woody guthrie
I'm ruffling feathers now, but Woody Guthrie was not a good artist. I am also rocking the boat: he was not a clever lyricist, either. He was an activist, a good writer using music as a tool for agitation without being especially musical at all; also stated by the sticker
on his guitar. He became a legend because of his attitudes, courage and the political scene in his time, poisoned by Red Scare and Racial Prejudice. Thumbs up for THAT, but I've always had problems with his stumbling lyrics and clumsy melodies. His best inheritance is all the people he inspired, and they were many; some of them growing to be legends themselves.
A good example is this song. In July 1940, Victor released "Dust Bowl Songs vol.II", a box-set containing three 78-rpm singles, following "Dust Bowl Songs" from earlier the same year. Victor had for some time been searching for an artist to compete with Columbia's Burl Ives on folk songs, and grabbed Guthrie, who at that time was a hobo among other okies. "Dirty Old Dust", later more commonly known as "So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh" from the refrain, was one of the sides. The song is partially based on the traditional "Billy the Kid", given a chorus and new both witty and dark lyrics, but didn't catch any special interest. The reason must be the awkward performance and production.
Ten years afterwards, in December 1950, Gordon Jenkins and His Orchestra tidied it up, gave it some discipline and recorded it together with The Weavers. In 1951, Folkways Music Publishers Inc. published the song and promoted it to major record labels. From that on, almost all anglophone folk singers with self-respect have put it on their playlist, now and then with alternate lyrics, and it became a signature song for The Weavers.
The "Dust Bowl" term refers to weather disasters in the Midwest of USA during the thirties, causing severe problems for farmers and ranchers and resulting in hunger and crowds of homeless people; more than half a million of Americans lost their homes. At that time, most settlers thought that "rain followed the plow", and ignored that the prairie is fragile due to frequent and unpredictable droughts, strong winds, hard winters and sparse topsoil. Overgrazing and traditional deep plowing resulted in wind erosion and brought the irreplaceable topsoil to dust storms and fallouts often hundreds of miles away.
Woody Guthrie was a storyteller; he just describes the situation he was a part of himself. But I wonder what he had written today. Though better understanding of the ecology of the plains, and despite Government laws and restrictions, this is STILL ongoing, because too many people are neglecting environment matters and warnings from Mother Earth ... even in the Government.
I've sung this song but I'll sing it again
of the place that I lived on the wild windy plains
in the month called April : in a county called Gray
and here's what all of the people there say
so long : it's been good to know yuh
so long : it's been good to know yuh
so long : it's been good to know yuh
this dusty old dust is a-gettin' my home
and I've got to be driftin' along
a dust storm hit and it hit just like thunder
it dusted us over and it covered us under
blocked out the traffic and blocked out the sun
straight for home all the people did run
singin' "so long : it's been good to know yuh ..."
we talked of the end of the world and by then
we'd sing a song and then sing it again
we'd sit for an hour and not say a word
and then these words would finally be heard
"so long : it's been good to know yuh ..."
sweethearts sat in the dark and they sparked
they hugged and they kissed in that dusty old dark
they sighed and they cried : they hugged and they kissed
but instead of marriage they talked just like this
honey "so long : it's been good to know yuh ..."
now the telephone rang and it jumped off the wall
that was the preacher a-makin' his call
he said "kind friend : this may be the end
and you've got your last chance at salvation of sin"
the churches were jammed and the churches were packed
and that dusty old dust storm was blowin' so black
preacher could not read a word of his text
so he folded his specs : he took up the collection
saying "so long : it's been good to know yuh ..."
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
G Em C D7 I've sung this song but I'll sing it again G Em C D7 of the place that I lived on the wild windy plains G G7 C A7 in the month called April in a county called Gray Bm E7 D7 G and here's what all of the people there say G so long it's been good to know yuh D D7 G so long it's been good to know yuh G G7 C A7 so long it's been good to know yuh Bm E7 A7 D7 this dusty old dust is a-gettin' my home D D7 G and I've got to be driftin' along
For REALLY imagining Guthrie, you strip the song for ANY chord except G, C and D; filling in which of them sounds suitable. And you'd better put on a sticker saying «This Machine Kills Fingers".
