I Like Life - Scrooge and Me

Every Christmas Eve for many years we've watched "Scrooge", the Albert Finney musical version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  This 1860 story is credited with changing how Christmas is celebrated in England. Prior to Dickens' story of the redemption of a totally unlovable old miser by the spirits of Christmas, Christmas had become a season of debauchery with little of the spirit of the Christmas story in it. Some of the trappings of the old semi-pagan holiday remain, but remarkably transformed. In the United States, the story of old Ebenezer resonated with Americans too.

Charles Dickens was an amazing storyteller. He'd have made quite a living as a Hollywood screenwriter. The dialogue is snappy. The timing is perfection itself and the special effects in the story could have been designed for film. 

In the United States, the Christmas holiday was little more than an extra Sunday and a day off for Civil War soldiers. It was President Ulysses S. Grant who gave Christmas the nudge it needed to make it what it is today. It was Grant who pushed to make Christmas an official national holiday. The Clement Moore's poem and then the New York Times got into the act. Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

With the New York Time's tacit endorsement of Santa Claus, the secularization of Christmas began to move forward. In reaction to what a lot of the churches felt was a bad trend, Christians began to press back by emphasizing the Nativity and the whole "peace on Earth good will toward men" spirit of Christmas. The result has been a national celebration that's one part fairy tale, one part religious observance and one part extended party.

This song expresses my own militant attitude toward Christmas. I like life and the Scrooges of the world may make of that whatever they wish. We have a time of year when people at least try to be nice to one another.  That said, here's "I Like Life" from 1970's "Scrooge".

This is Scrooge AFTER visiting with the three spirits.  Earlier he sings "I Hate Life". Before we go I'd like to included my other favorite song from this movie. Tom Jenkins the soup man leads a crowd singing "Thank You Very Much". Scrooge joins in not realizing that what they are thanking Scrooge for is dropping dead. It's a lovely song. Later after he recovers himself and is redeemed, he reprises this song in a more positive vein.

Merry Christmas and as Tiny Tim so aptly put it, "God bless us every one."

Merry Christmas - Tom

Carol of the Bells

This isn't my favorite version of "Carol of the Bells". I include it because I was named after the Orchestra leader, Wayne King - at least so my mother tells me. My first name belongs to my grandfather and my great grandfather and 29 other Thomases whom I've discovered hanging from the branches of my family tree.  We've all got individual middle names. There are only a few Thomas Juniors and one "the 3rd" that I have found so far, and a couple with "Thomas" as middle name. If I ever get any say so with my grandkids, I'm hoping to at least get one grandson with Thomas for a middle name.  Here's Wayne's big band rendition of Carol of the Bells:

Here's another version of this song I like even better, but I do like to listen to Wayne and his orchestra run a few big band versions of Christmas songs through the old record player. Here are the Piano Guys doing a medley based around Carol of the Bells (for 12 cellos).

Then there is this one which really does make me smile! Algonquin students do a flash mob version of Carol of the Bells with the help of Darth Vader and his electric guitar.

If you go to Youtube, there are dozens of versions of this song including some notable versions done as flashmobs.  There are versions with pianos, bells, voices as bells and even one version with kazoos.

One last version I'm adding to this is the incredible version done by Peter Hollens. This version uses 300 male voices including multiple versions of Peter himself. It's amazing.

Note that watching and subscribing to these indie artists on Youtube helps support them.

© 2017 by Tom King


PS:  One more. This one by Lindsey Stirling on violin combines dance and snow. This one surprised me. She gets focused on her fiddle as intensely as my friend Jaime Jorge. I need to find some carols of his if he's done any. I love musicians that get this deeply into the music.

Charlie Brown is All Shook Up

I found this fun thing on Youtube. I like Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up". I drove our supervisor nuts when I worked at Brandom's Cabinet Mfg. back home in Keene. I think I've already told this story, but it bears repeating. I only worked at Brandom's a few months during a brief time of desperation and unemployment. Our lady foreman for the framing department wouldn't allow us to listen to the radio while we were working so the guy next to me and I taped the words to Elvis songs on our work boards and merrily framed cabinets while singing Heartbreak Hotel and All Shook Up. She tried to force us to stop, but management wouldn't allow he to stifle our creativity. They noticed we worked faster when we were singing.

This is the slower original version which I think was way better than the one he sang during his later years where he rushed it and always seemed to be in a hurry to get through it. I liked it better when he sang it like he wasn't tired of the song. Maybe he figured he was running out of time. Turns out he was.

The Peanuts Gang version is just fun.

Tom

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

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

A Place in the Choir - The Browns

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

The Coloring Song

I love this Petra song. It's been a standard for youth song services where I've played. It's not hard to play and the words are quite lovely. My Primary Sabbath School kids requested The Coloring Song almost every week.  We even got a bunch of rhythm band instruments and they used to do this drumbeat/cymbals sort of thing in time with the song. It gave it a Celtic kind of sound. All we needed was for someone to learn the recorder line for the opening and chorus.

Tom

Is it Always in the Blood?

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

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

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

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

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

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

© 2022 by Tom King

Are You Tired of Chasing Pretty Rainbows?

This cherubic Swedish-American gospel singer, Evie Tornquist, introduced me to this lovely little song. I've played guitar for other singers for church services over the years and it was a favorite we sang for youth song services. This is another one that makes me all weepy. Here's "Give Them All to Jesus".

Tom

Molly Malone

This old folk song shows up a lot in the folk singer community, especially among Irish folk singers. But sometimes pop singers pull up an old folk tune and red-headed comedian Danny Kaye used to sing songs like Molly Malone in his movies and radio appearances. He had that lovely Irish tenor voice that set these songs perfectly.

I especially like poignant sweet melodies like this one. I think it probably inspired The Beatles song, Obla Di, Obla Da which also features a barrow wheeling daughter of fish-mongers. Danny Kaye movies are some of my favorites, but I love listening to him sing too. There's another Danny Kaye melody by his wife Sylvia Fine called Darlin Meggie.  I had to go to the Library of Congress to get that video. Enjoy these two beautiful songs.



Tom King

Just As I Am - Michael W. Smith

This lovely old song by Charlotte Elliott with music by William B. Bradbury was originally written in 1835 and published in 1836 in a hymnal she edited. Charlotte related later that she was troubled about her own salvation. She often comforted herself by writing verse. She took pen and paper from a nearby table and deliberately set down to write what she later called "the formulae of her faith." In this familiar altar call hymn, Charlotte restated the Gospel of pardon, peace, and heaven.

I remember this hymn fondly from the ministry of former Voice of Prophecy Quartet singer, John Thurber. Brother John taught his Adventist Youth in Action (AYA) teams and the kids who came to youth meetings how to sing this song. He always got amazing harmony out of us. This song in particular used to really reach me.

On May 1, 1971, Brother John baptized me in the swimming pool at Jefferson Academy - Just as I was.  Here's Michael W. Smith's rendition of this lovely hymn at the funeral of Billy Graham. This song was the altar call at the 1934 revival meeting at which Billy Graham came forward and was converted. The song became Graham's traditional altar call song throughout his career as an evangelist.

Tom

God and Dog

Our Daisy

This song makes me cry every time. I tried to sing it for church one time and it made me tear up. The woman who wrote it, Wendy Francisco is the wife of the Don Francisco who wrote "He's Alive".  She has in this brief song, captured what all of us, who have dogs as family members, feel about our canine family members.

She even turned this song into a children's book which also makes me cry. We lost our little gift from God dog, Daisy, last year which makes it worse when I listen to this song. She was everything this song talks about. Even the way we found her was something of a miracle. It was more like she found us. She was well behaved. Instantly house-broken, she had no bad habits to speak of and she came at a time when we needed her, even though we didn't know we did.

I firmly believe dogs also serve God like furry little angels and I pray that God returns my Daisy to us in the New Earth. I can hardly imagine heaven without her tagging alongside us everywhere we go.

I figure if God can resurrect something as complicated as a human being, our kind Father in Heaven won't mind giving us back the dogs that loved us and stuck by us through good times and bad. Someone once told me dogs couldn't be saved because they don't have souls. I don't think that's an issue. Daisy was knit to our souls in her short time here. I suspect that God will allow us to bring her along on our eternal journey. Why wouldn't He? 

Here's Wendy Francisco's version of her song, "God and Dog"

Love is a Verb

This unusual song by John Mayer flies in the face of the romantic poets. Love to Mayer is something you do, not something you can hold on to or something that just magically pop up in your heart. It's not a feeling that you can capture like you could scoop up a butterfly with a net.

CS Lewis captured this idea in his book Mere Christianity. “Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

About the only iteration of love as a "thang," that I think is accurate, is something the apostle John pointed out in one of his letters. "God," he said, "is love". All love springs from the author of love and is the wellspring of all love in the universe. There are some preachers and romantics who will argue with you that love is a "thang," but I think they miss the point. Love it seems springs from an act. It's not some magical thing that occurs when a pretty girl in a skimpy bathing suit walks by on the beach or a muscled up young man removes his shirt while repairing your porch. I think they're thinking of another "L" word besides love.

Tom King

On the Water - My New Theme Song

 I think this is my new theme song. "On the Water" by Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. I believe there's a reason that the first disciples Jesus called were a bunch of sailors. I love bluegrass music. Every musician gets a turn to shine. It's such an unselfish genre of music.

 

Grow Old Along With Me

It's kind of ironic that one of the last of John Lennon's songs was this lovely ballad, "Grow Old Along With Me" in which he prays "God bless our love."  This is the same guy who wrote the anti-religion "Imagine".  One hopes John was able to work it all out with his maker at some point. That said, Grow Old is a very beautiful song. This version is by Mary Chapin Carpenter. The only versions we of of Lennon singing it, are some home recordings which suffer a little from the poorer quality of home recording equipment of the day. 

This is a beautiful song. Perfect for weddings. It's sad that Lennon was looking forward to growing old along with his wife and died very soon after he wrote it.

Tom

The Hand Song

My son, Micah introduced me to this Nickel Creek song. The lyrics are beautiful and this song always makes me mist up a little bit. I'm not sure even now, as many times as I've listened to it, that I could sing it all the way through without getting all choked up.  The Hand Song is one of those poignant folk songs that is beyond the typical murder ballad, folk hero song or the "I love her so much I want to lock her up inside a box and not let her out" sort of twisted love songs you find in mountain music.  This song is lyrical and beautiful.

© 2018 by Tom King

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

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

Well you get the idea. 

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

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

Tom King

 

 

 

 

 

Out of His Great Love

The first time I heard this song, my daughter and her friend performed this for a Sabbath morning service in Tyler. It's a driving Southern Gospel Number that makes you want to stand up and shout, "Hallelujah!"  I found out the original version of the song is done by The Martins, a family Southern Gospel group.  I looked them up on Youtube and got an Mp3 of them for my phone.  I only got half of the version my daughter sang on video, so I went with the Martins.

I just love this song.

Tom

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival

This one is one of my favorite Ray Stevens songs and that's saying something given that he also wrote the hilarious Shriner's Convention.  We've all known a Sister-Bertha-Better'n-You in our time and the spectacle of her standing up in meetin' and confessing about her "love life" and "namin' names" is just too appealing an image. This thing is funny right here, I don't care who you are. This is also on my phone.



Tom

Space Oddity - Ground Control to Major Me

The first time I heard this David Bowie song, I felt like he was singing it to me. This was my song. I wanted to be an astronaut, but unfortunately being an astronaut is HAAAAAAARD!  That and God had other stuff for me to do so I've put off going into space for when we get carried off to heaven. If there's an orbital lab around the new Earth I plan to be on the construction crew - either that I want to be on the crew of a star ship.  I'm certain there will be stuff like that. After all, we are an exploring species and those of us who survive the old Earth should be trustworthy enough to turn loose to explore the stars and there are an awful lot of those out there, so we likely won't be bored with it all since we're living forever.

This is the coolest version of the song ever done. It's Canadian ISS astronaut Chris Hadfield singing with NASA footage in a monumentally marvelous music video. Hadfield has a really good voice too. So enjoy the first space-based music video with actual astronauts and footage shot in space. I still think they're singing my song, though.

"Major" Tom King

V'la L'bon Vent - Lizzy Hoyt

I first heard this song back in college on a recording by folksingers Ian & Sylvia. The song was in French; an old voyageur song that used to be sung by early French traders in America and Canada. I'd been looking for a song to sing on long canoe trips. I wasn't able to memorize all of it, but I got enough of it to help me keep up my paddling rhythm on summer canoe trips with my canoe classes. It's a fun song with a driving rhythm and really odd words. But then folk songs are not noted for their Shakespearean intricacies.  Here's Miss Lizzy's version followed by the lyrics in both English and French.

V'la L'bon Vent
(Voyageur Paddling Song)

V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'appelle
V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'attend

Derrière chez nous y'a un étang,
Trois beaux canards y vont nageant

V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'appelle
V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'attend

Le fils du Roi y va chassant,
avec son beau fusil d'argent

V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'appelle
V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'attend

ô fils du Roi, tu es méchant

Visa le noir, tua le blanc,

V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'appelle
V'la l'bon vent, v'la l'joli vent
V'la l'bon vent, ma mie m'attend 


V'la L'bon Vent
(Voyageur Paddling Song) 
Translation:

Chorus:
Here's the good wind, here's the pretty wind,
Here's the good wind!
My friend is calling me.
Here's the good wind, here's the pretty wind,
Here's the good wind!
My friend is waiting for me.

Behind our place there is a pond.
Behind our place there is a pond.
Three fine ducks are bathing there.

Chorus:

The king's son goes hunting there,
The king's son goes hunting there
With his big silver gun.

Chorus:

Aimed at the black one, killed the white,
Aimed at the black one, killed the white,
And all its feathers went with the wind.

Chorus:

There are three ladies picking them up.
There are three ladies picking them up.
And we will make a camp bed.

Chorus:

The two of us will sleep in it,
The two of us will sleep in it,
To have some little children there.
Chorus:

I need to learn the last two verses yet. I really like Lizzy's gentle version of the song. It's on my phone now so I should be able to practice it a little.

Enjoy.

Tom

YMCA - Minions Style

My wife says I'm just a big kid. Listening to my Mp3 list is probably evidence of that. It tends to lean heavily toward Disney songs and old folk music suitable for kids. I'm a big romantic. I've got a dozen or so Doris Day songs, some things from Aladdin, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Camelot and clips from Danny Kaye movies. This one I have no excuse for. I'm a six year old!

I just love these guys. I'll most likely post a whole bunch of these before it's over. Then there's this song from the wedding scene - "I Swear!"  It just brings tears to my eyes (I'm laughing so hard).

Tom

That's How the Yodel Was Born - Riders in the Sky

So, have you ever wondered how Cowboys ever got into yodeling?  It's not the sort of musical style that one would expect to find out in the Wild Wild West. So far as we know, yodeling is only common in the Swiss Alps - a rather long way from the plains of Texas. 

Let us offer an alternative explanation. Here are Riders in the Sky with the story of how the Cowboy Yodel was born - a song guaranteed to make even the toughest CowBOYS cringe.

It's a great story and it explains everything!

Tom King

Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown

 

This old hymn was one of the first songs that Great Grandma Doney taught to my Grandpa King when he was just a little boy. It remained a favorite all his life. My Grandpa was a praying man and I have no doubt at all that there will be some stars in my grandpa's crown. He'll get at least part of one for me.  I introduced my own son to the song when he was little.

Above is one of my favorite folk singers, Burl Ives singing "Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?"
Below is my first favorite folk singers, Thomas Adolph King....



Tom King

The Dutchman - Makem & Clancy

This song always makes me tear up. I've tried singing it and it always gives me trouble. This beautiful song is here delivered by two of Ireland's finest singers from two of Ireland's finest musical families.  The Dutchman was written by Michael Peter Smith, who was a nice discovery through this song. You may not know Michael but you may have heard some of his songs. Look him up. He's really good. Get yourself a hankie first.

Tom

Fare Thee Well - Makem and Clancy and The Leaving of Liverpool

Makem and Clancys - Generation 1

I love this song. It's one of my favorite Irish folk songs and best of all it's sung by two members of my favorite Irish music families - the Makems and the Clancys. I've actually seen both these guys and their dads performing at the North Texas Irish Festival. First I got to see the Clancy Brothers, then Tommy Makem performing solo. Then I got to see Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy performing together. After them, I got to see the younger Clancys performing together and the Makem Brothers performing as a group.

Since we've lost Tommy Makem and all the the elder Clancy Brothers, Tom, Liam and Paddy, it's nice to know their voices live on in their sons. I could listen to those guys all day, especially singing those ballads like "The Leavin' of Liverpool" and "The Parting Glass".

For this post I've included Rory Makem and Donal Clancy singing "The Leavin' of Liverpool" and The original Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem singing "The Parting Glass".  I am so happy the sons have carried on their fathers' musical tradition. Maybe if I can find an Irish festival up here in Washington State, maybe I can see the tradition live on.

Here's Rory and Donal:

And here's Tommy Makem, Liam, Tom and Paddy Clancy

Love these lovely Irish voices. What I would give to jam with them.

Tom King

Theme from Rawhide - Blues Brothers

 

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

Tom

Steve n' Seagulls - Thunderstruck

 

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

Home Free - American Pie w/ Don McLean

 

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

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

Tom

 

 

 

O'er the Misty Mountains Cold

 

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

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

Tom

What Wondrous Love

 

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

Tom King