Folk, Folk e ancora Folk.
Il ventunesimo album del Boss si apre con un Banjo che fa pensare ad un saloon del far west americano rappresentato nei film di Leone. "Old Man Tucker". L'atmosfera è di festa, diversamente all'ultimo "Devils And Dust", e percorrerà tutte le tracce di questa ultima mossa compiuta da Bruce Springsteen.
"We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions" vuole essere un tributo al musicista e alla musica tradizionale a stelle e strisce. Nonostante questa volta la "E-Street Band" è stata lasciata a casa, i musicisti sono di prim'ordine, come Mark Clifford al banjo e il violinista Sam Barfeld. L'ascolto di tutte le canzoni scivola via che è un piacere, ma i pezzi più belli rimangono quattro: "Mrs. McGrath", una ballata in pieno stile e che non sfigura con il resto dell'album; "Erie Canal", con fiati che accompagnano tutto il pezzo, che assume a sua volta un ritmo più particolare, più lento, più drammatico. In "Eyes On The Prize" la voce in prima linea rispetto alla musica come ai vecchi tempi. Ma il pezzo più riuscito è la Title Track "We Shall Overcome", perfetta anche se fosse stata inclusa in una produzione piena di inediti del rocket del New Jersey.
Il boss è un grande della musica a cimentarsi con questo genere, bisogna fare un contronto con quello che è stato considerato il più grande del folk non solo degli states: Robert Zimmermann da Duluth, meglio conosciuto come Bob Dylan. Ma il confronto non regge: Dylan ha fatto la storia del folk con i suoi testi poetici e la sua musica.
Questo disco piacerà sicuramente agli amanti del genere, perchè riprende pezzi caratteristici, cantati da uno dei più grandi rocker americani, facendo anche involontariamente una grande pubblicità per questo LP.
Elenco tracce e testi
01 Old Dan Tucker (00:00)
Well, Old Dan Tucker, was a fine old man,
Washed his face in a frying pan
Combed his hair with a wagon wheel
And died with a toothache in his heel
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper.
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper.
Old Dan Tucker, he'd come to town
Riding a billy goat, leading a hound
The hound dog barked, the billy goat jumped
Landed 'Ol Tucker on a stump!
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper
Now Old Dan Tucker got drunk and fell
In the fire and kicked up holy hell
A red-hot coal fell in his shoe
And oh my Lord the ashes flew
Now old Dan Tucker has come to town
Swinging them ladies all around
First to the right and then to the left
Then to the gal that he loves best
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper
03 Mrs. McGrath (00:00)
"Oh, Mrs. McGrath" the sergeant said
"Would you like a soldier out of your son Ted
With a scarlett coat and a big cocked hat
Oh, Mrs. McGrath, wouldn't you like that?"
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
Now, Mrs. McGrath lived on the shore
For the space of seven long years or more
She spied a ship coming into the bay
With her son from far away"
"Oh captain dear, where have you been
You´ve been sailing the Mediterranean
Have you news of my son Ted
Is he living or is he dead?"
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
Up came Ted without any legs
And in their place, two wooden pegs,
She kissed him a dozen times or two
And said "My god, Ted is it you"
"Now were you drunk or were you blind
When you left your two fine legs behind
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?"
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
"No, I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A big cannon ball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away"
"Oh, Teddyboy," the widow cried
"Your two fine legs were your mothers pride
Stumps of a tree won't do at all
Why didn't you run from the cannon ball?"
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
"All foreign wars I do proclaim
live on the blood and the mothers pain
I'd rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America and his whole navy"
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
With your too-ri-a, fol-di-diddle-da, too-ri, oor-ri, oor-ri-a
05 John Henry (00:00)
Well, John Henry was a little baby
Sittin' on his dady's knee
He pick up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
And cried, "Hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Hammer's gonna be the death of me"
Now the captain he said to John Henry,
"I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round
I'm gonna bring that steam drill out on these tracks
I'm gonna knock that steel on down, God, God
I'm Gonna knock that steel on down"
John Henry told his captain,
"Lord, man ain't nothin' but a man
Before I let that steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna die with a hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
Die with a hammer in my hand"
John Henry driving on the right side
That steam drill driving on the left
Says, "Before I'll let your steam drill beat me down
I'm gonna hammer myself to death, Lord, Lord
I'll hammer my fool self to death"
Well, Captain said to John Henry,
"What is that storm I hear?"
John Henry said, "That ain't no storm
Captain, that's just my hammer in the air, Lord, Lord
That's just my hammer in the air"
John Henry said to his shaker
"Shaker, why don't you sing?
'Cause I'm swigin' thirty pounds from my hips on down
Yeah, listen to my cold steel ring, Lord, Lord
Listen to my cold steel ring"
That John Henry, he hammered in the mountains
His hammer was striking fire
But he worked so hard, he broke his heart
John Henry and his hammer had died, Lord, Lord
John Henry laid down his hammer and died
Well, now John Henry, he had him a woman
By name of Polly Ann
She walked down to those tracks, picked up John Henry's hammer
Polly drove steel like a man, Lord, Lord
Polly drove that steel like a man
Well every, every Monday morning
When the bluebird, he began to sing
You can hear John Henry from a mile or more
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring
I say you can hear John Henry's hammer ring, Lord, Lord
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring
Come on! Woah!
06 Erie Canal (00:00)
I've got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
We haul'd some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal and hay
We know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo
Low bridge, ev'rybody down !
Low bridge, for we're comin' to a town!
And you'll always know your neighbor,
You'll always know your pal,
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal
We'd better look around for a job, ol' gal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
'Cause you bet your life I'd never part with Sal,
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Git up mule, here comes a lock,
We'll make Rome 'bout six o'clock,
One more trip and back we'll go
Right back home to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down!
Low bridge, for we're comin' to a town!
And you'll always know your neighbor,
You'll always know your pal,
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Where would I be if I lost my pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I'd like to see a mule good as my Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
A friend of mine once got her sore
Now he's got a broken jaw
'Cause she let fly with an iron toe
And kicked him back to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down!
Low bridge, yes we're comin' to a town!
And you'll always know your neighbor,
You'll always know your pal,
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Low bridge, everybody down!
Low bridge, for we're comin' to a town!
And you'll always know your neighbor,
You'll always know your pal,
If it means you're livin' on the Erie Canal
10 Shenandoah (00:00)
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Away you rolling river
I'll take her across the water
Away, I'm bound away
Cross the wide Missouri
My Shenandoah, I long to meet you
Away you rolling river
I'll not deceive you
Away, away
Cross the wide Missouri
For seven years I've been a rollin'
Away you rolling river
Seven years I've been a rollin'
Away, I'm bound away
Cross the wide Missouri
Shenandoah, I love your daughter
The way you rolling river
I'll take her across the water
Away, bound away
Cross the wide Missouri
12 We Shall Overcome (00:00)
Hey we shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome someday
Darlin' here in my heart, yeah I do believe
We shall overcome someday
Well we'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand someday
Darlin' here in my heart, yeah I do believe
We'll walk hand in hand someday
Well we shall live in peace, we shall live in peace
We shall live in peace someday
Darlin' here in my heart, yeah I do believe
We shall live in peace someday
Well we are not afraid, we are not afraid
We shall overcome someday
Yeah here in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome someday
Hey we shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome someday
Darlin' here in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome someday
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