Author: Jim

Poplar Bluff

Jim,




The Right String (But the Wrong Yo-Yo)

Jim,

—Speckled Red (Rufus George Perryman) 1930

You've got the right string, mama

But the wrong yo-yo
Don't come by here with your hard luck story
I passed this mo'nin' by the hardware store
I bought a brand new string
For my yo-yo

Went on down to the doctor
To get the string put on
He turned around
And put the string on wrong
No need to knockin' on nobody's door
You got the right string mama
But the wrong yo-yo

Get away from the window
Don't you knock on my door
You know your string don't fit my yo yo
You got the right string mama
But the wrong yo-yo

Mama told me, papa did too
Some of these women be the death of you'
You better find out which you crave
Some a-these women gonna
Take you to yo grave!

Now you see me comin'
Put your man outdoors
I ain't no stranger, I been here, before
No need a-knockin' on nobody's door
The right string, baby but the wrong yo-yo

Verse:

VI II V I
Alternate verses:

I took my yo-yo

And I went down town

I yo-yoed up

And I yo-yoed down

Looked in the window

Of a ten cent store

Everbody stood there looking

At my yo-yo

Saw this good looking redhead

Cute as could be

I said, "Hey, honey

You look just right for me"

But some dude walked up behind me

And said kinda low

"You got the right string, sonny

But that's my yo-yo"



Freight Train Boogie

Jim,

—Delmore Brothers
Casey Jones he was a mighty man

But now he's resting in the promised land

The kind of music he could understand

Was an eight wheel driver under his command
   
Chorus:
He made the freight train boogie

All the time

He made the freight train boogie

As he rolled down the line

He woke up the people all along the line
Oh how the boy can make a whistle whine
He said to the fireman, get a hold of you seat
I'm gonna make this ride to the boogie beat

Chorus

When the fireman started ringing the bell

Everybody on the line could tell

Casey Jones he was a coming to town,

On a big eight wheeler that was burnin' (flat on) the ground

Chorus

Verse:

I I V – I I
I I V – I I

Chorus:

IV IV I I
V IV I I



Red Wing

Jim,

—F.A Mills & Thurland Chattaway 1907

There once't lived an Indian maid
A shy little prairie maid
Who sang all day, her love song gay
While on the plains she whiled away the day
She loved a warrior bold
This shy little maid of old
But brave an' gay, he rode one day
To the battle far away

Chorus:
Now, the moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing
The breezes sighing, the nightbirds crying
Far, o far, beneath the stars
Her love is sleeping
While Red Wings weeping
Her heart away

She watched for hm day and night
She kept all the camp fires bright
And under the stars each night she would lie
And dream of his coming bye an' bye
But when the braves returned
The heart of Red Wing yourned
And far, far, away, her warrior gay
Fell bravely in the frae

Verse:

I I IV I
V I II V
I I IV I
V I II – V I

Chorus:

IV IV I I
V V I I
IV IV I I
V V I I


And then there's Oscar Brand's version…

There once was an Indian maid who always was afraid
That some buckaroo would make it up her cou
As she lay sleeping in the shade.
She had an idea grand: she filled it up with sand.
And no buckaroo would get into her cou
And reach the promised land.

Chorus 1:
Oh, the Moon shines down on pretty Red Wing
As she lay sleeping, a cowboy creeping
With his one good eye he was a-peeping
He hoped to reach the promised land.

Now, he was a cowboy wise and got upon her thighs;
With an old rubber boot on the end of his toot
He made poor Red Wing open up her eyes.
But, once she came to life, she grabbed her Bowie knife.
With one quick pass, this Indian lass shortened his love life.

Chorus 2:
Oh, the Moon shines down on pretty Red Wing
As she lay sleeping, her trophy keeping.
And, no more do the boys come whoring.
[alt: And no longer do the boys try scoring.]
And Red Wing's happy all her life!


Reunion

Jim,

—Bob Amos

There are songs that we play at the end of the day,
And their sweet words and melodies tell
Of a wonderful time when all friends reunite
And never again say farewell.

Chorus:
And I'll meet you there, I will meet you there,
I will meet you there, my friends.
I will lead you over the hills
In the land of our long journeys' end,
And we'll all sing together again.

Oh, it's sad when you find with the passage of time
that the moments too soon slip away,
so instead let us hold to the wonderful hope
that we'll all be together someday.

Chorus
Chorus

Verse:

I I I I
V V I I  :|

Chorus:

VIm IIIm IV V
IV – V I V VIm
V I

If I Could See the World

Jim,

—Patsy Cline
If I could see the world through the eyes of a child
What a wonderful world this would be
There'd be no trouble and no strife
Just a big happy life with a bluebird in every tree

Chorus:
I could see right, no wrong, I could see good, no bad
I could see all the good things in life I've never had
If I could see the world through the eyes of a child
What a wonderful world this would be

If I could see the world through the eyes of a child
Smiling faces would greet me all the while
Like a lovely work of art It would warm my weary heart
Just to see through the eyes of a child

Chorus

3/4

Verse:

I IV – I I V
I IV – I I – V I

Chorus:

IV I II II – V
I IV – I I – V I

Sunny Days (Are Comin' Once Again)

Jim,

—Greg Poulos

Chorus:
Sunny days are comin' once again
Blue skies are comin' round the bend
Just a couple more rooster calls
And that'll be no time at all
Sunny days are comin' once again

We've been hidin' out for much too long
What seemed right now feels so very wrong
Such a cruel, wicked twist
The way we've been apart like this
Sunny days are comin' once again

Chorus

It ain't gonna rain round here no more
The last few drops are dryin' on the door
I reckon I should wind my watch
And find the key for this old clock
Sunny days are comin' once again

Chorus
Chorus

Verse & Chorus:

I – V I IV I
IV I I – V I

Catfish John

Jim,

—Bob Mcdill & Allen Reynolds

Chorus:
Mama said don't go near that river
Don't be hangin' around old catfish John
Come the morning I'd always be there
Walking in his footsteps in the sweet delta dawn.

Let me dream of another morning
And the time so long ago
Where the sweet magnolias blossomed
Cotton fields as white as snow.

Catfish John was a river hobo
Lived and died on the river bend
Lookin' back I still remember
I was glad to be his friend.

Born a slave in the town of Vicksburg
Traded for a chestnut mare
Still he never spoke in anger
Though his load was hard to bear.

Chorus:

I IV I I – V
I IV I V – I

Verse:

IV I IV I
IV I I – V I



Old Age Pension Check

Jim,

—Roy Acuff

When our old age pension check comes to our door,
We won't have to dread the poor house anymore.
Though we're old and thin and gray,
Good times will be back to stay,
When our old age pension check comes to our door.

When her old age pension check comes to her door,
Dear old grandma won't be lonesome any more.
She'll be waiting at the gate,
Every night she'll have a date,
When her old age pension check comes to her door.

Grow a flowing long white beard and use a cane,
'Cause you're in your second childhood, don't complain.
Life will just begin at sixty,
And we'll all feel very frisky,
When our old age pension check comes to our door.

Powder and paint will be abolished on that day,
Ankle skirts will then be brought back into play.
Painted cheeks will be the rage,
And old maids will tell their age,
When their old age pension check comes to our door.

All the drug stores will go bankrupt on that day,
For cosmetics, they will all be put away.
I'll put the flapper on the shelf,
And get a grandma for myself,
When her old age pension check comes to her door.

There's a man that turned this country upside-down
With his old age pension rumor going 'round.
If you want in on the fun,
Send your dimes to Washington,
And that old age pension man will be around.

Verse:

I V I I
I I IV – I I
IV IV I I
I V I I



Old-Time Religion

Jim,

—Peter Seeger's lyrics to traditional 1873 gospel

Chorus:
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
It's good enough for me.

We will pray with Aphrodite,
We will pray with Aphrodite,
She wears that see-through nightie,
And it's good enough for me.

We will pray with Zarathustra,
We'll pray just like we use ta,
I'm a Zarathustra booster,
And it's good enough for me.

We will pray with those Egyptians,
Build pyramids to put our crypts in,
Cover subways with inscriptions,
And it's good enough for me.

We will pray with those old druids,
They drink fermented fluids,
Waltzing naked though the woo-ids,
And it's good enough for me.

We'll do dances to bring water,
Sacrifice animals for slaughter,
Sacrifice our sons and daughters,
And it's good enough for me.

Harry Krishna he must laugh on,
To see me dressed in safron,
With my hair that's only half-on,
It's good enough for me.

I'll arise at early morning,
When my Lord gives me the warning,
That the solar age is dawning,
And it's good enough for me.

Verse & Chorus:

I V I V – I  :|
Some more funny verses:

Harry Krishna he must laugh on,
To see me dressed in safron,
With my hair that's only half-on,
But it's good enough for me.

We could follow dear old Buddha,
You know no god is cuter,
Comes in plastic, wood and pewter,
It's good enough for me.

We can lay our cares on Isis,
And she'll see us through our crisis,
She's never raised her prices,
And she's good enough for me.

Let us sing a verse for Thor,
Though he leaves the maidens sore,
They always come back for more,
And he's good enough for me.

Poor old Odin we could follow,
Like a Viking we could holler,
Then we'd all enjoy Valhalla
It's good enough for me.

Let us worship old Jehova
All you other gods move over
Cuz this one's taken over,
It's good enough for me.

Original vanilla version:

Refrain:
Give me that old time religion,
Give me that old time religion,
Give me that old time religion,
It's good enough for me.

It was good for Paul and Silas,
It was good for Paul and Silas,
It was good for Paul and Silas,
It's good enough for me.

Refrain

It was good for the Hebrew children,
It was good for the Hebrew children,
It was good for the Hebrew children,
It's good enough for me.

Refrain

It was good for our mothers,
It was good for our mothers,
It was good for our mothers,
It's good enough for me.

Refrain

Makes me love ev'rybody,
Makes me love ev'rybody,
Makes me love ev'rybody,
It's good enough for me.

Refrain