What Did the Deep Sea Say? or Oh, Where Is My Sailor Boy? A old traditional mournful ballad about a sailor lost at sea and his true bewailing his death. First recorded by Mack Allen (Vernon Dalhart) in 1929.

Performed by about everyone I can think of including Doc Watson, The Monroe Brothers, Bod Dylan.

My rendition of Woody Guthrie's rendition of this traditional tune.

Lyrics
Oh captain tell me the true
Does my sailor sail with you
No he does not sail with me
He sleeps on the bottom of the sea

Chorus:
What did the deep sea say,
Tell me what did the deep sea say
It moaned and it groaned
It splashed and it foamed
It rolled on it's weary way

He promised to write to me
But his promise he never kept true
Not a word from my sailor have I heard
Since he sailed on the ocean blue

A beautiful rose every day
I place on the crest of the waves
Saying 'take it please and let them pedals fall
Onto his watery grave'

@jackstrawvibes

Skip to My Lou is an American folk song that is played and sung to a partner-switching (stealing?!?) dance. So common it is considered a kid's song...the song, the dance has faded.

Endless number of verses, just end the line with anything that rhymes with 'Lou'!

Lyrics:
Chorus
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou
Skip to my Lou, my darling

Yonder she come and how do ya do?
Yonder she come and how do ya do?
Yonder she come and how do ya do?
Skip to my Lou, my darling

Flies in the buttermilk, shoo, flies, shoo.
Flies in the buttermilk, shoo, flies, shoo.
Flies in the buttermilk, shoo, flies, shoo.
Skip to my Lou, my darling

All around the house and the pig pen too
All around the house and the pig pen too
All around the house and the pig pen too
Skip to my Lou, my darling

Lost my partner, what'll I do?
Lost my partner, what'll I do?
Lost my partner, what'll I do?
Skip to my Lou, my darling

I'll get another, as purtier than you
I'll get another, as purtier than you
I'll get another, as purtier than you
Skip to my Lou, my darling

Can't get a red bird, blue bird will do
Can't get a red bird, blue bird will do
Can't get a red bird, blue bird will do
Skip to my Lou, my darling

You are pretty and so are you
You are pretty and so are you
You are pretty and so are you
Skip to my Lou, my darling

@jackstrawvibes

First recorded back in 1925 by Carlie Poole and The North Carolina Ramblers. Picked it up from Clarence 'Tom' Ashley. A country staple that has been done numerous times.

Lyrics:
May I sleep in your barn tonight, Mister?
It’s so cold sleeping out on the ground
And that cold north wind is a-whistling
And I have no place to lie down

You may know that I use no tobacco
Neither carry no matches or fire
I will do you no harm, kind mister
May I sleep for tonight in your barn?

You have asked me how long I’ve been tramping
Or living this kind of a life
I will tell you my story, kind mister,
Though it cuts through my heart like a knife

It was three years ago, last summer
I’ll never forget the sad day
When a stranger came out from the city
To the country to stay for his health

Oh, my wife said she’d like to be earning
Was something to add to our home,
And she coaxed me until I consented
For the stranger to stop there and board

One evening as I came home from work, sir
Whistling and singing for joy
I’s expecting a kind-hearted welcome
To receive from my wife and little boy

Nothing there did I find but a letter
Placed in the room upon the stand,
And the moment my eyes fell upon it
I picked it right up in my hand

Oh, the words that were written upon it
They run through my brain, run me wild
Oh, it said that the stranger and Nellie
Had run off and taken my child

Oh, we know there’s a God up in heaven
I’ve always been taught to believe
I know he will give to that scoundrel
The death that he ought to receive

@jackstrawvibes

My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean or just My Bonnie is a old traditional Scottish folk song. However, there is a song called Send Back My Barney to Me written by Harry Clifton that some of the American versions borrow from so the current version might be a bit of a hybrid. As I have not heard the original Scottish version, that I know of, I won't be the judge of that. It was first recorded by the Haydn Quartet in 1901.

Tons of covers as the tune is amendable to many musical styles. The Haydn Quartet is almost a Barbershop Quartet version. Loads of parodies also flourish around this melody as well.

My version I picked up like the common cold...as the tune is so ubiquitous. Although the 1928 Leake County Revelers recording is one I have heard. Normally, I play a more rollicking flat-picked version but went with a slow finger picking one for the first time.

Lyrics:
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
My Bonnie lies over the sea
My Bonnie lies over the ocean
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me

Chorus
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me
Bring back, bring back
Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me

Oh, blow ye winds over the ocean
Oh, blow ye winds over the sea
Oh, blow ye winds over the ocean
And bring back my Bonnie to me

Last night as I lay on my pillow
Last night as I lay on my bed
Last night as I lay on my pillow
I dreamt that my Bonnie was dead

The winds have blown over the ocean
The winds have blown over the sea
The winds have blown over the ocean
And brought back my Bonnie to me

@jackstrawvibes

A tradition sea shanty also known as 'Drunken Sailor' or 'Up She Rises'. It has been around since the early. 1800's. The melody probably is of Irish origin.

Sounds great with a fiddler playing 'Drowsy Maggie' between verses. Unfortunately, I did not have one handy for the video.

Lyrics:
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
Er'lye in the morning!

Chorus:
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Er'lye in the morning!

Put him in a long boat till his sober
Put him in a long boat till his sober
Put him in a long boat till his sober
Er'lye in the morning!
Keep him there and make him bale 'er
Keep him there and make him bale 'er
Keep him there and make him bale 'er
Er'lye in the morning!

Chorus

Give him a dose of salt and water
Give him a dose of salt and water
Give him a dose of salt and water
Er'lye in the morning!
Give him a hair of the dog that bit him
Give him a hair of the dog that bit him
Give him a hair of the dog that bit him
Er'lye in the morning!

What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
Er'lye in the morning!

Put him in a scuppers with a hosepipe on 'im
Put him in a scuppers with a hosepipe on 'im
Put him in a scuppers with a hosepipe on 'im
Er'lye in the morning!
Hoist him up to the topsail yardarm
Hoist him up to the topsail yardarm
Hoist him up to the topsail yardarm
Er'lye in the morning!

Chorus

Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Er'lye in the morning!
Put him in the bed with the captains daughter
Put him in the bed with the captains daughter
Put him in the bed with the captains daughter
Er'lye in the morning!

That's what we do with a drunken sailor
That's what we do with a drunken sailor
That's what we do with a drunken sailor
Er'lye in the morning!

Chorus

What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
Er'lye in the morning!

@jackstrawvibes

Woody Guthrie is credited with writing this one, but it sure seems like a conglomeration of older lyrics. And since Woody claimed 'to steal from everyone' when it came to tunes it probably is swiped from a bunch of sources. Woody himself has several versions of lyrics to this one.

The Almanac Singers made the first recording of it in 1941.

I took the lyrics from the alternate version. found "The Woody Guthrie Songbook".

Lyrics:
There is a house in this old town
Where my true love lays around
Takes other women right down on his knee
Tells them tales he don't tell me

Chorus
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard
To love one who never did love you
Hard, ain't it hard, ain't it hard great god
To love one that never would be true

Oh late last night when my true love come home
Rapping, tapping at my door
I jumped up in a fit of blind jealousy, I said
True love, don't you rap here no more

True love flies over the ocean
True love flies over the sea
My heart sails away on the wings of my love
To bring back my true love to me

The first time I was my true love
She was standing in her mother's door
The last time I seen her sweet smiling face
Was dead on the cooling board

If I walk the pathways of sorrow
I'll ask no one to go for me
When I knock upon them bright pearly gates
I'll cry: Good Lord! Have mercy on me!

@jackstrawvibes

Marty Robbins wrote and recorded this western ballad in 1959. It first appeared on his 'Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs' album. It was a #1 hit on both the country and pop music charts.

Numerous covers have been made by a variety of artists. This is mine.

Lyrics:
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl
Nighttime would find me in Rosa's cantina
Music would play and Felina would whirl
Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina
Wicked and evil while casting a spell
My love was deep for this Mexican maiden
I was in love but in vain, I could tell
One night a wild young cowboy came in
Wild as the West Texas wind
Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing
With wicked Felina, the girl that I loved

So in anger I
Challenged his right for the love of this maiden
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore
My challenge was answered in less than a heartbeat
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor
Just for a moment I stood there in silence
Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done
Many thoughts raced through my mind as I stood there
I had but one chance and that was to run
Out through the back door of Rosa's I ran
Out where the horses were tied
I caught a good one, it looked like it could run
Up on its back and away I did ride

Just as fast as I
Could from the West Texas town of El Paso
Out to the badlands of New Mexico
Back in El Paso my life would be worthless
Everything's gone in life; nothing is left
It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden
My love is stronger than my fear of death
I saddled up and away I did go
Riding alone in the dark
Maybe tomorrow, a bullet may find me
Tonight nothing's worse than this pain in my heart

And at last here I
Am on the hill overlooking El Paso
I can see Rosa's cantina below
My love is strong and it pushes me onward
Down off the hill to Felina I go
Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys
Off to my left ride a dozen or more
Shouting and shooting, I can't let them catch me
I have to make it to Rosa's back door
Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel
A deep burning pain in my side
Though I am trying to stay in the saddle
I'm getting weary, unable to ride

But my love for
Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen
Though I am weary I can't stop to rest
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest
From out of nowhere Felina has found me
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for
One little kiss and Felina, goodbye

@jackstrawvibes

Swedish-American comedian Olle i Skratthult (Hjalmar Peterson 1886-1960) recorded 'Nikolina' in 1917. It was a big hit selling over 100,000 records on Columbia and Victor. He was considered America's foremost Scandinavian entertainer on the Stage, Phonograph Records, and Radio.

The song is also known in Sweden.

Our daughter is named Nickolina after the song. I have seen the name spelled with a 'c' or a 'k'. Which looked foreign to me (common spellings from Italian and Russia). I had it spelled with both since in USA I thought she might want to be called Nicky some day...and she is. Father knows best as the saying goes.

Text/Lyrics:
Att vara kär, det är en ryslig pina
Den som försökt det säger inte nej
Jag var så rysligt kär I Nikolina
Och Nikolina lika kär I mej

Om hennes hand jag bad hos hennes pappa
Men fick ett svar som jag ej väntat på
Jag aldrig kommit ut för någon trappa
Så rysligt hastigt som jag gjorde då

Då gick jag hem och skrev till Nikolina
Om hon ville vara så rysligt snäll
Och möta mej när månen börjar skina
I Ekebacken nästa lördagskväll

Där mötte mej en mörk figur I kappa
Och månen sken på himlen som en båk
Den mötande var Nikolinas pappa,
Beväpnad med en rätt försvarlig påk

Jag blev så rädd, jag darrade I knäna
Och tog till bena både rädd och skygg
Men som jag smög där fram emellan träna
Lät gubben påken dansa på min rygg

Då gick jag hem och skrev till Nikolina
"Nu är det med mitt hela liv adjö
Om du ej bota kan min kärlekspina
Går jag och dränker mej I närmsta sjö"

Men Nikolina botade min sjuka
Hon sade: "Käre Olle, tänk dej för
Den som sitt liv förkortar är en kruka
Du kan väl lugna dej tills gubben dör"

Och nu så väntar ja och Nikolina
Att gubben han skall kola vippen av
Och till ett minne efter honom sättes
Den gamla påken uppå gubbens grav

@jackstrawvibes

A gospel medley: I'll Fly Away/Somebody Touched Me.

I'll Fly Away is an Albert E. Brumley tune from 1929. Probably the most recorded gospel of all time. It is sung in worship services and country/bluegrass jam sessions.

Recorded by so many it is not worth listing them. The Chuck Wagon Gang's 1948 recording of the song sold over a million copies and was originally released as a B-side. The Library of Congress in 2017 selected their recording for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its "culturally, historically, or artistically significant".

If you have not heard this tune before, I'd love to know where you have been hiding out!

Somebody Touch Me (Glory, Glory, Glory) is an old-time tradition gospel 'zipper' song (you zip another word in and you have a whole new verse). I picked it up off The Dillards "Back Porch Bluegrass" album that Izzy Young loaned me from the Folklore Center's LP collection. But like the common cold, I could have pick it up almost anywhere since it has been done by about everyone as well as their brothers and sisters. One of the first recordings of the tune was done in 1949 by John Reedy and His Stone Mtn. Hillbillys. Wished I had a banjo flailing away with me when I did this one.

I think the two tunes go together like ham and eggs so I never just play the one without the other. My live version includes more verses but I did not want the video to be too long,

I'll Fly Away:
Some bright morning when this life is over
I'll fly away
To the land on God's celestial shore
I'll fly away

I'll fly away, oh, Glory
I'll fly away
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by
I'll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then
I'll fly away
To a land where joy shall never end
I'll fly away

Somebody Touch Me:
While I was praying, somebody touched me
While I was praying, somebody touched me
While I was praying, somebody touched me
Must have been the hand of the lord

Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me
Glory, glory, glory, somebody touched me
Must have been the hand of the lord

While I was praying, somebody touched me
While I was praying, somebody touched me
While I was praying, somebody touched me
Must have been the hand of the lord
Preaching–Sitting–Kneeling–Shouting, etc.

@jackstrawvibes

An old Showalter and Hoffman Gospel number first published in 1887. When I hit the Gospel chord I raise the guitar...just so you know. Sorry that I have to perform it sitting down. When I do it 'Live' I can show you how to 'lean' on those arms. Worth the price of admission for sure.

Remember this one from Sunday or Bible school.

Lyrics:
What a fellowship, what a joy divine
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!

Leaning, leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
O how bright the path grows from day to day
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!

What have I to dread, what have I to fear
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
I have peace complete with my Lord so near
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!

@jackstrawvibes

I Shall Not Be Moved is most likely a revivalist camp-meeting song. It has been sung as We Shall Not Be Moved as part of protest and union movement. The title is from Psalms 62:6.

It has been covered by Elvis, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, The Almanac Singers, Pete Seeger
Charley Patton, Mississippi John Hurt, Ella Fitzgerald, The Seekers, Son House, Joan Baez among many others. So their are a lot of version for sure. A versatile song for sure.

I think I got my version from a Folkways record, not sure though. Might have added a lyric or two myself or vaguely remembered someone else's, not sure about that either. Well, what else can I say? I shall not be moved!

Lyrics:
I shall not be, I shall not be moved
I shall not be, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

I'm going up to the mountaintop
The Lord's going preach and his church is going to rock
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

I'll pitch my tent on this campground
I'll pray old Satan's schemes come down
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

I went down to the valley to pray
My soul got excited, I stayed all day
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

Jesus is my savior, I shall not be moved
In his love and favor, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

In his love I'm hiding, I shall not be moved
In his word abiding, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

Though the tempest rages, I shall not be moved
On the rock of ages, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

I'm on my way to Glory Land, I shall not be moved
Guided by his loving hand, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

Though the flesh my fail, I shall not be moved
I know he will prevail, I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
I shall not be moved

@jackstrawvibes

The last labyrinth wandering for the 2024 season. A bit of a Mr. Bean moment. When a body meet a body...

Walking the labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral.
Join us on a serene and meditative journey through the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral. This iconic Gothic cathedral, located in Chartres, France, is home to one of the most famous labyrinths in the world. Walk with us as we explore the intricate pathways and delve into the spiritual and historical significance of this ancient practice. Perfect for those interested in pilgrimage, meditation, and the beauty of historic architecture.

📍 Location: Chartres Cathedral, France
🔍 Keywords: Chartres Cathedral, labyrinth walk, Gothic architecture, pilgrimage, meditative walk, UNESCO World Heritage Site

If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more travel and spiritual journeys!

#ChartresCathedral #LabyrinthWalk #SpiritualJourney #GothicArchitecture #FranceTravel

@jackstrawvibes

My take on an old-time folk tune. Don't know where I picked it up, I guess I just worked it out. There are only two ways to play it in my opinion: fast and faster! Used for play-party games and dances.

Cairo is where the Ohio River joins the mighty Mississippi, I was born at the other end of the state by the waters of Lake Michigan.

Lyrics:
Going down to Cairo, goodbye Magpie.
Going down to Cairo, goodbye Liza Jane.

Black them boots and make 'em shine goodbye Magpie.
Black them boots and make them shine, goodbye, Liza Jane.

I ain't got time to kiss you now, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Ain't got time to kiss you now, goodbye Liza Jane.

Up the river, around the bend, goodbye Magpie.
Six-shooters on and gone again, goodbye Liza Jane.

Oh, how I love her, goodbye, Magpie,
Oh, how I love her, goodbye, Liza Jane.

Chase that rabbit, chase that squirrel, goodbye Magpie.
Chase that pretty girl 'round the world.

@jackstrawvibes

From Dylan's 1975 "Blood on the Tracks" album. I think the song speaks for itself so I will leave it at that.

Lyrics (and there's a lot of them!):
Early one morning, the sun was shining
I was laying in bed
Wondering if she'd changed it all
If her hair was still red
Her folks, they said, our lives together
Sure was gonna be rough
They never did like mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough
And I was standing on the side of the road
Rain falling on my shoes
Heading out for the East Coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues getting through
Tangled up in blue

She was married when we first met
Soon to be divorced
I helped her out of a jam, I guess
But I used a little too much force
We drove that car as far as we could
Abandoned it out west
Split up on a dark, sad night
Both agreeing it was best
She turned around to look at me
As I was walking away
I heard her say over my shoulder
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue"
Tangled up in blue

I had a job in the great north woods
Working as a cook for a spell
But I never did like it all that much
And one day the axe just fell
So I drifted down to New Orleans
Where I's lucky for to be employed
Working for a while on a fishing boat
Right outside of Delacroix
But all the while I was alone
The past was close behind
I seen a lot of women
But she never escaped my mind, and I just grew
Tangled up in blue

She was working in a topless place
And I stopped in for a beer
I just kept looking at the sight of her face
In the spotlight so clear
And later on when the crowd thinned out
I's just about to do the same
She was standing there in back of my chair
Said, "Tell me, don't I know your name?"
I muttered something underneath my breath
She studied the lines on my face
I must admit I felt a little uneasy
When she bent down to tie the laces of my shoe
Tangled up in blue

She lit a burner on the stove and offered me a pipe
"I thought you'd never say hello, " she said
"You look like the silent type"
Then she opened up a book of poems and handed it to me
Written by an Italian poet from the 13th century
And every one of them words rang true
And glowed like burning coal
Pouring off of every page
Like it was written in my soul, from me to you
Tangled up in blue

I lived with them on Montague Street
In a basement down the stairs
There was music in the cafés at night
And revolution in the air
Then he started into dealing with slaves
And something inside of him died
She had to sell everything she owned
And froze up inside
And when finally the bottom fell out
I became withdrawn
The only thing I knew how to do
Was to keep on keeping on, like a bird that flew
Tangled up in blue

So now I'm going back again
I got to get her somehow
All the people we used to know
They're an illusion to me now
Some are mathematicians
Some are carpenter's wives
Don't know how it all got started
I don't what they do with their lives
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in blue

@jackstrawvibes

The song that is considered to have started country music when it was recorded by Fiddlin' John Carson in 1923. The song was written by Will S. Hays in 1871. It was first recorded by Spencer & Ossman in 1901.

Lyrics:
Oh I'm gettin' old and feeble and I cannot work no more
The children no more gather 'round my door
And old masters and old mrs they are sleepin' side by side
Near da little old log cabin in da lane

Oh the chimney's fallen down and the roof's all caved in
Lettin' in the sunshine and the rain
And the only friend I've got now is that good old dog of mine
And the little old log cabin in the lane

Oh the trees have all growed up that lead around the hill
The fences have all gone to decay
And the creeks have all dried up where we used to go to mill
And things have changed of course in another ways

Oh I ain't got long to stay here what little time I've got
I want to rest content while I remain
'Til death shall call this dog and me to find a better home
And leave the little old log cabin in the lane

@jackstrawvibes

A Walter Vinson song (borrowing a lot of the melody from Tampa Red's instrumental composition 'You Got To Reap What You Sow') and different verses than these. It was first recorded in 1930 by the Mississippi Sheiks in a slow tempo blues style.

I picked up my version from Jimmy Martin's rendition with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band off the Circle album vol. 2. (I am pretty sure.)

Lyrics:
It was in the spring one sunny day
My good gal left me Lord she went away

And now she’s gone but I don’t worry
‘Cause I’m sitting on top of the world

Don’t you come here running, poking out your hand
I’ll get me a woman like you got your man

She called me up from down in El paso
Crying daddy, daddy, I love you so

You don’t like my peaches, don’t you shake my tree
Get out of my orchard, let my peaches be

Mississippi River, long, deep and wide
I got me a woman on the other side

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Show me a woman a man can trust

@jackstrawvibes

This Dixon Brothers tune goes back to the depression when the government was looking for new ways to generate more revenue. Luckily, this sales tax never was enacted...as far as I know.

The Dixon Brothers (Dorsey and Howard) were from South Carolina and recorded some 60 tunes between 1936-1938. "Sales Tax on the Women" was one of their most popular. The New Lost City Ramblers covered it in 1959.

Lyrics:
You may sales tax the flour, the lard and the meat
Take the pennies 'way from me and my pals
You may sales tax everything that we have to eat
But don't put tax on the gals

One cent, two cents, three cents in cash
That's the way my money goes a-spinnin'
But take off my hat and ya hit me with a bat
If you put the sales tax on the women

Don't put the taxes on the good-lookin' girls
Although I know the pennies have to go
Well, I wouldn't have it done for a hundred or more
'Cause the boys wouldn't stand a bit of show

One cent, two cents, three cents in cash
That's the way my money goes a-spinnin'
But take off my hat and ya hit me with a bat
If you put the sales tax on the women

I love the little girls with the lovely little curls
If that is wrong, I hope I will repent
I would sure be sore and I couldn't love no more
If I had to pay the taxes as I went

One cent, two cents, three cents in cash
That's the way my money goes a-spinnin'
But take off my hat and ya hit me with a bat
If you put the sales tax on the women

That's the way it goes, Uncle Sam knows
He's just torturin' me and my pals
We would die with the blues without any shoes
If you put the sales tax on the gals

One cent, two cents, three cents in cash
That's the way my money goes a-spinnin'
But take off my hat and ya hit me with a bat
If you put the sales tax on the women

Well, I don't mean any harm when I step out at night
Happy times with the ladies I've spent
Sales taxes on the kisses just wouldn't be right
In my pockets I would never have a cent

One cent, two cents, three cents in cash
That's the way my money goes a-spinnin'
But take off my hat and ya hit me with a bat
If you put the sales tax on the women

@jackstrawvibes

The tunes:
00:00 Margaritaville
03:30 You Don't Mess Around with Jim
06:19 Folsom Prison Blues
08:45 Shackles & Chains
12:30 Take Me Home Country Roads
14:53 Down on the Corner
17:05 This Land Is Your Land
19:27 Paradise
22:53 Friend of the Devil
25:45 Devil in My Veins
28:33 House of the Rising Sun

@jackstrawvibes

A.P. Carter, Maybelle Carter, Sara Carter copyrighted this back in November of 1927 after having recorded it at the Bristol Session on August 1 of that year. The recorded it again for Columbia in 1935. The changed the key to D major instead of B when they recorded it in Bristol.

My version is derived from listening to both recordings but I do it in D# although my harmonica says E♭. Go figure... Why D#? Why not! Or maybe for the same reason they put it in D instead of B. We are talking major keys here if you didn't get that.

Lovely tune. Love playing it!

Lyrics:
I'm going away to leave you love
I'm going away for a while
But I'll return to see you sometime
If I go ten thousand miles

Chorus
The storms are on the ocean
The heavens may cease to be
This world may lose its motion love
If I prove false to thee

Oh who will dress your pretty little feet
And who will glove your hand
Oh who will kiss your rosy red cheeks
When I'm in a foreign land

Papa will dress my pretty little feet
And Mama will glove my hand
You may kiss my rosy red cheeks
When you return again

Have you seen those mournful doves
Flying from pine to pine
A-mourning for their own true love
Just like I mourn for mine

I'll never go back on the ocean love
I'll never go back on the sea
I'll never go back on my blue-eyed girl
Till she goes back to me

@jackstrawvibes

This one probably goes back to a broadside from 1600s. It has made the rounds through out the English speaking world. It is great pub song and done as a sing along.

The version I like best and have taken mine from is the Dubliners. The 1964 recording as well as different live versions.

Lyrics:
I've been a wild rover for many's the year
and I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer
but now I'm returning with gold in great store
and I never will play the wild rover no more

Chorus
And it's no, nay, never
no, nay never no more
will I play the wild rover
no never no more

I went to an alehouse I used to frequent
I told the landlady my money was spent
I ask her for credit, she answered me nay
such a custom as yours I can have any day

I brought from me pocket ten sovereigns bright
and the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
she said 'I have whiskeys and wines of the best
and the words that you told bless me were only in jest'

I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
and I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
and if they cares me as oft times before
I never will play the wild rover no more

@jackstrawvibes

From Van's 1970 Moondance album. Who can’t remember where they were the first time they heard it? Instant classic! Would love to do the first 5 songs from it.

I actually picked it up off a street musician who was playing in the tunnel from the subway to Old Town in Stockholm.

Lyrics:
Half a mile from the county fair
And the rain came pourin' down
Me and Billy standin' there
With a silver half a crown
Hands are full of a fishin' rod
And the tackle on our backs
We just stood there gettin' wet
With our backs against the fence

Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Hope it don't rain all day
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like goin' home
And it stoned me

Then the rain let up and the sun came up
And we were gettin' dry
Almost let a pick-up truck nearly pass us by
So we jumped right in and the driver grinned
And he dropped us up the road
Yeah, we looked at the swim and we jumped right in
Not to mention fishing poles

Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Let it run all over me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like goin' home
And it stoned me

On the way back home we sang a song
But our throats were getting dry
Then we saw the man from across the road
With the sunshine in his eyes
Well he lived all alone in his own little home
With a great big gallon jar
There were bottles too, one for me and you
And he said "Hey! There you are"

Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Get it myself from the mountain stream
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like goin' home
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like goin' home
And it stoned me

@jackstrawvibes

A Simon ad Garfunkel song from their 1966 album Sounds of Silence. It was part of the soundtrack of the movie The Graduate released in 1967. I only play it from April to September...well, just because.

A Paul Simon composition about love blooming in the spring and faded and dying in the fall.

Lyrics:
April, come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain
May, she will stay
Resting in my arms again

June, she’ll change her tune
In restless walks, she’ll prowl the night
July, she will fly
And give no warning of her flight

August, die she must
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold
September, I’ll remember
A love once new has now grown old

@jackstrawvibes

Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms is a traditional old-time American folk song first recorded by Buster Carter & Preston Young in 1930.

A standard folk, country, and bluegrass number played by everyone who does those genres with the Monroe Brothers and Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys' versions making it as such. Not to mention Willie Nelson's 2002 recording on Will the Circle Be Unbroken vol. III.

My version I picked up from Ramblin' Jack Elliot with the lyrics following basically Carter & Young's.

Lyrics:
Ain't going to work on the railroad
Ain't going to work on no farm
I'm going to lay around the shack 'til the mail train gets back
Then I'll roll in my sweet baby's arms

Chorus
Roll in my sweet baby's arms
Roll in my sweet baby's arms
Lay around the shack
'til the mail train gets back
And I'll roll in my sweet baby's arms

Never get a letter from my own true love,
She has quit writing to me;
Think I don't love her like I used to,
Ain't that a foolish idea?

Mamma is ginger cake baker
Sister she can wave and spin
Daddy's got an interest in that old cotton mill
I just watch all that money roll in

I know your parents don't like me
They turn me away from your door,
If I had my life to live over
I'd never come back anymore.

Where were you last Friday night
When I was laid up in jail
You're out walking the streets with another man
You wouldn't even go my bail

@jackstrawvibes

An early rock classic recorded by Eddie Cochran in 1958. It was co-written Eddie his manager Jerry Capehart.

As with any classic, covers abound. Too fun of a song not to take a crack at!

Lyrics:
I'm a-gonna raise a fuss, I'm a-gonna raise a holler
About workin' all summer just to try to earn a dollar
Every time I call my baby try to get a date
My boss says "No dice, son. You gotta work late"
Sometimes I wonder what I'm-a gonna do
But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues
Well my mama and papa told me "Son, you gotta make some money
If you wanna use the car to go a-ridin' next Sunday"
Well, I didn't go to work told the boss I was sick
"Now you can't use the car 'cause you didn't work a lick"
Sometimes I wonder what I'm-a gonna do
But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues

I'm gonna take two weeks gonna have a fine vacation
I'm gonna take my problem to the United Nations
Well, I called my congressman and he said, quote:
"I'd like to help you, son but you're too young to vote"
Sometimes I wonder what I'm-a gonna do
But there ain't no cure for the summertime blues

@jackstrawvibes