Taking Mary Home (?)
Stephen Suffet
For the first time in many years I heard someone sing "Taking
Mary Home" (or possibly "Bringing Mary Home"). It's a countryish
ballad about a motorist who picks up a young girl who is standing
beside a roadway and who asks for a ride back to her house just a
short distance away. When the motorist arrives, he finds the little
girl has vanished. Her parents thank him anyway, for they understand
that the girl he had encountered was a ghost -- the ghost of their
daughter who had been struck by a car and killed just up the road 13
years earlier. The song ends with the girl's father saying: "You're
the thirteenth person, stranger, who has taken Mary home."
I believe the song was made into an episode of the old TV program
"One Step Beyond." Or maybe both the song and the TV episode were
inspired by the same short story.
I can't find the song in the Digital Tradition or in any of my
many books. (Unless I am missing something obvious.)
Here's my request. Can anyone provide me with the following:
1. The lyrics.
2. The melody. I would prefer a leadsheet in the key of C, but beggars
can't be choosers. So any key will do. Or guitar tab. Or just writing
out the names of the notes (c, d, f#, or whatever) with slashes (/) to
separate the measures. A MIDI file would really be nice.
3. Guitar chords. (But if I get a good transcription of the melody, I
can figure these out.)
4. The source of the song (author, sheet music, original recording,
etc.).
5. The title and artist of a currently available recording. Or, lack-
ing that, any recording.
Yes, I know Im asking a lot. But I've given sooooooo much to this
newsgroup, I deserve an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny in return. :-)
If you have anything that needs to go through the mail, e-mail me
and I will send you my postal address.
Regards,
Steve
PAULSBANJO
"One Step Beyond." Or maybe both the song and the TV episode were
inspired by the same short story.>>>
This reminds me of "Tom Joad" by Woody Guthrie. He saw the movie "Grapes
of Wrath" (as I understand) and went home and wrote "Tom Joad".
Paul
Steve Carnes
The bluegrass tradition usually names it "Bringing Mary Home," done most
notably by the (original) Country Gentlemen, with Charlie Waller on lead
vocals, from an album of the same name, circa early 60's maybe?
The TV show that had a visual version of it was The Twilight Zone, no? Or
am I thinking of the TZ episode called "The Hitchhiker"...
Looked up the lyrics on Motoya Kitagawa's homepage
(http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~motoya/), which has just about every bluegrass
song ever recorded!!, and found these:
Bringing Mary home
I was driving down a lonely road, on a dark and stormy night
[When] a little girl by the roadside showed up in my head lights
I stopped and she got inside and in a shaky tone
She said my name is Mary, please won't you take me home
She must have been so frightened, all alone there in the night
There was something [strange] about her, [for] her face was deathly
white
She sat so pale and [quiet] in the back seat all alone
I never will forget the night, I took Mary home
I pulled into the driveway, where she told me to go
Got out to help her from the car, [and] opened up the door
I just could not believe my eyes, [for] the back seat was bare
I looked all around the car, but Mary wasn't there
A light shone from the porch, someone opened up the door
I asked about the little girl [that I] was looking for
Then the lady gently smiled, [and] brushed [a] tear away
She said it sure was nice of you to go out of your way
But thirteen years ago today, in a wreck just down the road
Our darling Mary lost her life, how we miss her so
Thank you for your trouble and the kindness you have shown
You're the 13th one that's been here bringing Mary home
The Gentlemen's version is wayyyy cool, kind of spooky, with John Duffy
and Eddie Adcock humming harmonized backup all the way through. Great
song! I could sing it for you, but ain't no way I could write it in a
leadsheet. If I had the old Martin here at work, I'd even work out the
chords -- seems like it gets slightly tricky at times, going maybe to the
II chord. There's a Rebel records "Best of the Country Gentlemen" boxed
set that everyone raves about that is still in print -- hopefully, it
would also have the "Brown Mountain Light" which is also a spooky,
ghost-filled song.
Hope this helps somewhat.
Steve Carnes
Ejucaided Redneck
>
> Stephen Suffet wrote:
>
> The bluegrass tradition usually names it "Bringing Mary Home," done most
> notably by the (original) Country Gentlemen, with Charlie Waller on lead
> vocals, from an album of the same name, circa early 60's maybe?
>
> (http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~motoya/), which has just about every bluegrass
> song ever recorded!!, and found these:
>
> Bringing Mary home
>
> I was driving down a lonely road, on a dark and stormy night
> [When] a little girl by the roadside showed up in my head lights
> I stopped and she got inside and in a shaky tone
> She said my name is Mary, please won't you take me home
>
Wonder is this the same song the Everly Brothers recorded?
-----
You *really* know times (and the language) have changed when
you're listening to an Uncle Dave Macon piece recorded in 1937 and
hear him sing "I'm the gayest old dude that's out."
jer...@delanet.com
Suf...@worldnet.att.net wrote:
> Greetings:
>
> For the first time in many years I heard someone sing "Taking
> Mary Home" (or possibly "Bringing Mary Home"). It's a countryish
> ballad about a motorist who picks up a young girl who is standing
> beside a roadway and who asks for a ride back to her house just a
> short distance away. When the motorist arrives, he finds the little
> girl has vanished. Her parents thank him anyway, for they understand
> that the girl he had encountered was a ghost -- the ghost of their
> daughter who had been struck by a car and killed just up the road 13
> years earlier. The song ends with the girl's father saying: "You're
> the thirteenth person, stranger, who has taken Mary home."
>
> "One Step Beyond." Or maybe both the song and the TV episode were
> inspired by the same short story.
>
> many books. (Unless I am missing something obvious.)
>
> Here's my request. Can anyone provide me with the following:
>
> 1. The lyrics.
>
> 2. The melody. I would prefer a leadsheet in the key of C, but beggars
> can't be choosers. So any key will do. Or guitar tab. Or just writing
> out the names of the notes (c, d, f#, or whatever) with slashes (/) to
> separate the measures. A MIDI file would really be nice.
>
> 3. Guitar chords. (But if I get a good transcription of the melody, I
> can figure these out.)
>
> 4. The source of the song (author, sheet music, original recording,
> etc.).
>
> 5. The title and artist of a currently available recording. Or, lack-
> ing that, any recording.
>
> Yes, I know Im asking a lot. But I've given sooooooo much to this
> newsgroup, I deserve an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny in return. :-)
>
> If you have anything that needs to go through the mail, e-mail me
> and I will send you my postal address.
On A Prarie Home Companion. I don't have chords, but there's a Real Audio
version at http://phc.mpr.org/performances/19961026/
Found a web page with this on it:
BRINGING MARY HOME
John Duffey, Chaw Mank, Joe Kingston
<snipped lyrics - I see you already got 'em>
THE COUNTRY GENTLEMEN - Vanguard 1972
Found another web page with a pile o' lyrics at
http://www.interlog.com/~hanran/lyrics.htm
Happy Hallowening,
Jeri
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Stephen Suffet
>
> Stephen Suffet wrote:
>
> The bluegrass tradition usually names it "Bringing Mary Home," done most
> notably by the (original) Country Gentlemen, with Charlie Waller on lead
> vocals, from an album of the same name, circa early 60's maybe?
>
> am I thinking of the TZ episode called "The Hitchhiker"...
>
> (http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~motoya/), which has just about every bluegrass
> song ever recorded!!, and found these:
>
> Bringing Mary home
>
> I was driving down a lonely road, on a dark and stormy night
> [When] a little girl by the roadside showed up in my head lights
> I stopped and she got inside and in a shaky tone
> She said my name is Mary, please won't you take me home
>
Greetings:
Thanks. The lyrics are a giant step in the right direction.
Anyone out there have a leadshhet?
I believe this is not the TWZ "Hitchhiker" episode, but rather an
episode of "One Step Beyond." Or maybe "Outer Limits." But most likely
"One Step Beyond."
Now let me find that Country Gentlemen CD. I remember the Kingston
Trio doing "Brown Mountain Light," but surely I date myself with such
memories. :-)
Nothing has more spooky ghost ballads than Roberts' & Barrand's
"Dark Ships in the Forest" LP.
Regards,
Steve
Stephen Suffet
Greetings:
Thanks! The PHC website with the RealAudio file is very helpful.
Regards,
Steve
Jon Doeringer
I've come to take you home - youtube.com/watch?v=Gd0tS1lZftQ
So, no one remembers the TV episode, about Mary?