Wayne Erbsen, Author at Bluegrass Today

Two Meatballs in the Sand – Mangled Bluegrass Song Lyrics

I guess you can say I’ve had a love affair with words almost since before I learned to talk. Since moving to North Carolina from California in 1972, I’ve learned that a “minner dipper” is a mandolin, a “scratch box” is a fiddle, and a “starvation box” is a guitar. I’ve learned that a cathead is a biscuit, a ballet is a ballad and catawampus means crosswise. I’ve met fleshy (overweight) people and those who could hide behind a straw (skinny). I’ve seen people who cootered around aimlessly while being bumfusticated, flummoxed and flustrated. I’ve been told haint (ghost) stories by knot-headed (dumb or stubborn) folks who put stuff in polks (sacks). I’ve grown and shaved a soup strainer (mustache), got hitched (married) but have yet to visit a yarb (herb) doctor or grannywoman (midwife).

The words to bluegrass songs have been a source of particular fascination to me. Back in 1965 while still living in California, I went to a bluegrass show in a small club in Berkeley, California called the Jabberwalk. On stage was Joe Val and the Charles River Valley Boys. I remember that the banjo player, Bob Siggins, joked about the lyrics of the Bill Monroe song, “Goodbye Old Pal.” Siggins suggested that instead of “to me boys it was sad,” he always thought it was “two meatballs in the sand.”

Recently, I got to wondering how other singers have accidentally mangled the words of other bluegrass songs. Come to find out, there’s actually a word for mangled lyrics: mondegreens. Who knew?

When I asked some of my bluegrass buddies, students and friends what mondegreens they have heard or song, here’s what they contributed.

Are your varmints washed
(Are your garments washed) from Washed in the Blood.

With a naked horse.
(With an achin’ heart) from Doing My Time.

My feet stink on the mantel
(I’m feasting on the manna) from Beulah Land.

I fought the green creature down in the dark valley.
(I fought the grim reaper down in the dark valley) from I’ve Lived a Lot in My Time.

It is a whale that is hurt upon the shore.
(It is a wail that is heard upon the shore) from Stephen Foster’s Hard Times Come Again No More.

The ants are my friends, they’re blowing in wind
(The answer my friend is blowing in the wind) from Blowing in the Wind.

Feta cheese and hair
(Faded cheeks and hair) from Wandering Boy.

May I walk on your lawn every day
(May I walk in your light everyday) from Lord Have Mercy.

There’ll be no detours in Heaven, Nora froze along the way
(There’ll be no detours in Heaven, No rough roads along the way) From I’m Using My Bible For a Roadmap.

Hold back the Russian menace
(Hold back the rushing minutes) from My Baby’s Gone.

The mandolin player ate cheese whiz.
(The man in the middle is Jesus) from The Man in the Middle.

They call me by a number of naughty names
(They call me by a number, not a name) from Doin’ My Time.

Oh beautiful and spaceship skies.
(O beautiful for spacious skies) from America the Beautiful.

Lonesome Light Bulb Waltz.
(Lonesome Moonlight Waltz).

Although your love was even colder, I’ll wear your underwear tonight.
(Although your love is even colder, I wonder where you are tonight). from I Wonder Where You Are Tonight.

Big spy camera
(Big spike hammer)

Bright day will turn to night my love, the elephants will mourn
(Bright day will turn to night my love the elements will mourn) from The Blackest Crow.

Can I get you now, or must the hen I take
(Can I get you now, or must I hesitate) from The Hesitation Blues.

She’d row t’church a Sunday She’d pass me on by, I saw her mind was changing Bada-ol-bing on her eye
(She’d go to church on Sunday, She passed me on by, I saw her mind was changing by the roving of her eye) from Handsome Molly.

That’s the way I giddy my gnome
(That way I’ll get him I know) from Feast Here Tonight.

Poison tomatoes are taking our loved ones
(Wars and tornadoes are taking our loved ones) from The Family Who Prays.

My time on earth is buttered Spam.
(My time on earth is but a span) from A Beautiful Life.

If you’re like me, you might find these mangled verses more interesting than the “real” ones. Big thanks goes out to everyone who contributed to this collection! If you’d like to contribute your favorite manged lyrics, by all means, send them my way!

Figuring Out Chords at the Shindig on the Green

Shindig. To people in western North Carolina where I live, Shindig is short for Shindig on the Green, which is an outdoor bluegrass music festival held on the courthouse steps in Asheville. Now in its forty-fifth year, the Shindig is a unique summer festival, drawing regional bluegrass and old-time musicians who just want to get together to pick and socialize and strut their musical stuff on stage. For the musicians, it’s not a paid gig, just a big music party with a large audience. Only the house band, The Stoney Creek Boys, get paid.

On Labor Day, I attended the last Shindig of the season with my band of twelve students, which we call The Log Cabin Band. After our part of the show was over, I noticed ex-Blue Grass Boy Ralph Lewis sitting behind the stage, so I sat and chatted with Ralph about his days as a member of Bill Monroe’s band in the 1970s. When Ralph became distracted and began talking with one his fans, I drifted off and started hanging out with several local fiddlers. We soon struck up the tune North Carolina Breakdown, which was composed by Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith. Before we launched into the next tune, I noticed a woman standing expectantly next to us with her guitar in its case, so I told her to break it out and play with us. She hurriedly got out her guitar, and then I spotted trouble. She began nervously thumbing through her notebook, desperately looking for the chords to the tune were about to play, Whiskey Before Breakfast. I think she found them, but by then we were playing the tune hell-bent-for-leather, and she couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to keep up. Balancing her notebook on her guitar while trying to follow the many chord changes wasn’t working.

The other two fiddlers soon disbursed into the crowd, and I was left standing there with the guitarist. Since she knew I was a teacher, she asked me for advice on following fiddle tunes on the guitar. Here’s a few of the things I told her.

Backing up fiddle tunes is always a fun, yet challenging thing to do. Like California, western North Carolina is a musically diverse place, so the fiddlers you’re likely to find often play any number of styles and play an almost infinite number of tunes. The thought of carrying around a notebook with chord changes to all the possible tunes you might be called on to accompany would be a daunting task, at best.

Instead of the notebook approach, let’s talk about how to figure out what chords go where. In any jam session situation, you’ll need to know the key the next tune or song will be in. The problem is that if you ask the key before each and every tune, you’ll become highly annoying and people will want to run you out of town on a rail! Instead of always asking the key of each tune, lay back, observe, and the key will usually “reveal” itself. If you’re a closet picker who is venturing out to one of your first jams, you can only hope that there’s another experienced guitar player to follow. Sit where you can see their chording hand, and when they put a capo on their instrument, you do the same. Watch them like a hawk, and play the chords they do.

Fiddle Tunes

It’s important to be able to recognize the form or structure of a particular fiddle tune. The most common old-time fiddle tunes have two parts, and each part is repeated before going on to the next part. Some bluegrass tunes like Pike County Breakdown, only have one part, so you’re in luck there. A few of the older fiddle tunes might have three, four or even five parts, but those are rare, so don’t freak out (yet) about that because you may never run into those kinds of tunes.

Bluegrass songs have a structure all their own, distinct from fiddle tunes. The most common bluegrass song is built on a verse/chorus pattern. Bluegrass songs will start with a solo or break, where the instrumentalist will normally play the verse. Then the lead singer will sing the verse followed by the chorus. Your biggest unknown will be whether the chorus has the same chord progression as the verse, or whether it will have a set of chords all its own.

When you’re trying to figure out the chords to a song or tune, the melody will be your guide to unravel the mystery of the chord progression. The melody normally harmonizes and sounds good with certain chords. When the chord you’re on clashes with the melody, that means you’re on the wrong chord. Quickly switch to another one that you think will harmonize with the melody.

TIP #1: It’s usually wise to stay on a chord until it’s painfully obvious you’re on the wrong chord. Since most bluegrass songs only have three chords (eg. G, C and D), you have a 50/50 chance of landing on the right chord just by the luck of the draw.

TIP #2: The melody of most bluegrass songs contain a fair amount of repetition. For example, in many songs the melody of the first and third lines are identical. Thus you don’t have to continually reinvent the wheel. Just fall back on what chords you already figured out.

With practice and experience and more than a little determination, you’ll get a handle on playing chords behind bluegrass and old-time tunes. Have fun and good luck.

Happy Songs of Sunshine and Light

A while back I was invited to bring my fiddle to a potluck party some friends of mine hosted in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. I brought along my instrument in the hopes of finding some bluegrass musicians to jam with.

When I arrived at the converted barn where the party was being held, I saw a guitar learning up against the corner, so I sidled up to the guitar’s owner and introduced myself. As I shook howdy with him I asked him what kind of music he played, so I’d know whether our styles would be compatible. But that’s when the trouble began. As I waited for his response and the seconds ticked by, his eyes rolled back in his head, his body started to sway, and a far-away look appeared on his face. Finally he says, “I play music with a POSITIVE message.” I just stood there staring at him. Unable to contain my mischievous side, I said, “Well, I play music with a NEGATIVE message.”

Thinking my explanation wasn’t quite complete, I went on to say that “I just love songs of deep pain and suffering.” To put the icing on the cake, I told him “my favorites are songs of dying orphans and homeless widows,” and finished it off with “you can’t hardly beat a good murder ballad.”

The awkward silence that followed convinced me that our new relationship was in the gutter. I soon excused myself, and slipped off to get lost amongst the other party goers. Needless to say, we did not jam that night. The food at the potluck was so good that I forgot all about picking, and concentrated instead on some serious eating.

In thinking back on that night, I realize that the guitarist at the party must have thought me very strange. Somehow, it wasn’t the time or place to have a serious conversation with him about what, in my opinion, makes a good bluegrass song.

If the time had been right, and he would have been receptive, I would have told him that in the kind of music I play (bluegrass, old-time, Gospel), most of the songs express the tragic side of life. These are the songs that had the deepest meaning to people whose lives had been hard. I would have said that many of the oldest English and Scottish ballads were about murder and death. Building on the old ballads, most of the music of the 19^th century was clearly of the sentimental variety. These tragic songs made their way into popular culture via late 19^th century songsmiths who wrote for the popular stage. These professional songwriters had offices in an area of New York City known as “Tin Pan Alley.” The leading publishers printed and sold lavishly illustrated sheet music of these tragic songs.

Eventually, many of these sad laments found their way into the repertoire of some of the same old-time musicians who pioneered the earliest roots of bluegrass. A quick look at the repertoire of such groups as the Carter Family, Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers or even Jimmy Rogers will show a strong attraction toward these tragic songs.

A portion of this article was taken from the book Rural Roots of Bluegrass by Wayne Erbsen, published by Native Ground Books & Music.

It’s the Melody, Stupid!

In 1992, Bill Clinton grabbed headlines with the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid,” and used it to unseat George Bush as President.

I’m not trying to stir up old political feuds or throw a hissy fit, but my point here should be as plain as the nose on your face. In playing traditional bluegrass, the melody should be considered almost sacred.

Bluegrass music is the delicate balance between tradition and innovation. In order to maintain the traditional side of bluegrass music, the melodies and well as the lyrics must be kept more or less intact. The hot licks we all aspire to are fine in their place, but let’s not stray too far away from the melodic roots of our music. If we do, we stand to lose the very foundation of traditional bluegrass music.

To illustrate the importance of honoring the melodies of the bedrock traditional bluegrass songs, here is a list of some of the older songs that were at the heart of the repertoire of the first generations of bluegrass musicians. Along with the song titles, I’ve included the first performers to record them. If you’re new to bluegrass, these are the traditional songs to learn.

Black-Eyed Susie – Gid Tanner & Riley Puckett (1924)

Blue Ridge Mountain Blues – George Reneau & Gene Austin (1924)

Bury Me Beneath the Willow – Henry Whitter (1923)It’s the Melody, Stupid!

Down in the Willow Gardens – G.B. Grayson & Henry Whitter (1927)

East Tennessee Blues – Al Hopkins & His Buckle Busters (1926)

Feast Here Tonight – The Prairie Ramblers (1933)

Handsome Molly – G.B. Grayson & Henry Whitter (1928)

If I Lose – Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers (1927)

In the Pines – Dock Walsh (1926)

Jimmy Brown the Newsboy – The Carter Family (1929)

John Hardy – Eva Davis (1924)

John Henry – Fiddlin’ John Carson (1924)

Katie Kline – Ernest V. Stoneman (1926)

Knoxville Girl – Riley Puckett (1924)

Little Bessie – Buell Kazee (1928)

Little Rosewood Casket – Ernest Thompson (1924)

Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane – Fiddlin’ John Carson (1923)

Little Maggie – G.B. Grayson & Henry Whitter (1928)

Little Whitewashed Chimney – Jess Hillard (1933)

Maple on the Hill – Vernon Dalhart (1926)

Midnight on the Stormy Deep – Lester McFarland & Robert A. Gardner (1928)

My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains – Kelly Harrell (1925)

Nine Pound Hammer – Al Hopkins & His Buckle Busters (1927)

Old Joe Clark – Fiddlin’ John Carson (1923)

Poor Ellen Smith -Henry Whitter (1924)

Pretty Polly – John Hammond (1925)

Roll on Buddy – Al Hopkins & His Buckle Busters (1927)

Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms – Buster Carter & Preston Young ((1931)

Sally Gooden – Eck Robertson (1922)

Short Life of Trouble – Burnett & Rutherford (1926)

Sweet Sunny South – Da Costa Waltz’s Southern Broadcasters (1927)

The Girl I Left In Sunny Tennessee – Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers (1925)

White House Blues – Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers (1926)

Wildwood Flower – the Carter Family (1929)

Even though I’ve put my foot down hard in favor of maintaining the integrity of the melodies of traditional bluegrass songs, I can’t leave this subject without admitting that a certain amount of improvisation is often a good thing. A good rule of thumb is to play the melody “straight” the first time through. On the next pass, go uptown with it, and come back down to earth on the final run through. You want to give the melody your own unique twist, while still letting your listeners know where the real heart of the tune lies.

As my late friend Jack Link once said, “make the tune so that it suits your own way of playing and your own soul.”

Footprints in the Snow

One of the classic Bill Monroe songs of all time is Footprints in the Snow. Despite the fact that Bill claimed authorship under the pseudonym Rupert Jones, the song was much older.

According to Neil Rosenberg, Bill learned it in the early 1930s when he was at the National Barn Dance in Chicago. The song was first recorded on June 4, 1931 by Ernest Branch & the West Virginia Ramblers under the title Little Footprints.

With the help of my old friend Guthrie Meade, I have managed to track down the origin of the song. The author of this English music hall song was one Harry Wright, who composed it in about 1880 under the title Footmarks in the Snow.

Here are the original lyrics:

Some lovers like the summer time when they can stroll about
Spooning in the meadows may be grand without a doubt
But give me the winter time, for the girl I have made mine
Was captured while the snow was on the ground.

I traced her little footmarks in the snow,
I traced her little footmarks in the snow.
I bless that winter’s day when Nelly lost her way
And I traced her little footmarks in the snow.

I called to see the girl I love one winter’s afternoon,
That she had gone out walking they informed me very soon,
They said she’d strolled away, but where they could not say,
So I started off to find her in the snow.

I saw her little footprint just outside the cottage door,
I traced it down a country lane, I traced it to the moor,
I found she’d lost her way, there she stood in blank dismay,
Not knowing where to steer for in the snow.

I called her, she saw me, and as we were walking home,
She promised me that never more without me would she roam,
I’m happy now for life, for her I’ve made my wife,
Whose footmarks I traced plainly in the snow.

Bill Monroe first recorded Footprints in the Snow on February 13, 1945 at the Castle Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Besides Monroe on lead vocal and mandolin, the band included Tex Willis on guitar, Chubby Wise on fiddle, David Akeman (“Stringbean”) on banjo, Wilene “Sally Ann” Forrester on accordion, and Bill Westbrook on bass.

In 1952, Monroe went back into the studio and recorded the song again. This time his band included Jimmy Martin on guitar, Ernie Newton on bass, fourteen year old Sonny Osborne on banjo and Charlie Cline on fiddle.

Speaking about Charlie Cline reminds me of a hilarious story I just read in Tom A. Adler’s new book entitled Bean Blossom.

Apparently, Charlie was fond of pulling pranks. Besides being a brilliant and versatile musician, Charlie excelled at snoring really loud. One time in the early 1950s, members of the Blue Grass Boys were all sleeping in one of the little cabins at Bean Blossom. Charlie’s loud snoring was keeping everyone awake, so they all decided to play a prank on Charlie.

As Charlie snored away, Gordon Terry, Red Taylor and possibly Edd Mayfield picked up the cot where Charlie was sleeping and carried it outside. They then locked the door to keep him from getting back in. This was in the fall, so there was a fire burning in the woodstove in the cabin.

Charlie found a burlap sack, climbed on the roof, and stuffed the sack down in the stovepipe. As the cabin filled with smoke, the coughing musicians rushed outside. When they did, Charlie ran inside the cabin and locked the door!

Portions of this article originally appeared in Wayne’s book, The Rural Roots of Bluegrass.