Folks, You guys have all heard Tom Dooley, right? I heard Jon Langford singing his crazed version at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival last weekend. After his set, we were shooting the breeze and he added a few more details about the song I’d never heard, like yet another Foster sister and a case of syphilis. But, he was talking real fast in that Welsh accent, and I couldn’t exactly make out everything he was saying. I did capture a verse of Jon singing on my iPhone here:
Chuck - This was a great read! MY favorite murder ballad is John Hiatt's "Woodchipper". I can't imagine, given your breadth of musical knowledge you haven't heard it, but just in case..... Great foreboding tune, fantastic crazy lyrics, typical hilarious outcome (except for protagonist, who is dead).
Wicked cool that you got to hang out with Jon Langford ! I got to serve the Mekons' lunch once...they were lovely.
I recently scored the 3-Cd set, "The Executioner's Last Songs." (only 8 bucks at Amoeba!)
Langford produced it in 2002/2003 to raise money for groups fighting the death penalty.
Steve Earle sings "Tom Dooley" on disc 1 while a group called The Sundowners cover it on disc 3.
I can't imagine the horror of dying for a crime you didn't commit. Like the poor guy Robertson, on death row right now in Texas, who most likely did NOT kill his daughter but the state is loathe to admit a mistake...US Supreme Court had no comment on their merciless decision to let him die.
Anyway, thanks as ever, Chuck; always a pleasure reading/hearing you.
Fascinating, as usual, Chuck. It's amazing how romantic murder is. Tom Dooley was definitely part of the songbook for the folkie-beatnik family I grew up in, along with Union Maid and Little Boxes. We were basically Pete Seeger groupies.
Well that was interesting. Can’t beat a good murder ballad. In Fairport Convention’s ‘Matty Groves’ you get two murders for your money - and a jaunty tune that belies the subject matter.
When I was in the second grade, there was a guy who would come around to play acoustic guitar and lead songs. He always played Sloop John B and Tom Dooley. I remember thinking “what are they preparing us for, I better keep my eye on this guy” .
Oct 3, 2023·edited Oct 3, 2023Liked by Chuck Prophet
When I was a kid, My Granddad used to sing Tom Dooley to us young’uns. He had survived the great depression working as a sharecropper and his Tom Dooley had a sharp edge. He did a more Ralph Stanley singing Pretty Polly version. He taught me to play it on guitar and the Wildwood Flower after that. Of course, Rock and Roll was what I really wanted to learn. But that music stuck with me, and I eventually came to learn that some of those old folk songs are about as rocking as it gets.
Thanks for the Dooley lesson and giving me a reason to reminisce about Ole Granddad.
Well, Neil also sang about “Down by the River , I shot my baby “. Is this a murder ballad as well? Bluegrass music has quite a few of these tales of lust and unrequited love which end in some poor girl being dispatched to great beyond. Clearly these mountain folk did not have cable tv or internet service or they might have known better than to assume they could just dispose of their romantic attachments without suffering the consequences. On the other hand if everyone thought things out in a rational manner , there’s a ton of songs that would have never been written. Another great in depth and thoughtful piece Chuck!
Fascinating reading. In your inimitable style. When I see you this coming Saturday in Novato can I expect CP&ME to pull a Neil and do a version of Tom Dooley? That would be something. Thanks.
speaking of murder ballads and lacking remorse, I'm a big fan of Joe Henry's "King's Highway".
This was the tune the music teacher used in intro guitar lessons in Whittier, Calif. Heavy stuff for 8 and 10-year-old kids!
Chuck - This was a great read! MY favorite murder ballad is John Hiatt's "Woodchipper". I can't imagine, given your breadth of musical knowledge you haven't heard it, but just in case..... Great foreboding tune, fantastic crazy lyrics, typical hilarious outcome (except for protagonist, who is dead).
CHEERS to you, brother! john o Sugar Land, Tx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbNOq0N_6lo&pp=ygUYam9obiBoaWF0dCB3b29kIGNoaXBwZXIg
Excellent examination of murder ballads and a conspiracy theory or two thrown in on Tom's demise. That's what we subscribe for! Well done!
Wicked cool that you got to hang out with Jon Langford ! I got to serve the Mekons' lunch once...they were lovely.
I recently scored the 3-Cd set, "The Executioner's Last Songs." (only 8 bucks at Amoeba!)
Langford produced it in 2002/2003 to raise money for groups fighting the death penalty.
Steve Earle sings "Tom Dooley" on disc 1 while a group called The Sundowners cover it on disc 3.
I can't imagine the horror of dying for a crime you didn't commit. Like the poor guy Robertson, on death row right now in Texas, who most likely did NOT kill his daughter but the state is loathe to admit a mistake...US Supreme Court had no comment on their merciless decision to let him die.
Anyway, thanks as ever, Chuck; always a pleasure reading/hearing you.
Fascinating, as usual, Chuck. It's amazing how romantic murder is. Tom Dooley was definitely part of the songbook for the folkie-beatnik family I grew up in, along with Union Maid and Little Boxes. We were basically Pete Seeger groupies.
CP. No reference to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 1996 album The Murder Ballads? Got it all. Reckon over the 10 songs there are 64 murders.
Well that was interesting. Can’t beat a good murder ballad. In Fairport Convention’s ‘Matty Groves’ you get two murders for your money - and a jaunty tune that belies the subject matter.
When I was in the second grade, there was a guy who would come around to play acoustic guitar and lead songs. He always played Sloop John B and Tom Dooley. I remember thinking “what are they preparing us for, I better keep my eye on this guy” .
When I was a kid, My Granddad used to sing Tom Dooley to us young’uns. He had survived the great depression working as a sharecropper and his Tom Dooley had a sharp edge. He did a more Ralph Stanley singing Pretty Polly version. He taught me to play it on guitar and the Wildwood Flower after that. Of course, Rock and Roll was what I really wanted to learn. But that music stuck with me, and I eventually came to learn that some of those old folk songs are about as rocking as it gets.
Thanks for the Dooley lesson and giving me a reason to reminisce about Ole Granddad.
Well, Neil also sang about “Down by the River , I shot my baby “. Is this a murder ballad as well? Bluegrass music has quite a few of these tales of lust and unrequited love which end in some poor girl being dispatched to great beyond. Clearly these mountain folk did not have cable tv or internet service or they might have known better than to assume they could just dispose of their romantic attachments without suffering the consequences. On the other hand if everyone thought things out in a rational manner , there’s a ton of songs that would have never been written. Another great in depth and thoughtful piece Chuck!
The Kingston Trio rises yet again! Did you see that Buddy Woodward is a current member? Hahaha!
Fascinating reading. In your inimitable style. When I see you this coming Saturday in Novato can I expect CP&ME to pull a Neil and do a version of Tom Dooley? That would be something. Thanks.