But it shares neither tune nor lyric with the Belafonte hit, only the ribbon theme and that was scarcely new witness the perennial favorite “Oh, Dear, What Can The Matter Be?”… ‘”Who’ll Buy You Ribbons” is erroneously said to be based on a song from the early folk craze “Scarlet Ribbons (for Her Hair),” which had worn out turntables by the thousands in Harry Belafonte’s rendition. ‘If some of these lines remind you of a later folk rock hit, that’s no accident as we shall see. His song, as copyrighted, was simple, brief and hooky in the music industry sense. ‘Paul brought the song into the mainstream by junking the chickens and substituting ribbons. He slightly changed to tune to ‘Call Me Old Black Dog.’ The words were a song he picked up a sheet copy of in the University of Virginia library, called ‘Who’s Gonna Buy You Chickens When I’m Gone.’ He liked the idea of it.” Stephen Wilson says he had “taken two different ideas. He had put together this one, too, from folk sources. “Gotta Travel On” had shown the way now he had a new folk-based lyric, “Who’ll Buy You Ribbons (When I’m Gone).” It soon found modest popularity. ‘Paul saw that this new direction would be a key to staying in the game. The singers rising to the top of the seething heap would be those who featured not traditional numbers but originals, preferably of their own writing. It was horrible.” Though not everyone saw it coming, events in that whirl would doom real folksong. She speaks of “the competition, the backbiting, the nastiness. Gina Glaser, who had come up during the earlier, kinder era, saw the new trend developing even before she left for England. ‘By 1962, though, dog eat dog was becoming the new mood as folksingers vied for popularity. and did it come with a tune? I’m curious how long it took for Dylan to then write his own version.Ĭlayton’s song seems to be an amalgamation of two songs (tune and lyrics), whilst the Dylan use of the song is interesting…įrom ‘Paul Clayton and the Folksong Revival’ by Bob Coltman.įirst – how Clayton wrote the song, “Who’s Gonna Buy You Ribbons”: > Is it known when Paul Clayton discovered (published?) this song. The short answer to Ed Lyrics’ original question: I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road, babe I give her my heart but she wanted my soul I’m a-thinkin’ and a-wond’rin’ all the way down the road It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal To try and make me change my mind and stay Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say When your rooster crows at the break of dawn It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babeĪn’ it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe Who’s gonna buy you ribbons when I’m gone? So I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road,īut still I can’t help wonderin’ on my way, So times on the railroad gettin’ hard, babe, Just wonder who’s gonna buy you ribbons when I’m gone. T’ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, darlin, It ain’t no use to sit and sigh now, darlin, Clayton was a well-known folk revivalist around the Greenwich Village scene in the early sixties. The lyrics Clayton put to the song, which have their roots in the traditional Who’s Gonna Buy Your Chickens When I’m Gone, are very similar to Don’t Think Twice. It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babeĪn’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babeĭylan took the tune for Don’t Think Twice from his friend Paul Clayton’s arrangement of the traditional Scarlet Ribbons for Her Hair. These lines describe the hurt of unrequited love so well. You could have done better but I don’t mind In fact, the song contains several of Dylan’s trademark killer put-downs. While there is certainly a touch of forgiveness in the lyric, there is more than a touch of anger and resentment. To me, this approach is a bit wrongheaded. Most of them, at least the ones I’ve heard, sing it as if the narrator were giving a soon-to-be ex-lover a sweet kiss of goodbye. To hear him sing Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right is at once to be stung by the harshness to which the relationship’s closing scene has driven the singer and at the same time to respond to the ruefulness couched in the guitar figures, which reassemble all the hurt into an undertow of forgiveness, regret, and remembrance. Tim Riley, in his book Hard Rain, put it well: It has everything the sophisticated listener wants: meaningful lyrics, memorable melody, intricate guitar playing, a heartfelt vocal.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |