection.

Cheers, Stewie.

10 Dec 05 - 06:23 PM (#1624639)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity
From: GUEST,Jim Webb

These words have been runing through my mind for the last 50 odd years. Used to remember all the words but now just the Chorus seems to surface.I first heard this fellow play at one of the enumerable Bible tent shows along the East coast and always had the feeling that he seemed more of a participant in the show than just a crowd warmer.

He was a good musician and expressed himself well. I agree that he did not fit the mold but he sure made his inviornment more interesting.

I would classify his music more hillbilly than either blue grass or country only because he didn't seem to fit Bill Monroe's strict interpertation of Bill's music and because "Country" not yet gained wide acceptence as a classification.

There were really a lot of pickers out there and I don't think the market was large enough. Maybe if google were around things would have been different.

Thank You

Jim Webb

11 Dec 05 - 09:40 AM (#1624940)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity
From: Severn

He was apparently very shy about performing. Dick Spottswood attempted to bring him out of hiding once and booked him into the late, lamented Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, MD. A bunch of us came out, but he didn't show for whatever reason. I'd heard The Country Gentlemen and Mike Seeger covering his tunes, but had not heard his own recordings yet and was among thoes waiting in vain.

A few years later, Mr. Spottswood got him (and his wife, who joined him on a few numbers) up to the National Folk Festival at Wolf Trap Park in Vienna, VA, where I finally got to hear him. I eventually got the Sugar Hill LP as soon as it appeared. Some of the performances from Wolf Trap were tacked on by Dick on the end of the Sugar Hill recording at the time of its CD reissue, along with some new liner notes by Dick as well.

Not easily pigeonholed with his blues, country and hillbilly influences, mainstream country it's not, but definately worth the listen and the effort to find.

12 Dec 05 - 07:40 AM (#1625517)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity
From: Firecat

Sorry, I thought you meant the song from Billy Elliott The Musical!

26 Mar 14 - 04:53 PM (#3613010)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity
From: GUEST,amos smith

Jimmy murphy is truely an artist in his own right. I am by the way his grandson and have several fond memories of him all I wish is that the world could have seen him the way I got to see him. He never was to busy to drop what he was doing for a game of hide and seek, or to listen when the day was going wrong. He is vreatly missed.

14 Sep 20 - 08:12 AM (#4071816)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity (Jimmy Murphy)
From: GUEST

Sheila Murphy

14 Sep 20 - 08:15 AM (#4071817)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity (Jimmy Murphy)
From: GUEST

Sheila Murphy Jimmy Murphy’s daughter my dad had bad anxiety at performing in front of people who wanted to write music and saying he just wanted to make a record and hope that everyone would hear it and that they didn’t have to see him but that’s not the way it works you have to get out there and promote your music and he was a good singer and guitar picker because all these record labels would not have signed him if he hadn’t of been good but they only problem was after they made the record He had to leave because he knew they wanted him to go on show dates and stuff and he couldn’t handle it but people kept signing they just couldn’t find him after he made the record but they put it out anyway so I’m thinking over in other countries he’s more popular than he was in the United States that’s the only way they could make money and him not show up for show dates

14 Sep 20 - 08:23 AM (#4071818)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Electricity (Jimmy Murphy)
From: GUEST

If you have anymore questions about Jimmy Murphy I would be glad to try and answer them