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Remembering Bill
by Rani Arbo The first time I met Bill, in the spring of 2001, we were both at Knoll Farm for Peter and Helen's wedding. I found him shingling a tiny yurt outhouse up Bragg Hill and offered my unskilled help. And so we nailed, and all the while he sang, punctuating his songs with wry comments about my hammer skills. Every song was preceded by "Maybe you know this one?" and then he would launch another mischievous, melodic tune with many verses, of which he remembered three or four, and snatches beyond that. He seemed to have hundreds of these songs, and pulled out about as many of them as nails from his pocket that afternoon. The last time I visited Bill, in the summer of 2013, we sat down together on the couch in the library yurt so he could show me his new concertina, on loan from a friend. "I think I could learn to play this in my old age," he said, noting that it was easier on knobby fingers than something with strings. He had written out a list of 14 songs in his spidery blue script; these, he thought, would be good ones to start with. Wabash Cannonball was at the top, followed by the Yellow Rose of Texas and Leatherwing Bat. Not being a concertina player, I did my best — we tested it out, located some chords for Amazing Grace, and wrote them down. Next, Bill presented a sheaf of lined paper, upon which he had handwritten and alphabetized a list of more than 450 songs and rounds. "There are many more, but these are the ones I can recall," he said. He suggested that some of these could be added to a book of songs for gatherings (in part, I believe, to solve the problem of being the only one who knew his favorites). That summer, we recorded part of a group sing in Guest Yurt. Listening back, I'm struck by how playful his singing is, full of dramatic pauses and trills, hey-hos, master storytelling and joy. I wish we'd known more of his verses to sing along, as he wanted, but it was also beautiful and moving to hear his tremulous, musical voice reaching back into memory for yet another verse. Bill's list is full of sea shanties, children's songs, college songs, and traditional folk songs from the U.S., Germany, and Mexico; it includes many songs from Joseph Marais, the Clancy Brothers, Harry Belafonte, Glen Yarborough, the Trapp family, and other popular folk revivalists of the 1950s. It also includes popular compositions from the late 1800s and early 1900s like "Grandfather's Clock" and "Nicodemus," "Bill Bailey," and "Alexander's Ragtime Band" that have remained favorites in parlor rooms (and yurts) for more than a hundred years. NB: Bill's tally (453) includes several doubles I removed from the list, and a few I left in (like "Jambalaya"/"Big Fun on the Bayou. I corrected a few of the spellings (of International songs in particular) so that others can more easily search for them. A few were undecipherable to me; please correct the titles if you know them. I kept Bill's asterisks — his favorites — and notes about the source of some of the songs. Rounds for Book for Gathering Bill meant to have 50 but skipped #45, so there are 49 here. 1. Great Tom is Cast 2. Ghost of Tom 3. White Sands & Grey Sands 4. Gar en Haute 5. Margery, Serve well the Black Sow 6. The Hart He Loves the High Wood 7. Music Alone Shall Live 8. To the Greenwood, Greenwood Tree 9. Take Your Lover to the Wood 10. Money Will Make My Mare to Go 11. Chairs to Mend 12. I Gave her Cake and I Gave Her Ale 13. Fie Thee, Prithee John 14. Little Tom Tinker 15. Alles Schweiget 16. Es Tönen Die Lieder 17. French Cathedrals 18. I Love the Mountains, I Love the Rolling Hills 19. Make New Friends, Keep the Old 20. Frere Jaque, Fray Filipe 21. He That Would an Alehouse Keep 22. Dona Nobis 23. Heigh, Ho, Nobody Home 24. Oh How Lovely is the Evening 25. Why Doesn't My Goose 26. My Dame Has a Lame, Tame Crane 27. White Coral Bills 28. Vine & Fig Tree 29. Little Jock Horner 30. People Who Live in Glass Houses 31. Slaves to the World 32. Three Blind Mice 33. London Burning 34. Late Last Night, When We Were in Bed (Hot time in the old town tonight) 35. Old King Cole 36. For Health and Strength 37. My Paddle's Keen and Bright 38. Liese tond die Abendglocke 39. Adieu sweet Amarilis 40. Signor Abate... 41. Bona not, mit ein rechotx (?) 42. God has created a new day 43. Put on your old grey bonnet 44. Sur le pont d'Avingnon 45. Down by the station 46. Scotland's burning 47. My candle burns at both ends 48. Der Jäger wollte schießen gehn 49. Es blies ein Jäger Noll in sine Horn... Favorite Songs Jan 25, 2013 453 songs (including 50 rounds) *Alberta let your hair hang low Als wir jungst in Regensbarg Waren Au Claire de la Lune Ame, Ame, Fure fure kaasan ga (Japanese) Alla en el rancho grande Amazing Grace Abdulla Bul Bul Emir A-Roving Alles Scheezget?? * Away Rio Angels watching over me So. Australia Alexander's Ragtime Band After the Ball Aupres de ma blonde Annie Laurie The Ash Grove * Big Fun on the Bayou (Harry Belafonte) Blowing in the Wind Blow the Man Down * Brazos River Buckeye Jim * Blow ye Winds of Morning * Bold Taddy Quill (Clancy Bros) Banks of the Ohio Beautiful Ohio Bosom of Abraham Black-eyed Susy Betsy from Pike *Brennan on the Moor Bist du ein fleißiger Gesell Beautiful Brown Eyes Bon Voyage, Monsigneur Dumollet * Beside the Windmill (Marais) * Brandy, Leave Me Alone (Marais) Boire un Petit Coup Border Trail Bonnie Dundee Big Rock Candy Mountain Bury Me Not On the Lone Prairie * Billie Barlow * Black Velvet Band Bimini * Bill Bailey Balm in Gilead Bring a Torch By the Light of the Silvery Moon Battle of New Orleans * Come to the Bower (Clancy) Cruel War * Come Listen Belle & Ball (Clancy) Chocolate Whiskey & Vanilla Gin Cherry Tree Carole Cindy (get along home) Ceilito Lindo Chairs to Mend Cockles & Mussels Cookoo, Cooko Capital Shop Come All You Young Fellows Camptown Races * Cat Came Back (Marais) Carolina Moon Coney Island Washboard Blues Come Follow, Follow, Follow Me Copper Kettle * Country Road Cripple Creek Chevalier de la Table Ronde Coming Through the Rye * Carolina on my Mind Casey Jones * Courtin' in the Kitchen (Clancy) Deep Blue Sea Darling Nellie Gray Don't Cry Lady Dixie * Drummer & the Cook Delia Dark as a Dungeon Der Jäger wollte schießen gehn * Dem (?) Barton's Drums (dreams?) Don't Leave me for an Old Maid * Dark Island Don't Fence Me In Dan Tucker Do Lord Down by the Station Dear Little Buffalo Boy Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer, Do Down by the Old Mill Stream Danny Boy Down in the Valley Drunken Sailor Eddystone Light El Carcelero Es Tonen die Lieder Erie Canal Es Blies em Jaeger Ezekiel Saw the Wheel Ein Hund Lief in die Kuche Early One Morning Just as the Sun (Trapp) Every Time I Feel the Spirit Finnegan's Wake Fiddler of Dooney * Farewell to Tarwathie Fox Went Out Freedom Hymn (Lowell) Follow the Drinking Gourd For Me and My Gal * Fiddler's Green Foggy Foggy Dew Go Down Moses Git Along Little Dogies * Greenland Whales Girl I Left Behind Me Go Tell it on the Mountain * Gum Tree Canoe Golden Vanity * Generale muy Valiente Gar en haut, gar en bas (?) Go Tell Aunt Rhody G.L.O.R.Y. for we're S.A.V.E.D Green Grow the Rushes, Oh Garden Song Grandfather's Clock Give Me that Old Time Religion Heart of my Heart Had I a Golden Thread Holly and the Ivy Hae Long Gone Hai Lushka Lushka (Hindi) Happy Plowman He Ain't Gonna Race No More Hallelujah I'm a Bum Hard Times Come Again No More Hey Look Me Over Hard Ain't it Hard Hush Little Baby Haul Away Joe He's Got the Whole World I Love to Go A-Wandering Irish Washerwoman * I Was Wandering Down the Streets of Laredo I Know Where I'm Going I Come for to Sing (Glen Yarborough) Irish Fragment (Glend Yarborough) * I'm Comin' Home Again * I Look to See the Wildflowers Blooming * If My Words Did Glow I've Got a Home in Glory Land * Irish Rover Ilka Moor Baht Hat I Don't Care if You Go to Sea I Don't Like McFarland (Redpath) If You Knew Susie It's a-me, oh Lord I'm On My Way I Ride an Old Paint I want a girl just like the girl... I've a Fine Felt Hat I've Been Working on the Railroad I Got Shoes I Know the Lord If I Had a Hammer I'm Gonna Wash that Man I'm Looking Over a 4-leafed Clover Jacob's Ladder Jambalaya Jesus Walked This Lonesome Road * John B. Sails Jack's the Son of the Deep Blue Sea Jack of Diamonds Jon Pirivit ? (Marais) Johnny at the Bandy Legs (Marais) Juanito John Henry Joshua Fit de Battle of Jericho Joe Hill Jingle Bells Jamaica Farewell (Belafonte) Jubilate Jackie Boy? Master? Kooka Burra * Kilgarry Mountain (Clancy) Kentucky Babe Kisses Sweeter Than Wine Katharine's Wedding (Marais) * Leatherwing Bat * Little Old Sod Shanty * Land of the Horsefly, the Bedbug & Flea Luke Tanner's Daughter Lunnenberge Heide Los Loch der Fugent * Los Quatro Muleros Las Mananitas Lolly Tulum (?) Little Brown Jug * Logger Lover (also the Frozen Logger) * La Llorona * Lake of Ponchartrain * La Bamba Lavender Blue Lord of the Dance Let Me Call You Sweetheart Landlord, Fill the Flowing Bowl Loch Lomond Lady Who Swallowd a Fly Missouri Waltz Mary Don't You Weep Mary Had a Baby Marianita Marching to Pretoria * My Darling When the Sun Goes Down (Marais) Mrs. Murphy's Chowder Mrs. O'Leary Muffin Man My Gal Sal Mariah Morenita Mournier, Tu Dors Mea mea Limonero (Mi Limon, Mi Limonero?) Mary Hamilton Michael Row Your Boat Ashore My Rambling Boy Man on a Flying Trapeze My Blue Heaven Midnight Special Mountain Dew * New York Girls, Can't You Dance the Polka Noah Built the Ark * Nicodemus * Nel Flaherty Drake (Clancy) No John, No Now the Day is Over Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen Old Orange Flute (Clancy) Old Man River * Old Dan Tucker (he got drunk) Oh I Went to Peter's Flowing Spring On Top of Old Smokey * One Morning in May (Trapp) Old Time Religion Over the Rainbow * Old Rosin the Bow Old Folks at Home * Old Joe Clark Oh Susanna * Poor Miss Bailey Polly Wolly Doodle Puff the Magic Dragon Palo, Palo, Palo Put on Your Old Gray Bonnet Putting on the Style Pack up Your Troubles Preacher Went Down in the Cellar to Pray Red Corvette River is Deep.. Red Wing Roll On, Columbia, Roll On... * Road to the Isles * Rosita Alvirez (la Jorona) Ra Ra Brunonia * Rum by Gum (Salvation Army Fruitcake) Rambling Boy Rooty Toot Toot Red is the Rose Red River Valley Riddle Song Rio Grande * Rising of the Moon (Clancy) * Rock Island Line * Railroading on the Great Divide * Roses Gone Again Sidewalks of New York * So Long, It's Been Good to Know Ya Soldier, Will You Marry Me Sie Sagt Sie Latfiel Gulden (?) Schone ist Ein Zylinderhut Skeeters are A-humming Slinging the ?? (rink?) Skye Boat Song Sweetheart's the Mule in the Mine Sister Suzzy's Turn (poss. Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts?) Saints Go Marching In * Sir Wilt Thou Lend me (money will make my mare to go) * Sound of the Jubilo * Sheep are Coming Down the Road (Marais) Silvie * Spanish is a Loving Tongue * South Coast * Shuttle and Loom (Glen Yarborough) Seeing Nellie Home Sourwod Mountain Sacrimiento Shenandoah Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Simple Gifts Shortnin' Bread Some Enchanted Evening Summertime Sixteen Tons She'l Be Coming Round the Mountain Satisfied Mind South Australia Skier's Regimen Swing Down Sweetheart * Sarie Marais (Marais) Starving to Death on my Government Claim Sea Chanties I Took My Girl Out Walking Trotskyite Mam of Mine (?! can't find this one) Tirloerland du bist so Schon * Tam Pierce Turkey in the Straw To My Dear Wife, My Joy in Life Trois Orfevres a Saint Eloi * Tis Advertised in Boston * That's My Pa * This Old House (Clooney) Tom Dooley Tennessee Waltz * Three Jolly Rogues of Lynn *Tanta Mina (Marais) Trail of the Lonesome Pine Tipperarry Take Me Out to the Ball Game This Land is Your Land Times are Getting Hard, Boys This Little Light of Mine There's a long, Long Trail A-Winding Take This Hammer This Old Man Turn, Turn, Turn There Ought to Be a Law Against That Two Boards Upon Cold Powder Snow Tante Koba (Marais) Vrenli Von Luzerne aus Weggis Zu Virgin Unspotted Wait Til the Sun Shines, Nellie * Wild Colonial Boy * West Virgia When Pa was a Little Boy Wenn es Schenit in Zillertal * Wee Cooper of Fife Won't You Waltz Again With Me Wir Lieben die Sturme We're Bound for Australia Waltzing Matilda * We Poor Sailors go Skipping * Whiskey for the Devil (Clancy) * Whistling Gypsy * Wildwood Flower * Wabash Cannonball (Huddie Ledbetter) * Wreck of Old 97 *We Were all Sailors Till the Day (Bimini Bay) Worried Man Wenns die Soldaten When You're Aching with the Miseries * Whiskey in the Jar (Clancy) While Peeking through the Knothole Water is Wide Wild West (Tom Lehrer) Worried Man Blues When I First Came to This Land When the Saints Go Marching In Well May the Keel Row (Yarborough) Yellow Rose of Texas You are my Sunshine |