Lyrics to Mr. Tanner
robert daniel abrams
I am an avid fan of the song _Mr. Tanner_ I would love it if someone would
be able to send me the lyrics to the song. What I would really like is if
you could include the lyrics to what Mr. Tanner sings. (Something like "Oh
follow your dreams...) If anyone could send me list of the chords for the
song, that would be great as well. Have a great New Year!
Bob Abrams
http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~rdabrams/poohbear.html
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign
rdab...@students.uiuc.edu
Robert Marr
Take this link to the Chapin site and look for the Song links. You should
find what you need there. http://www.littlejason.com/chapin/ There are
also many links to other Chapin related sites.
Bob Marr
--
Harry's Friends
http://www.tir.com/~rmarrsr/chapin/harrys.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
robert daniel abrams <rdab...@students.uiuc.edu> wrote in article
<Pine.SOL.3.96.98010...@ux5.cso.uiuc.edu>...
Jay101fox
>I am an avid fan of the song _Mr. Tanner_ I would love it if >someone would
>be able to send me the lyrics to the song. What I would really like >is if
>you could include the lyrics to what Mr. Tanner sings. (Something >like "Oh
>follow your dreams...) If anyone could send me list of the chords >for the
>song, that would be great as well. Have a great New Year!
>Bob Abrams
Dear Bob,
The John Wallace, (Mr. Tanner) part is:
Oh fall on your knees
Oh hear the angels voices
Oh night devine
Oh night devine
Appreciative
If you think he's singing "Oh follow your dreams ...", you may be
disappointed to find out what he's really singing. I love how songs
can become ink blot tests, where listeners "improve" the lyrics based
on what they expect to hear. Of course, the tradition of embellishing
and evolving stories as they are told is much longer than the more
recent practice of recording them precisely (ignoring the fact that
losing the context and exact meanings of the words may make it just as
inaccurate as changing the words themselves -- what does "beat me
daddy, eight to the bar" mean anyhow?).
If you can't remember all (3, 4, 5, whatever) endings to 30,000 Pounds
of Bananas, make up your own!
On Fri, 2 Jan 1998 00:09:05 -0600, robert daniel abrams
<rdab...@students.uiuc.edu> wrote:
>I am an avid fan of the song _Mr. Tanner_ I would love it if someone would
>be able to send me the lyrics to the song. What I would really like is if
>you could include the lyrics to what Mr. Tanner sings. (Something like "Oh
>follow your dreams...) If anyone could send me list of the chords for the
>song, that would be great as well. Have a great New Year!
>
>Bob Abrams
lyssa gold
>I am an avid fan of the song _Mr. Tanner_ I would love it if someone would
>be able to send me the lyrics to the song. What I would really like is if
>you could include the lyrics to what Mr. Tanner sings. (Something like "Oh
>follow your dreams...) If anyone could send me list of the chords for the
>song, that would be great as well. Have a great New Year!
Mr. Tanner
by
Harry Chapin
Mister Tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest.
And of all the cleaning shops around he'd made his the best.
But he also was a baritone who sang while hanging clothes.
He practiced scales while pressing tails and sang at local shows.
His friends and neighbors praised the voice that poured out from his
throat.
They said that he should use his gift instead of cleaning coats.
But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.
His friends kept working on him to try music out full time.
A big debut and rave reviews, a great career to climb.
Finally they got to him, he would take the fling.
A concert agent in New York agreed to have him sing.
And there were plane tickets, phone calls, money spent to rent the
hall.
It took most of his savings but he gladly used them all.
But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.
The evening came, he took the stage, his face set in a smile.
And in the half filled hall the critics sat watching on the aisle.
But the concert was a blur to him, spatters of applause.
He did not know how well he sang, he only heard the flaws.
But the critics were concise, it only took four lines.
But no one could accuse them of being overkind.
(spoken) Mr. Martin Tanner, Baritone, of Dayton, Ohio made his
Town Hall debut last night. He came well prepared, but unfortunately
his presentation was not up to contemporary professional standards.
His voice lacks the range of tonal color necessary to make it
consistently interesting.
(sung) Full time consideration of another endeavor might be in order.
He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends.
Then he smiled and just said nothing and he never sang again,
excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and closed.
He sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes.
Music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.
__ __
/ \./ \/\_ Mankind is woman and woman is Man and until
__{^\_ _}_ ) }/^\ we free each other, we cannot free the land
/ /\_/^\._}_/ // /
( (__{(@)}\__}.//_/__A________A________A________A_____A___A______
\__/{/(_)\_} )\\ \\--v---V-----V---Y-----v----Y-----v-----V-----
( (__)_)_/ )\ \>
\__/ \__/\/\/ Where have all the flowers gone?
\__,--'
Maiden of Lothlorien ly...@shadowbox.cbcast.com
ric
from memory, so somebody correct the mistakes please... Mr. Tanner (Big John
Wallace) actually sings a prayer to a classical or religious piece of music
and I think it might be:
"oh fall on your knees
and hear the angels voices
oh god - oh mighty god
hear me praise the lord"
I'm especially unsure of the last line... it might be "sing in praise of the
lord" but then it could be something totally different... the fact that it
is a a religious piece of music and lyric is accurate... I think ;) ... I
hope somebody fills in the gaps in my memory (like where the original phrase
of music came from and what the exact words were) ... personally, I prefer
your interpretation Bob...
oh follow your dreams
and heed your inner voices
come on - oh please come on (come sing... we can all sing)
let us hear your song
or
I follow my dreams
and heed my inner voices (hear my inner voices?)
oh love - singing is love
let me sing my song
hmmm...
oh follow your dreams
I'm hearing inner voices?... a little to psychotic perhaps LOL :)
ok, this could get out of hand if I continue, so...
see ya :)
ric
robert daniel abrams wrote in message ...
>I am an avid fan of the song _Mr. Tanner_ I would love it if someone would
>be able to send me the lyrics to the song. What I would really like is if
>you could include the lyrics to what Mr. Tanner sings. (Something like "Oh
>follow your dreams...) If anyone could send me list of the chords for the
>song, that would be great as well. Have a great New Year!
>
Leah Adezio
ric wrote:
>
> from memory, so somebody correct the mistakes please... Mr. Tanner (Big John
> Wallace) actually sings a prayer to a classical or religious piece of music
> and I think it might be:
>
> "oh fall on your knees
> and hear the angels voices
> oh god - oh mighty god
> hear me praise the lord"
>
> I'm especially unsure of the last line... it might be "sing in praise of the
> lord" but then it could be something totally different... the fact that it
> is a a religious piece of music and lyric is accurate... I think ;) ... I
> hope somebody fills in the gaps in my memory (like where the original phrase
> of music came from and what the exact words were) ... personally, I prefer
> your interpretation Bob...
It's from the Christmas carol "O Holy Night", and what John (as Mr.
Tanner) sings is this:
O fall on your knees, and hear the angels' voices
[O night divine, O night, when Christ was born]
O night divine, O night, O night divine
Leah
K. Jordan and E. Ferguson
robert daniel abrams wrote:
> I am an avid fan of the song _Mr. Tanner_ I would love it if someone
> would
> be able to send me the lyrics to the song. What I would really like is
> if
> you could include the lyrics to what Mr. Tanner sings. (Something like
> "Oh
> follow your dreams...)
Mr. Tanner is singing the end of the Christmas carol "Oh Holy Night":
"Fall on your knees,
Oh hear the angle voices,
Oh night devine,
Oh night, oh night devine."
Christopher Otto
The words Mr. Tanner sings is from the carol "O Holy Night".
O fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
O night divine
O night
O night divine...
Chris Otto
http://www.capital.net/users/desotto/
"Just write about your feelings, not the things you never did..."
Harry Chapin
Garison E. Piatt
On Sat, 3 Jan 1998, Appreciative wrote:
> If you think he's singing "Oh follow your dreams ...", you may be
> disappointed to find out what he's really singing. I love how songs
> can become ink blot tests, where listeners "improve" the lyrics based
> on what they expect to hear.
The term for this is "mondegreen". The source of the term is an
Irish folk ballad about a particular battle in which the author's
brother died (I believe -- it's been a while since I heard this
story, so the details are sketchy). The original lyric is some-
thing like "I took my brother's body, and laid him on the green"
which somehow got turned into "Lady Mondegreen". (c.f. "The
Joker", which contains the phrase, "pompetus of love", originally
"puppetutes" -- women who will do anything for love.)
> what does "beat me daddy, eight to the bar" mean anyhow?).
"Give me a fast rhythm, eight beats per measure."
I just *love* useless trivia! :)
A hui hou,
-garison
Unknown
"Garison E. Piatt" <gar...@iav.com> wrote:
>On Sat, 3 Jan 1998, Appreciative wrote:
>
>> If you think he's singing "Oh follow your dreams ...", you may be
>> disappointed to find out what he's really singing. I love how songs
>> can become ink blot tests, where listeners "improve" the lyrics based
>> on what they expect to hear.
>
I always thought he was singing "Fall on your knees..." from the old
Christian spiritual, Rock of Ages.
RIL
Please add an "@mindspring.com" to the address
in the header if you care to write!
Unknown
"Garison E. Piatt" <gar...@iav.com> wrote:
>On Sat, 3 Jan 1998, Appreciative wrote:
>
>> If you think he's singing "Oh follow your dreams ...", you may be
>> disappointed to find out what he's really singing. I love how songs
>> can become ink blot tests, where listeners "improve" the lyrics based
>> on what they expect to hear.
>
I always thought he was singing "Fall on your knees..." from the old
Christian spiritual, Rock of Ages...
John Dybala
Res Ipsa Loquitur <> wrote:
: "Garison E. Piatt" <gar...@iav.com> wrote:
: >On Sat, 3 Jan 1998, Appreciative wrote:
: >
: >> If you think he's singing "Oh follow your dreams ...", you may be
: >> disappointed to find out what he's really singing. I love how songs
: >> can become ink blot tests, where listeners "improve" the lyrics based
: >> on what they expect to hear.
: >
: I always thought he was singing "Fall on your knees..." from the old
: Christian spiritual, Rock of Ages.
That's funny. I always thought it was "O Holy Night" (which does include
the verse "Fall on your knees")
John
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
John Dybala, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
"You can travel on 10,000 miles and still stay where you are."
from "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin (1942-1981)
Unknown
>
>: I always thought he was singing "Fall on your knees..." from the old
>: Christian spiritual, Rock of Ages.
>
>That's funny. I always thought it was "O Holy Night" (which does include
>the verse "Fall on your knees")
>
>John
>--
John,
You're absolutely right. I realized my error right after I posted my
original message.
You definitely have a keen eye for detail though!
Later,
RIL
>--------------------------------------------------------------
>John Dybala, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
>"You can travel on 10,000 miles and still stay where you are."
> from "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin (1942-1981)
John Dybala
Res Ipsa Loquitur <> wrote:
: >: I always thought he was singing "Fall on your knees..." from the old
: >: Christian spiritual, Rock of Ages.
: >
: >That's funny. I always thought it was "O Holy Night" (which does include
: >the verse "Fall on your knees")
: John,
: You're absolutely right. I realized my error right after I posted my
: original message.
: You definitely have a keen eye for detail though!
I didn't mean to show you up, so I'm sorry if you took it that way.
I just thought that that was what they had Big John singing in the
background.
P.S. I'll give you three guesses what my middle name is :)
--
Don Bartenstein
Actually, Big John Wallace is singing the chorus to the anthem "Oh Holy
Night"
Oh, fall on your knees,
Oh, hear the angel voices,
Oh, night divine,
Oh, night when Christ was born,
Oh, night, oh, night divine.
Res Ipsa Loquitur wrote in message
<34c98962...@news.mindspring.com>...
>
>>
>>: I always thought he was singing "Fall on your knees..." from the old
>>: Christian spiritual, Rock of Ages.
>>
>>That's funny. I always thought it was "O Holy Night" (which does include
>>the verse "Fall on your knees")
>>
>>John
>>--
>
>John,
>
>You're absolutely right. I realized my error right after I posted my
>original message.
>
>You definitely have a keen eye for detail though!
>
>Later,
>RIL
>
>
>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------
>>John Dybala, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
>>"You can travel on 10,000 miles and still stay where you are."
>> from "W*O*L*D" by Harry Chapin (1942-1981)
>
>
lst...@webtv.net
The line
Oh Night, When Christ Was Born
is not part of Mr. Tanner. The rest is correct.
Warlockey
lst...@webtv.net wrote:
Of course it's part of Mr. Tanner, unless I have been listening to a different
version that you have....
Too bad ignorance isn't painful.
(EMail to Warl...@yahoo.com)
Robert Marr
My interpretation of the correct verse didn't become clear until after
reviewing the videos. I believe there are only 4 lines, and I agree with
the statement below. But just to be safe, you could go to the message board
and ask John himself.
Bob
--
Harry's Friends
http://www.tir.com/~rmarrsr/chapin/harrys.htm
lst...@webtv.net wrote in article
<6adn5h$sof$1...@newsd-151.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
lst...@webtv.net
Thank you for confirming my earlier satement and [ I never thought I'd
have to add it at this site] thank you for not calling me ignorant like
the person in the post before yours did.
Let's keep it civil, gang.
John Dybala
Robert Marr <rma...@tir.com> wrote:
: My interpretation of the correct verse didn't become clear until after
: reviewing the videos. I believe there are only 4 lines, and I agree with
: the statement below. But just to be safe, you could go to the message board
: and ask John himself.
I knew Howie was over there ... didn't know John was, or I would have
asked him by now.
John
--
Warlockey
lst...@webtv.net wrote:
Please forgive me if I was who you were refering to. My intention was not to
call you ignorant, and I'm sorry it came across that way. The 'Too bad
ignorance isn't painful' statement is my signature line, not intented to be a
statement to any one person.
I don't know you, and I can not presume to think you're ignorant simply from
that one post I read of yours. I regret that I have caused this
misunderstanding, and I hope this will serve to fix it.
Again, my apologies.
War
Mary Lou Unangst
Jim
Garison E. Piatt wrote:
> The term for this is "mondegreen". The source of the term is an
> Irish folk ballad about a particular battle in which the author's
> brother died (I believe -- it's been a while since I heard this
> story, so the details are sketchy). The original lyric is some-
> thing like "I took my brother's body, and laid him on the green"
> which somehow got turned into "Lady Mondegreen". (c.f. "The
> Joker", which contains the phrase, "pompetus of love", originally
> "puppetutes" -- women who will do anything for love.)
You are correct in the term. The actual lyrics are "They had slain the
Earl of Morray, and laid him on the green." It comes from a Harper's
Bazaar article in the early '50's.
There have now been three books published complete with Mondegreens. In
chronological order of release, they are "'Scuse Me While I Kiss This
Guy," "He's Got the Whole World in His Pants," and "When a Man Loves a
Walnut."
You may also want to direct your web browsers to the aptly titledwebsite
"The Ants Are My Friends" at
http://www.mcs.com/~bingo/lyrics
Jim