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!
"Early Morning Rain", sometimes styled as "Early Mornin' Rain", is a song written, composed, and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. The song appears on his 1966 debut album Lightfoot! and, in a re-recorded version, on the 1975 compilation Gord's Gold.
Lightfoot wrote and composed the song in 1964, but its genesis took root during his 1960 sojourn in Westlake, Los Angeles. Throughout this time, Lightfoot sometimes became homesick and would go out to the Los Angeles International Airport on rainy days to watch the approaching aircraft. The imagery of the flights taking off into the overcast sky was still with him when, in 1964, he was caring for his 5-month-old baby son and he thought, "I’ll put him over here in his crib, and I’ll write myself a tune." "Early Morning Rain" was the result.
The version by Ian & Sylvia reached #1 on the Canadian AC charts, August 2, 1965.Peter Paul and Mary's version of the song was recorded in August 1965, reaching No. 39 in Canada, and No. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100. The next year, George Hamilton IV's version hit No. 9 on the US country chart In April 1971, Oliver's version hit No. 38 on the US adult contemporary chart.Paul Weller took the song to No. 40 in the United Kingdom in 2005. Notably, Elvis Presley recorded and played the song live dozens of times. A French cover of this song, "Dans la brume du matin" (in the morning mist), was a hit in France for Joe Dassin.
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here.
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Lyrics:
In the early morning rain With a dollar in my hand With an achin' in my heart And my pockets full of sand
I'm a long way from home And I miss my loved ones so In the early morning rain With no place to go
Out on runway number nine Big 707 set to go But I'm stuck here in the grass Where the cold wind blows
Now, the liquor tasted good And the women all were fast Well, there she goes my friend Well, she's rollin' down at last
Hear the mighty engines roar See the silver bird on high She's away and westward bound Far above the cloud, she'll fly
Where the mornin' rain don't fall And the sun always shines She'll be flyin' o'er my home In about three hours time
This old airport's got me down It's no earthly good to me 'Cause I'm stuck here on the ground As cold and drunk as I can be
You can't jump a jet plane Like you can a freight train So, I'd best be on the way In the early morning rain
You can't jump a jet plane Like you can a freight train So, I'd best be on the way In the early morning rain
"You're a Grand Old Flag" is an American patriotic march. The song, a spirited march written by George M. Cohan, is a tribute to the U.S. flag. In addition to obvious references to the flag, it incorporates snippets of other popular songs, including one of his own. Cohan wrote it in 1906 for his stage musicalGeorge Washington, Jr.
The song was first publicly performed on February 6, the play's opening night, at Herald Square Theater in New York City. "You're a Grand Old Flag" quickly became the first song from a musical to sell over a million copies of sheet music. The title and first lyric comes from someone Cohan once met; the Library of Congress website notes. "You're a Grand Old Flag" would go on to become one of the most popular U.S. marching-band pieces of all time.
The original lyric for this perennial George M. Cohan favorite came, as Cohan later explained, from an encounter he had with a Civil War veteran who fought at Gettysburg. The two men found themselves next to each other and Cohan noticed the vet held a carefully folded but ragged old flag. The man reportedly then turned to Cohan and said, "She's a grand old rag." Cohan thought it was a great line and originally named his tune "You're a Grand Old Rag". So many groups and individuals objected to calling the flag a "rag," however, that he "gave 'em what they wanted" and switched words, renaming the song "You're a Grand Old Flag".
In the play itself, the scene with the Civil War soldier was replicated. The soldier's comment was the lead-in to this song. Thus, the first version of the chorus began, "You're a grand old rag / You're a high-flying flag". Despite Cohan's efforts to pull that version, some artists such as Billy Murray had recorded it under its original title, "The Grand Old Rag", in advance of the play's opening, and copies under that title still circulate among collectors. Cohan's second attempt at writing the chorus began, "You're a grand old flag / Though you're torn to a rag". The final version, with its redundant rhyme, is as shown below.
Today, many different arrangements of the song exist. In particular,Paul V. Yoder's 1954 arrangement of "You're a Grand Old Flag" is a version commonly used today by the U.S. military in its performances of the song.
There's a feeling comes a-stealing, And it sets my brain a-reeling, When I'm list'ning to the music of a military band. Any tune like "Yankee Doodle" Simply sets me off my noodle, It's that patriotic something that no one can understand.
"Way down South, in the land of cotton," Melody untiring, Ain't that inspiring?
Hurrah! Hurrah! We'll join the jubilee! And that's going some, for the Yankees, by gum! Red, White and Blue, I am for you! Honest, you're a grand old flag!
Verse 2 I'm no cranky hanky panky, I'm a dead square, honest Yankee, And I'm mighty proud of that old flag that flies for Uncle Sam. Though I don't believe in raving Ev'ry time I see it waving, There's a chill runs up my back that makes me glad I'm what I am.
Here's a land with a million soldiers, That's if we should need 'em, We'll fight for freedom!
Hurrah! Hurrah! For ev'ry Yankee Tar, And old G.A.R., ev'ry stripe, ev'ry star. Red, White and Blue, hats off to you! Honest, you're a grand old flag!
Chorus You're a grand old flag, You're a high-flying flag, And forever in peace may you wave. You're the emblem of the land I love, The home of the free and the brave. Ev'ry heart beats true 'Neath the Red, White and Blue, Where there's never a boast or brag. But should auld acquaintance be forgot, Keep your eye on the grand old flag.
"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditionalblack spiritual.It originated as a Christianhymn, but is often played byjazzbands. One of the most famous jazz recordings of "The Saints" was made on May 13, 1938, byLouis Armstrongand his orchestra.
The song is sometimes confused with a similarly titled 1896 composition: "When the Saints Are Marching In", by Katharine Purvis (lyrics) and James Milton Black (music).
The origins of this song are unclear. It apparently evolved in the early 1900s from a number of similarly titled gospel songs, including "When the Saints Are Marching In" (1896) and "When the Saints March In for Crowning" (1908). The first known recorded version was in 1923 by the Paramount Jubilee Singers on Paramount 12073. Although the title given on the label is "When All the Saints Come Marching In", the group sings the modern lyrics beginning with "When the saints go marching in". No author is shown on the label. Several other gospel versions were recorded in the 1920s, with slightly varying titles but using the same lyrics, including versions by The Four Harmony Kings (1924), Elkins-Payne Jubilee Singers (1924), Wheat Street Female Quartet (1925), Bo Weavil Jackson (1926), Deaconess Alexander (1926), Rev. E. D. Campbell (1927), Robert Hicks (AKA Barbecue Bob, 1927), Blind Willie Davis (1928), and the Pace Jubilee Singers (1928).
The earliest versions were slow and stately, but as time passed, the recordings became more rhythmic, including a distinctly up-tempo version by the Sanctified Singers on British Parlophone in 1931.
Even though the song had folk roots, a number of composers claimed copyright in it in later years, including Luther G. Presley and Virgil Oliver Stamps, R. E. Winsett. The tune is particularly associated with the city of New Orleans. A jazz standard, it has been recorded by many jazz and pop artists.
As with many numbers with long traditional folk use, there is no one "official" version of the song or its lyrics. This extends so far as confusion as to its name, with it often being mistakenly called "When the Saints Come Marching In". As for the lyrics themselves, their very simplicity makes it easy to generate new verses. Since the first and second lines of a verse are exactly the same, and the third and four are standard throughout, the creation of one suitable line in iambic tetrameter generates an entire verse.
It is impossible to list every version of the song, but a common standard version runs:
Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the drums begin to bang Oh, when the drums begin to bang Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the stars fall from the sky Oh, when the stars fall from the sky Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the sun refuse to shine Oh, when the sun refuse to shine Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the moon turns red with blood Oh, when the moon turns red with blood Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, brother Charles you are my friend Oh, brother Charles you are my friend Yea, you gonna be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh, when the saints go marching in Oh Lord I want to be in that number When the saints go marching in.
Often the first two words of the common third verse line ("Lord, how I want...") are sung as either "Oh how", "Oh, Lord" or even "Lord, Lord" as cue notes to the simple melody at each third line.
Arrangements vary considerably. The simplest is just an endless repetition of the chorus. Verses may be alternated with choruses, or put in the third of four repetitions to create an AABA form with the verse as the bridge.
Some traditional arrangements often have ensemble rather than individual vocals. It is also common as an audience sing-along number. Versions using call and response are often heard, e.g.:
Call: Oh when the Saints
Response: Oh when the Saints!
The response verses can echo the same melody or form a counterpoint melody, often syncopated opposite the rhythm of the main verses, and a solo singer might sing another counterpoint melody (solo soprano or tenor) as a 3rd part in more complex arrangements.
The song is apocalyptic, taking much of its imagery from the Book of Revelation, but excluding its more alarming depictions of the Last Judgment. The verses about the sun and moon (often interpreted as solar and lunar eclipses) correlate to prophecy in the Book of Joel, which is also referenced by the Apostle Peter in Acts of the Apostles: ("The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord").The trumpet is the way in which the Last Judgment is announced. As the hymn expresses the wish to go to Heaven, picturing the saints going in (through the Pearly Gates), it is sometimes played at funerals.
Bill Haley & His Comets recorded a rock and roll version of the song titled "The Saints Rock 'N' Roll". Bill Haley started the song, which he learned through his mother, with the line "Rocking and rolling all the way". The song was recorded on 23 September 1955, and released in March 1956 backed with "R-O-C-K" on Decca Records. It reached No. 18 on Billboard's Best Sellers chart, and No. 5 in the UK chart. A version of the song was included in the soundtrack of the 1956 film Rock, Pretty Baby.
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here.
Enjoy!
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Roud 6673), sometimes "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again", is a song from the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.
Irish-American bandleader Patrick Gilmore wrote the lyrics to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" during the American Civil War. Its first publication was deposited in the Library of Congress on September 26, 1863, with words and music credited to "Louis Lambert"; copyright was retained by the publisher, Henry Tolman & Co., of Boston. Why Gilmore published under a pseudonym is unclear, but popular songwriters of the period often employed pseudonyms to add a touch of romantic mystery to their songs. Gilmore is said to have written the song for his sister Annie as she prayed for the safe return of her fiancé, Union Light Artillery Captain John O'Rourke, from the Civil War, although it is not clear if they were already engaged in 1863; the two were not married until 1875.
Gilmore later acknowledged that the music was not original but was, as he put it in an 1883 article in the Musical Herald, "a musical waif which I happened to hear somebody humming in the early days of the rebellion, and taking a fancy to it, wrote it down, dressed it up, gave it a name, and rhymed it into usefulness for a special purpose suited to the times."
The melody was previously published around July 1, 1863, as the music to the Civil War drinking song "Johnny Fill Up the Bowl". A color-illustrated, undated slip of Gilmore's lyrics, printed by his own Boston publisher, actually states that "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" should be sung to the tune of "Johnny Fill Up the Bowl". The original sheet music for "Johnny Fill Up the Bowl" states that the music was arranged (not composed) by J. Durnal. There is a melodic resemblance of the tune to that of "John Anderson, My Jo" (to which Robert Burns wrote lyrics to fit a pre-existing tune dating from about 1630 or earlier), and Jonathan Lighter has suggested a connection to the 17th-century ballad "The Three Ravens".
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is also sung to the same tune as "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" and is frequently thought to have been a rewriting of that song. "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" was not published until 1867, however, and it originally had a different melody.
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" was immensely popular and was sung by both sides of the American Civil War.[14] It became a hit in England and Ireland as well and was eventually lyrically rewritten and became the related tune "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye".
Quite a few variations on the song, as well as songs set to the same tune but with different lyrics, have appeared since "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" was popularized. The alleged larcenous tendencies of some Union soldiers in New Orleans were parodied in the lyrics "For Bales", to the same tune. A British version appeared in 1914 with a similar title, "When Tommy Comes Marching Home". The 1880 U.S. presidential election campaign featured a campaign song called "If the Johnnies Get into Power," which supported the RepublicansJames A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur against the "Johnnies" (DemocratsWinfield S. Hancock and William H. English).
The children's songs, "Ants Go Marching", or "Ants Go Marching One By One", and "The Animals Went in Two by Two" ("Into the Ark") re-used the tune and the refrain.
When Johnny comes marching home again, Hurrah, hurrah! We'll give him a hearty welcome then, Hurrah, hurrah! The men will cheer, the boys will shout, The ladies, they will all turn out, And we'll all feel gay, When Johnny comes marching home.
The old church bell will peal with joy, Hurrah, hurrah! To welcome home our darling boy, Hurrah, hurrah! The village lads and lassies say, With roses, they will strew the way, And we'll all feel gay, When Johnny comes marching home.
Get ready for the jubilee, Hurrah, hurrah! We'll give the hero three times three, Hurrah, hurrah! The laurel wreath is ready now, To place upon his loyal brow, And we'll all feel gay, When Johnny comes marching home.
Let love and friendship on that day, Hurrah, hurrah! Their choicest treasures then display, Hurrah, hurrah! And let each one perform some part, To fill with joy the warrior's heart, And we'll all feel gay, When Johnny comes marching home.
Some later recordings substitute glad for gay.
In the John Ford western The Horse Soldiers, the last line was changed to "And we'll all raise hell when Johnny comes marching home".
"Johnny Fill Up the Bowl", which provided the tune for "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", was a topical drinking song that commented on events in the American Civil War. It was frequently refitted with new words by soldiers and other publishers.
A satirical variant of "Johnny Fill Up the Bowl", entitled "For Bales" or, more fully, "For Bales! An O'er True Tale. Dedicated to Those Pure Patriots Who Were Afflicted with 'Cotton on the Brain' and Who Saw The Elephant", was published in New Orleans in 1864, by A. E. Blackmar.
English pop singer Adam Faith sang a version titled "Johnny Comes Marching Home", used over the opening and closing title credits for the British crime thriller Never Let Go (1960). This version was arranged and conducted by John Barry. Another version was released as a single, reaching No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart.
In 1983–84, the French punk band Bérurier Noir took up the melody on the track "Johnny Reviens d'la Guerre" (English: "Johnny returns from the war") from the album Macadam Massacre.
"The Wheels on the Bus" is an Americanfolk songwritten by Verna Hills (1898–1990). The earliest known publishing of the lyrics is the December 1937 issue ofAmerican Childhood,originally called "The Bus", with the lyrics being "The wheelsofthe bus", with each verse ending in lines relevant to what the verse spoke of, as opposed to the current standard "all through the town" (or "all day long" in some versions).
It is a popular children's song in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands and Brazil. It has a repetitive rhythm, making the song easy for many people to sing, in a manner similar to the song "99 Bottles of Beer". It is based on the traditional British song "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush". The song is also sometimes sung to the tune of "Buffalo Gals", as in the version done by Raffi and The Wiggles.
1. The wheels on the bus go round and round Round and round Round and round The wheels on the bus go round and round All through the town
2. The wipers on the bus go, "Swish, swish, swish" "Swish, swish, swish" "Swish, swish, swish" The wipers on the bus go, "Swish, swish, swish" All through the town
3. The door on the bus goes, "Open and shut" "Open and shut" "Open and shut" The door on the bus goes, "Open and shut" All through the town
4. The driver on the bus goes, "Move on back" "Move on back" "Move on back" The driver on the bus goes, "Move on back" All through the town
5. The people on the bus go up and down Up and down Up and down The people on the bus go up and down All through the town
6. The horn on the bus goes, "Beep, beep, beep" "Beep, beep, beep" "Beep, beep, beep" The horn on the bus goes, "Beep, beep, beep" All through the town
7. The baby on the bus goes, "Wah, Wah, Wah" "Wah, wah, wah" "Wah, Wah, Wah" The baby on the bus goes, "Wah, Wah, Wah" All through the town
8. The mommies on the bus go, "Shh, shh, shh" "Shh, shh, shh" "Shh, shh, shh" The daddies on the bus go, "Shh, shh, shh" All through the town
Normally followed by "The wipers on the bus go swish swish swish" (with action), "the horn on the bus goes beep beep beep", and "the people on the bus go up and down" (with action). Some versions substitute "bounce up and down" for "go up and down", and some modern commercial recordings of the song in children's toys simplify the tune by copying notes 7 through 9 onto notes 13 through 15.
Lyrics as they were originally found in the December 1937 issue of American Childhood:
1. The wheels of the bus go round and round, Round and round, round and round; The wheels of the bus go round and round, Over the city streets.
2. The horn of the bus goes "Too-to-too, "Too-to-too, too-to-too," the horn of the bus goes "Too-to-too" At the other busses it meets.
3. The people in the bus go up and down, Up and down, up and down; The people in the bus go up and down, Bouncing off their seats.
Modern versions of the song change the lyrics in the seventh verse to say the daddies on the bus go "I love you". This can be seen in the popular remake by the children’s show Cocomelon.
Note that this version does not make any reference to the melody that is commonly attached to the song.
In 2002, American Madonna impersonator Michelle Chappel, under the stage name "Mad Donna", released a single which sampled the song, featuring a version of Madonna's 1998 song "Ray of Light" over which the classic children's song was sung. The single reached No. 17 in the United Kingdom and also made the charts elsewhere in Europe.
The song also has lyrics in Swedish, Hjulen på bussen ("The Wheels on the Bus") and among the artists who have recorded it are Pernilla Wahlgren in 1996.
To download the easy alphanotes sheet music, look here.
Enjoy!
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