Story Songs

[beth]

a classic



Spanish Train

There's a Spanish train that runs between
Guadalquivir and old Saville,
And at dead of night the whistle blows,
and people hear she's running still...

And then they hush their children back to sleep,
Lock the doors, upstairs they creep,
For it is said that the souls of the dead
Fill that train ten thousand deep!!

Well a railwayman lay dying with his people by his side,
His family were crying, knelt in prayer before he died,
But above his bed just a-waiting for the dead,
Was the Devil with a twinkle in his eye,
"Well God's not around and look what I've found,
this one's mine!!"

Just then the Lord himself appeared in a blinding flash of light,
And shouted at the Devil, "Get thee hence to endless night!!"
But the Devil just grinned and said "I may have sinned,
But there's no need to push me around,
I got him first so you can do your worst,
He's going underground!!"

"But I think I'll give you one more chance"
said the Devil with a smile,
"So throw away that stupid lance,
It's really not your style",
"Joker is the name, Poker is the game,
we'll play right here on this bed,
And then we'll bet for the biggest stakes yet,
the souls of the dead!!"

And I said "Look out, Lord, He's going to win,
The sun is down and the night is riding in,
That train is dead on time, many souls are on the line,
Oh Lord, He's going to win!.."

Well the railwayman he cut the cards
And he dealt them each a hand of five,
And for the Lord he was praying hard
Or that train he'd have to drive...
Well the Devil he had three aces and a king,
And the Lord, he was running for a straight,
He had the queen and the knave and nine and ten of spades,
All he needed was the eight...

And then the Lord he called for one more card,
But he drew the diamond eight,
And the Devil said to the son of God,
"I believe you've got it straight,
So deal me one for the time has come
To see who'll be the king of this place,
But as he spoke, from beneath his cloak,
He slipped another ace...

Ten thousand souls was the opening bid,
And it soon went up to fifty-nine,
But the Lord didn't see what the Devil did,
And he said "that suits me fine",
"I'll raise you high to a hundred and five,
And forever put an end to your sins",
But the Devil let out a mighty shout, "My hand wins!!"

And I said "Lord, oh Lord, you let him win,
The sun is down and the night is riding in,
That train is dead on time, many souls are on the line,
Oh Lord, don't let him win..."

Well that Spanish train still runs between,
Guadalquivir and old Saville,
And at dead of night the whistle blows,
And people fear she's running still...
And far away in some recess
The Lord and the Devil are now playing chess,
The Devil still cheats and wins more souls,
And as for the Lord, well, he's just doing his best...

And I said "Lord, oh Lord, you've got to win,
The sun is down and the night is riding in,
That train is still on time, oh my soul is on the line,
Oh Lord, you've got to win

[beth]

Patricia the Stripper

Dennis is a menace with his "anyone for tennis?"
And beseeching me to come and keep the score...
And Maud saya "Oh Lord! I'm so terribly bored!"
I really can't stand it anymore...

I'm going out to dinner, with a gorgeous singer,
To a little place I've found down by the quay;
Her name is Patricia, she calls herself Delicia,
And the reason isn't very hard to see...

She says God made her a sinner just to keep fat men thinner,
As they tumble down in heaps before her feet.
They hang around in groups like battle-weary troops,
One can often see them queue right down the street...
You see Patricia, or Delicia, not only is a singer
She also removes all her clothing...

For Patricia is the best stripper in town,

And with a swing of her hips she started to strip,
To tremendous applause she took off her drawers,
And with a lick of her lips she undid all the clips,
Threw it all in the air, and everyone stared,
And as the last piece of clothing fell to the floor,
The police were banging on the door,
On a Saturday night, in nineteen twenty-four...

Take it away boys!

But poor Patricia was arrested and everyone detested,
The manner in which she was exposed,
And later on in court, well, everybody thought
A summer run in jail would be proposed,

But the judge said, "Patricia,
Or may I say, Delicia,
The facts of this case lie before me...
Case dismissed ... this girl was in her working clothes!!"

And with a swing of her hips, she started to strip,
To tremendous applause she took off her drawers,
And with a lick of her lips she undid all her clips,
Threw it all in the air, and everyone stared,
And as the last piece of clothing fell to the floor,
The police were yelling out for more!!!
On a Saturday night in nineteen twenty-four...
On a Saturday night in nineteen twenty-four...


Comic relief

[beth]

hmmm not sure what to say about Michael Martin Murphey. National Treasure? He is one of several singers over the past 40 years who has taken Country and Western music out of a tight category , added a little pop here and a little rock there for more universal appeal.

He,s also a fine performer and, on this one, his band is outstanding (David Hoffner with his own arrangements on the keys).




Wildfire
by Michael Martin Murphey and Larry Cansler

She comes down from Yellow Mountain
On a dark, flat land she rides
On a pony she named Wildfire
With a whirlwind by her side
On a cold Nebraska night

Oh, they say she died one winter
When there came a killing frost
And the pony she named Wildfire
Busted down its stall
In a blizard he was lost

She ran calling Wildfire
She ran calling Wildfire
She ran calling Wildfire

By the dark of the moon - I planted
But there came an early snow
There's been a hoot-owl howling by my window now
For six nights in a row
She's coming for me I know
And on Wildfire we're both gonna go

We'll be riding Wildfire
We'll be riding Wildfire
We'll be riding Wildfire

On Wildfire we're gonna ride
Gonna leave sodbustin' behind
Get these hard times right on out of our minds
Riding Wildffire

[beth]

Come a Little Bit Closer
by Boyce, Hart and Ferrell en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyce_and_Hart
Recorded and performed by Jay and the Americans (#3, U. S.)

In a little café just the other side of the border
She was just sitting there givin' me looks that made my mouth water
So I started walking her way
She belonged to that man, José
And I knew, yes I knew I should leave
When I heard her say, yeah

Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long

So we started to dance
In my arms, she felt so inviting
That I just couldn't resist
Just one little kiss so exciting
Then I heard the guitar player say
"Vamoose, José's on his way"
Then I knew, yes I knew I should run
But then I heard her say, yeah

Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long


Then the music stopped
When I looked the café was empty
Then I heard José say
"Man you know you're in trouble plenty"
So I dropped my drink from my hand
And through the window I ran
And as I rode away
I could hear her say to Jose yeah

Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long

La la-la-la la-la
La la-la-la la-la
Ho ho la-la
La la la-la

[Dex]

This one has the lyrics on the video.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Gordon Lightfoot

[fretslider]

Apr 15, 2013 15:02:36 GMT -5 Dex said:

This one has the lyrics on the video.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Gordon Lightfoot

Nice one Dex; a good piece and a fascinating story where Lightfoot is concerned.

[Dex]

Definitely a story song.

What was the Lightfoot connection to the real accident?

[fretslider]

Apr 15, 2013 17:21:43 GMT -5 Dex said:

Definitely a story song.

What was the Lightfoot connection to the real accident?

Well....


In an interview aired on Canadian radio, Lightfoot recounted how he had agonised, while trying to pen the lyrics, over possible inaccuracies until a friend in the music industry[who?] finally removed his writer's block simply by advising him to play to his artistic strengths and "just tell a story". The "old cook" in the song was actually a replacement for this particular voyage, as the normal cook was too ill to make the trip.

Lightfoot recounted that a parishioner of the church informed him that the church is not "musty". From that time, instead of singing "In a musty old hall...", he now sings "In a rustic old hall..." In March 2010, Lightfoot changed a line during live performances to reflect new findings that there was no crew error involved in the sinking. The line "At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in; he said..." is now sung as "At 7 p.m. it grew dark, it was then he said...". Gordon learned of the new research when contacted for permission to use his song for a History Channel documentary that aired March 31, 2010. Lightfoot has stated that he has no intention of changing the copyrighted lyrics; he will simply sing the new ones in live performances from now on.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Edmund_Fitzgerald

[Dex]

Thanks Fret. I did not know about that. Must be hard to get everything right in a story or song based on a real historical event. He did a good job.