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17 messages

Lyr Req: A Good Man Is Hard to Find (Eddie Green)

21 Jul 03 - 12:31 PM (#987521)
Subject: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Gern

No jokes, please... I'm looking for this old barrelhouse song. It sounds like something that would fit well for Etta James or Maria Muldaur. I know it from Bob Wills, but I'm sure it originated with someone else. Anybody know it?

21 Jul 03 - 01:20 PM (#987549)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: katlaughing

Posted in this thread.

21 Jul 03 - 01:50 PM (#987568)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Gern

Close, but not the same song. This one begins, "A good man is hard to find/you always get the other kind..."

21 Jul 03 - 02:04 PM (#987578)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Willa

Here you are, Geri. Lyrics and tune.http://www.geocities.com/dferg5493/agoodmanishardtofind.html

21 Jul 03 - 03:38 PM (#987641)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Gern

That's it, all right, and older than I thought. There is a second chorus as well, if anyone knows that.

22 Jul 03 - 03:27 AM (#987915)
Subject: Tune Add: A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND
From: Lin in Kansas

Here's a transcription from The Real Little Fake Book from Hal Leonard. Kind of a jazzy version (I don't much care for the rhythm), but recognizable. I also have this song on Ginny Reilly's solo album Oh, Ginny. She does a great job on it.

Lin


MIDI file: AGoodMan.mid


Timebase: 192


Name: A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Text: By Ed Green

Copyright: Copyright © 2003 by Hal Leonard

Key: C

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8

Start

0576 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 61 110 0142 0 61 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 69 110 0528 0 69 000 0048 1 70 110 0160 0 70 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 71 110 0256 0 71 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0640 0 69 000 0032 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0142 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 63 110 0142 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 61 110 0142 0 61 000 0002 1 62 110 0046 0 62 000 0002 1 69 110 0526 0 69 000 0002 1 68 110 0046 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0142 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0046 0 71 000 0002 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 68 110 0160 0 68 000 0032 1 72 110 0142 0 72 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0142 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 72 110 0142 0 72 000 0002 1 69 110 0046 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0142 0 67 000 0002 1 64 110 0046 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 72 110 0142 0 72 000 0002 1 60 110 0046 0 60 000 0002 1 62 110 0142 0 62 000 0002 1 63 110 0046 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 72 110 0256 0 72 000 0032 1 63 110 0094 0 63 000 0002 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 68 110 0094 0 68 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 1296 0 72 000

End


This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here


ABC format:


X:1

T:A Good Man Is Hard to Find

M:4/4

Q:1/4=120

K:C

G7^G|A11/2E/2^DE/2A/2|-A5E/2^DE/2A|-A9/2D/2^C3/2D/2A|

-A5^A2B|-BA2GB2GA|G2B3G2c|^GA^FG^DE^DE|GEDC2G^GA|

-A6E/2^D3/2|E/2A11/2E/2^D3/2|E/2A11/2D/2^C3/2|

D/2A11/2^G/2A3/2|B/2c2c2B2A3/2|-A/2G2^GA3^G3/2|

-^G/2c3/2A/2G3/2E/2DC5/2|-C/2c3/2A/2G3/2E/2DC5/2|

-C/2c3/2C/2D3/2^D/2Ec5/2|-c/2^DE2C3G^G/2|

-^G/2A2B2AB2A/2|-A5/2B2A2G3/2|-G/2c15/2|-c6||

22 Jul 03 - 03:35 AM (#987917)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie

Shouldn't the title be the other way round?

I'll get me coat!

22 Jul 03 - 03:51 AM (#987921)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Roger the Skiffler

Sung, if my fading memory serves, by Mae West & Sophie Tucker, and on this side of the pond by "Two Ton" Tessie O'Shea.
Ralphie, I think Mae used to introduce it like that.."A hard man , nowadays, is good to find, hmmm hmmm!"

RtS
(can't find me bloody coat)

22 Jul 03 - 04:32 AM (#987931)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie

Roger,    Respect! R.

22 Jul 03 - 04:34 AM (#987934)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie

And seriously...
It was great to follow the link, and remind meself of the tune again..
Part of the delight that is this thing called the "Cat".

R

23 Jul 03 - 02:52 AM (#988587)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: katlaughing

Ralphie, I used to have a small pin (badge) which said just that!

23 Jul 03 - 03:03 AM (#988592)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Ralphie

Kat...I'm assumimg that your quest was successful! LOL!

23 Jul 03 - 03:34 AM (#988605)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: katlaughing

Many times over, Ralphie! **BG** I also used to have a bumper sticker which said Fight smog...ride a cowboy!

Sorry for the thread drift!

03 Aug 03 - 09:54 PM (#996179)
Subject: Lyr Add: A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND (Eddie Green)
From: Jim Dixon

From the sheet music at UCLA:


A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND
Words and music by Eddie Green
New York: Pace & Handy Music Co., ©1918.

1. My heart's sad and I am all forlorn.
My man's treating me mean.
I regret the day that I was born,
And that man of mine I ever seen.
My happiness it never lasts a day.
My heart is almost breaking while I say:

CHORUS: A good man is hard to find.
You always get the other kind.
Just when you think that he is your pal,
You look for him and find him fooling 'round some other gal.
And then you rave, you even crave
To see him laying in his grave,
So if your man is nice, take my advice
And hug him in the morning, kiss him ev'ry night,
Give him plenty lovin', treat him right,
For a good man nowadays is hard to find.

2. Yesterday my heart from care was free.
I sang all through the day.
Now the blues have overtaken me
Since my lovin' man has gone away.
I tried my best to treat him nice and kind,
But now these words are running through my mind: CHORUS

03 Aug 03 - 10:44 PM (#996196)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Jim Dixon

The range of artists who have recorded this, and the variety of styles they use, is truly amazing: Bix Beiderbecke, Rosemary Clooney, Eddie Condon, Al Dexter, Alberta Hunter, Brenda Lee, George Lewis, Louis Prima, Frank Sinatra, Bessie Smith, Barbra Streisand, Hank Thompson, Fats Waller, Bob Wills, Nancy Wilson -- to name a few of the more famous ones.

Les Brown (and His Band of Renown) performs it with a different verse:

Now here's a story with a moral.
All you girls should pay some mind.
When you find a man worth keeping,
Be satisfied, huh? Make sure to treat him kind.

23 Nov 09 - 11:37 AM (#2771833)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Jim Dixon

RedHotJazz.com has several recordings of A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND:

Marion Harris, 1919

Bessie Smith, 1927

Victoria Spivey, 1927

Lizzie Miles, 1928

23 Nov 09 - 12:05 PM (#2771856)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Good Man is Hard to Find
From: Genie

You can also hear the full tune in several versions at YouTube:

Marion Harris 1919
Maria Muldaur
A bit of improv by Miss Major and her Minor Mood Swings