Michael Embry's Blog, page 56
June 17, 2012
Story Songs: Green, Green Grass of Home
I've known people to get teary-eyed after listening to "Green, Green Grass of Home." This story song, by veteran songwriter Claude "Curly" Putman Jr., is about a homecoming of a different kind.
It opens with a soft and tender melody along with comforting lyrics that many of us probably feel when we think of returning to our roots or visiting loved ones.
"The old home town looks the same,As I step down from the train,And there to meet me is my mama and papaDown the road I look and there runs MaryHair of gold and lips like cherriesIt's good to touch the green, green grass of home"
But the last verse of the song reveals that a person on death row in a prison was having dream, recalling the happy and tender years of his life.
"Then I awake and look around meCold gray walls surround meAnd I realize that I was only dreamin'There's a guard and there's a sad old padreArm and arm we'll walk at daybreakAgain I'll touch the green, green grass of home"
And we learn that his homecoming will be bittersweet for his parents and sweetheart.
"Yes, they'll all be there to meet meIn the shadow of that old oak treeAs they lay me beneath the green, green grass of home"
Putman wrote a song for the ages because the listener can substitute any loved one who is returning home for the last time -- perhaps even how they may view their own journey to a final resting place. Simply beautiful and heartfelt lyrics.
The song has been covered by many artists including Porter Wagoner, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, and Joan Baez. My favorite version is by Tom Jones, who made the song an international hit in 1966.
Try to keep dry eyes after listening to Putman's masterpiece.
"Green, Green Grass of Home" lyrics
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It opens with a soft and tender melody along with comforting lyrics that many of us probably feel when we think of returning to our roots or visiting loved ones.
"The old home town looks the same,As I step down from the train,And there to meet me is my mama and papaDown the road I look and there runs MaryHair of gold and lips like cherriesIt's good to touch the green, green grass of home"
But the last verse of the song reveals that a person on death row in a prison was having dream, recalling the happy and tender years of his life.
"Then I awake and look around meCold gray walls surround meAnd I realize that I was only dreamin'There's a guard and there's a sad old padreArm and arm we'll walk at daybreakAgain I'll touch the green, green grass of home"
And we learn that his homecoming will be bittersweet for his parents and sweetheart.
"Yes, they'll all be there to meet meIn the shadow of that old oak treeAs they lay me beneath the green, green grass of home"
Putman wrote a song for the ages because the listener can substitute any loved one who is returning home for the last time -- perhaps even how they may view their own journey to a final resting place. Simply beautiful and heartfelt lyrics.
The song has been covered by many artists including Porter Wagoner, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, and Joan Baez. My favorite version is by Tom Jones, who made the song an international hit in 1966.
Try to keep dry eyes after listening to Putman's masterpiece.
"Green, Green Grass of Home" lyrics
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June 15, 2012
Another Great Season
I’m looking forward to a play-full summer.
I recently purchased a pair of season tickets for the summer season of the Kentucky Repertory Theatre at Horse Cave .
My wife and I will attend productions of “Cotton Patch Gospel,” “Lombardi,” “Oliver,” and “Floyd Collins.” It’s an eclectic mix that I’m sure will be delightful and entertaining.
[image error]
[image error] [image error]KRT is one of my favorite places for entertainment.
Horse Cave , as the name suggests, is in the heart of Kentucky's "cave country," a few miles from Mammoth Cave National Park. It's a picturesque town, located off I-65 between Elizabethtown and Bowling Green. It also home to the American Cave Museum and Hidden River Cave, only a block or so away from the theatre. The Horse Cave Bookfest will be held June 30.
KRT was formerly known as Horse Cave Theatre, when it held it first production (“Candida”) 35 years ago under the tireless and talented direction of Warren Hammack. He was succeeded 25 years later by Robert Brock (now teaching at Lindsey Wilson College), followed by Christopher Sanderson, and now Ken Hailey serves as artistic consultant.
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I’ve always enjoyed live entertainment, be it plays, music, dance, readings, interviews, or re-enactments.
I’d encourage anyone in Kentucky or visiting the state this summer to drop by KRT. It’s an experience you won’t regret or soon forget.
And if you can’t attend a performance at KRT, then support theatre in your area. We all benefit from the arts.
Until the next time...
[image error]
I recently purchased a pair of season tickets for the summer season of the Kentucky Repertory Theatre at Horse Cave .
My wife and I will attend productions of “Cotton Patch Gospel,” “Lombardi,” “Oliver,” and “Floyd Collins.” It’s an eclectic mix that I’m sure will be delightful and entertaining.
[image error]
[image error] [image error]KRT is one of my favorite places for entertainment. Horse Cave , as the name suggests, is in the heart of Kentucky's "cave country," a few miles from Mammoth Cave National Park. It's a picturesque town, located off I-65 between Elizabethtown and Bowling Green. It also home to the American Cave Museum and Hidden River Cave, only a block or so away from the theatre. The Horse Cave Bookfest will be held June 30.
KRT was formerly known as Horse Cave Theatre, when it held it first production (“Candida”) 35 years ago under the tireless and talented direction of Warren Hammack. He was succeeded 25 years later by Robert Brock (now teaching at Lindsey Wilson College), followed by Christopher Sanderson, and now Ken Hailey serves as artistic consultant.
[image error]
I’ve always enjoyed live entertainment, be it plays, music, dance, readings, interviews, or re-enactments.I’d encourage anyone in Kentucky or visiting the state this summer to drop by KRT. It’s an experience you won’t regret or soon forget.
And if you can’t attend a performance at KRT, then support theatre in your area. We all benefit from the arts.
Until the next time...
[image error]
June 13, 2012
Story Songs: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
On Nov. 10, 1975, the Great Lakes freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald, after encountering heavy winds and high waves, sank in the deep waters of Lake Superior. All 29 crew members perished in the disaster.
A year later, Canadian Gordon Lightfoot commemorated the event with his touching and thoughtful song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It captures the essence of the crew and vessel on its final voyage:
"The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned"
Lightfoot goes on to tell of the distress in the final hours as the Edmund Fitzgerald is caught in the throes of a horrendous storm:
"The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
Lightfoot is a master storyteller and his keen lyrics about that fateful day will be always be recalled when people remember the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
"And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.""The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" lyrics
[image error]
A year later, Canadian Gordon Lightfoot commemorated the event with his touching and thoughtful song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." It captures the essence of the crew and vessel on its final voyage:
"The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned"
Lightfoot goes on to tell of the distress in the final hours as the Edmund Fitzgerald is caught in the throes of a horrendous storm:
"The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
Lightfoot is a master storyteller and his keen lyrics about that fateful day will be always be recalled when people remember the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
"And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.""The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" lyrics
[image error]
June 11, 2012
Ramblings: Sugar and Spice
Ramblings: Sugar and Spice: A friend recently mentioned to me that her adult daughter had given her E.L. James's “ Fifty Shades of Grey ” to read but with one restr...[image error]
Sugar and Spice
A friend recently mentioned to me that her adult daughter had given her E.L. James's “Fifty Shades of Grey” to read but with one restriction: "We won’t discuss it."
We laughed about it, and then I thought about some of the other novels that moms and daughters may have shared without discussion. My list is limited to women's fiction published since the 1950s.
The first one that comes to mind is Grace Metalious’s “Peyton Place,” which was published in 1956. I vaguely recall my mother and some of her friends discussing the novel (but not in front of me).
Years later, after I skimmed through it, I wondered, "What's the big deal?" But times had changed and there was more permissiveness and acceptance by the public.
In the 1960s, it was Harold Robbins’s “The Carpetbaggers” (1961) Jacqueline Susann’s “Valley of the Dolls” (1966), and Irving wallace's "The Seven Minutes" (1969).
The 1970s had Erica Jong’s “Fear of Flying” (1973), Susann's "Once Is Not Enough" (1973) and Judy Blume’s “Forever…” (1975).
From that point on, practically everything imaginable has found its way into print -- right up to the "Fifty Shades" trilogy.
Are there any novels that you may have shared with your mother or daughter but didn't discuss because of the subject matter?
Until the next time...[image error]
We laughed about it, and then I thought about some of the other novels that moms and daughters may have shared without discussion. My list is limited to women's fiction published since the 1950s.
The first one that comes to mind is Grace Metalious’s “Peyton Place,” which was published in 1956. I vaguely recall my mother and some of her friends discussing the novel (but not in front of me).
Years later, after I skimmed through it, I wondered, "What's the big deal?" But times had changed and there was more permissiveness and acceptance by the public.
In the 1960s, it was Harold Robbins’s “The Carpetbaggers” (1961) Jacqueline Susann’s “Valley of the Dolls” (1966), and Irving wallace's "The Seven Minutes" (1969).
The 1970s had Erica Jong’s “Fear of Flying” (1973), Susann's "Once Is Not Enough" (1973) and Judy Blume’s “Forever…” (1975).
From that point on, practically everything imaginable has found its way into print -- right up to the "Fifty Shades" trilogy.
Are there any novels that you may have shared with your mother or daughter but didn't discuss because of the subject matter?
Until the next time...[image error]
June 8, 2012
Story Songs: Stagger Lee
One of the most interesting and enduring story songs is "Stagger Lee." The story dates back to a murder in 1895, when "Stag" Lee Shelton shot William "Billy" Lyons in a St. Louis saloon.
The men apparently got into an argument over politics and Lyons removed the Stetson hat off Shelton's head. Shelton retaliated by fatally shooting Lyons in the stomach. The story has changed over the years and the song has been recorded by many artists.
I first became familiar with the song back in the late 1950s when Lloyd Price took it to the top of the charts. It is reportedly the first censored song to reach No. 1.
In Price's version, the tension begins while the men are gambling:
"It was Stagger Lee and Billy
Two who gambled late
Stagger Lee threw seven,
Billy swore he threw eight"
Stagger Lee got angry and left to get his .44 to settle matters. When he returned, Billy pleaded:
"Oh, please don't take my lifeI got three little childrenAnd a very sickly wife."
But Stagger Lee was determined and didn't take any pity on poor Billy and pulled the trigger:
"Stagger Lee shot Billy,Oh, he shot that poor boy so badTill the bullet came through BillyAnd went right throughThe bartender's glass"
Pricer's rendition of the song is spirited, full of energy, and captures the mood of the story. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998."Stagger Lee" lyrics [image error]
The men apparently got into an argument over politics and Lyons removed the Stetson hat off Shelton's head. Shelton retaliated by fatally shooting Lyons in the stomach. The story has changed over the years and the song has been recorded by many artists.
I first became familiar with the song back in the late 1950s when Lloyd Price took it to the top of the charts. It is reportedly the first censored song to reach No. 1.
In Price's version, the tension begins while the men are gambling:
"It was Stagger Lee and Billy
Two who gambled late
Stagger Lee threw seven,
Billy swore he threw eight"
Stagger Lee got angry and left to get his .44 to settle matters. When he returned, Billy pleaded:
"Oh, please don't take my lifeI got three little childrenAnd a very sickly wife."
But Stagger Lee was determined and didn't take any pity on poor Billy and pulled the trigger:
"Stagger Lee shot Billy,Oh, he shot that poor boy so badTill the bullet came through BillyAnd went right throughThe bartender's glass"
Pricer's rendition of the song is spirited, full of energy, and captures the mood of the story. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998."Stagger Lee" lyrics [image error]
June 6, 2012
Ramblings: The Dark Ages (Before the Web)
Ramblings: The Dark Ages (Before the Web): I remember my first computer – a Commodore 64 back in the 1980s – that I used to write my second book. There wasn’t an Internet back then...
The Dark Ages (Before the Web)
I remember my first computer – a Commodore 64 back in the 1980s – that I used to write my second book. There wasn’t an Internet back then. I purchased the computer[image error] simply to use as a word processor because it was somewhat more efficient than the Smith-Corona portable electric typewriter I used in college and for writing my first book.
I will say that that I never lost copy while using the typewriter (something that happened with regularity with the Commodore 64) and I was much more careful while writing because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in rewrites. Back then, of course, I used copyediting marks during the rewrite process. I kept a Thesaurus, Webster’s dictionary, and Associated Press Stylebook on my desk as my primary reference tools. I also had a set of the World Book Encyclopedia that I used for research. And I spent a lot of time in libraries, using their vast resources on the shelves and microfilm.My, how times have changed. Everything is practically at our fingertips while writing. Of course there is a downside to that as well. It's awfully easy to get distracted from writing when you find yourself checking and sending e-mails and going beyond research into aimless surfing.And I know a few folks who decide to take a break from the writing and play an online game -- just one or two times -- and end up playing countless times.Sometimes the pre-Internet days sound pretty good. Until the next time...
I will say that that I never lost copy while using the typewriter (something that happened with regularity with the Commodore 64) and I was much more careful while writing because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in rewrites. Back then, of course, I used copyediting marks during the rewrite process. I kept a Thesaurus, Webster’s dictionary, and Associated Press Stylebook on my desk as my primary reference tools. I also had a set of the World Book Encyclopedia that I used for research. And I spent a lot of time in libraries, using their vast resources on the shelves and microfilm.My, how times have changed. Everything is practically at our fingertips while writing. Of course there is a downside to that as well. It's awfully easy to get distracted from writing when you find yourself checking and sending e-mails and going beyond research into aimless surfing.And I know a few folks who decide to take a break from the writing and play an online game -- just one or two times -- and end up playing countless times.Sometimes the pre-Internet days sound pretty good. Until the next time...
June 3, 2012
Story Songs: Brandy
One of my favorite story songs of the 1970s was Looking Glass's "Brandy," about a woman who's in love with a sailor, but unfortunately for her, the sailor is more in love with the sea.
Elliott Lurie, who wrote the bittersweet song, was also the lead singer on the recording. The song reached No. 1 on the charts in 1972.
Brandy, who works as a barmaid, wears a locket inscribed with the name of the man she'll always love. While other sailors tell her what a "good wife you would be," Brandy's only interested in the one man she knows will never be her husband.
"Yeah Brandy used to watch his eyes when he told his sailor's story
She could feel the ocean fall and rise, she saw it's raging glory
But he had always told the truth, Lord he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand"
But the sailor doesn't lead her on. He admits that she'd make a wonderful wife but his true love is the sea.
"Brandy, you're a fine girl
What a good wife you would be
But my life, my lover, my lady
Is the sea"
I always thought this song could be made into a movie. Lurie's lyrics are very touching and the emotions expressed so real. It certainly has all the elements except for a happy ending.
"Brandy" lyrics
Elliott Lurie, who wrote the bittersweet song, was also the lead singer on the recording. The song reached No. 1 on the charts in 1972.
Brandy, who works as a barmaid, wears a locket inscribed with the name of the man she'll always love. While other sailors tell her what a "good wife you would be," Brandy's only interested in the one man she knows will never be her husband.
"Yeah Brandy used to watch his eyes when he told his sailor's story
She could feel the ocean fall and rise, she saw it's raging glory
But he had always told the truth, Lord he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand"
But the sailor doesn't lead her on. He admits that she'd make a wonderful wife but his true love is the sea.
"Brandy, you're a fine girl
What a good wife you would be
But my life, my lover, my lady
Is the sea"
I always thought this song could be made into a movie. Lurie's lyrics are very touching and the emotions expressed so real. It certainly has all the elements except for a happy ending.
"Brandy" lyrics
June 1, 2012
Ramblings: Clean and Shine
Ramblings: Clean and Shine: I’ve written the 10 stories for my short-story collection. Now the real work begins. It’s time to get them ready for publication....
