Green Green Rocky Road
mcgregor
being traditional. The title he had for it was Green Green Rocky Road.
It sounded a bit like a pop tune from the 70's (Sunshine go away today,
don't feel much like dancin', some man come he gonna run my life, He don't
know what he's askin',)but that's another song I can't remember the name
of. Has anyone heard of GGRR, and is anyone aware of a recording by any
artist. Any advice on this matter would be appreciated.
David Harley
: I heard a New York performer, James Howley, perform a song he described as
Guy Carawan and Tim Hardin both recorded versions of this, but I can't
remember the album titles. I've heard at least a couple of other versions,
and none of them sound much like any of the others! The chorus I remember
is
Green green rocky road
Promenade in green
Tell me who you love
Tell me who you love
which doesn't sound much like the other song you're quoting!
David Harley
Doug Lyon
music set called, "The Folk Box" it was my first introduction to most of
the classic and now classic folk performers & their music. There was a
cut by some children singing "Green Green Rocky Road". It dosen't sound
much like Dave Van Ronk's version (which is great, BTW, for (among other
things) including the line about "Does your mama chew tobacky) but it was
listed as the source for the popular versions of GGRR.
I wonder sometimes if the Folk Box is now on CD. If not, it should be!
Paul J. Stamler
: I heard a New York performer, James Howley, perform a song he described as
: being traditional. The title he had for it was Green Green Rocky Road.
: It sounded a bit like a pop tune from the 70's (Sunshine go away today,
: don't feel much like dancin', some man come he gonna run my life, He don't
: know what he's askin',)but that's another song I can't remember the name
: of. Has anyone heard of GGRR, and is anyone aware of a recording by any
: artist. Any advice on this matter would be appreciated.
Odetta and Dave Van Ronk have both recorded it. It's usually credited as
a play-party song. (Older meaning of the word.)
Peace.
Paul
Rocky Bivens
mcgregor (me...@axionet.com) writes:
> I heard a New York performer, James Howley, perform a song he described as
> being traditional. The title he had for it was Green Green Rocky Road.
> It sounded a bit like a pop tune from the 70's (Sunshine go away today,
> don't feel much like dancin', some man come he gonna run my life, He don't
> know what he's askin',)but that's another song I can't remember the name
> of. Has anyone heard of GGRR, and is anyone aware of a recording by any
> artist. Any advice on this matter would be appreciated.
>
Although there is a song called Green, Green Rocky Road listed in Sing
Out! it sure doesn't sound like this one. However, I have heard a song by
Bill Bourne (formerly of Bourne and MacLeod) with the lyrics you mention.
Unfortunately, I have lent the CD out.
If you want more information, please send me some e-mail to remind me and
I'll send it to you when the CD is returned.
--
Rocky Bivens RBBI...@Venus.CambrianC.On.Ca
ao...@Freenet.Carleton.Ca
Abby Sale
>being traditional. The title he had for it was Green Green Rocky Road.
>It sounded a bit like a pop tune from the 70's (Sunshine go away today,
>of. Has anyone heard of GGRR, and is anyone aware of a recording by any
If you mean: Green green rocky road
Promenading to green
Tell me who you love
Tell me who you love.
This was first collected by Len Chandler and the Beat poet Bob
Kaufman. They learned it around 1959 in New Orleans as a children's
street-game song. The game isn't recorded. I am _very_ pleased with
RUS that it gives them credit.
Chandler's ear heard it as a more or less blues oriented thing & he
taught it to van Ronk. Van Ronk vanronked & recorded it and that's
the version most know.
Kaufman heard it more poetically & gently as a children's song &
taught it to the folkies in San Francisco (North Beach times) which is
where I learned it. To the best of my knowledge, that interpretation
was never recorded.
========================================================================
abby...@digital.net --- Somewhere in the Florida swamps among the
--- bayonet palms and gators and sink holes and
--- chiggers & coral snakes & amoebic encephalitis.
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Gendelta
Jonathan Edwards. Originally released on the Capricorn label in 1971, now
in reissue on CD. Mr Edwards also appears on the "Follow That Road"
compilation you just acquired. -glenn
Conrad Shiba
of GGRR was recorded by Peter, Paul, and Mary on one of their early
albums.
Yet Another Steve
Well, then that song IS "Hooka Tooka" -- Judy Henske recorded a great
live version back in the '60s. In her intro she says it was a children's
song from the red light district of Chicago, where they used the children
as little warning agents - they'd keep an eye out for the police and sing
coded verses to indicate if the coast was clear or not.
Steve
Graeme Newell
abby...@digital.net (Abby Sale) wrote:
>me...@axionet.com (mcgregor) wrote:
>
>If you mean: Green green rocky road
> Promenading to green
> Tell me who you love
> Tell me who you love.
this song was also covered by Wendy Waldman on an early release (I
suspect that it was the selftitled one) on Elektra records. I remember it
well because of some nice slide guitar work.
Cheers,
Graeme Newell
Bill Markwick
song with a million different lyrics. It was set to music by Len Chandler
and popularized by everybody as (variously) "Red, Green, Rocky Road" and
other titles.
--
- Bill Markwick, Toronto Freenet - BD...@torfree.net
David Harley
: If I remember correctly, this song can be traced back to the days of
: slavery, and had significant puns in the lyrics.
: Red light, green light round the town.
: Found a penny on the ground.
: Met a man I never knowed
: Walkin' down that rocky road.
: Think of this in terms of the underground railroad, and you have a whole
: new slant on the lyrics. Lights would be placed in windows of safe
: houses walking down that rocky road to freedom.
What I can remember of the version sung by Guy Carawan bears this out:
Saturday night, and Sunday too, true love on my mind:
Monday morning, break of day, master had me lined...
David Harley
Bruce Hopper
slavery, and had significant puns in the lyrics.
Red light, green light round the town.
Found a penny on the ground.
Met a man I never knowed
Walkin' down that rocky road.
Think of this in terms of the underground railroad, and you have a whole
new slant on the lyrics. Lights would be placed in windows of safe
houses walking down that rocky road to freedom.
I wish I could remember more, but it's been a long time.....
Robin Hopper
njn...@alaska.net
reeder
So we meet again on the plain of cyberspace.
Ha!
I always find it very interesting that people want to catagorize folk
songs or songs sung by folk. As if this will give their life meaning by
knowing who did what first. Who cares? If you like it, you like it.
Enjoy it and don't make something out of it it's not. Live performances are
everything.
Reeder
Manfred Rosee
Gruss
Manfred