a mining song from the 1840's now in the public domain
Alternative country contemporary christian pop/rock
When I was 22 a young lawyer took one of my songs and put it on the ‘B' side of his recording of Ave Maria. He invited me to watch the recording session at Criteria in Miami, Florida. Since that moment all I have ever wanted was to have my music recorded by professional musicians and sung by established artists.
This truly is a monumental task as I do not perform live so I have recorded my own material as a means to get exposure and as a way for artists to be able to judge the “cover” worth of my songs. I am looking for a publishing deal.
Contact Info: Jim Blachura C/O Stablesongs Phone: 336 995 0813 E Mail: saintlymanmusic@yahoo.com Saintly Man Music /ASCAP
Story behind the song
old american folk song I found and recorded in 1969. I made up the melody to the the harmony chorus because I didn't know where to find it then. Now, older and smarter, I found a voice recording by Walter Vaughn made in Springfield Missouri in 1958 and used that melody for the verses as well as changing the 12/8 time sig to 4/4. I then added the instrumental intro/bridge and voila! Dylan would record things like these plain...Roger McGuinn would alter them more like this when he would record them.
Lyrics
My name it is Joe Bowers,
I got a brother Ike;
I came from old Missouri
Yes, all the way from Pike.
I’ll tell you why I came there,
And how I came to roam,
To leave my poor old mother,
So far away from home.
‘Twas there I loved a pretty girl,
Her name was Sally Black,
I asked her if she’d marry me,
She said it was a whack.
She says to me: “Joe Bowers,
You are the man to win;
here’s a kiss to bind the bargain.”
And she chucked a dozen in.
Says I: “My dearest Sally,
Oh, Sally, for your sake,
I’ll go to Californie
And try to raise a stake.”
“But,” says she to me, “Joe Bowers,
Before we hitch for life,
You ought to have a little home
To keep your little wife.”
At length I went to mining,
Put in my biggest licks;
Came down upon the boulders
Just like a thousand bricks.
I worked both late and early
Through rain and shine and snow--
I was working for my Sally,
‘Twas all the same to Joe.
But, alas! I got a letter,
It was from brother Ike;
It came from old Missouri,
Yes, all the way from Pike.
It brought to me the darndest news
That ever you did hear--
My heart was almost bursting was almost in despair
It said that Sal was false to me
Her love for me had fled
She got married to a butcher and the butcher's hair was red
But worst,
The letter further said, it's enuf to make you swear
That Sally had a baby
And the baby had red hair
