OLD ENGLISH SONG SMASHED together with Dylan’s version. Not sure if Dylan actually wrote or compiled Girl of the North Country. Some things are just mysteries. Todd Lane and I sang it George and Tammy style, one mike. I’m sure in his mind as well, we were wearing rhinestones and cowboy hats. Scarborough Fair Are you going to Scarborough Fair, Parley, sage, rosemary and thyme, Remember … [Read more...] about (Are You Going To) Scarborough Fair
the journal
Barbara Allen’s Cruelty
An old English song, an old American song. The song has haunted me since I was kid, falling in love with the melody. It was used extensively in the soundtrack to Scrooge, the good version with Alstair Sim. Our version is a bit different. Just what the hell did young William do to piss off Barbara Allen so? She obviously loved him … she dies out of guilt after all? It comes perilously close to … [Read more...] about Barbara Allen’s Cruelty
O’ Shenandoah
THE HISTORY OF THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY is of course, tied to rivers. Not just the Ohio, but a plethora of smaller rivers flow into it, bring with them the stories and songs of the regions the rivers meander through. The Ohio was the river that brought the songs to mass popularity. Shenandoah’s lyrics come from fur trappers working the Missouri River, and often incorporate references to the Native … [Read more...] about O’ Shenandoah
Listen To The Mockingbird
THIS IS THE ONE SONG with a direct connection to Carmi, Illinois’ bicentennial. Which was the reason we were recording folk songs to begin with. In the booklet for Carmi’s sesquicentennial, the author, J. Robert Smith referred to the song being sung in Carmi’s parlors, accompanied by the pump organ. The music was written by a black street musician by the name of Richard Milburn. The lyrics … [Read more...] about Listen To The Mockingbird
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Conqueror Worm: The play is the tragedy, ‘Man’ And its hero, the Conqueror Worm
Poe's The Conqueror Worm can be found in his tale Ligeia, a story of death, resurrection, opium abuse, more death and madness. The poem depicts a performance of mimes, controlled by vast, shapeless forms offstage. High above angels watch and weep, and at last an evil, formless shape crawls center stage and eats the hapless mimes, and as the curtain comes down, the title of the play, Man is … [Read more...] about Edgar Allan Poe’s The Conqueror Worm: The play is the tragedy, ‘Man’ And its hero, the Conqueror Worm
Edgar Allan Poe’s To One In Paradise: For, alas! alas! with me The light of Life is o’er!
Poe's To One In Paradise tells of the sorrow felt when you lose the connection to the one you love, essentially being shut out of paradise. Poe creates an almost Biblical tone, comparisons to the Garden of Eden and man's fall from God's grace are inevitable. Has his love left this life to go to paradise, or is he simply deprived of her company, Poe's To One In Paradise is vague on the matter? … [Read more...] about Edgar Allan Poe’s To One In Paradise: For, alas! alas! with me The light of Life is o’er!
Edgar Allan Poe’s A Dream Within a Dream: You are not wrong, who deem, That my days have been a dream
Analyzing Poe's A Dream Within A Dream is an exercise in futility. Poe's intentions can't be known, but it doesn't stop people from trying. Read straightforward you get a sense that Poe is on the verge of loss, he's kissing his loved one goodbye, and if there's a sense that he's accepted it, it's because accepted the reality, or unreality of life. You can't live a dream for long, because it's … [Read more...] about Edgar Allan Poe’s A Dream Within a Dream: You are not wrong, who deem, That my days have been a dream
Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee: But we loved with a love that was more than love
Annabel Lee was Poe's last poem. Legends abound that it's based on a story from Charleston, South Carolina, but that's unlikely. In reality he wrote it about his wife, recently deceased. It's the story of a man haunted by love, and follows love into the grave. It's an exploration of obsessive love, doomed love that keep the mind busy for some time, working it out for ourselves. Holding onto … [Read more...] about Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee: But we loved with a love that was more than love