I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

One of my very favorite Christmas Carols. When Longfellow wrote the lyrics the Civil War had been raging and Henry had experienced loss as had so many families at the time. It's a song with sadness and triumph and faith in God. I love John Gorka's version best.

Place in the Choir - The Browns

 

I particularly like the Tommy Makem/Liam Clancy version of this gospel song, but I think I've already posted that one. In case I haven't, I'll put it down below.  Here are the browns with a more American gospel version. This song was a favorite with my Sabbath school primaries, juniors and earliteens. If I can scare up the recording they made for me,  I'll post it here too. It's a great campfire or kids song. It's fast and lots of lyric, so you'll have to practice a bit to deliver it.

This version (below) is by the guy that wrote the song - Bill Staines. Bill tells the story behind the song in this clip.

Here's a version by Celtic Thunder. These rowdy boys and girls have a lot of fun into this energetic version.

This is one of those songs people just make their own. Below is a recording that my kids from Tyler Sabbath School sent me so I wouldn't miss them so much after I moved far away - bless 'em!  My daughter Meg is on the guitar and leads. It's their own impromptu version. We used to add animal sounds when we sang it for church song service.

I'll have to put it in a video and post to Youtube to put it up here. It'll be a new something I have to learn, but a useful skill.

 

 

Is it Always in the Blood?

This song expresses something lodged in my heart and more so as I'm looking toward the end of my life. Friends and family are going to their rest right and left as I get older. Many I look forward to seeing again when Jesus comes. At the same time I worry that the dust and wear and tear of life has left some old wounds in my family that stubbornly refuse to heal. I have a son and brother who have gone on ahead to their rest. Both I'm sure I will see again. Both of them were close and I knew their hearts. We'll all do a little happy dance when we find ourselves together again looking up to see Him coming in the clouds.

Like the song talks about, the difficulties we run into in life can distance us from those we love. With family, you hope these things can "wash out in the water." At the same time you fear that what will wash out is the bond of blood that once held you close together. 

Things sadly can happen, hurts deliberate or inadvertent push us apart. We don't talk for years. We stop getting together at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Sometimes that's because of distance. Sometimes it's ruffled feathers or old offenses. It might be politics. It might that someone can't stand your religion.

It's heartbreaking that people who loved each other once can find themselves standing off to avoid stirring up old hurts. Myself, I can't think of anyone I share blood with that I could not throw my arms around and be thrilled to see. I fear that it's not shared. Perhaps I'm such an awful person I can't be forgiven. If so, God forgive me. I've tried to be kind and fair and decent to everyone I come into contact with. I certainly hope that love and forgiveness is "In the Blood".

Someone once said that family is the place you can go for refuge and they can never turn you away. I hope that's true. It's certainly true for Sheila and I. Each day I pray that God leads us all home. I have big plans for family get-togethers in The Earth Made New. I plan to build a schooner and take everybody sailing. Then we'll have a big potluck and a jam session. We'll drag out guitars, banjos, harmonicas, flutes, drums, mandolins and a washtub bass and sing wonderful old songs we remember and new ones we've made up.

Forgive me guys if I've offended. I never meant any harm.

© 2022 by Tom King

You Can't Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd (for various reasons)

Roger Miller wrote a whole bunch of songs I really enjoy. This quirky songwriter did some really happy stuff including stuff for the soundtrack of Disney's animated  "Robin Hood". His hits were a perky lot including, King of the Road, England Swings, Chug-a-Lug, Walkin'' in the Sunshine, Dang Me, Do Whack a Do, and Ooh Da Lally,

Well you get the idea. 

Roger's wry take on country music was unique back in the 60s when everybody seemed desperate to take themselves sooooooo seriously.

So, enjoy this gentle, light and funny musical voice singing in the midst of riots, upheavals, assassinations, and pointless wars the ruling power didn't really want to win.

Tom King

 

 

 

 

 

Theme from Rawhide - Blues Brothers

 

The Blues Brothers came out of Saturday Night Live - a retro blues band featuring Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi. In this sequence from the movie, Jake and Elwood and the boys wind up at a cowboy bar trying to make a few bucks to keep gas in the car by replacing the band that had been originally booked. When the set went south, they switch seemlessly to the first cowboy song they can think of - the theme to the TV show Rawhide. They pull it off too and end the set singing Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man." I love that the stage is screened in with chicken wire and there's a bullwhip hanging on the wall. The owner says they have both kinds of music, country AND western. I love it. Kinda highlights the advantages of a musician being versatile............or any independent entrepreneur for that matter. Give the customer what he wants, that's my motto.

Tom

Steve n' Seagulls - Thunderstruck

 

These guys are from Finland. Bluegrass Rock in Finland. Who knew? This will wake you up of a morning.

American Pie - Home Free with Don McLean

 

 Radio disk jockeys used to love this song. They could put it on and wander off for 15 minutes to get a snack or go to the bathroom and not have to worry so much about the time. The enigmatic Don McLean classic is here done by the awesome acapella group Home Free with Don McLean joining in with lead vocals.

Kick back and enjoy this oldie-goldie blast from the past and see if you remember what all the lyrics were talking about.

Tom

 

 

 

O'er the Misty Mountains

 

Peter Hollens is an independent musician that has been responsible for some really amazing music in the past few years. He makes his money via donations on Patreon, one of the new independent artists who make music, write books and produce films without permission of the traditional gatekeepers like publishers, music companies and film studios. This selection's lyrics were originally written by JRR Tolkien in his book "The Hobbit" and the music has sort of evolved to sound like something dwarvish. over the years

Enjoy the music. I think Tolkien would have liked this version.

Tom

What Wondrous Love

 

The multi-talented Connie Dover sings this beautiful old hymn. I was privileged to hear Connie at the North Texas Irish Festival back in the late 90s and to meet Ms. Dover afterwards. She's quite a talent and used to work summers as a chuckwagon cook on cattle drives for tourists. I can imagine the campfires were lovely things. She has a wonderful repertoire of cowboy songs as well as Scots, Irish and English folk songs and the voice to go with 'em.

Tom King