|
||||||
|
Lyr Req: Berta (from August Wilson's 'Piano Lesson DigiTrad: ALBERTA ALBERTA (2) Related threads: Lyr Add: Berta, Berta (17) Lyr Add: Old Dollar Mamie (prison song) (12) Lyr Req: Alberta (Doc Watson)^^^ (3) Lyr/Chords Req: Alberta Alberta (from Eric Clapton (5) |
|
|||||
|
Subject: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST,johnwark@aol.com Date: 22 Sep 00 - 12:52 PM I'm looking for a song that was sang on Parchman Farm. I've heard it called both "Rosie" and "Alberta". I was featured in "The Piano Lesson". by August Wilson. I was hoping to find a recording of it (mp3 preferably), or at least the correct title and lyrics. Please, if you know this song, reply to me. Johnwark@aol.com. Thank you. |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: mousethief Date: 22 Sep 00 - 12:59 PM Can ye give us more clues? A snitch of the words perhaps?
Alex |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:01 PM The song is sung with collumn response, and part of the lyrics say something along the lines of if you get remarried, dont marry a farmer for everyday is a monday, instead marry a railroad man everyday is a sunday. something along those lines |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: mousethief Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:02 PM (I think you mean call-and-response.) I've not heard of it but doubtless somebody here has. Good luck!
Alex |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:10 PM yeah, thats what I meant. Thanks... |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: mousethief Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:14 PM I know it's hard to spell stuff you've never seen written, but have only heard it "by the hearing of the ear" as Job says. I once was reamed by a professor for writing "parody of form" -- what I had misheard was "parity of form." I'll bow out now.
Alex |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST,Mbo_at_ECU Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:25 PM I can't BELIEVE this! I saw the Hallmark presentation of Wilson's (LOVE that guy) "The Piano Lesson", and absolutely LOVED when Countney B. Vance, Charles S. Dutton, et al. sang it. Oh MAN what a song! It came on TV again a few weeks ago, and I asked my sister to tape it so I could tape record the song. I'll find out today if she taped it. If she did, I can get you a soundfile of it next week. I've asked Max several times if he could play it on Mudcat Radio, but he said that he lent the CD that it's on to a friend who hasn't returned it yet. Also, I didn't know that Rosie was the same as Alberta! There are lyrics for "Alberta" in the DT right here but I can't remember if the words are the same. Also, I have a bit of the sheet music for "Rosie" that came from my Ethnomusicology book. The song is a call and response song, it's also a prison song, sung by black prisoners in the South. The song was specifically for cutting down trees. The book said that the black prisoners always worked faster and cut down more trees than the white & Hispanic prisoners. That's because they used to have 2-man teams to fell the trees. The African-American prisoners had about 6-man teams, and would stand in a circle around the tree. The leader would "call" the verse, the rest of the team would "respond" and then CHOP! all 6 axes hit the tree at once. A very dangerous way to work, and it required precision and concentration. Rosie/Alberta was a song used to keep that concentration. --Matt |
|
Subject: Lyr Add: BERTA (from Parchman Farm) From: GUEST,Barry Finn Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:34 PM It's been posted in another thread but I don't know how you'd find it. The song's called Berta. This version is from Parchment Farm but it's found in many other forms throughout most of the prison work farms in the southern US. Some of the other versions are: Ol Dollar Mamie, 18 Hammers, Alberta, Rosie, etc, etc. I think (I can't check now, not at home) some of these versions can be found on a CD release from Rounder called "Wake Up Dead Man" which was originally the companion to the book by Bruce Jackson by the same name "Wake Up Dead Man". His was the last of the major collections of prisons worksongs (1960's)before that type of song & work disappeared. Lomax also does quite a cover of these (& many of these versions of this) in his "Southern Journey" (2 CD's) collection. Barry
Berta
Go ahead and marry don't ya wait on me
(same structure)
Raise em up higher let em drop on down (2x)
When you marry don't-ya marry a farming man
When you marry, marry a railroad man
(some verses not sung in the movie)
Sit on the cooler let my feet hand down
Ol Dollar Mamie told ol Dollar
|
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST,Mbo_at_ECU Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:36 PM Oh YEAH, makin' me wanna stomp my feet already! |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST,Barry Finn Date: 22 Sep 00 - 01:50 PM Hi Mbo, It's a much different version from what you've linked. The whites & Hispanics didn't work on the gangs on the farms, it was a complete & steamlined continuation of black slavery & expolition. The tree cutting formation would have the tree in the center with 4 men (depending on the trunk size), one on each point of the compass. The north & south men would swing in while the east & west men would be bringing their axes back. Later this got refined to 8 men, 2 at each point of the compass & at each point the 2 men would be back to back again on pulling back as the other swings in, even more dangerous, this was called 'double cross-cutting'. Barry |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST,Johnwark@aol.com Date: 22 Sep 00 - 03:03 PM If you could indeed get me a soundfile of that scene, I would be a very happy man. Thanks for all the help and background to the song. I did think it was parchman farm, not parchment farm. Greg |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: GUEST Date: 22 Sep 00 - 03:42 PM Branford Marsalis- Berta, Berta. You can download it on Napster...... |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: Burke Date: 22 Sep 00 - 06:58 PM Take a look at The Library of Congress |
|
Subject: Lyr Add: BERTA, BERTA From: Stewie Date: 22 Sep 00 - 07:03 PM The 'Berta Berta' on Vol 3 'Southern Journey: 61 Highway Mississippi' (of the 13 volume Southern Journey reissue series on Rounder) is by Leroy Miller, leading a group of prisoners in Parchment Farm in September 1959. It is a little different from what was posted by Barry above.
Oh lord, Berta, Berta, oh lord, gal - o-a-well (x2) 'Rosie' - a different song - can be found on a Lomax compilation that I have on a Sequel Nex CD titled 'Murderers' Home'. Unfortunately, there is no lyrics sheet and it would be difficult to transcribe. It has been reissued in the Rounder Alan Lomax reissue series under the title 'Murderous Home'. It is not part of the 'Southern Journey' series, but bears the next number after it - Rounder 1714. Like others in the Lomax reissue series, I feel sure it would have a lyric sheet and someone may be able to post the lyrics for you. --Stewie. |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: Burke Date: 22 Sep 00 - 07:15 PM I messed up my HTML big time. Let me try again. The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip recordings include one called "Ain't That Berta." It was recorded at Parchman Prison in Mississippi & is a work song. I found it by just the keyword Berta. There are no lyrics, but sound files in several formats that you can download. |
|
Subject: RE: Looking For A Hard to Find Song From: Stewie Date: 22 Sep 00 - 07:29 PM Looking at the Rounder catalogue, 'Murderous Home' is reissued in The Alan Lomax Collection as volume 1 of a 2 volume series called 'Prison Songs'. Its companion volume is 'Don'tcha Hear Poor Mother Calling' Rounder 1715. These 2 relate to 1947 recordings by Lomax. --Stewie. |
| Translate Thread |
