Saturday, January 22, 2011

1000 SONGS - DAY 23 - SONG # 43

DAY 43 - A SONG ABOUT THE DARK SIDES OF LIFE

As I already have mentioned, I have no idea what the category from the original "30 Days Song Challenge" called "A song that is a guilty pleasure" could possibly be about. I have therfore decided to change it into "A song about the dark sides of life".
We had a "murder ballad" - a guy killing his unfaithful woman - in the last post, now we will have a murder ballad about a woman killing a man that tries to rape her in this here post. Although I have already posted it on that blog long before I started the 1000 Songs Challenge, it will be featured here once again, because it is such an energetic, wonderful song by one of my favourite songwriters, GILLIAN WELCH, performed by one of my favourite acts, Gillian and DAVID RAWLINGS. One of the women I would like to spend an evening (not a night, though) with, Gillian, the great. First, a live version of CALEB MEYER by Gillian & David, & the lyrics (as printed in the booklet of "Hell among the Yearlings"):




Caleb Meyer, he lived alone
In them hollarin' pines
And he made
A little whiskey for himself
Said it helped to pass the time
Long one evening in
Back of my house
Caleb come around
And he called my name
Till I went out
With no one else around

Caleb Meyer
Your ghost is gonna
Wear them rattling chains
But when I go to sleep at night
Don't you call my name

"Where's your husband, Nellie Kane
Where's your darlin gone?
Did he go on down
The mountain side
And leave you all alone?"
"Yes, my husband's gone
To Bowlin' Green
To do some business there"
Then Caleb threw that
Bottle down and grabbed
Me by my hair

Chorus

He threw me in the needle bed
Across my dress he lay
Then he pinned my hands
Above my head
And I commenced to pray
I cried My God, I am your child
Send your angels down
Then feelin' with
My fingertips
The bottle neck I found
I drew that glass
Across his neck
Fine as any blade
Then I felt his blood
Pour fast and hot
Around me where I laid

Chorus

Chorus

Here is the version from the original recording "Hell among the Yearlings", [produced by T Bone Burnett], (t)he(i)r second album (as far as copyright is in question: I do own all of Gillian's albums and I do recommend to buy 'em...).




Btw, Joan Baez has done a cover of that. But it is useless, since the versions done by Gillian & David remain high above Joan's efforts on the artistic level.

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