Song for Ireland - Mary Black
Jan Skurzynski
Boy, did that ever stretch the old rememberizer....
I remember singing a song at Girl Scout camp 'way back in around 1970
that might be the one you are referring to. Learned and sung around a
campfire, I'm afraid I can't tell you the title, author, or origin of
the song. But it is a very repetitive, somewhat hypnotic song that I
really enjoyed and I can dredge up at least some of the lyrics if you
remember the tune that they go with.
My best guess:
You take a stick of bamboo
You take a stick of bamboo
You take a stick of bamboo
You throw it on the water.
Oh, Oh, Ha-Na (or some such sound!)
Repeat verse 1
CHORUS
River, she run down
River, she run down
You travel on the river
You travel on the river
You travel on the river
You travel on the water.
Oh, Oh, Ha-Na
Repeat verse 2
CHORUS:
River, she run down
River, she run down
My home's across the river
My home's across the river
My home's across the river
My home's across the water
Oh, Oh, Ha-Na
Repeat verse 3
CHORUS
River, she run down
River, she run down
Repeat first verse and chorus
Great harmony potential all through the song, particularly the chorus.
As you noted, you just alternate between 2 chords through the entire song
(well, I said it was a bit monotonous, didn't I?). Played in E, the
alternate chord is D; played in A, the alternate is G, etc.
I'll be interested to see if other more knowledgeable folks have some
real information on this song; where it came from, etc.
Jan Skurzynski
Craig Cockburn
In article <288...@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com>, sk...@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Jan Skurzynski) writes:
|>From: sk...@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Jan Skurzynski)
|>Newsgroups: rec.music.folk
|>Subject: Re: Song for Ireland - Mary Black
|>
|>Boy, did that ever stretch the old rememberizer....
|>
|>I remember singing a song at Girl Scout camp 'way back in around 1970
|>that might be the one you are referring to. Learned and sung around a
|>campfire, I'm afraid I can't tell you the title, author, or origin of
|>the song. But it is a very repetitive, somewhat hypnotic song that I
|>really enjoyed and I can dredge up at least some of the lyrics if you
|>remember the tune that they go with.
|>
|>My best guess:
|>
|>You take a stick of bamboo
|>You take a stick of bamboo
|>You take a stick of bamboo
|>You throw it on the water.
|>Oh, Oh, Ha-Na (or some such sound!)
|>
Something gives me the impression that this isn't "Song for Ireland" by
Mary Black!
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Cockburn, Digital Equipment Co. Ltd, Reading, England.
ARPAnet: cock...@system.enet.dec.com Suas leis
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Views here are my own, and are not necessarily those of Digital
Steve Goldfield;232HMB;3-6292;;MF62
I bought Mary Black's most recent CD because I heard her
on the radio and liked her voice and material. I was quite
disappointed with the CD I bought. Can anyone supply a list
of earlier releases which might have material I'd like better?
Actually, I bought Maura O'Connell's latest CD and had the
same experience. I wish these singers would stay with their
strengths.
Unfortunately, the CDs I bought were the only ones available in
the store I looked in (Down Home Music).
Steve Goldfield
Eric A Cottrell
In <1991Jul12.1...@agate.berkeley.edu> st...@violet.berkeley.edu (Steve Goldfield;232HMB;3-6292;;MF62) writes:
>I bought Mary Black's most recent CD because I heard her
>on the radio and liked her voice and material. I was quite
>disappointed with the CD I bought. Can anyone supply a list
>of earlier releases which might have material I'd like better?
This is my first post...
I have the first CD just called "Mary Black". It has some comtempary tunes
mixed with classic British Isles music. If you like Celtic or British Isles
this is ok. The titles on the CD are:
Rose of Allendale
Lovin' You
Loving Hannah
My Donald
Crusader
Anachie Gordon (Note: my favorite)
Home
God Bless the child
Rare's Hill
I hope this helps.
73 Eric WB1HBU @ K1UGM or e...@world.std.com!uunet
Geraint Jones
>->
>-> I bought Mary Black's most recent CD because I heard her
>-> on the radio and liked her voice and material. I was quite
>-> disappointed with the CD I bought. Can anyone supply a list
>-> of earlier releases which might have material I'd like better?
There are at least these (numbers are CDs):
Collected (DARA CD 010)
Song for Ireland
Mo ghille mear
Men of Worth
Fare thee well (my own true love)
She moved thru' the fair
Both sides of the Tweed
Hard times
I live not where I love
Isle of St. Helena
My youngest son came home today
Mary Black (DARA CD 002)
Rose of Allendale
Lovin' You
Loving Hannah
My Donald
Crusader
Anachie Gordon
Home
God Bless the Child
Rare's Hill
By the Time it Gets Dark (DARA CD 027)
By the Time it Gets Dark
Schooldays Over
Once in a very Blue Moon
Farewell, Farewell
Sparks Might Fly
Katie
Leaving the Land
There is a Time
Jamie
Leaboys Lassie
Trying to Get the Balance Right
Moon River
Without the fanfare (DARA CD 016)
There's a train that leaves tonight
State of heart
Nightime
The crow on the cradle
Greatest dream
The water is wide
Ellis Island
Strange thing
Without the fanfare
As I leave behind N\'e\'idin
Diamond days
Going gone
No Frontiers (DARA 032)
No Frontiers
Past the Point of Rescue
The Shadow
Carolina Ruadh
Shuffle of the Buckled
Columbus
Another Day
Fat Valey of Pain
I Say a Little Prayer
Vanities
The Fog in Monterey
as well as a 1990 release called `Best Of...' which cuts across the whole of
the above, having only one more track (``I wanna dance...'', I kid you not)
and some singles.
You will find her also on (amongst others)
Time For Touching Home, The Black Family (DARA CD 035)
The Black Family, The Black Family (DARA 023 CD)
Dolores Keane, Dolores Keane (Wundertuete, CD TUT 72.136)
and on Bringing it all back home (Various) (BBC CD 844)
No Frontiers -- not the previously published recording; much better Sax
Sonny -- Emmylou Harris, Dolores Keane, Mary Black
Grey Funnel Line -- Emmylou Harris, Dolores Keane, Mary Black
The dimming of the day -- Richard Thompson, Mary Black, Dolores Keane
I was afraid she was going seriously down-hill when I saw her at Glasgow's
MayFest in 1990, when she was singing a lot of `American' material -- stuff
like the second half of No Frontiers, and yes, `I wanna dance...'. The `Best
Of' release seemed to confirm the trend. One of my colleagues suggested she
was trying to get to Nashville to make money; subsequently the Bringining it
Back Home recordings wth Emmylou Harris were, of course, made in Nashville.
At this year's MayFest she was much folkier, really very good. (So why is my
research done in collaboration with someone in Glasgow... could it be because
Mary Black never plays in Oxford?)
Her voice is at its best (and youngest) on Collected (until you've heard her
sing Song for Ireland, you haven't heard her sing or it sung) and the self-
titled release, but my favourite (perhaps because it's the first one I heard
and fell in love with) is Without the Fanfare. You can tell that the `extra
tracks' on it are recorded later, sadly. Although it's not very folksy, and
I am a bit embarassed about liking something so fluffy, my favourite of the
recent tracks is `Carolina Ruadh' which is also on a single. So catchy. If
you like Nanci Griffith or Billie Holiday, you'll like By the Time it Gets
Dark. (She is much smoother than either of them; she makes Nanci Griffith's
performance of Once in a Very Blue Moon sound very rough.)
g
John Palasz
and then again in the record (CD) store. I would definitely recommend
"No Frontiers"
jpal
(John Palasz)