***
Kennedy blues, by Eric Von Schmidt (1931-2007)
(From The portable sixties reader / edited by Ann Charters. New York : Penguin Books, 2003.)
Lay down, lay down, lay down about midday.
I lay down, lay down, lay down about midday.
When I woke up they'd stole a man away.
Could not believe, believewhat my friend said.
Could not believe, believewhat my friend said.
He said, "The President's been shot," said "The President's dead.
Then George turned to me, tears all in his eyes.
Well, George turned to me, tears all in his eyes.
Sayin', "I ain't puttin' you on man, the President's dyin'."
"The President's dyin'."
Mountain run to the river, river run to the , run to the, run to the sea.
Mountain run to the river, river runnin' to the sea.
When I heard the news I said I'd lost a part of me.
Well, I'd heard about Dallas, about how it was so great.
I'd heard about Dallas, about how it was so great.
Now I know about your Dallas, your city full of hate.
Had your opera down in Dallas when the President was dead and cold,
Had your opera down in Dallas when the President was dead and cold.
I colud not hear the music, the blues was cryin' in my soul.
I lay down, I lay down, lay down about midday.
I lay down, lay down, lay down about midday.
When I woke up they'd stole a man away.
***
Elegy (three verses), by Marilyn Hacker
(From The portable sixties reader / edited by Ann Charters. New York : Penguin Books, 2003.)
for Janis Joplin
Crying from exile, I
mourn you, dead singer, crooning and palming
your cold cheeks, calling you: You.
A man told me you died; he was
foreign, I felt for the first time, drunk, in his car, my
throat choked: You won't sing for me
now. Later, I laughed in the hair between
his shoulder blades, well enough
loved in a narrow
bed; it was
your Southern Comfort
grin stretching my
mouth. You were in me
all night,
shouting our pain, sucking off
the mike, telling a strong-headed
woman's daily beads to dumb kids
creaming on your high
notes. Some morning at wolf hour
they'll know.
Stay in my
gut, woman lover I never
touched, tongued, or sang to; stay
in back of my
throat, sandpaper
velvet, Janis, you
overpaid your
dues, damn it, why are you dead?
Cough up your whiskey gut
demon, send him home howling
to Texas, to every
fat bristle-chinned
white motel keeper on
Route 66, every half-
Seminole waitress with a
crane's neck, lantern-jawed
truck driver missing a
finger joint, dirt farmer's
blond boy with asthma and sea dreams,
twenty-one-year-old
mother of three who got far
as Albuquerque once.
(...)
***
***
Kozmic blues, performed by Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
(Lyrics & Music: Janis Joplin, Gabriel Mekler. Album: I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! ; Columbia Records, 1969.)
Time keeps moving on,
Friends they turn away,
Well, I keep moving on
But I never found out why
I keep pushing so hard a dream,
I keep trying to make it right
Through another lonely day
Whoa don't discover it lasts
Twenty-five years, uh honey just one night, oh yeah
Well I'm twenty-five years older now
So I know it can't be right
And I'm no better baby and I can't help you no more
Than I did when just a girl
But it don't make no difference babe, no, no,
'Cause I know that I could always try
It don't make no difference baby, yeah
I'm gonna hold it now,
I'm gonna need it yeah,
I'm gonna use it till the day I die
Don't, expect any answers, dear,
Well, I know that they don't come with age, no, no,
I ain't never gonna love you any better baby
I'm never gonna love you right
So you better take it now, right now, ohh
It don't make no difference baby,
I know that I could always try
There's a fire inside of every one of us
You'd better need it now,
I get to hold it yeah,
I'm gonna use it till the day I die
Don't make no difference, babe, no, no, no,
And it never ever will, eh,
I wanna talk about a little bit of loving, yeah,
I get to hold it, baby,
I'm gonna need it now,
I'm gonna use it, say, aaaah
Don't make no difference, babe, yeah,
Ah honey, I'd hate to be the one
I said you're gonna live your life
And you're better love your life
Or babe, someday you're gonna have to cry.
Yes indeed, yes indeed, yes indeed,
Ah baby, yes indeed.
I said you, you're always gonna hurt me,
I said you're always gonna let me down,
I said everywhere, every day, every day
And every way, every way
Ah honey won't you hold on to what's gonna move
I said it's gonna disappear when you turn your back
I said you know it ain't gonna be there
When you wanna reach out and grab on
Whoa babe,
Whoa babe,
Whoa babe,
Oh but keep truckin' on
Whoa yeah,
Whoa yeah,
Whoa yeah,
Whoa,
Whoa,
Whoa,
Whoa,
Whoa
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