A continuation of the interview with Travis V. McGonigle composer of 'The Barber Of Paducah'
Now that Act 2 of The Barber Of Paducah has premiered, why did you write this opera?
Damn, shoulda known it was too good to be true! I guess it was inevitable that you'd ask a stupid goddam question! Only two main reasons:an overwhelming artistic desire, or for money! Didn't have no hifalutin artistic desire, and if I wrote for money, it sure ain't paid the bills! Let's avoid all the arty-fartsy stuff and say I wrote it for the hell of it! To see if I could! To parody grand opera! Take your pick! Next question. Make it a good one. You're on thin ice,buster!
Fair enough! The 1st Act sets the stage. 2nd Act introduces Benny, barber Luigi's stooge that tells of Jill's husband Sammy finding out about Luigi and Jill's affair. I found it interesting with Luigi's responses and revealing somethings of his life in Fascist Italy under Mussolini.
You gotta remember when I first wrote the libretto, it was in 1950. The war was a very recent memory. There were thousands of Italians that immigrated right after the war, as the economy of Italy was destroyed, high rates of unemployment and stunning poverty. Luigi and his brother fought in the Italian underground and saw and did much that had made them tough out of necessity. So it makes sense that any threats Jill's wife Sammy may bring don't frighten him, but brings out the old resistance fighter in him. He's a tough little dago!
I wanted to ask about your use of the ethnic slur you chose to keep in the opera. I wonder...
If it's politically correct? Hell no it isn't! Remember the setting, the culture of the time. Italian immigrants were no different than any others. People didn't know them, what ya don't know ya tend to fear. When ya tend to fear, these kinds of words help keep them in the prejudicial spot in yer head. I wanted some small part of the common man of the times. Heaven knows how much and what other slurs in the original I cut out! Compared to the way our culture is now about swearing, I decided to take most of the 'f' bombs out of it as well. You wanna write something different nowadays, you don't put all that really foul language in it. But goddams, son of bitches don't count!
The aria Luigi sings about Louisa sets the love he has been harboring for her in motion.
This is one of my favorite parts of the opera, Luigi's aria about her, and her aria about going to dinner with him. In the original version I wrote, the part when they arrive back at the flower shop and she invites him in for coffee, he accepts and they end up doing it. After talking with the conductor and others about it, I changed that to him refusing. The music I wrote for their doing it was the most passionate I could write at the time. Which means it was shit! It was a good decision to change it. Instead of Louisa just being another easy lay for Luigi, she remains to appear 'pure'. But I left the invite in. If Luigi would have accepted, she had all intentions of doing the nasty with him. She sang in Act 1 about missing having a man in her life. Yeah, jumping in the sack right off happened in 1950 too!
Then comes the confrontation between Luigi and Jill at 3 in the morning in the barbershop, the dramatic end to Act 2!
The character of Jill in the original opera was kind of a throw-away. She only appeared in the 1st Act, with her name just mentioned later. But the singer they had for part was a dramatic mezzo-soprano. After I heard her in the outtakes of the 1st Act recordings, I had to write something else for her. And what she does with her part is stunning! Never heard such dramatic, over the top singing! The run she does on the line 'you used me' blows me away! She slides up to her top range, then plummets to the depths with a near yodel of the final consonant! No doubt the main character in the opera is Luigi, but the 3 arias Jill has in the whole opera are very important dramatically and musically. Louisa is Luigi's serious love interest, but Jill carries a heavy load!
We all look forward to he premiere of Act 3 coming soon. Anything you want to say about that?
Yeah! Give it a listen! You won't hear any spoilers from me about what goes on. Give those lazy ears of your a chance to hear something different. And thank you. We got off to a rocky start today, but you figured out that when I feel like talkin' your main use is to get the hell out of my way, and don't ask dumb ass questions!
After 3 years of revising, rewriting, and doing it all over again, ACT I of the opera The Barber Of
Paducah has premiered, with the other three acts to be released at regular intervals. We took this occasion to sit down with the composer and get his impressions and learn something of the tremendous 70-year journey from the original composition to the current version. Getting an interview with Mr. McGonigle is always an iffy proposition. He's 96 years old, physically quite frail, but mentally still very acute, and he's cranky! So we hope you enjoy these minutes with the composer, Travis V. McGonigle.
Mr. McGonigle, we thank you for making time for us to share your thoughts with our readers.
Yeah, yeah! Get on with it, dammit!
Let's start with a little history. 70 years ago you first put pen to paper to write this opera. What inspired you to write it back then, and what prompted you to take it back up after so many years?
I was a barber myself for years. Not in Paducah, I lived 'cross the river in Illinois, but I went to Paducah often to play bluegrass music with a band there. I fashioned the character Luigi from a real Italian barber in Paducah. This guy was a rotten bastard, cheat his own Mama out of her last dollar, rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth. He was crooked as a snake, made most of his money illegally. The shop was mostly a front. But at least my character has some morals, some scruples. The actual barber didn't have a single redeeming trait!
Interesting! What caused you to lay it down for so many years?
That should be easy for ya'll to figger out! A more or less traditional opera written in 1954, that has a name that's an obvious take-off on The Barber Of Seville, written by an unknown, mostly self-taught musician with no connections. That reason enough fer ya?
Yes, it seems you weren't likely to have it performed. Did you ever get anyone to at least look at it, give you some feedback?
Just a local leader of a band that played on the radio. He read it through, at least what I had done. He told me don't quit cuttin' hair!
So you gave up on it, laid it aside?
Gave up on it? Are you pullin' my leg? Hell no, I never give up on it! Worked on it a few more years, then I gave up on it! By that time I had a wife and kids, had to make a livin' and it sure wasn't gonna be as a composer!
Did you ever work on it during the 70 years? I expect you had to cut a lot of hair to make a living as aa barber.
Ya said a mouthful there! But I had a few things on the side to add to my income. My shop was a central point for bookies in the area, and I got a kick back from them. The cops never bothered me or any of them about it, so it was okay.
So like your main character, you offered other 'services' besides cutting hair!
Sure, but I never ran no whores, Nothin' to do with that business! Always felt bad for the girls that got wrapped up with that. They never got no kind of treatment but bad!
So you spent all those years cutting hair, and finally retired, sold your shop.
Yep. Arthritis in my hands, most of my damned joints. All the kids growed up and gone, my wife passed on shortly after I retired.
How old were you when you quit cutting hair?
70.
So you still had twenty years before you went back to the opera. What kept you busy those years?
Luckily, my eyeballs still in good shape, so I read a lot. I mean, a lot! Listened to baseball on the radio, never cared for it on TV. I was alone, but didn't give a shit. I was glad to do what I wanted when I wanted, had no desire to get involved with nobody, but I did go to local gin mills to hear local bands. Didn't listen to music much, let alone write it.
So how did you come to pick it up again? It's a wonder it didn't disappear in the interim.
Oh hell no! I sweat blood over some of those pages! I kept it in an insulated lock box under my bed. I forgot it myself for a while, but lose it? What in hell's wrong with you?
So tell us the story of how you came back to it? It's an amazing story of serendipity!
I don't know 'bout all that, but it was pure luck! Somewhere along the line I must've sent some of the manuscript to a contest or something, because the Italian tenor Luigi Transatori found it in a library. Evidently a musicologist got a hold of it, and all of his score collection was donated to this library. Anyway, Transatori read through what was there, the whole first act and parts of 2 and 3. He was quite taken with Luigi's opening aria. I guess Transatori likes a challenge, because that aria can separate the men from the boys. A dictionary full of words sung at a fast clip, with a few rhythmic traps in it. The whole role is the most demanding in the whole opera. It took the tenor quite a while to find me, and when he first knocked on the door I thought he was a salesman and I turned him away. But he was so persistent, I finally let him in. I was bowled over when he said who he was and why he was there.
Did you take it back up right away? I imagine you were somewhat shocked.
Oh hell no! Couldn't even hold a damned pencil because of the arthritis. Wasn't until Transatori brought me a new desktop computer with a music processor on it. I could run a computer at least with a mouse. Took me a spell to get the hang of it, but wasn't long until I could get around on it pretty good. The old score was a real mess. Paper old and brittle, some of the ink faded so bad it was unreadable. But it felt good to redo what I had. Funny how stuff you ain't done for so long comes back to ya. Must be tucked away in yer head somewhere. Then I had another guy, a rep from a music software company, come and trained me how to use AI to make putting it all together easier. Man, no more slingin' a butt load of paper scores all over the place!
You put the old score back together, changing things as you went, and got to the point where you'd quit. Big And Tall Records got involved, brought in a conductor for you to work with, and they actually recorded the first two acts as well as other individual pieces. But then it all caved in again, and everything stopped. Why?
I had words with the goddam conductor. Told him if he wanted to compose an opera, go write his own and quit rewriting mine to suit himself! He stormed out in a huff. Artistic temperament! Bullshit! That's just an excuse for bad manners! Then Transatori walked! His relationship with the conductor was more important than the opera he had championed. I went back to listening to baseball and reading, after a fews weeks they came back, apologized and wanted to jump back in with both feet. Well, to hell with that! Some things just saying you're sorry for don't cut it! Listen, I'm an old bastard, pushin' 100 years old!1 Like I got time for bullshit? Any way, Big And Tall Records found another tenor and conductor, and these guys are the greatest! With all the tools and help they've given me, this opera is peeking around the corner of being done! Something I never thought would happen!
That's quite a story! Tell us what the first Act is all about. What was your vision for it and did it meet that vision when it was done?
Meet the vision? Godfrey Daniel, it surpassed it! The orchestra is phenomenal, the conductor knows the score better than I do, and the tenor has got a pair of iron bellows for lungs! Everything I threw at him he handles like a dream! That goes for the other singers as well. The first act is all about introduction of characters. First, Luigi, the crooked, charismatic to women, philandering barber. Next is Louisa, the young woman that owns the flower shop that appears innocent, but like we find out when Luigi takes her to supper in the 2nd Act, she invites him in to the shop after he walks her home. She says she'll make coffee,when what she really wants to make is whoopie! Antonio the big brother is a big clunky guy that gives Luigi good advice that Luigi seldom takes, and Antonio goes along to get along. And the patrons of the shop, a bunch of dead-beat gamblers and whore customers that sing Luigi's praises, but later in the opera make book to on how long Luigi will last in a fight with a husband that found out about his wife having an affair with him. But I'm getting ahead of the story. Then Aunt Cora, a nosy busy-body with a nasty disposition since her husband ran off, but we get a good example of why he did. Then all the 'ladies' at the beauty salon, with Jill leading the line of wives that are screwing Luigi. That's it in a nutshell, Act I. But hold on to yer socks, because things are about to heat up!
I'll tell ya somethin' that really gripes my wrinkled old ass! The loud mouth few that insist on the opera needing an overture! First off, it's being recorded, don't know if it'd ever be staged, and even if it did I wouldn't write no goddam overture for it! You know what the original purpose of an overture was? To tell people to shut the hell up cuz the show's startin'! That's from a long time ago, and if an audience ain't civilized enough by now to know that when the house lights are turned down and the conductor heads for the orchestra pit that it's time to shut the hell up, then an overture won't make no difference! Never did intend for it to have an overture from the very beginning! I want the curtain to raise as the orchestra plays the short little intro to Luigi's aria, and have the tenor belt it out!
The latest by Amos Carter Bass Fiddle Boogie was written by his band member Stu Milligan and his mother Mams Carter. The song is about Amos' younger days, and was partly written in response to a song done by Amos about Stu Milligan, Slew Foot Stu Boogie and was prompted by Amos' mother to give the band another original song to sing at gigs.
As Amos proclaims at the beginning of the recording, his mother plays the piano and adds her consid- erable boogie- woogie playing talents to the rest of the band. This is the first song she has co-written for the band, as she's been concentrating on her solo career, Amos' instrument is indeed the double bass, or bass fiddle. He anchors the bass in most of the group's songs and is a formidable player. He usually doesn't spotlight his playing very often, but it can be heard throughout the song and he has two places where the spotlight is on him and his slap-bass technique. He's played countless hours over the years, and has the calluses on both hands to prove it. Double bass strings are thick and under heavy tension, so the left hand develops calluses to protect the finger from blistering. The right hand also develops blisters, in Amos' case even thicker ones from playing slap bass so often. The instrument requires arm and finger strength to play, and it is for good reason that many double bass players are large, strong people. But there are exceptions. Symphony orchestras can have rather physically unimposing people in the double bass section, but for sure, all have strong hands and fingers that are callused.
Amos has mentioned when he was in High School and learning to play. He said the hardest part was restricting the time he practiced so his fingers would slowly develop calluses instead of blisters. He said it was a lesson learned the hard way. As it goes in youth, he thought he was immune to injury, and practiced way longer than he should have. When the inevitable blisters formed, along with very sore hands that cramped painfully, he had to quit practicing until everything healed. He was so intent on learning the instrument that his mother told us that one night after Amos was in bed she took the instrument next door to a neighbor to keep it out of his sight!
Back in school on the very first day, Picking out an instrument to play. The girls took flutes, the boys took brass, Amos Carter gave
them both a pass. Looked in the corner at the big wood, Said, "I’ll take the big one, if I could!"
He plays that boogie all night long! A thumping rhythm big and strong! Slapping strings till the floorboards shake, A monster racket Amos makes!
Bus driver started to frown and cuss, Said, “You hog up my whole dang bus!" Bought two tickets, got red in the face, One seat for him, one for the bass! Big bass fiddle stood in the aisle, The boys and girls would always smile.
He plays that boogie all night long! A thumping rhythm big and strong! Slapping strings till the floorboards shake, A monster racket Amos makes!
Friday night at the halftime show, Wind came up and began to blow. Brass section stepped so clean and fine, Amos dragged his bass on the line! Carrying twenty-five pounds of wood, Keeping that beat like a big man should. Marched in the mud with his big frame, Star attraction at the football game!
He grew up big, he grew up tall, He’s the king of the rhythm hall. Playing tunes on Big and Tall tracks, With driving piano, jumping sax! No more marching the football floor, Just Amos knocking down the door!
He plays that boogie all night long! A thumping rhythm big and strong! Slapping strings till the floorboards shake, A monster racket Amos makes! Yeah, two seats on the bus! Big Amos and his bass fiddle!
The Noir Players Orchestra repertoire is of a serious nature most of the time, albeit their subject matter can be campy, even tongue in cheek. This new recording, Vampire Cantata- A Noir Vampire Drama, With A Twist! goes beyond campy! It starts out with a thunderclap, and a frantic soprano voice telling of her impending doom by a vampire. The vampire sings how she is correct in her wailing of impending doom. Just as he moves closer, in for the kill - we hear a jolting record scratch!
The voice of the vampire then complains about the 'cheapo' radio stations he's working at, and about the announcer being a sleep in the vampire's coffin! So not only does the vampire have to adjust the sound and write his own script, now he has to do the commercial break as well! He proceeds with commercial for McClusky's blood bank, gives directions how to get there, and says they will give you a cookie and orange juice after you are finished with the donation! Then the drama continues.
The soprano re-enters with more lamenting, the vampire is close to her getting ready to make his move. As the action speeds to the big finish, the music suddenly stops and a microphone drop is heard! A normal female speaks and tells how they need to take their act to a different station! Joe (the vampire) agrees! They stomp out of the studio, slam the door, which leads to the rustling of bats wings flapping and the bats chirping as a wolf howls in the background...
So the twist of the tale is that the beginning drama is but a deception as the video is a comedy!
Soprano The fog is thick... the candles bleed! Oh, heavens, save me from this night! The elders words I did not heed... I’m trapped within his shadow’s might! I feel the shaking in my knees... He comes! ... I hear his velvet drag on the floor! Can no one help me...HELP ME PLEASE! Help me! Someone lock the door!
Vampire There is no lock There is no key You precious sun will never rise Surrender now your breath to me And look into my hungry eyes Do not look back…do not look down It is your blood I want to use Your blood belongs to me and to my crown So relax, my dear You cannot refuse My will is not to be denied So bare your neck! You cannot refuse!
Commercial Marvin? Yo! Marvin! *sigh* Is the narrator sleeping in mine coffin again! That's what I get for working in a cheapo radio station! I have to adjust the sound! I have to write mine own script! Now…I...I...even have to...to...to do the commercial break mineself?! OY VAY! How humiliating for a great talent such as I!
Oh well...someone has to do it if I want to get paid!
Say friends when was the last time you give blood… Hmmm? You know, blood is the life, Renfield.... Er… Friends... Take a trip down to McCluskeys blood bank. Especially if you have type O....that's oh... For ohhhh so delicious! You need directions? Is easy to find... Take the first exit to Fang Road, Make a left onto Mummy Boulevard, Then a right on Platelet Avenue But be careful! You end up in the swamp, you took wrong Turn on the Creature bypass, And you end up giving all your blood To the green eating machine! Don’t do dat, Too many humans give him gas! Is not a good thing!
So donate a pint or two this Saturday! They give you orange juice and A cookie afterwards! Tell them your friendly neighborhood Vampire sent you! Now...back to the drama!
Soprano The fog is closing in so fast! I hear his footsteps on the stair, This hour is doomed to be my last! A freezing chill is in the air! Oh, heavens save me from this blight! Can no one hear my final plea?! I am so weak...I cannot fight! I beseech you...don't do this to me!
Vampire Ahahaha! There is no place for you to hide! Step out into the dark outside! Your blood belongs to me, so please! Look deep into the eyes of me!
Soprano I feel the shaking in my knees!
Vampire Yield up your soul unto my might!
Both together TRAPPED WITHIN THIS ENDLESS NIGHT! Soprano Wait... *sigh*Listen, Joe,
I'm tired of this Flea bitten, two-bit outfit! We can take this vampire Victim bit to another
station..! Let's just get out a here!
Vampire (Joe) Yeah. Marvin's still Asleep anyway Let's go!
Chuck Wagon Calhoun sings his latest about seeking his fortune by prospecting for gold. He's not prospected before, but he knows what he needs to do it. A grubstake, pick and shovel...and a mule to do the heavy work. So he finds a prospector that made his fortune and no longer needed his mule named Euripides. So he made a good price to Chuck Wagon, bought him and headed up to the mountains. Chuck Wagon's got prior experience got prior experience dealing with a mule, in fact the mule Ol' Tom was the subject of Chuck Wagon's premiere recording with Big And Tall Records. And as with Ol' Tom, trouble brews with Euripides as well. As with all of Chuck Wagon's endeavors, he loses interest and moved on to his next adventure...after he sells Euripides...Rip as Chuck Wagon calls him! So what adventure and profession awaits our tall tale teller? Stay tuned and find out!
Howdy! Ma name’s Chuck Wagon Calhoun. I’m fixin’ to jack ma jaw at ya ‘bout The time I deserted the world and went prospectin’… FER THAT YELLER STUFF WE GO NUTS OVER!! YEE HAW YA’LL!
Had ‘nough of gittin’ my ass shot at and beat So I heerd ‘bout some dudes stakin’ claims Way up in the hills findin’ gold nuggets big So I sold all my stuff and went to do the same
Thar’s gold in them thar hills, say the ol’ timers Nuggets found as big as a chicken egg Got me a grub stake and a pick an a shovel Now all I need’s a mule, then stretch ma legs!
Now I done worked with mules afore now. Git a good one, they help out a lot Git a bad one, all they do is eat and shit Best save yer money with a pistol shot…
Thar’s gold in them thar hills, say the ol’ timers Found me a miner that done struck it rich Didn’t have no need fer a mule no more He said he were a good worker…(lying sum a bitch!)
Couldn’t believe when he tol’ me the mules name He called the ol’ mule Euripides What the hell kind a name fer a mule is that? Some ol’ Greek dude what wrote tragedies?
Thar’s gold in them thar hills, said the ol’ timer Best keep callin’him the same name If ya change it, he prolly won’t answer He’s a good boy, will mind ye, and tame!
So I tried to shorten his name to Rip I hollered it and to my side he did trip So we gathered ourselves and got on the trail And he follered me long side my hip
Thar’s gold in them thar hills, but whar’s it at? Me and Rip fer a month searched for mother lode My back was a achin’, my knees were a shakin’! Went further and further down the road
Now it seems the further we traveled I were carryin’ more of the weight Ol’ Rip was a lolligaggin’ He best shape up, git goin’ straight!
Thar’s gold in them that hills, OH YEAH? My ass is sorely draggin’ Ol’ Rip wants to sit under the shade tree His part of the deal shore is flaggin’
Come to a head one damned hot sultry day The sun beatin’ down on my brow Ol’ Rip sittin’ in the shade of a tree My patience really snapped somehow
Thar’s gold in them thar hills, ya goddam mule! No mo gonna give ya a pass I picked up a big ol’ tree limb And was fixin’ to beat his ass!
He looked at me with his big brown eyes As I was fixin’ to give him a whallop Brayed a couple times like he t’were laughin’ And suddenly he grunted and sprang up
Thar’s gold in them thar hills, he seemed to say But it shore ain’t worth all of this trouble He walked ovah to me, nuzzled ma hand I dropped the big club on the double
[Spoken word] It took that stubborn old mule to make me see the error of
my ways. What the hell good is gold if you're all cobbled up from
findin' it? So I sat with him in the shade of the tree, Scratched him under the chin like he liked, Vowed to quit prospectin', and then told old Rip I thanked
him- Then I sold that goddamn stubborn no good Consarned lazy fuckin' mule! And I told the dumbass what bought him he's a good
worker!
At one of Buzzy Carlyle's Recording sessions, he brought along his protégé blues guitarist Tuning Fork Turner. After Buzzy laid down his song, he had the engineers keep the recording going, and gave a chance to Tuning Fork to let us know what he can do. The results were not very well received by Buzzy, or by Big And Tall Records. Buzzy lets his feeling be known on the recording after Tuning Fork was finished, in fact Buzzy cut him short. We've had this recording for a while, and Buzzy finally told us to release it, as he's finally got Tunin' Fork to playing real blues, and not just a bunch of theoretical microtones and key changes. There is an ensuing recording of Tunin' Fork coming soon, and Buzzy wanted the comparisons between this recording and his new one.
We sat down with Buzzy to talk about this new artist, who we already have a short term contract with on Buzzy's recommendation.
BTR - We admit, Buzzy, after hearing the example of Tunin' Fork's playing on the demo, we seriously considered whether he was worth even a short term contract.
Buzzy - Man, cain't say I blame ya! The kid blew his golden chance that I give him. That's for sure!
BTR -Why do you think he played the way he did? You've raved about his natural ability and talent!
Buzzy -Nerves. Didn't tell him I was gonna do it, first time he was in a recording studio and in front of a microphone.
BTR - What in hell was he playing? Didn't sound like anything to us but some chord changes that didn't mesh, very little to no melody.
Buzzy -That's for sure what it was. Goddam guitar noodlin's all! He's got all this formal education, and I respect that. But damn, you cain't be usin' all that fancy crap with playin' the blues startin' out! I've heerd some guitarists use some shit I didn't know what in hell they did, but they been playin' for years, and it fit. It was still the blues. This wasn't.
BTR - Sounds like he was doing a performing test for his theory professor!
Buzzy - Don't know 'bout that. Nevah had no theory m'self, outside what I just picked up. Didn't give a shit what in hell it was, I let him know what it wasn't!
BTR -We really enjoyed the way you spelled it out for him after you interrupted him!
Buzzy - Hell, that ain't nothin' the way I chewed his ass after the tape stopped! We had a knock down drag out for sure! Tol' him cut the fancy 'Music Perfesser' shit, and git down to playin' the blues I know you can do! You wanna keep playin' all that other crap, get the hell out my life and let me git 'nother player that wants to learn!
BTR -How'd he react?
Buzzy - He stomped out of my room at the home, never said nothin' Thought that might be the end of it, but two days later he come back with his tail 'tween his legs and apologized up one side and down the other. I accepts, he kept apologizin' and I told him I didn't cotton to no ass kissin', mine, or anyone else's! But that he better respect me as much as I respect him and what I sees in him, and let's just git back to work!
BTR - So how's he doing now?
Buzzy - I had him play with other blues people, and especially with some blues singers I know. The kid can play along with the best of 'em. Picks up their style like he's been with 'em for years, and the singers he gitso n their same vibe and gives them a ton of support. Haven't let him play much solo. That seems to be when all the high and mighty shit comes in. Just what in hell is a microtone anyway? He tried explainin' it, told me it was like a note atween F-sharp and G. Now I ain't much for theory, but I know there ain't no note atween F-sharp and G. He retuned his guitar and played some microtones for me, and damn, they just sounded either too sharp or too flat to me!
BTR - It's difficult to understand if you don't know theory.
Buzzy - He tol' me microtones are bein' used right now, and he believed they'd be used in the blues as well. I kind a think it's like bendin' a note, but he says it's more than that. Not interested in arguin' with him. Might be blues in the future will have more microtines in it, but he's learnin' music like I play it! Than he can make his own style in that framework, then go on from there, and more power to him!
BTR - Okay, so tell us how he's doing now!
Buzzy - You seen him! Pockets full of tunin' fawks, metronomes, god only knows whatevah other music contraption! When we play together, he cain't stand to hear my 'dirty' tunin'. Takes us a while to get even in pitch, right on the wazoo. He got what they call perfect pitch. Play a note, he can tell ya what it is. I can kind a do that, but he can tell ya if it's an out of tune whatevah, and if it's sharp or flat! Right in thin air. No other notes playin'! Man, I'm glad I ain't got that! He says hearin' somethin' out of pitch hurts his ears. But he's learned to be intentionally out of pitch, to bend a note when he plays for expression. So yeah, he's come a long way since that demo. Wait 'til you hear him now! He's workin' on an original song too, a for real blues song he's gonna sing and play!
We at Big And Tall Records are excited to hear Tunin' Fork Turner on his upcoming record!
We here at Big And Tall Records are always excited when we get a song form Mams Carter. We're big fans of her boogie-woogie songs, and there is no one that sings the blues like Mams! And we should know, for we've got a formidable catalog of blues singers, each one of them unique in their own way. What makes Mams different from the rest is that she was a stay at home mom for years, raising her kids by herself after her husband passed away. She played piano in church for years and her son Amos Carter, one of our artists as well, told us that when they didn't do what they should, she'd seldom holler, never spanked or hit them, but she would give them a solid lecture on why they should do what they should, and they'd end up singing church hymns afterwards! She didn't do it to punish them,but to try and instill in them good values.
But Amos has said that it was torture for them, especially singing church hymns because his Mom would go through all the stanzas, and the number of hymns would b e commensurate with the degree of the 'crime'. Amos said, "Me and my other brothers would've rather had an ass whoppin', to tell the truth! But she knew what she was doing. We're not involved with the church any more (and neither is she) but we've all got an abiding respect for our heritage and we actually like church hymns!"
Mams didn't datge at all until her kids were older. Not been married again, but has had a few serious relationships that sadly have turned sour. She's always played here piano, an old upright they bought used years ago. Amos has tried to buy her a grand piano, but she always waved it off, said she liked her old upright. It's got character! Amos coaxed her into filling in when the piano player in his boogie-woogie band was out of commission for a while, and after the initial jitters, she took right off and started enjoying it. She played on a few recordings Amos made, and we heard how she could play boogie-woogie, and offered her a chance to make a demo. That demo was so good, we released it: Who Needs It? The song did well enough that we offered her a contract, and she signed up. Her next song kind of surprised us. We had no idea she could write a song like this, or sing it so well :The Blues Done Got Me So Bad. Since those two releases she's followed the pattern of a snappy, boogie-woogie type song with a bluesy, meditative one. She knew what she wanted right off the bat with her blues songs; her solo piano and a string orchestra, and they always sound so good together!
Like many a blues singer, she doesn't really give any specific reason for the blues she sings, except for the rainy day. But that's why the blues is such a wonderful form. From a hard driving blues to one in this style, there is a wide range of emotions and moods to choose from. Our producers tell us she has taught herself how to arrange her songs herself, including teaching her self orchestration for the strings. We're so very thankful such a talented musician is one of our artists!
Rain on the window, mud in the yard Air so thick it makes me breathe hard My blouse is clinging like it knows my name Every single corner is wet from the rain
I tried to shake it, but it's goin' slow Weight on my shoulders, rain won't go
The rain has brought me down (I'm feeling so blue) I feel like skippin' town (What am I gonna do?) Humidity got me hot and damp (Wanna wring myself dry) Feels like my heart's in a clamp (Keep askin' myself why)
Dirty pots in the sink... porch all wet Keep thinking 'bout things... I can't forget Cat's under the chair, the phone stays still Even my old heart can't pay this bill
I tried to smile but the sky won A damp blanket when the day is done
Rain has dampened my
heart (I'm feeling so blue) I just don't know where to start (What am I gonna do?) I feel so uptight, distressed (Wanna wring myself dry) My life right now is such a mess! (Keep askin' myself why)
Maybe tomorrow the sun will glow And I won't be feelin' so damn low Tonight I'm an old shed with a leaking roof Look at my eyes if you need proof
It's late, but I can't sleep (I'm feeling so blue) The blues has got me deep (What am I gonna do?) My body's wore out and tired (Wanna wring myself dry) But my mind is troubled... and wired (Keep askin' myself why)
The bluesman Tugboat Jackson returns! He's been laid up with a serious health issue, and is just getting back in action. He tells us the tale, and it's a long one:
'Bout three months ago, I got out of bed and couldn't hardly walk. I've got a bad back. bad knees ,in general wore out, but this pain was different. Was in my hip, down my butt, into my thigh and calf. Didn't think much of it. just ook it easy the rest of the day. Next day I got up with the same pains, really didn't feel well, so just laid around all day again. But in the middle of the night the pain woke me up, and I knew I had a fever. Finally after a few hours, I felt so bad could walk only with terrible pain, so I called 911 and they took me to the hospital.
Ended up I had a 103 degree fever, and sepsis! They shot me up with heavy duty pain killers antibiotics. The pain wasn't stopping. I was admitted, a steady stream of tests and doctors kept trying to figure it out. An infectious disease doctor came in, and said all the bloodwork pointed to an infection, and suspected an abscess, but none of the x-rays showed where. After three days of more tests, CAT scans, ultrasounds, and an MRI, doctor ordered another MRI of a specific area in my back, and they found the abscess! It was on a a deep-seated muscle in my back, the psoas muscle, and the abscess was right next to the spinal cord! A neurosurgeon was brought in as the other doctors told me the abscess it needed to be drained. It was causing pressure on nerves and probably pressing on the spinal cord. No wonder the damned thing hurt! The neurosurgeon said he wouldn't touch it! Too dangerous, to get to it might cause damage to the spinal cord which could lead to paralysis of my legs - or worse!
So more days in the hospital while cultures grew to find out exactly what bacteria caused it. When they got the result, a specific antibiotic was prescribed that had to be given through an IV. So after I was released from the hospital I had 6 weeks of IV therapy every day to look forward to! After 6 weeks I had another MRI, and the damned thing was still there, and neurosurgeon still refused to drain it. So I went to the hospital every day for IV antibiotic treatments, saw the infectious disease doctor once a week, waited forever to get into the neurosurgeon, who said keep up the treatment and have another MRI in a month! So after 129 straight days of IV treatment, the neurosurgeon had yet another MRI done and declared the abscess was gone!
The infectious disease doctor was nervous about keeping me on an antibiotic that long, but he also told me I couldn't take a chance with it coming back. If it came back, it would more likely be worse! So kept with, iot, lived through the pain, none of the pain medication really knocked it out until about a month after the treatment started. The educated me to not wait if any of the symptoms showed up again, as this kind of infection can be fatal! And as I'm diabetic, that was a contributing factor to me getting it in the first place (and my blood sugars are well controlled!) so I had a higher likelihood than most for it to reoccur!
When we talked to Tugboat in the recording studio, he looked well and acted like his old self. Said he's feeling good now and got a lot of songs in his head!
Bein’ hongry helps ya stand tall Bein’ hongry can help ya stand tall Yer work ain’t through If the rent come due Gotta git crackin’ fore ya fall
Gotta have a spade to move the dirt Fo sho gotta have a spade to move the dirt Best not delay Gotta shovel yo way If troubles ya wanna avert
Usin’ a laddah, look see who's left behind All depends on who
ya’ll find People broken, hongry and cryin' While you try to take what is mine Driven by a devious mind
Workin' hard is a good thing Yes, workin' hard's a good thing But not if it comes at the cost Of another ones loss Jest so ya get the brass ring
I’m tellin’ ya man to man You know, it is man to man If ya take the easy pass Jest to sit on yo
ass Then you ain't a real man!
Seen plenty not give a damn Join in on all the flim-flam For money and fame For ill gotten gain Don’t live yo life like a scam!
May hear that it's a good plot To take without gettin' caught Seems a trend today Don't nevah pay And let all the rest of them rot!
It isn't very often here at Big And Tall Records that an artist gets two songs issued one right after the other with no other artist in between, let alone with a new artist. But we've made an exception in the case of Reginald P. Farquahar III. Evidently a group that records old music hall type story songs is behind this colorful character. This is quite a song with a synopsis being:
A story song about Reggie trying to impress a group of young
women on Carnaby Street when one of his old plumber mates Alfie, eyes him and
embarrasses him! Reggie in turn gets really nasty with Alfie, then Alfie talks
back, then Reggie, then Alfie really lets loose with some choice tales about
him and Reggie visiting the pub, passing out on the sidewalk, and Reggie laying
there 'snorin' and pissin' his pants'! Despite Reggie's protests, the women
don't think Reggies any more of a 'British Gentleman' than Alfie is, and they
storm off. Reggie calls Alfie some choice names, Alfie asked if he wants to
settle it 'under Marquis of Queensbury Rules' , Reggie starts flailing and
Alfie lands a solid smack to the jaw, knocking Reggie down. Alfie tests to see
if Reggie's really out or not, offers to buy him a pint!
REGGIE Greetings! My name is Reginald Poindexter Farquahar, the third! Aye, 'tis a fine day in the exquisite metropolis of London! As I take my daily constitutional Down Carnaby Street, I meet a Group of the city’s finestingénues Gathering on a street corner. I stop and introduce
myself, and begin To have a most enlightening and delightful chat:
Good day to you, ladies, I offer my greetings To one of the most beautiful Sights of my
meetings You've chosen a sublimest of days To partake of a promenade May I offer to buy you All a glass of lemonade?
Perchance you may think me forward to ask But I assure you all, 'tis but a friendly task To engage in intelligent conversation Is my one and only reason for instigation!
ALFIE Oy!! OY!! That be you, Reggie? My gaw, didn’t make ya out Wi' the fancy garb! How ya be, ya ol’
turd puller? Ya 'member me, don't ya? Alfie! ALFIE MORRIS! We spent many an 'ourtogether Up to our arse holes in muck! I ain’t seen ya
since ya hung up the ol’ shit stompahs!
By gaw, ye ain’t hung em up! Yer still wearin’ ‘em! Haw Haw Haw! Wi’ wearin' wormy ol’ tweed duds... that the moths done et half of! Haw haw haw!
What gives wi' ya, me ol' friend? Why ya tryin' t' be all fancy? Ya gone daft, too many pints at the pub Just wait 'til I tell ol' DeLancy!
REGGIE (Oy ...indeed... a gross memory from me past...) Oh, pay no mind. m'ladies. 'Tis but a common
plumber I have used in the past, In my construction endeavors. I do not remember him much, as he was but a lowly worker that I had little
contact with.
In the past, as I was in charge of construction I had on occasion to deal with grossly common I never actually worked with this man So I believe he is most horribly mistaken I designed with my encompassing skill The most complex of pipe fitting schemes But I never worked with this man called Alfie Not in his most wildest dreams!
Go away, sir! Can’t you see I am engaged In polite conversation that you are ill Equipped for? Be a good fellow, and begone!
ALFIE BY GAW! Say, where do ya get off wi' tha' stuff? Still doin' the same ol' shite! Tryin' to make time with posh birds Never did it work out right!
I 'member the days we spent inna pub Flexin' our elbows an all Kept the points comin' near and fast 'Till we got to stagger an' fall! I 'member ya layin' there on the sidewalk Snorin' an' pissin yer pants! Then ya'd wake up, get physical Throw yer fists, and throw yer rants! I also 'member the times you took a swing At me your oldest dearest mate
Samet'ing happened
every time A sock in yer jaw were yer fate! Ya always had a glass jaw, Reggie me boy! If ya be wantin' the same, keep yer jaws movin'!
REGGIE Please! Dear ladies! I apologize for this foolish man! Let us leave him to his misery!
FEMALE VOICE Come, ladies This man is a fraud! He is no more a proper British gentleman than his
friend!
REGGIE I beseech you! I give you my oath! This man has accosted me, on the street! I shall call a constable forthwith! That will dispense with him neat!
FEMALE VOICE Leave us alone, or it is I who shall call the constable!
REGGIE Is it my fate, to be treated thus When I attempt to overcome my class? It makes me so sad. But then angry! THEY ALL CAN KISS ME BLOODY ARSE! And as for you... you... you... BLOODY STUPID WANKER! BUGGER OFF! LEAVE ME
ALONE! Ya took the piss right outa me! Alfie, yer nothin' but a twat!
ALFIE Wanker he says! HAW! HAW! HAW! Stupid he says! HAW! HAW! HAW! TWAT he says! HAW! HAW HAW! Nice to 'ear the ol' Reggie I know But hardly love!
Wanna settle this like we used ta do? Marquis of Queensbury rules, hmmm? Watch out fer me foot work ya gross fat cow! T'ink ya can outbox me? HMMMMM?
Yer naught but punchin' air HAW! HAW! HAW! This fight shore ain't fair HAW! HAW! HAW! Ya never was a fightin' man! HAW! HAW! HAW! HERE! HAVE ME RIGHT CROSS HAND!
Tol' ya, Reggie me boy Once got a glass jaw, always got a glass jaw! Er'e ya out? Or are ya fakin' it? C'mon. Git up ya hifalutin burk! Ya fancy a pint? I'm buyin'!
Reginald Poindexter Farquahar (The Third) is a mighty mouthful of a name for a new character at Big And Tall Records.
Reginald P. Farquahar III is our newest artist. He is, as he states in this song belongs to a long line of distinguished professional men in the plumbing trade (he's a retired plumber) who, in his retirement, is trying to transform himself into a proper, erudite, British gentleman. The problems he's having with that are apparent just by his appearance. A ratty looking tweed suit that has seen better days, and he' still wearing his high top plumber's boots with his pantlegs tucked inside. When he speaks, he can keep up the posh accent for a while, excessive tongue rolling and all, but when he gets angry or things don't go right, he lapses right back into his usual accent. In this song he tries to use his fancy language on a lady 'with a pedigree as long as yer arm', to have supper with him as a posh restaurant. When she refuses, his accent returns with a vengeance!
We can foresee further issues with Reggie's plan of trying to turn 'posh'. An accent of any kind is difficult to change, and we suspect that not only the accent is the issue, but his choice of words will be as well. A plumber's job can be really hard, dirty work, and when things go exceedingly wrong the language can turn equally hard and dirty! Good luck to you, Reggie! We'll be following along here at Big And Tall Records to see how he copes. But we personally don't see nothin' amiss wi' a mate goin' to de pub fer a point and a larf!
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen! Allow me to introduce meself…um.. Myself...I am Reginald P. Farquahar III I come from a long
line of distinguished Professional men in
the plumbing trade. I am now retired,
and practice my Transformation from
a commoner to a cultured, Erudite British
gentleman! Watch me as I entice An elegant British
woman with a pedigree be long a yer arm…oh... From a very fine
family...to accompany me to dinner!
Excuse me dear Lady, if I may be so bold A beauty like yours should not sit in the cold Permit me to escort you to a grand dining hall For a spot of fine supper, the finest of all! I shall order the caviar, vintage champagne To be in your presence is my ultimate gain.
Oh, the evenin’ be young, and the stars be aligned For a high-class affair of a grander design!... (Me belly is rumblin’ I could eat a whole cow, But I must play the gent, got to keep it up now!) I offer up me armif'nya please, To guide you along with absolute ease... We’ll dine like the gentry, oh will be sublime I reckon to show you a real good time! So what do you say, mum? Let’s head out the door, A high-class arrangement you canna ignore.
Don't look at me so, thus, with an eye of distain! My noble intentions are perfectly plain! I'm a man of... great...substance... a real upper-crust. (Blimey, me collar be fit-to-bloody-bust!!) Won't you grant me this favor, me elegant bird?... Uh...Lady!...I mean! ... Oh, just give me the word!
Lady: No thank you, sir! ... Absolutely not! ... Good day!
Oh, who do you think you are, give me the boot?! Spent me last copper... OY! ... to press up this suit! Offered you nosh, at a proper posh place And you turn up yer nose... huh! ... right in me face! Get back to yer tea and yer fancy ah-tee-tah I’m off to me pub fer a point and a larf! You missed out on a gent, Yeah, a real class act, Too good fer ya anyways And that’s a dead fact! Cheerio then! Ya bloody snooty tart!
Chuck Wagon Calhoun appears again! This time he thinks he’s found the ultimate winning hand in Carson City, Nevada. After trying his luck as a professional gambler he realized the cards weren't breaking his way, so he pivots to a new strategy: romance.
Enter a wealthy, elderly widow. Chuck figures he’ll sweep her off her feet, tie the knot, and comfortably settle in as the sole heir to her massive fortune. It seems like the perfect, effortless retirement plan... until a buddy pulls him aside and drops a bombshell about his bride-to-be's actual intentions! Turns out, she's got a "doin' away" method she uses with her suitors, and Chuck's life might just slip away if he stays. Realizing he's completely outmatched, Chuck decides to skip the confrontation, gather up his gear, saddle up his horse, and hit the trail before the wedding bells can toll.
We'll give this guy credit for his resilience and trying all kinds of ways to make a living. Trouble is that so often his money making ideas are either undermined by his own actions, or the ideas were like Ralph Kramden-like; not the best ideas that were doomed to failure no matter what he did! What will be next? We here at Big And Tall Records await with bated breath!
Howdy! This be Chuck Wagon Calhoun! I bet ya’ll didn’t know I were a professional Gambler in the boom town of.. Carson City, Nevada! YEE HAW, YA’LL!
Playin’ cards day and night ain’t at all an easy way Hard to git any sleep and it don’t always pay Found me ‘nother tactic to earn me a livin’ With a widow woman try to make me a killin’
Fair of complexion, wrinkled of lip Saggy of chest and chonky of hip Droopy of eye, hair like the snow But I loved her, even all of that’s so
We’d take a buggy ride away out the town Got her to bill and coo make some other sounds She pledged her love to me and I called her honey ‘Twernt much to look at but she had gobs a money!
Fair of complexion, wrinkled of lip Hair on her chin, and post nasal drip Feet that were crooked, and ass that t’were lumpy I loved her, but damn she was so grumpy!
Planned to git hitched and all cuz she cain’t live too long I’d git all her money to hep me git along But one of my buddies took me aside one night Tol’ me don’t marry her, git her out of yer sight
He tol’ me after ya’ll git hitched And she says yes to be yer wife She’ll insist you take out a policy That will cover yer life And by the time she’s all done with you… You’ll be dead husband number twenty two!
Fair of complexion, wrinkled of lip Marry this bitch, my life's gonna slip Fingers all gnarly toe nails yeller too She's got plans a doin' way with you!
Sat and wondered what in the world to do Should I confront her say to hell with you But in the end I decided like I do of course To gather up ma shit and saddle up ma horse!
I reckoned if she done kilt 21 husbands she knowed what she were doin' ! I'm a no account, low life bastard but I ain't no match fer a consarn dad blamed
poor excuse for an old
woman that don't play fair!
[Editor's note: We got this dispatch from Buenos Aires from our agent there, Ricardo Monzina, who was sent there to research the tango band El Gato!. He came through with a first for Big And Tall Records, a set of 5 original Tangos from the group. After the successful recording sessions and the finalizing of the recordings, Ricardo was approached by El Gato himself about recording two more tangos before Ricardo came back to the U.S. Following is his extensive report that came with the audio files for the two new tangos!]
TO: Executives and all associates of Big And Tall Records FROM: Ricardo Monzia, official associate and agent for Big And Tall Records SUBJECT : New recordings by El Gato!
I know you've all been wondering why I extended my stay in Buenos Aires. No, it wasn't the fine weather, or the delicious food, it was an offer from El Gato! himself to record two more original tangos if we were interested. The recording sessions for their premiere album Canto El Tango went very well, and the group got along splendidly with the recording engineer on duty at the time. We got a picture of El Gato and his bandoneon player Mateo Onzario watching as Delfina Moretti recorded her song for the album. I was standing behind them and heard them talking about her, and how El Gato was in a relationship with her that has grown into a deep, passionate love. Mateo is encouraging him to let her know how he feels, that it is not just a fling between band members. Despite El Gato's aggressive singing style, he can be somewhat shy. So Mateo suggested that he can tell her in the best way - through song! El Gato had been working on a romantic tango for Delfina, and Mateo suggested that he should talk to me about recording it.
I interrupted their conversation, apologized for eavesdropping (El Gato is not a man to be rude to. His shyness can turn to anger very quickly!) and asked him flat out if the tango was finished to record. El Gato hesitated, but Mateo said that it was! I found out that Mateo is not only the senior member of the group, but a wise counselor with a lot of experience in music and life. So I got on the phone, set up another recording session with the same recording engineer, contacted the local lawyers for another agreement for the session. El Gato was pleased, and quite excited to record his tango for his beloved.
It was a few days until the agreement from the lawyers came, and when it came El Gato gathered the available band members to review it like the last agreement they had. As usual, all the band members deferred to El Gato's leadership, except one- Gonzalo Crexell, La Profesor. El Gato insisted that the agreement be like the last, that we pay all expenses, but the band receive no money upfront. El Gato said this song was personal, and La Profesor , or as El Gato calls him Culo amargado - Grumpy ass, because he belly aches so much, told them without getting paid he wouldn't play! He said his pockets were empty from the first agreement, and he's not playing the piano for a hobby! And as usual, El Gato let him vent and bitch until he agreed.
The meeting intentionally hadn't included Delfina, as the band wanted to keep it a surprise that they recorded a tango specially for her. But she walked in as the meeting was over, and wanted to know what was going on and why she was left out. Let's just say that she's a spirited woman, and really threw a fit! But El Gato changed her mood when he told her about it, and showed her the contract. She read it, and began to cry. She knows El Gato enough that to have him write and dedicate a tango to her was special. She told him her feelings for him have deepened as well, but she was afraid of scaring him off by being too serious.
The recording session was the next day, and the band played about 20 minutes by themselves to warm up. The recording engineer talked to El Gato while the band played, and offered some suggestions they could do post-recording to enhance the performance. El Gato was really pissed off at the suggestion, said they do not add tricks and wizardry of a recording engineer added to their music! To his credit, the recording engineer handled El Gato's anger well, probably wasn't the first artist that jumped down his throat.
The band was in a groove, sounded great! El Gato joined them and did a sound check. His voice was still rough, but seemed to have a lighter quality here and there. When they got down to it, they recorded numerous takes of the song. El Gato listened, and picked the best one, then told the engineer that they had worked through enough material to have another whole song recorded. The recording engineer, again to his credit as the session's time was nearly over, agreed to give it a try. Luckily it was the last session of the day, so there was no need to wrap it up. I got the impression the engineer and El Gato liked each other. Despite their spirited discussion (the engineer barked back at El Gato a few times) It was obvious they respected each others ability. It was around 4:00 AM when they locked everything down,and there were two songs! The second one had been mostly improvised from parts of the first song and the endless material these players had in their heads after so many years of playing.
I had gone back to my hotel after the first song, as it was already late. I knew they were going to try for another but hadn't heard any of it. So the following afternoon I accompanied Delfina and El Gato back to the studio to hear the results. Delfina was in tears through all of it, and El Gato smiled and stared as he listened. We listened a few times, El Gato asked me what I thought and all I could do was applaud him. The recording engineer then told el Gato that he had taken the liberty of adding a little something to the chorus of the 2nd song, and would like him to hear it.
El Gato really earned his name then! His voice raised to a thunderous, growling, spitting tirade against the engineer, and he got up to walk out. Delfina grabbed his hand and asked him to stay, she would like to hear it. I also added some encouragement, but it was mostly Delfina that calmed the hissing tomcat! The engineer offered no explanation or clue what was to come, he just began the track. Everything was the same with the second song until they came to the reprise at the end of the chorus section. I had provided extra funds to add a chorus to the songs, as well as a few extra players, mostly percussion. It took some coaxing to get El Gato to agree, but he liked the result. At the repeat of the words 'canto mi corazon - I sing my heart out - He put a filter on the female voice that sings the words. I watched El Gato to see his reaction, for I knew if he didn't like it all hell would break loose. But he sat motionless, his gaze straight ahead, his eyes wide open and his mouth open. He didn't move or say a word through the rest of the song.
After some silence after the song, the engineer finally asked him what he thought. El Gato said that it was the haunting he felt of the love he feels for Delfina, that it is the inner voice that never lets him rest when he is not with her. He demanded that it be left in! El Gato can be a real surprise!
Attached are the sound files for the songs, lyrics in Spanish and English are below. I know the song's theme are the same, and there are other similarities, but I would advise to release them together, like the old days when records had an 'A' and a 'B' side. And I promise to get back as soon as I can and quit living high on the company dime! But you have to admit, we not only have a new artist aboard, and a tango band, but a trip that produced seven original songs! But tonight I'm going to celebrate and go to an Asado restaurant near the hotel! Chau, nos vemos!
Delfina En Tango
Delfina, te vi pasar con tu paso de salón y yo, torpe de verdad, pisé tarde el corazón Tengo manos de ladrón para el aire, para el hilo pero al verte, mi canción se me quiebra sin escondite
Yo no sé girar contigo me tropiezo al respirar si me acerco, pierdo el pulso si me alejo, duele más Y aunque digan que es destino yo te miro y ya está
Delfina, mi voz te baila Delfina, mi voz te da Yo no bailo el tango, amor pero te sé cantar Delfina, mi voz te baila (Delfina) Delfina, mi voz te da (mi
voz te da)
Tengo el pulso de un reloj que se cae al despertar y tu risa, por favor, me enseña a no desafinar No te ofrezco una esquina ni un compás para los pies te ofrezco esta herida donde te nombro otra vez
Si la pista me perdona yo me quedo en el borde con la pena en la garganta y tu nombre de norte Que me vean tan sincero que me oigan temblar
Delfina, mi voz te baila Delfina, mi voz te da Yo no bailo el tango, amor pero te sé cantar Delfina, mi voz te baila (Delfina) Delfina, mi voz te da (mi
voz te da)
Si la noche pide una vuelta yo la doy sin caminar porque en cada nota abierta te me vuelvo a acercar Y si nunca hay dos cuerpos marcando el mismo lugar que mi pecho haga el baile que mis labios sepan dar
Delfina, mi voz te baila Delfina, mi voz te da Yo no bailo el tango, amor pero te sé cantar Delfina, mi voz te baila (Delfina) Delfina, mi voz te da (mi
voz te da) Delfina, quédate aquí en mi forma de cantar
Delfina's Tango
Delfina, I saw you pass by with your ballroom stride and I—truly clumsy—stepped on my own heart too late My hands are like a thief's when grasping at air or thread but when I see you, my song breaks within me, with nowhere
to hide
I don't know how to spin with you I stumble just to breathe If I draw near, I lose my pulse If I pull away, it hurts
even more And though they say it's destiny I simply look at you, and
that is all
Delfina, my voice dances for you Delfina, my voice gives
itself to you I don't dance the tango, love but I know how to sing for you Delfina, my voice dances for you (Delfina) Delfina, my voice
gives itself to you (my voice gives itself)
My pulse is like a clock that tumbles down upon waking and your laughter—oh, please— teaches me how not to sing
off-key I don't offer you a street corner nor a rhythm for your feet I offer you this wound where I speak your name once again
If the dance floor forgives me I'll stay right here on the
edge with sorrow lodged in my throat and your name as my guiding
star Let them see how sincere I am let them hear me tremble
Delfina, my voice dances for you Delfina, my voice gives
itself to you I don't dance the tango, love but I know how to sing for you Delfina, my voice dances for you (Delfina) Delfina, my voice
gives itself to you (my voice gives itself)
If the night calls for a turn I'll take it without moving my
feet for in every open note I draw close to you once more And if two bodies never mark out the very same spot then let my heart perform the dance that my lips know how to
give
Delfina, my voice dances for you Delfina, my voice gives
itself to you I don't dance the tango, love but I know how to sing for you Delfina, my... My voice dances for you (Delfina) Delfina, my voice
gives itself to you (my voice gives itself to you) Delfina, stay here within the way I sing
Delfina En Mi Boca
Delfina, mi querida, yo sé bailar muy mal. Se me enredan los pasos como un perro al pasar. Tú giras como el agua, yo caigo al pisar. Y aun así, cuando te miro, me dan ganas de cantar.
No me pidas la cintura, ni el vuelo al cortar. Yo tengo el alma torcida y los pies para tropezar. Pero tengo esta garganta, tan fiel como el metal, y si no te dan mis manos,mi voz te va a alcanzar.
Delfina, ay Delfina mi tango es para vos Delfina, ay Delfina te nombro con amor Yo nunca haré contigo la vuelta del salón pero canto, Delfina, canto mi corazón (Delfina) (canto mi corazón)
La orquesta se hace vieja, la pista va a dormir. Y yo sigo con mi torpeza sin poderme redimir. Me piso el propio sueño, me río de mí. Pero cuando dices "hola", se me ordena el
porvenir.
Tu nombre me da coraje, me enseña a resistir. Si mi cuerpo no te sigue, mi pecho sí va a ir.
No nací para la finta, ni para seducir. Soy un hombre con zapatos que se quieren despedir. Pero hay algo en tu mirada que me obliga a insistir, y si el baile me derrota, mi voz te hace vivir.
Delfina, ay Delfina mi tango es para vos Delfina, ay Delfina te nombro con amor Yo nunca haré contigo la vuelta del salón pero canto, Delfina, canto mi corazón (Delfina) (canto mi corazón)
Si me ves en un rincón con la sombra y el temor, no te rías de mis pasos, ríete de mi dolor. Que yo pierdo en la milonga, pero gano en la canción, y en cada nota te acerco como un golpe de pasión.
Delfina, ay Delfina mi tango es para vos Delfina, ay Delfina te nombro con amor Yo nunca haré contigo la vuelta del salón pero canto, Delfina, canto mi corazón (Delfina) (canto mi corazón)
Delfina My Darling
Delfina, my dear, I dance very poorly. My steps get tangled up like a dog passing by. You spin like water, while I stumble with every step. And yet, when I look at you, I feel the urge to sing.
Don't ask me for a graceful waist, nor for a soaring
flourish. My soul is twisted, and my feet are made for tripping. But I have this voice, as true as metal; and if my hands cannot reach you, my voice surely will.
Delfina, oh Delfina, my tango is for you. Delfina, oh Delfina, I speak your name with love. I will never lead you around the dance floor, but I sing, Delfina—I sing my heart out. (Delfina) (I sing my heart out)
The orchestra grows old, the dance floor drifts to sleep. And I remain in my clumsiness, unable to redeem myself. I trip over my own dreams; I laugh at myself. But when you say "hello," my future falls into
place.
Your name gives me courage; it teaches me to endure. If my body cannot follow you, my heart surely will.
I wasn't born for fancy footwork, nor for seduction. I am just a man in shoes that seem eager to walk away. But there is something in your gaze that compels me to
persist; and if the dance defeats me, my voice will bring you to
life.
Delfina, oh Delfina, my tango is for you. Delfina, oh Delfina, I speak your name with love. I will never lead you around the dance floor, but I sing, Delfina— I sing my heart out. (Delfina) (I sing my heart out)
If you see me in a corner,amidst the shadows and the fear, do not laugh at my steps— laugh, instead, at my pain. Though I may lose on the dance floor, I win within the song; and with every note, I draw you near like a sudden surge of
passion.
Delfina—oh, Delfina—my tango is for you. Delfina—oh, Delfina—I speak your name with love. I will never take you for a turn around the floor; but I sing, Delfina—I sing my heart to you. (Delfina) (I sing my heart out)
