Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Folk music

I am SO enjoying AOL radio's folk channel.  Unpretentious, crystal-clear songs that actually SAY something.  Of course, what the lyrics say doesn't seem to jive with my own political preferences, but that's OK.  It's all honest, and easily understood.  Like this one I discovered yesterday:

CHRISTMASTIME IN WASHINGTON.... Steve Earle

It's christmastime in washington
The democrats rehearsed
Getting into gear for four more years
Things not getting worse
The republicans drink whiskey neat
And thanked their lucky stars
They said, "he cannot seek another term
There'll be no more FDR's."

I sat home in tennessee
Staring at the screen
With an uneasy feeling in my chest
And I'm wonderin' what it means

Chorus:
So come back woody guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back woody guthrie to us now

I followed in your footsteps once
Back in my travelin' days
Somewhere I failed to find your trail
Now I'm stumblin' through the haze
But there's killers on the highway now
And a man can't get around
So I sold my soul for wheels that roll
Now I'm stuck here in this town

Chorus

There's foxes in the hen house
Cows out in the corn
The unions have been busted
Their proud red banners torn
To listen to the radio
You'd think that all was well
But you and me and cisco know
It's going straight to hell

So come back, emma goldman
Rise up, old joe hill
The barracades are goin' up
They cannot break our will
Come back to us, malcolm x
And martin luther king
We're marching into selma
As the bells of freedom ring

Chorus

  Or this one, by the man who wrote the M.A.S.H. theme (thanks Kevin):

WHITE WINOS          Loudan Wainwright III

Mother liked her white wine when she was alive
She was desperate to live but her limit was five
Carefully I'd kiss her and send her off to bed
We always stuck with white wine we stayed away from red
Always stick with white wine stay away from...

Mother liked her white wine she'd have a glass or two
Almost every single night after her day was through
Sancerre Chardonnay Chablis Pinot Grigio
Just to take the edge off just to get the glow
You've got to take the edge off if you want to get the...

Mother liked her white wine, she'd have a glass or three
And we'd sit out on the screen porch white winos mom and me
We'd talk about her childhood and recap my career
When we got to my father that was when I'd switch to beer
We got to the old man and I'd always switch to...

Mother liked her white wine she'd have a glass or four
Each empty bottle a dead soldier the marriage was the war
When we blurred the edges when we drank a lot
That's when I got nervous when the glow got hot
I always get nervous when the glow gets...

I still like my white wine and I'll have a glass or two
And when I'm down I'll drink some whiskey it's something I shouldn't do
Every now and then I'll take a drop of red
When I'm with a woman that I want to take to bed
When I'm with a woman that I want to take to...

Mother liked her white wine when she was alive
And she was desperate to live but her limit was five
Carefully I'd kiss her send her off to bed
Thank god we stuck with white wine and we stayed away from...
Mother liked her white wine

Not to mention the old songs you'd expect, from Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and the Carter Family, and anyone else you associate with "folk". 

AOL, you've got me.  Again.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL

Anonymous said...

It's good to enjoy music.. not matter what sort it is.  I like country music an old singers from big band era..  dick haymes.. perry como, nat king cold. you know.. the singers who you could understand and sing along with! lol..  (got i bet every parent has said that to their kid at one time or another LOL LOL)..

http://journals.aol.com/deslily/HereThereandEverywhere/

http://herethereandeverywhere2ndedition.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I'll have to check it out!  I love folk music, and I am so liberal that it usually does jive with my political beliefs!

Anonymous said...

Been doing a lot of the same thing myself...
Those old songs have a lot more "guts" than todays drivel.
It's nice to be able to listen to them on AOL Radio.

Anonymous said...

I listen to AOL music too, but I've not checked out the AOL Folk channel yet.  I think I'll have to do that! :)

jackie