This blog is dedicated to the amateur or beginner musician with music written in a simple and easy to read Alpha Notes format and with Chords for the left hand. This is to assist those with little or hardly at all note reading skills. This is a blog that shows all the chords in Alpha Notes format too which you can find the notes for the chords in one of the blogs. Please feel free to leave a comment or any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
'Dixie Land' also known as 'I Wish I Was in Dixie', 'I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land', and 'Dixieland'.
Daniel Decatur Emmett is credited with writing Dixie, but many other people have claimed to have composed "Dixie", even during Emmett's lifetime. Emmett was a white minstrel show writer and blackface player from Mount Vernon, Ohio. Many Mount Vernon residents claim that Emmett collaborated informally with a pair of black musicians named Ben and Lew Snowden, black musicians from Mount Vernon, who also claim to have written the song. However, it is doubtful that the Snowden brothers wrote the song as they would have been only small children at the time Emmett composed Dixie.
Dixie is the best-known song to have come out of blackface minstrelsy. Although not a folk song at its creation, Dixie has since entered the American folk vernacular. The song likely cemented the word "Dixie" in the American vocabulary as a synonym for the Southern United States. It became a favorite of Abraham Lincoln’s and was played during his campaign in 1860 and at his inauguration in 1861.
Emmett published "Dixie" (under the title "I Wish I Was in Dixie's Land") in 1860. His tardiness in copyrighting the song allowed it to proliferate among other minstrel groups and variety show performers. By 1908, four years after Emmett's death, no fewer than 37 people had claimed the song as theirs.
Its lyrics tell the story of a freed black slave longing for the plantation of his birth. During the American Civil War, Dixie was adopted as the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy. New versions appeared during wartime that more explicitly tied the song to the events of the Civil War. The song presented the point of view, common to minstrelsy at the time, that slavery was overall a positive institution.
The song even added a new term to the American lexicon: "Whistling Dixie" is a slang expression meaning "unrealistic fantasizing". For example, "Don't just sit there whistling Dixie!" is a scolding used against inaction, and "You aren't just whistling Dixie!" indicates that the person is serious about something.
Today, Dixie is sometimes considered offensive, and its critics link the act of singing it to sympathy for the concept of slavery in the American South. The song’s supporters, however, view it as a legitimate aspect of Southern culture and heritage.
Dixie" is structured into 32 measure groups of alternating verses and refrains, following an AABC pattern.
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
"Did You Ever See a Lassie?" is a traditional folk song. The use of the terms "lassie" and "laddie" mean that this song is often attributed to possible origins in Scotland (by various forms of media; see "references" section), but it was first collected in the United States in the last decade of the nineteenth century and was not found in Great Britain until the mid-twentieth century. However, it can be surmised that the words to the song may have come from Scottish immigrants or Scottish-Americans because of the aforementioned terms.
The song is often accompanied by a circle singing game. Players form a circle and dance around one player. When they reach the end of the verse they stop, the single in the middle performs an action (such as Highland dancing), which everyone then imitates, before starting the verse again, often changing the single player to a boy, or a boy can join the center player - thus creating an extra verse in the song ("Did you ever see a laddie...").
The song is featured in the 1963 motion picture Ladybug, Ladybug. In the movie, children sing the song as part of a game while walking home from school during a nuclear bomb attack drill.
The song, as sung by children, was used in a 1990 commercial for Maidenform, and played over a succession of pictures of women in uncomfortable-looking clothing, was followed by the tag-line, "Isn't it nice to live in a time when women aren't being pushed around so much anymore?"
The song is featured in an episode of The Simpsons, "The Otto Show", and was titled "Hail to the Bus Driver".
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
"Oh, My Darling Clementine" (or simply "Clementine") is a traditional AmericanWestern folk balladintrochaicmeterusually credited to Percy Montross (or Montrose) (1884), although it is sometimes credited to Barker Bradford.
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Multiple variations of the song exist, but all center on Clementine, the daughter of a "miner forty-niner" and the singer's lover. One day while performing routine chores, Clementine trips and falls into a raging current and drowns, as her lover is unable to swim and declines to attempt to rescue her. In Montross's version, the song ends somewhat farcically by noting he will not go so far as necrophilia: "Though in life I used to hug her, now she's dead – I'll draw the line."
The lyrics were written by Percy Montross in 1884, based on an earlier song called "Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden", printed in 1863. The origin of the melody is unknown. In his book South from Granada, Gerald Brenan claims that the melody was from an old Spanish ballad, made popular by Mexican miners during the California Gold Rush. It was best known from Romance del Conde Olinos o Niño, a sad love story very popular in Spanish-speaking cultures. It was also given various English translations. No particular source is cited to verify that the song he used to hear in the 1920s in a remote Spanish village was not an old text with new music, but Brenan states in his preface that all the information in his book has been checked reasonably well.
It is unclear when, where, and by whom the song was first recorded in English, but the first version to reach the Billboard charts was that by Bing Crosby recorded on June 14, 1941, which briefly reached the No. 20 spot. It was given an updated and up-tempo treatment in an arrangement by Hal Hopper and John Scott Trotter. The re-written lyrics include a reference to Gene Autry ("could he sue me, Clementine?") amongst the five swinging verses.
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
"Camptown Races" is a
catchy tune and one that you probably remember from childhood. You may even
have taught your own children how to sing it. Written by preeminent American
songwriter Stephen Foster (1826–1864) in the mid-1800s, the song has long been
a favorite among American folk songs, and the first verse is a definite
earworm:
"De Camptown ladies sing this
song,
Doo-da, Doo-da
De Camptown racetrack's five miles
long
Oh, doo-da day"
Camptown in Pennsylvania, near
Foster's hometown, is thought by some to be the inspiration for the song,
though the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission cannot say for certain
whether there was a racetrack in or near the city or its length. Other sources
say that there were horse races from the city to Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, about
five miles between each city center. Others believe the song refers to
"camp towns," established by transient workers near railroads. Or it
could be all of the above.
The song reflects an important
transition time in American history, as the tune was popular in the decade
leading up to the Civil War. Migrant workers were common in this time period,
as were their camp towns. Establishment of these camps made it easier for the
workers to hop trains as they went from job to job and town to town, and they
were often populated by African-Americans.
One cannot overlook the comical
song's relevance to the minstrel shows that often parodied the African-American
population. The original title of the song, "Gwine to Run All Night,"
referenced the African-American stereotype dialect in which the song was
written. The lyrics talk about a group of transients in a camp town who bet on
horses to try to make some money. Being that betting on horses was considered
immoral, the "Camptown ladies" may also have been shady.
"Gwine to run all night,
Gwine to run all day,
I bet my money on a bob-tailed
nag,
Somebody bet on the gray."
The minstrel tradition, which
featured performers painting their faces Black to mock African-Americans, is
now considered incredibly racist, but this and other songs written during that
period have managed to stick around in our national repertory as standards.
"Camptown Races" was
written and first published in 1850 by Foster, who is often called
"America's first composer" or "father of American music"
and is well-known for many catchy tunes, including "Oh! Susanna."
Every year before the Kentucky Derby, Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home"
is sung with great fervor as well. He wrote about 200 songs, penning the music
as well as the lyrics.
The first recording of
"Camptown Races" was made by Christy's Minstrels. The mid-1850s were
a popular time for minstrel shows, and Edwin P. Christy's group was among the
best known. Their success stemmed from their relationship with Foster, as they
often sang his latest songs.
The Camptown Races run today are
run by people rather than horses. It's an annual 10K race that has almost three
miles of trail, including a stream crossing.
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
Camptown ladies sing this song, Doo-dah! doo-dah! Camptown race-track five miles
long, Oh, doo-dah day! I come down here with my hat caved
in, Doo-dah! doo-dah! I go back home with a pocket full
of tin, Oh, doo-dah day! Chorus: Gonna run all night! Gonna run all day! I'll bet my money on a bob-tail
nag, Somebody bet on the bay. The long tail filly and the big
black horse, Doo-dah! doo-dah! They fly the track and they cut
across, Oh, doo-dah-day! The blind hoss sticken in a big
mud hole, Doo-dah! doo-dah! Can't touch bottom with a ten foot
pole, Oh, doo-dah-day! Chorus Old muley cow come on to the
track, Doo-dah! doo-dah! The bob-tail fling her over his
back, Oh, doo-dah-day! Then fly along like a rail-road
car, Doo-dah! doo-dah! Runnin' a race with a shootin'
star, Oh, doo-dah-day! Chorus See them flyin' on a ten mile
heat, Doo-dah doo-dah! Round the race track, then repeat, Oh, doo-dah-day! I win my money on de bob-tail nag, Doo-dah! doo-dah! I keep my money in an old tow-bag, Oh, doo-dah-day! Chorus
Days of Elijah was written by Robin Mark in 1994. Below is from his website in his own words. Enjoy!
I, (Robin Mark), have had quite a few people asking me for an explanation
of the roots and meaning of the words and themes contained in "Days of
Elijah" since I wrote the song way back in 1994.
The song is generally and principally a song of 'hope'. The
themes it explores are to do with the fact that, although raised a Methodist, I
attended a lot of Brethren or Gospel Hall meetings as a small boy and somehow
the theology of Old Testament stories and characters being, either as
themselves or by their actions, 'types' or 'examples' of Christ and the Church
got stuck in my head. That is, even though they were historical factual people,
living in the old covenant days, their actions and characters can be used to
teach and represent the character of God under the new covenant and they
continually and repeatedly point to Christ. People call this “Typology” or
“Typical” analysis of the scriptures.
Firstly the song came from watching a television
"Review of the Year" at the end of 1994. This was the year of the
Rwandan civil war tragedy which claimed 1 million people’s lives, and also when
the first ceasefires in N.I. were declared. On this TV review were a lot of
daft stories, happy stories, serious stories, and then absolutely devastating
stories like the Rwandan situation. As I watched the review unfold I found
myself despairing about the state of the world and, in prayer, began asking God
if He was really in control and what sort of days were we living in.
I felt in my spirit that He replied to my prayer by saying
that indeed He was very much in control and that the days we were living in
were special times when He would require Christians to be filled with integrity
and to stand up for Him just like Elijah did, particularly with the prophets of
Baal. "These are 'Elijah' days". Elijah’s story is in the book of
Kings and you can read how he felt isolated and alone in the culture in which
he lived. But God told him to stand up and speak for Him.
We also needed to be a holy and just people and hence the
reference to the "days of your servant Moses", meaning that
righteousness and right living was important in all our attitudes and works.
Now, we are under grace and not under law, but the righteousness that comes by
faith can be no less than the moral law that Moses brought direct from God. It
has not been superseded. In fact Jesus told us that our “righteousness must
exceed that of the Pharisees”, who were the most ardent followers of Gods laws
as presented by Moses. Jesus was after righteous, servant hearts, of course,
that desired to live holy lives for Him.
"Days of great trial, of famine, darkness and
sword" is a reflection of the apparent times in which we live when still
thousands of people die every day from starvation, malnutrition and war. In the
midst of it all we are called to make a declaration of what and who we believe
in.
The second verse refers to the restoration of unity of the
body, what Jesus prayed for - "that they may be one even as I and the
Father are one..." by reference to Ezekiel's prophetic vision of the
valley of the dry bones becoming flesh and being knit together. There are lots
of interpretations of this picture, but one of a united church rising up in
unity and purpose, is a powerful call on us in these days.
The restoration of praise and worship to the Church is
represented by "the days of your servant David". Some folks use the
term “Restoration Theology” to describe this restoring of attributes to the
church. But in the song it’s mainly a picture of worship.
Of course David didn't get to build the structural temple
(that’s why the word in the song line is “rebuild”), that was left to Solomon
his son, but David was used by God to introduce a revised form of worship,
praise and thanksgiving into, firstly, his little tent which he pitched around
the Ark of the covenant (the presence of God) and then the temple that Solomon
his son built.
This worship, unlike the Mosaic Tabernacle, involved many
people being able to come into Gods presence and worship him openly. (In Moses
time only one man, the high priest, could enter the Holy of Holies, once a
year. David’s tent was a picture of how Christ would enable us to come right
into Gods presence, through his sacrifice, and worship openly there).
If you search carefully through the Book of Amos (chapter 9)
you will find reference to this "Restoration of David's Tabernacle".
In Acts this prophecy was used to explain, at the council of Jerusalem, why the
“Gentiles” should be allowed to become Christians and worship their saviour
without all the legal requirements of the Jewish law. It is also accepted among
restoration theologians that this refers to restored Praise and Worship. The
physical temple was "Solomon's", David’s “temple” was a little tent
but you and I are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It sounds complex, doesn’t it,
but if you just understand that the line in the song refers to Praise and
Worship before the presence of God just like David enjoyed, then that’s all
there needs to be to it!
Finally the "days of the Harvest" point towards
what is the purpose of the Christian to go into all the world and make
disciples of all nations. By the way “The fields are as white in the world” is
from the old King James version and means, their ripe for harvest.
These are the themes of the verses - Declaration,
Righteousness, Unity and Worship. I chose to express these thoughts by
reference to the characters that represented these virtues in the Old
Testament. It is in essence a song of hope for the Church and the world in
times of great trial.
The chorus is the ultimate declaration of hope - Christ's
return. It is paraphrased from the books of Revelation and Daniel and the
vision that was seen of the coming King and refers to the return of Christ and
the year of Jubilee. Theologians and Bible commentators believe that Israel
never properly celebrated this particular 50th year jubilee, and that it will
only be properly celebrated when Christ returns. That might be true but I
reckon that a Jubilee is an apt description of what happens when Christ comes
into anyone’s life at any time; debts are cancelled and a captive is set free.
These thoughts were in my head when I came to church early
one Sunday in 1995. We have two services and the Pastor spoke during the first
service on the "valley of dry bones" from Ezekiel. I took a prompt
from this and, in the 30 minutes between the services, wrote down the words and
chords in the kitchen of our church building and we sang it, as a body, at the
end of the second service.
How do you express the sense that these might be days, not
of failure and submission, but of the sort of resilient, declaring, even
arrogant trust and hope that Elijah had in his God? That these are not days of
God stepping back and allowing the world and the church to roll uncontrolled
towards eternity, but rather days when he is calling on his body to make a
stand, to offer right praises and to declare that He is totally in control.
Well, I reckon you may write the words "These are the days of Elijah"
and "These are the days of David". I've used word pictures and
Biblical characters to make that expression, but this is no different from many
of the great hymn writers and even David himself.
I presented the song to the church that day with a short
word of explanation, and we sang it as our worship.
Now the rest, I suppose, is history. There is no mechanism
(conspiracy theorists take note!) within the church for making people sing a
particular song, or for increasing it's use in the national or international
church body. As far as I was concerned the song was for our congregation, on
that day and at that time. God obviously had other ideas and it is now sung
almost world-wide. Grammatically, there may even be the odd aberration, but
thankfully the church has forgiven me that particular shortcoming.
I must make it clear that I did not set out to write an
overly complex or "secret" song, and I hope the testimony above bears
that out.
There is a post script to this story for those who (by
letters to me!) believe the song means something entirely different. A few
years ago I was privileged to be in Israel at Yom Kippur for a celebration with
hundreds of Messianic Jews. A very kind, gentle and humorous messianic brother
had a bit of fun arguing with me that I, as an Irish Christian, could never
have written a song which explores some of the themes that many
(non-replacement theology here!) Jewish believers believe are the themes and
indications of Christ's return. The Spirit and Power of Elijah in the Church,
The restoration of Israel to righteousness in Christ (David’s fallen tent), The
restoration of praise and worship (David’s tent also!) and the unity of the
body particularly with a renewed and redeemed Israel under Christ.
For me, I only know what I wrote. I felt prompted by the
Holy Spirit. Perhaps it was His desire to say something more than I personally
intended and to do more with this song than I first considered.
It is an unusual song, for sure. All of these restored
things like Justice, Righteousness, Integrity, Unity, Praise and Worship and
Revival are considered by many to be a herald of the last days and Christ's
return. Personally I don't know - I believe I wrote what God was telling me to
write and He seems to have used the song in many ways for many people.
I hope the explanation is clear. The song is, perhaps, a
little complex - but I can assure you that this was not deliberate. I have
written lots of simple, straightforward hymns and songs covering lots of
themes. This song seems to have been used particularly by God in the ministry
of Praise and Worship and the themes and pictures it uses seem to have been
grasped by God's people all over the world.
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here. Enjoy!
Lyrics:
Verse1
These are the days of Elijah Declaring the Word of the Lord And these are the days Of Your servant Moses Righteousness being restored And though these are days Of great trials Of famine and darkness and sword Still we are the voice In the desert crying Prepare ye the way of the Lord
Chorus1
Behold He comes Riding on the clouds Shining like the sun At the trumpet call So lift your voice It's the year of Jubilee And out of Zion's hill Salvation comes
Verse2
And these are the days of Ezekiel The dry bones becoming as flesh And these are the days Of Your servant David Rebuilding a temple of praise And these are the days of the harvest The fields are as white in the world And we are the labourers In Your vineyard Declaring the Word of the Lord
Misc1
(Bridge)
There is no god like Jehovah There is no god like Jehovah There is no god like Jehovah There is no god like Jehovah (hey)
