What's Your Favourite Spooky Folk Song?

David Rintoul

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Oct 27, 2001, 10:13:20 AM10/27/01

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I thought with Halloween coming up, it might be fun if everyone shared
the folk songs they know about ghosts and sprites and goblins and
vampires and spooky ships and such. I thought it might help to take our
mind off some of the real life scary things we are dealing with these
days.
---
David Rintoul
david....@sympatico.ca
http://www3.sympatico.ca/david.rintoul
"In prosperity, our friends know us. In adversity, we know our
friends."
J. Churton Collins

JDalin

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Oct 27, 2001, 10:32:28 AM10/27/01

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The Erl King, by Steve Gilette.

Witch of the Westmerland, by Archie Fisher.

Jorn Barger

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Oct 27, 2001, 10:33:09 AM10/27/01

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Michael Hurley has 'Werewolf' and many others. My favorite spooky one
is probably 'Light Green Fellow' about a lovesick peeping tom, but
that's not really a halloween-y kind of spooky.

more: http://www.robotwisdom.com/jorn/hurley.html

--
http://www.robotwisdom.com/ "Relentlessly intelligent
yet playful, polymathic in scope of interests, minimalist
but user-friendly design." --Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Joe Fineman

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Oct 27, 2001, 2:41:48 PM10/27/01

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David Rintoul <david....@sympatico.ca> writes:

> I thought with Halloween coming up, it might be fun if everyone
> shared the folk songs they know about ghosts and sprites and goblins
> and vampires and spooky ships and such. I thought it might help to
> take our mind off some of the real life scary things we are dealing
> with these days.

"Miss Bailey" has a ghost in it, treated with charming (I suppose)
18th-centurn skepticism.

In that vein, "Anne Boleyn" is also worth singing.
--
--- Joe Fineman j...@TheWorld.com

||: What's _done_ we partly may compute, :||
||: But know not what's _resisted_. :||

David Harris

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Oct 27, 2001, 3:41:18 PM10/27/01

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"Good King Henry" Steeleye Span....

David

JesiAna

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Oct 27, 2001, 4:03:09 PM10/27/01

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Not sure as you would consider this spooky, but I always get chills from "In
the Hills of Shiloh," which Judy Collins recorded ages and ages ago.

Jesiana

"If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing."

Manfred Helfert

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Oct 27, 2001, 4:06:47 PM10/27/01

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What about Buffy Sainte-Marie's "The Vampire"...?
That one's really eery and spooky...

Manfred
http://www.bobdylanroots.com DYLAN "ROOTS" (under construction)
http://www.historysong.com HISTORY IN SONG
http://www.geocities.com/nashville/3448/ DOC WATSON & WOODY GUTHRIE
http://www.manfredhelfert.de/janisjoplin/ JANIS JOPLIN "ROOTS"

Hodagg

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Oct 27, 2001, 4:39:54 PM10/27/01

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"Lady Margaret", from Maggie Boyle's Gweebarra cd.

Rick

Harold Groot

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Oct 27, 2001, 8:28:12 PM10/27/01

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On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 10:13:20 -0400, David Rintoul
<david....@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>I thought with Halloween coming up, it might be fun if everyone shared
>the folk songs they know about ghosts and sprites and goblins and
>vampires and spooky ships and such. I thought it might help to take our
>mind off some of the real life scary things we are dealing with these
>days.

Well, it might depend a bit on your definition of folk song. If you
are looking for songs that are widely known (so they can be discussed,
compared and so on) that is one thing. If you are looking for new
songs to learn (or just enjoy) yourself, it opens up a larger field.

People who read science fiction and fantasy have an active subgroup
who write and sing songs about these things. I can list dozens of
songs on such topics. But they are only well known within the
community, and the tapes and CDs are handled by specialty distributors
instead of the big national or international chains.

Originally called Science Fiction Folk Songs, there was a typo that
stuck - they are now called filk songs. If you make the same inquiry
on rec.music.filk you will get many responses.

Just to throw some titles out there:

The Lady
Sweet Savage Vampire
Little Green Eyes
Ferryman, Ferryman
Child of Darkness
Lammas Night
The Queen of Air and Darkness
Howling Mountain
AI, Cthulhu (there are dozens on just the Cthulhu mythos alone)
Bloodsisters
Kraken
Lady of Shadows
Moon
Phantom Rider
Breeze
Crimson and Crystal
Things
Vampire Megabyte
Werewolf's Lament
Baby Vampire Boogie (Fly-By-Night)

If you have a favorite spooky movie (Interview With The Vampire) or TV
show (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files) or book (various St. Germain
stories), the odds are very good that someone has written a song about
it.

Daniel R. Reitman

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Oct 27, 2001, 8:34:44 PM10/27/01

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On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 10:13:20 -0400, David Rintoul
<david....@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>I thought with Halloween coming up, it might be fun if everyone shared
>the folk songs they know about ghosts and sprites and goblins and
>vampires and spooky ships and such. I thought it might help to take our
>mind off some of the real life scary things we are dealing with these
>days.

The Carter, Bob Franke.

Dan, ad nauseam

Rilla Heslin

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Oct 27, 2001, 8:33:41 PM10/27/01

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> I thought with Halloween coming up, it might be fun if everyone shared
> the folk songs they know about ghosts and sprites and goblins and
> vampires and spooky ships and such. I thought it might help to take our
> mind off some of the real life scary things we are dealing with these
> days.
> ---
> David Rintoul

I have a few:

1. Baby Vampire Boogie, by Harold Groot
2. Dawson's Christian, by Dwayne Elms
3. Child of Darkness, by Cynthia McQuillian
4. Vampire Megabite, by Steve Savitzky
5. The Ferryman, by Misty Lacky & Leslie Fish
6. Heat of the Blood, by Tom Smith
7. PQR (You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet), by Tom Smith
8. Crimson and Crystal, by Cynthia Mc Quillian

These are just a *few* of my favorites.

Rillaz

TAsher

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Oct 27, 2001, 9:17:43 PM10/27/01

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Not a Halloween song, but the song "Windego" can send shivers thru ya.

-Terri

Rilla Heslin

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Oct 27, 2001, 10:51:06 PM10/27/01

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Which version were you thinking of? I've run across four so far. I
think they are all good, but my favorite is the one done by Eileen
McGann.

Rilla

Uncle Bob

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Oct 28, 2001, 12:37:17 AM10/28/01

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David Rintoul (david....@sympatico.ca) wrote:
: I thought with Halloween coming up, it might be fun if everyone shared

: the folk songs they know about ghosts and sprites and goblins and
: vampires and spooky ships and such. I thought it might help to take our
: mind off some of the real life scary things we are dealing with these
: days.
: ---

The Purple People Eater!

--
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Uncle Bob.........unclebob@ripco.com

TAsher

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Oct 28, 2001, 1:07:30 AM10/28/01

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I am only familiar with the Mary McHaslin (sp?) version. Is she the person who
wrote it? I don't think ( or know if) it is a "traditional" song. Who else did
it?

-Terri

Frederick Oxfordshire UK

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Oct 28, 2001, 3:34:24 AM10/28/01

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Tam Lin (Fairport)
and
Long Lankin (Steeleye)

Both originally 'Border Ballads' and featured in Childe.

Best wishes
Frederick
(Oxfordshire - UK)

Will C

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Oct 28, 2001, 7:25:39 AM10/28/01

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South Coast - Kingston Trio
Julianne - New Christy Minstrels

Ophiel Magic

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Oct 28, 2001, 8:01:44 AM10/28/01

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Where Have All the Flowers Gone

John Kearney

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Oct 28, 2001, 9:33:22 AM10/28/01

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The Hole, Townes Van Zandt.

If this doesn't send shivers down your spine, you don't have one!

jk

Bob Graham

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Oct 28, 2001, 9:52:12 AM10/28/01

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"Black Magic Gun" by Tom Rush
"With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm" by Cheryl Wheeler
"Foggy, Foggy Dew" by John Roberts and Tony Barrand
"The Worms Crawl In, the Worms Crawl Out" never heard a recording but fondly
remember it from my childhood.

Bob G.

Abby Sale

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Oct 28, 2001, 11:23:10 AM10/28/01

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On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 18:41:48 GMT, Joe Fineman <j...@TheWorld.com> wrote:

>"Miss Bailey" has a ghost in it, treated with charming (I suppose)
>18th-centurn skepticism.

Speaking of the lady, I've recently been doing a bit research on it. Bruce
Olson has much good background at his website that I won't repeat here.
Except that the tune for this song was, by then, in tradition but based on
"Ally Croker" by Larry Grogan, an Irish piper of the first half of
the 18th century, & traditionally credited with the composition about 1725.

The new song was written by someone only identified as "Risk" for George
Colman's "Love laughs at locksmiths," (a comic opera, in two acts.) It
premiered on July 25, 1803 (Not worth reading, BTW.)

The play was translated word-for-word from the French, "Une Folie" with the
single addition of "Unfortunate Miss Bailey" at the very end. The song
became a pop hit in London and also, 4 years later after the play was
pefmormed in NY, in the US. It went immediately into tradition in both
countries and is recognized as the tune for the Battle of New Orleans song,
"The Hunters of Kentucky."

Now here's the thing. The song's pretty standardized but Marais and
Miranda sing a 5th verse I haven't heard elsewhere. It appears in the Levy
Collection _handwritten_ anonymously onto the sheet music from NY but there
is no piece of this verse in the original book of the play. (I have a
microfiche copy of the book from Inter-Library Loan in front of me now.)

If you go to http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/advancedsearch.html and
search titles for Unfortunate Miss Bailey. It's extremely hard to read but
I down-loaded the right-click image and played a bit. Referring back to
Marais's singing, I get this:

Next morn his man knocked at his door,
He says "John, now [come] dreピ me.
Miピ Bailey's got [my] one-pound note."
John says, "Good Heavens, bleピ me!
I should not mind if she had ta'en
No more than all your riches;
But with your one-pound note, Egad!
She's ta'en your [only] breeches."
Oh, Miピ Bailey, unfortunate Miピ Bailey,

Worth singing, I think. I wonder if any might have any additional info on
this last verse?

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -
I am Abby Sale - in Orlando, Florida
Boycott South Carolina!
http://151.200.0.60/communications/press_releases/SCEconomic2.asp

Ginger-lyn Summer

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Oct 28, 2001, 2:29:21 PM10/28/01

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On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 10:13:20 -0400, David Rintoul
<david....@sympatico.ca> wrote:

There have been some good ones mentioned here; I always play "Tam Lin"
on Samhain/Halloween.

One of my favorite chilling sorts of songs may not entirely be
considered folk, but the feel and sound of it most certainly is:
Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians' "Lady Waters and the Hooded One".
Great song about the Black Plague and cheating death.

Ginger-lyn

Nancy

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Oct 28, 2001, 3:20:54 PM10/28/01

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For humourous gruesomeness, Tom Leher's "I hold your hand in mine, Dear."
and for baby boomer nostalgia, "Spooky, Spooky, lend me your tomb," a take
off one "Kooky, Kooky, lend me your comb," which I think was done by
Connie Stevens. So okay they aren't folk songs.

--
It you can't beat 'em
and they won'tlet you join 'em
best get out of the county. Maverick's Pappy

Gerry Myerson

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Oct 28, 2001, 6:03:33 PM10/28/01

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In article <20011027160309...@mb-fy.aol.com>,
jes...@aol.com (JesiAna) wrote:

-> Not sure as you would consider this spooky, but I always get chills
-> from "In the Hills of Shiloh," which Judy Collins recorded ages and
-> ages ago.

Yes! Let's also give credit to the writers, who were Shel Silverstein
and, um, I forget the other one. Sorry.

Gerry Myerson (ge...@mpce.mq.edu.au)

Gerry Myerson

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Oct 28, 2001, 6:08:11 PM10/28/01

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In article <3BDB9203...@mindspring.com>, fo...@mindspring.com
wrote:

-> I am only familiar with the Mary McHaslin (sp?) version. Is she the
-> person who wrote it? I don't think ( or know if) it is a
-> "traditional" song. Who else did it?
->
-> Rilla Heslin wrote:
->
-> > Which version were you thinking of? I've run across four so far.
-> > I think they are all good, but my favorite is the one done by
-> > Eileen McGann.
-> >
-> > TAsher wrote:
-> > >
-> > > Not a Halloween song, but the song "Windego" can send shivers
-> > > thru ya.

Mary McCaslin recorded a song called Windigo. I don't remember who's
credited as the writer.

Eileen McGann recorded an entirely different song called Windigo's
Coming. The McCaslin song is spooky, I don't think the McGann song is.

Gerry Myerson (ge...@mpce.mq.edu.au)

Sue Quick

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Oct 28, 2001, 7:00:39 PM10/28/01

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TAsher wrote:
>
> Not a Halloween song, but the song "Windego" can send shivers thru ya.
>

Back in 1958 (I can just remember that far) my older brother was reading
about the Wendigo, sitting on the windowsill in the toilet... he was so
absorbed by the story that he didn't notice the sash window (note for
non - British- a vertical sliding window) had descended silently,
trapping the tail of his shirt. When he could take no more, he tried to
get up and go....

I was only 3 and a half, and I can still remember the screams as he
found he was trapped.

Paul Burke

Rilla Heslin

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Oct 28, 2001, 7:24:34 PM10/28/01

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> Eileen McGann recorded an entirely different song called Windigo's
> Coming. The McCaslin song is spooky, I don't think the McGann song is.
>
> Gerry Myerson (ge...@mpce.mq.edu.au)

Since it is a Native American Myth, we do our version in a very
traditional style. I guess that's what tends to get to our audience.
We have many request for it *because*, we are told, that it is so very
chilling.

Rilla