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22 Feb 03 - 04:56 PM (#896110) Subject: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: GUEST,hrpgrrl Hi Art! If I play this in G on the banjo, with the G open what are the chords for the line "Ain't doin nothin but takin on good men"? and "My mind get to ramble, my feet are bound to go" and "yankees on the river they sure did blow it down"? and so on... thanks harpgirl |
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22 Feb 03 - 05:35 PM (#896133) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: harpgirl ...if I play this in G on the autoharp it sounds like those lines are Emin to A but I don't know how to play an A in G tuning on the banjo. HELP! |
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22 Feb 03 - 09:57 PM (#896279) Subject: Lyr Add: WHAT DOES THE DEEP SEA SAY From: Art Thieme Ms. Harp, It IS an open-G tuning. Lemme see, what the heck DID I usta do? I sort of just did it---knew where to put my fingers. I never thought about what chords I was playin. But try this... My mind it gets to ramblin' and my feet are bound to go My mind... "My" is 1st string open. "mind" = press the 1st and 4th strings at the 5th fret and finish the basic strum or frail. "it gets to ramblin'" = drop your 1st finger on the 2nd string so you are holding a chord like---1st and 4th string held at 4th fret and 2nd string held at 3rd fret. -- "ram" = 1st string at 3 and "blin" = 2nd string at 3rd fret. "feet are bound" = C-chord------1st string at 2nd fret "to go" = A-minor chord = C-chord plus 3rd string at 2nd fret. Abby, I do hope this makes sense !! It's pretty much what I used to do on that line. Now for the lyrics. I did it differently in different places and for different audiences. Note "Ain't doin' nothin but killin' off good men" is the way I did it first. When I sang it for senior groups on the Mississippi River it became "taking on good men". This is my reworking of a version sung for me by LEE O. B. (or OBIE) QUIGGINS, a blind street singer from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. I met Lee when he was singing on the corner of First and Main Streets in Evansville, Indiana----1960 or 1961. This was less than a block from the Ohio River shore. I went up to his transient room at the old Lincoln Hotel that night and taped some of his songs. The local musician (saxophone player) Boots Randolph was playing that night in THE BLUE BAR, a less than fashionable watering hole, below Lee's room and we had to wait for him to finish before we could tape anything. Those rell-to-reel tapes deteriorated over the years, but I was able to save about four of Lee Quiggins' songs. Lee's lyrics were mostly those sung by Bill and Earl Bolick, better known as THE BLUE SKY BOYS. Only the chorus I used came from what Lee sang in that hotel room so long ago. Some of my verses were taken from Mary Wheeler's 1944 book, STEAMBOATIN' DAYS (Louisiana State University Press) VERSE 1--above--is a reworking of a verse in "Ferd Herold Blues" on page 53 of that book. VERSE 2--above--is an extensive reworking of a song called "Gabriel's Trumpet" on page 71 of that book. It came from "Uncle Clabe who worked long years on the Ohio". VERSE 3--above--was reworked by me from a verse in the song "Vicksburg Round The Bend"--page 22 in Wheeler. She collected it from Mr. Joe Hughes, a former rouster. VERSE 4--above--is a very slight reworking of the song on page 22 of Wheeler's book called "I'm Workin' My Way Back Home". VERSE 5--above--is my reworking of a verse from "She Leaves Memphis" (page 20) that Mary Wheeler got from Uncle Sam Barnes and a verse from "Been All 'Round This Whole Round World, Oh Babe" (page 103). Wheeler did not mention a source for this song. Modern day singer, DILLON BUSTIN, has turned this into a wonderful song for group sining with an audience. VERSE 6--above--is from a fragment sung for me by Lee Quiggins. What Does The Deep Sea Say Every time I hear the big boat blow, Every time I hear the steamboat blow, My mind, it gets to ramblin', my feet are bound to go, Every time I hear the steamboat blow. Chorus) What does the deep sea say? What does the deep sea say? It moans and it groans, it slashes and it foams, And it rolls on it's weary way. Ain't but one thing grieving on my mind, Ain't but one thing grieving on my mind, My sister gone to heaven and left me here behind, Ain't but one thing grieving on my mind. Vicksburg is a mighty hilly town, Vicksburg is a mighty hilly town, The Yankees on the river, they sure did blow it down, Vicksburg is a mighty hilly town. Fireman, keep her rollin' on for me, Gotta make it down to Memphis, Tennessee, My back is getting tired, and my shoulder's getting sore, Fireman, keep her rollin' on for me. Big Joe Fowler steaming 'round the bend, Big Joe Fowler steaming 'round the bend, Ain't doing nothing but killing off good men, Big Joe Fowler's steaming round the bend. The river always been this rouster's home, The river always been this rouster's home, Gonna set and watch the big boats and never wanna (gonna) roam, The river always been this rouster's home. Honey baby, won't you take yor time, Honey Baby, won't you take your time, Please, baby, please, don't break this leg o' mine, Oh, honey baby, won't you take your time. Today has been a lonesome day, Today has been a lonesome day, Today has been a lonesome day, And tomorrow gonna be the same old way. Water is a rising in the town, The water is a-rising in the town, Water is a-rising---it's a-rising all around, The water is a-rising in the town. The levee got boils up and down, The levee got boild up and down, Levee gone away and there's water in the town, The levee got boils up and down. Walkin' this levee night and day, Walkin' this levee night and day, Holdin' back the river or there be hell to pay, Walking this levee night and day. -------------------------------------------- I do hope this helps you !! Art Thieme |
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22 Feb 03 - 10:25 PM (#896296) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: Art Thieme Boy, I'd like to show you how to do it in person. It's not very hard. I could show ya and in 5 minutes you'd be doing it better than me. And that's really true, kid. Art |
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22 Feb 03 - 10:40 PM (#896306) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: GUEST,bdatki Wow, that is quite a different version than the Monroe Brother's version. Interesting. |
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22 Feb 03 - 10:45 PM (#896313) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: Art Thieme I do guess it's more me than anyone else. But as far as I'm concerned it is public domain and / or traditional. Art Thieme |
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22 Feb 03 - 11:34 PM (#896341) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: harpgirl ...well, Artmeister! That helps a whole lot!!! I really like your other verses as well! Thank you, kind sir! One of these days I'm gonna bring my recorder up to your house and we'll have a session...if it gets warm up there...my blood's real thin these days! |
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22 Feb 03 - 11:40 PM (#896346) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: harpgirl ...hey Arty...was Big Joe Fowler a Steamboat? |
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22 Feb 03 - 11:46 PM (#896353) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: harpgirl ...BTW Art, does that screw in the fifth string peg tighten that string like a fine tuner? |
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23 Feb 03 - 02:37 PM (#896758) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: Art Thieme The screw on the 5th string holds the whole silly thing together. If it's a friction peg, you have no gear ratio and keeping that little screw tighter will limit string slipage. The geared 5th string peg makes it easier to tune that string---sort of like, as you say, a fine-tuner. --- Right. I always felt it was easier to tuna fish than the 5th string. The 5th sting came to be when a fellow killed a possum to make stings from the guts, and that animal's innards were only long enough for four-and-a-half strings ----- so that one string only went half way up the neck. I always used fiddle fine-tuners on my banjo strings----at least on the treble strings. Use the kind that ride the strings themselves---grab the string at two places, and then depress it in between when you turn a small screw. Art |
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23 Feb 03 - 11:47 PM (#897091) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: Joe Offer So, is the attribution to Woody Guthrie in the Digital Tradition erroneous? -Joe Offer- |
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24 Feb 03 - 12:18 AM (#897103) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: Art Thieme Woody? Poissibly, probably, maybe, could be---but maybe not. The Blue Sky Boys were the late 30s (maybe the 20s). The Monroe Brothers were about '35---unless I'm wrong. Woody the 1940s?? ;-) But your question, Joe, was if the DT was wrong or not. Right? Well, all of the above, ditto, whatever. Art |
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24 Feb 03 - 12:38 PM (#897413) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: harpgirl ...well I guess Joe Fowler was a riverboat! Her is a link I found now that I am thinking more clearly than I do at 12:30am on Saturday night: http://www.emuck.com:3000/aotw/riverbot.htm |
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12 Nov 11 - 06:49 AM (#3255459) Subject: RE: Chord Req: What does the deep sea say? From: GUEST,Wally Macnow Art Thieme's singing of this song has been rattling around in my head for a while and I decided to look up his lyrics on Mudcat. It's great to find it here. When i picked up the guitar to set an accompaniment, I realized the tune is almost exactly the same as the one I use for Mole in the Ground. Who knew? |