McGuinn's Folk Den

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Cindy This is one of the great American folk songs that I learned at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. I love playing banjo on this song, which according to John Lomax is originally from North Carolina. Cindy is a widely known frolic tune, appearing in many folk music collections and even old elementary school songbooks. Lyrics: CINDY [C] You ought to see my Cindy She lives away down [G] south [C] She's so sweet the [F] honeybees [C] Swarm [G] around her [C] mouth. cho: Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy Get along [C] home. Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy I'll [C] marry [G] you some [C] day. (I'm a-gonna leave you now) Wish I was an apple Hangin on a tree An' every time that Cindy passed She'd take a bite o' me cho: Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy Get along [C] home. Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy I'll [C] marry [G] you some [C] day. (I'm a-gonna leave you now) She took me to the parlor She cooled me with her fan She said I was the prettiest thing In the shape of mortal man cho: Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy Get along [C] home. Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy I'll [C] marry [G] you some [C] day. (I'm a-gonna leave you now) Now Cindy got religion, She had it once before When she heered my old banjo She's the first one on the floor. cho: Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy Get along [C] home. Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy I'll [C] marry [G] you some [C] day. (I'm a-gonna leave you now) Now Cindy got religion, She wheeled round and round She got so full of glory That she knocked the preacher down cho: Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy Get along [C] home. Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy I'll [C] marry [G] you some [C] day. (I'm a-gonna leave you now) [C] You ought to see my Cindy She lives away down [G] south [C] She's so sweet that [F] honeybees [C] Swarm [G] around her [C] mouth. cho: Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy Get along [C] home. Get along [F] home, Cindy Cindy I'll [C] marry [G] you some [C] day. (X2) Some additional verses: Cindy in the summertime Cindy in the fall If I can't have Cindy all the time Have no one at all. Cindy is a pretty girl Cindy is a peach; Threw her arms around my neck Hung on like a leach. Cindy got religion, Tell you what she done: Walked up to the minister Chawed her chewin' gum. Cindy got religion, She had it once before When she heered my old banjo She's the first one on the floor. Cindy got religion She really went to town; Got so full of glory, Lord, Shook her stockin's down. If I had a pretty gal I'd put her on a shelf; Ev'ry time she smiled at me, I'd jump right up myself. Cindy had one blue eye She also had one brown One eye looked in the country The other one looked in town Wish I had a needle and thread Wish that I could sew I'd sew that gal to my coat tails And down the road we'd go alt chorus: Git along home, Cindy Git along home to stay Git along home, Cindy One more night 'n' day alt cho: It's kiss me, gal Kiss me once again. Oh, it's kiss me, gal All night long.

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: The First Noel One of my fondest childhood memories is of standing around the piano with my mother and father at my grandparents' house in Chicago. My grandfather and grandmother sat at the keyboard. Every Christmas we would go through the small book of carols. The tree in the next room was decorated with lots of nineteenth century ornaments, and tin toys from Germany were abundantly scattered around the blanket of white material made to look like snow. This is one of the prettiest carols I remember from that time. An English Carol from before 1823. Lyrics: The First Noel [D] The first Noel the [G] angel did [D] say, Was to [G] certain poor [D] shepherds in fields as they lay; In fields where they lay [G] keeping their [D] sheep, On a [G] cold winter's [D] night that was [A] so [D] deep. [D] Noel, [Bm] Noel, [G] Noel, [D] Noel, [G] Born is the [D] King of Is [A] ra [D] el They looked up and saw a star Shining in the east, beyond them far, And to the earth it gave great light, And so it continued both day and night. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel And by the light of that same star Three Wise Men came from country far; To seek for a king was their intent, And to follow the star wherever it went. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel Then let us all with one accord Sing praises to our heavenly Lord Who hath made heaven and earth of naught, And with His blood all mankind hath bought. Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: The John B's Sails This is a sea song from around Nassau. We recorded this at Ridley Pearson's house at the beginning of the Rock Bottom Remainders Wannapalooza 2004 Tour. Riddley, Dave Barry, Greg Iles, and I were the vocalists. Ridley played bass, and I played 6-string acoustic and Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitars. Carl Sandburg says: 'John T. McCutcheon, cartoonist and kindly philosopher, and his wife Eveleyn Shaw McCutcheon, mother and poet, learned to sing this song on their Treasure Island in the West Indies. They tell of it, 'Time and usage have given this song almost the dignity of a national anthem around Nassau. The weathered ribs of the historic craft lie embedded in the sand at Governor's Harbour, when an expedition, especially set up for the purpose in 1926, extracted a knee of horseflesh and a ring-bolt. These relics are now preserved and built into the Watch Tower, designed by Mr. Howard Shaw and built on our southern coast a couple of points east by north of the star Canopus.' In his book, ' FOLKSONGS OF NORTH-AMERICA,' John Lomax offers short bits of descriptive prose to set the scene for his collected works. Here is his entry for 'THE JOHN B's SAILS': 'The small boat piers of Nassau Harbor form the market-place of the Bahamas. The dirty, sea-scarred sloops, tethered on the pale blue water, are like so many country wagons loaded with produce for sale in the capital. A sixteen-footer stands in towards the dock, its deck only a few inches above the waves, carrying a cow, five goats, a dozen hens, four women, six children, and four of five sailors. This crowded little boat is ending a journey from an island, perhaps two or three hundred miles away. As it noses into the pier, a similar craft lifts its ragged sail and departs, its deck packed with passengers and freight, for some coral islet far down the chain toward Haiti. These vessels carry no charts, no compasses, and no auxiliary engines, yet few of them come to grief, for the Bahaman is at home in his reef-filled azure seas. They tell and believe a story about an old sea pilot, grown blind, who could stick his finger in the water and tell precisely where his boat lay.' Lyrics: THE JOHN B's SAILS [D] We come on the sloop John B, my Grandfather and me. Around Nassau town we did [A7] roam. Drinkin' all [D] night. Got into a [G] - [Em] fight. Well, I [D] feel so break up, [A7] I want to go [D] home. Chorus: Hoist up the John B's sails. See how the main sails set. Call for the captain ashore, let me go home. Let me go home. I want to go home. Well, I feel so break up, I want to go home. First mate, he got drunk. Broke up the people's trunk. Constable had to come and take him away. Sheriff John Stone, why don't you leave me alone? Well, I feel so break up, I want to go home. Chorus Well, the poor cook he caught the fits. Throw away all of my grits. Then he took and he ate up all of my corn. Let me go home. I want to go home. This is the worst trip since I've been born. Chorus

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Spanish Ladies This song gives a vivid picture of the sailing ships in the English Channel. The 'Grand Fleet' was an old name for the Channel Fleet. 'Deadman' and 'Fairlee' are sea names for Dodman Point near Plymouth and Fairlight Hill near Hastings, and Ushant is the Ile d'Ouessant off Brest in France. Source: http://ingeb.org/folksong.html Lyrics: [Em] Farewell and adieu unto [G] you Spanish [D] ladies, [Em] Farewell and adieu to you [G] ladies of [D] Spain; [Em] For it's we've received [D] orders for to [C] sail for old [Em] England, [Em] But we hope very [D] soon we shall [C] see you [Em] again. Then we hove our ship to the wind at sou'-west, my boys, We hove our ship to our soundings for to see; So we rounded and sounded, and got forty-five fathoms, We squared our main yard, up channel steered we. Now the first land we made it is called the Deadman, Then Ram Head off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight; We sailed by Beachy, by Fairlee and Dungeness, Until we came abreast of the South Foreland Light. We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors, We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas, Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England, From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues. Then the signal was made for the grand fleet for to anchor, All in the downs that night for to meet; Then it's stand by your stoppers, see clear your shank-painters, Haul all your clew garnets, stick out tacks and sheets. We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors, We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas, Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England, From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues. Now let every man toss off a full bumper, And let every man toss off a full bowl; And we'll drink and be merry and drown melancholy, Singing, here's a good health to all true-hearted souls. We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors, We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas, Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England, From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Oh Freedom This is a great old spiritual. I recorded it during a thunder storm in Florida and decided to leave the thunder on the track to give it more ambiance. Freedom is often taken for granted, but is sorely missed when it's gone. Lyrics: [G]Oh freedom [D]Oh freedom [G]Oh freedom [D]over me [G] And before I'll be a [Em] slave, [C] I'll be burried in my [Am] grave [G] And go home to my [D] Lord and be [G] free [G]No more moanin' [D]No more moanin'[G]No more moanin' [D]over me [G] And before I'll be a [Em] slave, [C] I'll be burried in my [Am] grave [G] And go home to my [D] Lord and be [G] free [G]No more weepin' [D]No more weepin'[G]No more weepin' [D]over me [G] And before I'll be a [Em] slave, [C] I'll be burried in my [Am] grave [G] And go home to my [D] Lord and be [G] free [G]No more shootin' [D]No more shootin'[G]No more shootin' [D]over me [G] And before I'll be a [Em] slave, [C] I'll be burried in my [Am] grave [G] And go home to my [D] Lord and be [G] free [G]There'll be singin' [D]There'll be singin'[G]There'll be singin' [D]over me [G] And before I'll be a [Em] slave, [C] I'll be burried in my [Am] grave [G] And go home to my [D] Lord and be [G] free [G] And before I'll be a [Em] slave, [C] I'll be burried in my [Am] grave [G] And go home to my [D] Lord and be [G] free

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Haul Away Joe This is a tack and sheet, short haul chantey. There are many verses and it may have been used as a halyard chantey as well. Sheet chanties were usually no longer than three or four verses. Sometimes the word 'pull' or 'haul' was used instead of Joe. Although the chantey was known earlier among British sailors, it was not well-known on Yankee ships until the period between 1812 and the Civil War. It was obviously sung after the French Revolution. Lyrics: [Am] When I was a [Em] little lad And [Dm] so my mother [Em] told me, [Am] Way, haul [Em] away, we'll [Dm] haul [E] away, [Am] Joe! [Am] That if I did not [Em] kiss the gals Me [Dm] lips would all grow [Em] moldy. [Am] Way, haul [Em] away, we'll [Dm] haul [E] away, [Am] Joe! Way, haul away, the good ship is a-bolding, Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, the sheet is now unfold-ing, Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! King Louis was the king of France Before the revolution... Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! But then he got his head cut off Which spoiled his constitution... Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, we'll haul for better weather... Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way haul away, we'll haul away together Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! The cook is in the galley boys Making duff so handy Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! The captain's in his cabin lads Drinking wine and brandy Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, I'll sing to you of Nancy... Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, she's just my cut and fancy... Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way, haul away, we'll haul for better weather... Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe! Way haul away, we'll haul away together Way, haul away, we'll haul away, Joe!

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Down by the Riverside This is a great old spiritual that has new meaning every time there is a conflict in the world. We recorded this live at the Fairfield concert hall in Croydon England on June 30, 2004. The audience is singing very well. Lyrics: [G] Gonna lay down my sword and shield Down by the riverside [D] Down by the riverside [G] Down by the riverside Gonna lay down my sword and shield Down by the riverside Down [D] by the [G] riverside refrain I ain't gonna [C] study war no more, I ain't gonna [G] study war no more, Study war no [D] more. I ain't gonna [C] study war no more, I ain't gonna [G] study war no more, Study [D] war no [G] more. Gonna walk with the Prince of Peace Down by the riverside Down by the riverside Down by the riverside Down by the riverside refrain Gonna put on my long white robe; Down By the riverside Down by the riverside Down by the riverside Gonna put on my long white robe; Down by the riverside Down by the riverside Gonna lay down my sword and shield Down by the riverside Down by the riverside Down by the riverside Gonna lay down my sword and shield Down by the riverside Down by the riverside

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Salty Dog Blues This is one of the songs I recorded in 1958 at my house at 57 E. Division Street in Chicago. It's a country blues. I was speaking with a man from a radio station in Belgium who mentioned that his favorite songs from the Folk Den were these historical recordings, so I went into my archive and found one. Lyrics: CH: [G] Oh salty [E7] dog, oh salty [A] dog, well you're [D7] sly as a fox you salty [G] dog [G] Well [E] God made a woman, made her might funny Made the [A] stuff around her lips taste like honey [D7] Won't you be my salty [G] dog? CH: Oh salty dog, oh salty dog, well you're sly as a fox you salty dog Well I got a nickel you got a dime, you spend yours and I'll save mine Honey won't you be my salty dog? CH: Oh salty dog, oh salty dog, well you're sly as a fox you salty dog Down by the wild wood sittin' on a log, singin' a song about a salty dog Honey won't you be my salty dog? CH: Oh salty dog, oh salty dog, well you're sly as a fox you salty dog [Spoken] You know, one time I took my girl to a real fine restaurant, thought I'd buy her something real nice - got the most expensive thing on the menu. Well that turned out to be some kind of tongue with fancy dressing on it. When my girl saw that man, she really flipped! She said, 'I ain't gonna eat nothing that comes out of no animal's mouth.' So I called over the waiter. I said 'Waiter, bring her a hard boiled egg.' CH: Oh salty dog, oh salty dog, well you're sly as a fox you salty dog Well I got a nickel you got a dime, you spend yours and I'll save mine Honey won't you be my salty dog? CH: Oh salty dog, oh salty dog, well you're sly as a fox you salty dog

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Whistling Gypsy This is one of the great Irish folk songs I played night after night with the Chad Mitchell Trio. It's a fine love song for May. Lyrics: The [A] Gypsy [E7]rover, come [A] over the [E7] hill, [A] down through the [E7] valley so [A] shady. [E7] He [A] whistled and he [E7] sang til the [A] green woods [F#m] rang And [A] he won the [D] heart of a [A] lady [E7] Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady She left her fathers castle gate, she left her own young lover She left her servants and her state, to follow the gypsy rover Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady Her father saddled up his fastest stead, roamed the valleys all over Sought his daughter at great speed and the whistling gypsy rover Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady He came at last to a mansion fine, down by the river Clady And there was music and there was wine, for the gypsy and his lady Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady He is no gypsy, my father, she said, but lord of these lands all over And I will stay til my dying day, with my whistling gypsy rover Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Gypsey Rover This is one of the great songs I performed night after night with the Chad Mitchell Trio back in the early 60s. It's a sweet love song for May. Lyrics: [A] Gypsy [E7] rover, come [A] over the [E7] hill, [A] down through the valley so [E7] shady He [A] whistled and he [E7] sang til the [A] green woods [F#m] rang and [A] he won the [D]heart of a [A] lady [E7] Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady She left her fathers castle gate, she left her own fine lover She left her servants and her state, to follow the gypsy rover Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady Her father saddled up his fastest stead, roamed the valleys all over Sought his daughter at great speed and the whistling gypsy rover Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady He came at last to a mansion fine, down by the river Clady And there was music and there was wine, for the gypsy and his lady Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady He is no gypsy, my father, she said, but lord of these lands all over And I will stay til my dying day, with my whistling gypsy rover Ah dee doo ah dee doo da day, ah dee doo ah dee day dee He whistled and he sang til the green woods rang And he won the heart of a lady

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Ezekiel Saw A Wheel Image Credit: http://www.untiedmusic.com/ezekiel/ This is a spiritual I learned many years ago at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. It refers to a part of the Old Testament where Ezekiel sees a vision of concentric wheels floating in space. They have many properties attributed to flying saucers. It makes one wonder whether people who claim to see flying saucers are seeing into a spiritual dimension. There are many mysteries. I have recorded this song in the new genre Pho-Kop to coincide with the April 1, 2004 release of my new CD 'Limited Edition' where Pho-Kop first appears in the song 'Shady Grove.' Trad., Arr. R. McGuinn / McGuinn Music (BMI) 2004 Lyrics: [G] Ezekiel saw a wheel, way up in the middle of the air Ezekiel saw a wheel way in the [D] middle of the [G] air Little wheel run by faith, big wheel run by the grace of God Ezekiel saw a wheel way in the [D] middle of the [G] air

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Drunken Sailor This song is well known on both sides of the Atlantic, used on sailing ships as a short haul as well as a forcastle (fo'c'sle) shanty. Lyrics: [Dm] What shall we do with a drunken sailor [C] What shall we do with a drunken sailor [Dm] What shall we do with a drunken sailor Earl-eye in the morning! Chorus: [Dm] Way hay and up she rises [C] Way hay and up she rises [Dm] Way hay and up she rises [Dm] Earl-eye [C] in the [Dm] morning Put him in a long-boat till he's sober (X3) Earl-eye in the morning! Pull out the plug and wet him all over (X3) Earl-eye in the morning! Put him in the bilge and make him drink it (X3) Earl-eye in the morning! Shave his belly with a rusty razor (X3) Earl-eye in the morning! Heave him by the leg with a running bowline (X3) Earl-eye in the morning! Keel haul him untill he gets sober. (X3) Earl-eye in the morning! That's what we do with the drunken sailor (X3) Way hay and up she rises Way hay and up she rises Way hay and up she rises Earl-eye in the morning (X3)

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: Silver Dagger Silver Dagger is a song I first heard in the early 60s on a Joan Baez album. I loved the beautiful melody and the way Joan sang and played it. This was a ladies song. I always wished I could sing it, but I minded doing songs of the opposite gender, so I changed the gender of the song with a few words. Lyrics: Silver Dagger I won't [A] sing love songs, I'll wake your [D] mother She's sleeping [A] there, right by your [Bm] side And in her [G] right hand is a sliver [Em] dagger She says that [G] you can never be my [A] bride All men are false, so says your mother They tell you wicked, loving lies The very next evening, they'll court another Leave you alone to pine and sigh Your daddy is a handsome wrangler He's got a chain five miles long From every link a heart does dangle Of some fair maid he's loved and wronged I'll court another tender maiden And hope that she will be my wife For you've been warned and you've decided To sleep alone all of your life (C) 2004 MCGUINN MUSIC / Roger McGuinn

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: The Gallows Pole Some of you may think this song was written by Lead Belly, or Led Zeppelin, or is the name of a now defunct German band, but it's really a traditional American song that may date back to the 18th Century. A case of true love being stronger than blood. Lyrics: Oh [Gm] hangman hangman [F] slack your rope, [Eb] slack it for a [F] while I [Gm] think I see my [F] father coming, [Eb] riding many a [F] mile Oh [Gm] Father did you bring me [F] silver, [Eb] did you bring me [F] gold Or [Gm] did you come for to [F] see me hang, [Eb] hang from the gallows [F] pole? [Gm] Hang from the [F] gallows [Gm] pole No, I [Gm] didn't bring you [F] silver, I [Eb] didn't bring you [F] gold And [Gm] I have come for to [F] see you hang, [Eb] hang from the gallows [D7] pole [Gm] Hang from the [F] gallows [Gm] pole Oh hangman hangman slack your rope, slack it for a while I think I see my mother coming, riding many a mile Oh Mother did you bring me silver, Mother did you bring me gold Or did you come to see me hang, hang from the gallows pole? Hang from the gallows pole No, I didn't bring you silver, I didn't bring you gold And I have come for to see you hang, hang from the gallows pole Hang from the gallows pole Oh hangman hangman slack your rope, slack it for a while I think I see my brother coming, riding many a mile Oh Brother did you bring me silver, Brother did you bring me gold Or did you come for to see me hang, hang from the gallows pole? Hang from the gallows pole No, I didn't bring you silver, I didn't bring you gold And I have come for to see you hang, hang from the gallows pole Hang from the gallows pole Oh hangman hangman slack your rope, slack it for a while I think I see my true love coming, riding many a mile True love did you bring me silver, true love did you bring me gold Or did you come for to see me hang, hang from the gallows pole? Hang from the gallows pole Yes, I have brought you silver, and I have brought you gold I did no t come for to see you hang, hang from the gallows pole Hang from the gallows pole

How do I download this Mp3?Mp3: We Wish You a Merry Christmas This is a very popular old English Christmas carol. It's also a subtle ad for a cup of grog to ease the singer's throat. Many versions include the line 'Good tidings we bring to you and your friends,' but this must have been added to the original at some later date. Lyrics: We [G] wish you a merry [C] Christmas We [Am] wish you a merry [D] Christmas We [G] wish you a merry [C] Christmas And a [Am] happy [D] New [G] Year. Oh bring us some figgy pudding (3x) With a cup of good cheer. We won't go until we get it (3x) We all love our figgy pudding (3x) With a cup of good cheer So bring it out here! We wish you a Merry Christmas (3x) And a happy New Year.