My fore people
My fore people
Birth the spiritual
Because God wanted
To hear it
He said ‘I feel your pains
Sang it away, sang’
And they opened their mouth
And the spiritual rang out
Go tell it on the mountain.
My fore mothers
Birthed the blues
Because they knew
That life in Americus
Wasn’t fair
So their souls said to them
Lady Day croon
Bessie Smith zoom
With the blues
Strange Fruits
My fore father
Birth jazz
Out of necessity
Out of chains around
Their ankles
They blow the sounds
Of the death bell
To tell that the struggler
Was not in vain
They blow jazz from
Within and still
There was more to give
Around midnight
poem by David E. Patton
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Midnight Blues
And peer international corproation
Got the blues like midnight.
Honey wont be long fore day.
Got the blues like midnight.
Honey wont be long fore day.
Wish that tornado would blow my blues away.
Lord, I can tell my bulldog
When I hear him bark
Lord, I can tell my baby
When I hear her in the dark.
Got the blues like midnight.
Honey wont be long fore day.
Got the blues like midnight.
Honey wont be long fore day.
Lord I wish a tornado would blow my blues away.
song performed by by Allman Brothers Band, music by Dickey Betts & Will McTell (1992)
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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City of Jazz (in defiance of Katrina AKA the Beast)
In the land of Blues
There once came a beast
A wild, uncaring, disparaging scourge
She tore through the soul of city of gold
She drove every household to the cold
Then came the tears
All night and all day
Flooding the streets and swelling the blue bay
Then came the snakes
Both men and green
They lashed at the people with tainted white teeth.
But the land was strong
Full of ole passion and pride
And the city of golden jazz would not give up without a fight
The struggle was hard
And the people were weary
Together the music lifted thier sad souls
The more they sang the stronger they played
And the people drove the beast, the tears, and the snakes away
After they were gone
The jeweled people all see
The city of Jazz in the land of Blues was meant to be
And the music will play in the heart of New Orleans
The city of Jazz in the land of Blues will be
poem by T.L. Taylor
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Think Twice
When all is said and done and dead
does he love you the way that I do
Breathing in lightning tonight's for fighting
I feel the hurt so physical
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, I'll let you feel the burn
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, come around no more
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, I'll let you feel the burn
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around no more
She spreads her love, she burns me up
I can't let go I can't get out
I've said enough, enough by now
I can't let go, I can't get out.
Wait till the day you finally see I've been here waiting patiently
Crossing my fingers and my t's. You cried on my shoulder begging please
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, I'll let you feel the burn
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, come around no more
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, I'll let you feel the burn
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around no more
She spreads her love, she burns me up
I can't let go I can't get out
I've said enough, enough by now
I can't let go, I can't get out.
What is it you really want? I'm tired of asking!
You can't waste it
When I showed up and he was there I try my best to grin and bear
And took the stairs but didn't stop at the street and as we speak I'm going down
Cause she spread her love, and burned me out
I can't let go I can't get out
I've said enough, enough by now
I can't let go, I can't get out.
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, I'll let you feel the burn
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, come around no more
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around, I'll let you feel the burn
Think twice 'fore you touch my girl. Come around no more
song performed by by Eve 6
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Blues, The Jazz, The City
The city is jazz under neon lights
The jazz is blues stoned
And the city never forgets this
Like the heart never forgets to pulse
And the stars never forget to shine in the night
But it takes jazz to move it, to move it all
So the jazz is the beat that always burns
So the heavens continue to shine on and shine all
The jazz soothes the souls of the children
Though the city is old, the jazz is young
Thus the jazz, fast and heavy, radiates the city
She returns her to her ember glow in night
The city is high on the hill and low in the valley
She is the heart, the blessed nectar, the blossom shower
The jazz glows in prosperous tombs
She serves the crashing wave of the monsoon, to the city's bay, to the ancient harbor, across bold rivers, to lakes nestled in the safety of moors and battlefields, and sings to the forest and soaks the timber and every reborn city is cloaked in the fingertip of jazz
Since jazz destroys and creates, it is the fire, and so the smoke rises higher
Hark the newborn guff of jazz
The baptized funeral pyre
Hench jazz is the gospel, the good news
She returns though, always to the blues
Love the blue lady, her old cracked voice
The blues, the jazz, and the lady unite
To the bravery of her song she sang to the evil eyes of the Kodak dragon whose hair in the hiding bear under masks of hatred
The jealous lair, the haunt of despair
And jazz shines on, they can't stop her
The lady of the city sings to the farm
No choir can match the timbre of the lady
My first love,
She shines on for me when I am sad, through me in melancholy
And we join in joy, the lady sees all, feels all, and sings on
Rambunctious be the lady, the city, the blues
Who beat for hearts at night
From the slide trombone, the tut-tut-tut of the mighty snare
The brass milieu for brighter days and neon lights
The whimper
The whimper of the stand-up bass, who carries the beat, the jazz, the blues, the night
In your arms I am safe and sound, the sounds who hold me tight
And above all, upon the highest peak, the great black giants, the black hands and breath of jazz, food for the soul and fodder, who inspire all in the world
But the two giants upon the highest mountain compete for the night and walk away friends as we do
They too are the shine, the noble sheen, and while the lady sings, they dance, the boozers hound and prance, the lovers kneel and romance and the giants push the pebbles from beneath their mountain feet
Who knows how many souls the jazz saved, but I know she saved mine
The giants, trumpet and sax, and even the sweet other of New Orleans, a trumpet and voice, a demigod, and every other band and face and time
So the jazz soothed them too to be saved, as they played, we all played, and jazz shines for the night
And Jack drew the map in sketches, he saw the jazz, but the jazz sees all, and saves all who smile upon her because she loves all, but can only save those who hear her call because she is human
She is so human
She is the city of light of darkest night
But most of all I think on the lady
The lady is the city, sitting pretty, in a jam
The jam
The beat
The jazz
The lady
The city
The blues
Pushed forward by strongest beat, what a feat, and the children eat their meat
And meet those they should, the jazz rumbles on, singing the song, nothing wrong
And the lady smiles always because she is the beat of my heart, my soul
She blooms my flower
She waves my sound
She smiles
Smiles
The lady
With her cracked somber voice of the blues, the city, and jazz
She the great bell, cracked, she chimes for liberty, she chimes for freedom of the endless soul she saves
And the giants steamroll her, the angel ember young
And she flies in heaven where she belongs, singing for the city, the blues, the jazz
And love
poem by Jay Bradley
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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All the classic jazz players all sang and a lot of 'em sang blues.
quote by Mose Allison
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Sea Ballad - From
“HOW many?” said our good Captain.
“Twenty sail and more.”
We were homeward bound,
Scudding in a gale with our jib towards the Nore.
Right athwart our tack,
The foe came thick and black,
Like Hell-birds and foul weather—you might count them by the score.
The Betsy Jane did slack
To see the game in view.
They knew the Union-Jack,
And the tyrant’s flag we knew!
Our Captain shouted “Clear the decks!” and the Bo’sun’s whistle blew.
Then our gallant Captain,
With his hand he seiz’d the wheel,
And pointed with his stump to the middle of the foe.
“Hurray, lads, in we go!”
(You should hear the British cheer,
Fore and aft.)
“There are twenty sail,” sang he,
“But little Betsy Jane bobs to nothing on the sea!”
(You should hear the British cheer,
Fore and aft.)
“See you ugly craft
With the pennon at her main!
Hurrah, my merry boys,
There goes the Betsy Jane!”
(You should hear the British cheer,
Fore and aft.)
The foe, he beats to quarters, and the Russian bugles sound;
And the little Betsy Jane she leaps upon the sea.
“Port and starboard!” cried our Captain;
“Pay it in, my hearts!” sang he.
“We ’re old England’s sons,
And we ’ll fight for her to-day!”
(You should hear the British cheer.
Fore and aft.)
“Fire away!”
In she runs,
And her guns
Thunder round.
poem by Sydney Thompson Dobell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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I was considered as a jazz man rather than as a blues player. There were no blues players-you played one sort of jazz of another sort of jazz.
quote by Alexis Korner
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Death Right
You signed in blood…
The blood of the Devil
You signed your Death Right
Your Death Right to Hell.
I signed my Death Right,
Years ago.
In my own Blood, that the Devil
Gave to me at 24.
The Death Right can’t be burned,
Fore it is immune.
The Death Right can’t be cursed,
Fore it is already been done.
The Death Right can’t be torn.
Fore it is immortal.
Our Death Rights are forever
Even if you die.
poem by Jade DragonHeart
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Blues In Minor Key
'Twas a lovely night in gay Paree
The stagelight was beating on him and me
He took my heart and spoke so well
And told me things no one else could tell
But far away in a barren tree
The birds sang the blues in a minor key
He was a lonely tramp in the world of rhyme
With words that caught me just in time
I gave him my body I gave him my soul
In front of the stage I played my role
But far away in a barren tree
The birds sang the blues in a minor key
The chimes of freedom rang that night
And stars in heaven were shining bright
The songs he sang were like ice and fire
Leading me through the bush and brier
But far away in a barren tree
The birds sang the blues in a minor key
Behind his mask and behind his name
He left the stage with nothin' to claim
Like a shooting star in the empty skies
Our love was done without any ties
And far away in a barren tree
The birds sang the blues in a minor key
And far away in a barren tree
The birds sang the blues in a minor key....
Copyright © 2011 Göran Gustafsson. All rights reserved
poem by Göran Gustafsson
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The Blues Line
Hear blues arrived from Southern starlight,
like musical blackbirds in flight.
Originally with negro spiritual flow,
underlined with the hard blues glow.
Moving across mason dixie line,
discovering Chicago rhythm and rhyme.
Where going electric was the thing,
man did you hear the sounds ring.
The howling wolf amongst others,
Muddy Waters, BB-King were brothers.
Creating chess musical legends anew,
whose fiery blues sound rang true.
Across the Atlantic ocean way,
the Chicago blues found a new day.
A new British scene was born,
another blues voice found form.
Blues stars like the great John Mayall,
created a new sound to set sail.
The Yardbirds and The Cream,
set fire to the blues guitar dream.
Blues music lets us feel,
allowed us to often heal.
Gives rise to higher emotion,
lets us share some sweet devotion.
2012 has blues musicians anew,
sons and daughters take musical cue.
Play those twelve bar song blues,
man have you heard the news.
The blues sound remains forever,
blues cats will forsake never.
As long as sunlight shall shine,
rhythm song beat shall rhyme.
poem by Wayne Falconer
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Low Down Blues
Written and sung by, hank williams
(d) lord I went to the doctor, he took one look,
He said the (g) trouble with you aint (d) in my book,
Ill (g) tell you what it is but it (d) aint good news,
Youve got an awful bad case of them (a7) low down (d) blues.
Chorus
(d) Ive got the (g) mean old miseries (d) in my soul,
I (g) went to the river, but the (d) waters too cold,
Ive (g) walked the floor till Ive (d) wore out my shoes,
Lord theyre killin me, I mean them (a7) low down (d) blues.
(d) lord I never knew a man could feel so bad,
I (g) never knew livin could (g) be so sad,
(g) all I do is (d) set and cry,
Lord Id have to get better, be- (a7) fore I could (d) die.
Repeat chorus
song performed by by Hank Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Jazz And Blues
It is very easy to give birth to a child,
But it is very difficult to bring up this child till he or she gets a job!
For under the great tree i will rest my mind,
Because your life is now like the jazz and blues heard afar off! !
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Jazz is the big brother of the blues. If a guy's playing blues like we play, he's in high school. When he starts playing jazz it's like going on to college, to a school of higher learning.
quote by B.B. King
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Our mothers are racked with the pains of our physical birth; we ourselves suffer the longer pains of our spiritual growth.
quote by Mary Antin
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I woke up to a lullaby
I woke up to a lullaby
The birds sang a song for me
They sang their hearts out all the while
Dancing on the maple tree
Each bird sang a different song
That melted into one
A song full of promises
For the day that’s just begun
They sang of sorrow
Of happiness and mirth
The sang of marriage
And of birth
They sang of people laughing
And of them crying
They sang of sickness
They sang of dying
This little song
They sang for me
Made me think
Made me free
Me and My Guitar
Me and My Guitar
we are as one, the sum of the two wholes,
sometimes we're happy, sometimes we're sad,
when I am happy, Lester, thats the name of my guitar,
plays joyful, bouncy little tunes, that can bring a smile.
When I am sad, the dark phrygian sounds pour out that
emulate the death march of a requiem mass, or the crying
sounds of the blues ala Clapton, BB King, Stevie Ray,
Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Gary Moore just to name a few.
Blues seem to be the best blend of music. It can be played at almost
any tempo. It can be straight forward 1,3,5 chordal progressions or my
favorite is more of a jazz fusion, up tempo, with lots of flat 5's.
Anyway the blues style is so versatile that almost anything goes.
Even the Dan (Steely Dan) had a song “show biz kids” that was a blues
song that used only 3 chords thru the entire song but with the jazz flavorings
that they added you would have thought more was going on.
It seems these days, a lot of blues are flowing from my guitar.
Guess that kinda tells you where my head and heart are.
I'm going through one of those phases that we all seem to go through,
where “the shit has hit the fan” is dominant in my life. I just have to
keep ducking, and I keep a large beach towel close at hand. It is also,
as one of my friends told me, if tears were words, then there would be a lot
to say these days. Hmmm. I seem to be talking a lot the last few days.
Don't know that I have said anything. Certainly nothing of significance.
Just a lot of incoherent rambling and annoying my poet brothers and sisters.
Well I think I can feel another tune coming out, so I better pick up old
Lester, and we can dance the dance of fools one more time.
And a 1 and a 2 and a 3
Gomer LePoet...
poem by Gomer LePoet
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Bessie Smith
(r. danko and j.r. robertson)
Bessie was more than just a friend of mine
We shared the good times with the bad
Now many a year has passed me by
I still recall the best thing I ever had
Im just goin down the road t see bessie
Oh, see her soon
Goin down the road t see bessie smith
When I get there I wonder what shell do
Now all the crazy things I had to try
Well I tried them all and then some
But if youre lucky one day you find out
Where it is youre really comin from
Im just goin down the road t see bessie
Oh, see her soon
Goin down the road t see bessie smith
When I get there I wonder what shell do
Now in my day Ive made some foolish moves
But back then, I didnt worry bout a thing
And now again I still wonder to myself
Was it her sweet love or the way that she could sing
Im just goin down the road t see bessie
Oh, see her soon
Goin down the road t see bessie smith
When I get there I wonder what shell do
Theres so much time has gone right on by
I didnt think one could be so wrong
And then one night I was drinkin and a-thinkin
In the bottom of the glass I could see bessies face so strong
Im just goin down the road t see bessie
Oh, see her soon
Goin down the road t see bessie smith
When I get there I wonder what shell do
When she sees me will she know what Ive been through?
Will old times start to feelin like new?
When I get there will our love still feel so true?
Yet all I have, Ill be a-bringin it to you
Oh bessie, sing them old-time blues
song performed by by Bob Dylan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Ellamental
Way back, take a look, she would cook
When they were stompin at the savoy
She would blow, and they would dance, dont you know ?
It was an uptown kind a show
Cool notes and melodies, harmonies
She sang the song of the universe
She can make a joyful noise up to heaven
And call the angels down to the earth
From jazz, to swing, to be-bop
She kept the spirit alive
For bo, duke, dizzy, and miles
She spoke her mind
Shes ellamental to the art
She spoke her mind
Shes ellamental to the art
Too hot, until the dawn she sang on
When joints were jumpin and jive was in
Bodies movin back and forth to the rhythm
Ever since ella first did her thing
From jazz, to swing to be-bop
She brought emotions and moves
She kept the spirit alive.
She spoke her mind
Act like ya know, oh!
Was it the smooth tones that was so much like butter
Oh ella was singin just like no other singer
Cause you know I be the funky bringer of the new style
Because I be the wild child.
Listenin to hip-hop, listening to be-bop and jazz
Ella made you move that ass
Sensation for the people, insperation for the sisters and brothers
Smooth jazz for the midnight lovers
Savoy was the spot for shakin on your rump and
Ella made it hoppin
Got the joint jumpin, remembering you til the dawn
Because ella your memory goes on
She spoke her mind (yeah...and it just dont stop)
Shes ellamental to the art (the memory goes on and on...cause it just dont stop)
She spoke her mind (...yeah..jazz to the bebop)
Shes ellamental to the art
She spoke her mind..(yeah...much love...)
She spoke her mind...
song performed by by Vanessa Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Bessie Girl
Bessie Girl once so lively and young
Bessie Girl would be here to come
Bessie Girl always here to comfort
Bessie Girl always fought!
She fought for the people she loves the most
She fought for the people she loved to boast
She fought for a lousy piece of toast
But most of all,
She fought for the people she loved the most
Bessie wanted to last forever
Bessie never wanted there to a NEVER
Bessie wanted what everyone had
Bessie was never, ever sad.
Bessie Girl had a happy life
Bessie Girl loved the night
Bessie Girl had awesome family and friends
Bessie Girl, Our hearts have to mend!
Bessie is with us all in our hearts
Bessie will never let us part
Bessie Girl is attached to our hearts
Bessie Girl who ever let us apart.
Bessie fought for her survival
Bessie fought for her last breath
But couldn't hang on no more
Bessie will always be the one we adore!
poem by Kaitlyn Breitkreutz
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Birth Of The Blues (feat. Willie Nelson)
Oh they say some people long ago
Were searching for a different tune
One that they could croon as only they can
They heard the breeze in the trees
Singing weird melodies
And they made that the start of the blues
And from a jail came the wail
Of a down-hearted frail
And they played that as part of the blues
From a whippoorwill out on a hill
They took a new note
Pushed it through a horn till it was worn into a blue note
And then they nursed it, rehearsed it
and gave out the news
That the Southland gave birth to the blues
song performed by by Randy Travis
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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