Click on title to link to YouTube's film clip of Richard Thompson performing "Daddy's Going To Kill Me".
CD Review
Sweet Warrior, including lyrics booklet, Richard Thompson, Shout Factory, 2007
Recently in this space I went through a chronology of how I happened to come across certain musical selections to review. In that case it was tracing the roots of country blues through well-known old time country bluesman Charley Patton via Bob Dylan tribute, “High Water Everywhere” on his latest “Bootleg” volume. Here, the route to reviewing folk/rock lyricist and singer Richard Thompson, known back in the day as part of the well-thought of British folk group Fairport Convention, is a cover of his classic working class love song, “1952 Vincent Black Lightning’ covered, and covered very well, by American folksinger Greg Brown. But that is where the comparisons end. In the case of Dylan’s tribute I was able to review Patton’s early work very favorably. Here I am, frankly, stymied.
I was not particularly a fan of Fairport Convention back in the days, although anytime I heard them then (or now, when played on a local oldies folk radio program) I was always impressed by their harmonics. When I asked others about Richard Thompson as a solo artist I thought I was confronting the Second Coming with the profuseness of the praise for his work. And that is where the problem is. His lyrics, as “1952 Vincent” shows, are incredibly well thought out and richly evocative. (How about that combination, right?) However, his presentation, mainly the result of over-production, leaves me flat. So, I guess, and it will not be the first time this has happened, Google for Thompson’s lyrics and find out who covers his material. Here I will say that three songs really stick out- “Needle And Thread”, “She Sang Angels To Rest”, and “Sunset Song”.
Lyrics to Needle And Thread :
(Richard Thompson)
I see young girls with old faces
I see good girls in bad places
I see plain girls in finery
And every one be the death of me
Needle and Thread, Needle and Thread
Hand me down my Needle and Thread
Hey Hey Hey
Hey Hey Hey
Going to thread up my needle and then
Gonna sew my soul back together again
Now pretty Caitlin she went too far
Shaking all she had at the topless bar
Right in the face of Ben and Bob
Put a little too much into the job
Now sweet Myfanwe she took a shine
Dumped me for Dai worked down the mine
I was a temp, Dai was a keeper
He knew how to dig that little bit deeper
Now Bonnie Jean meant everything
But she threw back my hard-earned ring
Said she had other men who dig her
She was holding out for something bigger
Lyrics to Johnny's Far Away :
(Richard Thompson)
Johnny's joined a ceilidh band,
They're known quite well throughout the land, The Drones
The Drones are signed up on a cruise
While Tracey's laying in the booze back home
She's got herself another man, a smoothie
While the kids are in the front room watching movies
She's got him in a head lock, in an arm lock, in a jam
She says, I can't express myself with my old man
While Johnny's Far away on the Rolling, Rolling
Johnny's Far Away On The Rolling Sea
Johnny's cruising out to sea
And he believes in chastity - for some
The wealthy widows bill and coo
He fends off one or two, and then succumbs
As they're turning hard-a-port in the Bahamas
He's turning her right out of her pyjamas
He's turned her every which way to the rhythm of the sea
He says, I can't express myself with my old lady
While Johnny's Far away on the Rolling, Rolling
Johnny's Far Away On The Rolling Sea
Johnny's home, he opens up his door
While someone's sneaking out the back
And Tracey says, you look so poorly
Sores and all, you need to see the quack
She wipes the snot from off the kiddies' noses
He charms her with eleven battered roses
And by and by they get down to the job of man and wife
Back to the old comforts of the missionary life
While Johnny's Far away on the Rolling, Rolling
Johnny's Far Away On The Rolling Sea
Lyrics to Sunset Song :
(Richard Thompson)
With you or without you, love,
I must be moving
Never meant to linger here so long
With you or without you,
Though it breaks my heart
To hear the Sunset Song
Wasn't that a time we had,
And bless you for it
But I'm a stranger here, I don't belong
The band's down on the jetty,
If you cup your ear
You'll hear the Sunset Song
You said, if I hold my breath
Dive down deep enough
I might grow fins
Seems to me I've held my breath
Held my breath to please you
Ever since
Early morning, that's the time
For fare-thee-wells
Slip out of the warm sheets and gone
But I want to hear it as I walk along
Hear the Sunset Song
In your waking, in your dreams,
I won't be martyred
On that cross where some say
I belong
Opinions are coffins, I'll just trust my feet
To find the Sunset Song
Every day I'll wear your memory
Like a favourite shirt upon my back
In the hallway, there's my suitcase
By the door, I never did unpack
With you or without you, love,
I must be moving
Never meant to linger here so long
With you or without you,
Though it breaks my heart
To hear the Sunset Song
CD Review
Sweet Warrior, including lyrics booklet, Richard Thompson, Shout Factory, 2007
Recently in this space I went through a chronology of how I happened to come across certain musical selections to review. In that case it was tracing the roots of country blues through well-known old time country bluesman Charley Patton via Bob Dylan tribute, “High Water Everywhere” on his latest “Bootleg” volume. Here, the route to reviewing folk/rock lyricist and singer Richard Thompson, known back in the day as part of the well-thought of British folk group Fairport Convention, is a cover of his classic working class love song, “1952 Vincent Black Lightning’ covered, and covered very well, by American folksinger Greg Brown. But that is where the comparisons end. In the case of Dylan’s tribute I was able to review Patton’s early work very favorably. Here I am, frankly, stymied.
I was not particularly a fan of Fairport Convention back in the days, although anytime I heard them then (or now, when played on a local oldies folk radio program) I was always impressed by their harmonics. When I asked others about Richard Thompson as a solo artist I thought I was confronting the Second Coming with the profuseness of the praise for his work. And that is where the problem is. His lyrics, as “1952 Vincent” shows, are incredibly well thought out and richly evocative. (How about that combination, right?) However, his presentation, mainly the result of over-production, leaves me flat. So, I guess, and it will not be the first time this has happened, Google for Thompson’s lyrics and find out who covers his material. Here I will say that three songs really stick out- “Needle And Thread”, “She Sang Angels To Rest”, and “Sunset Song”.
Lyrics to Needle And Thread :
(Richard Thompson)
I see young girls with old faces
I see good girls in bad places
I see plain girls in finery
And every one be the death of me
Needle and Thread, Needle and Thread
Hand me down my Needle and Thread
Hey Hey Hey
Hey Hey Hey
Going to thread up my needle and then
Gonna sew my soul back together again
Now pretty Caitlin she went too far
Shaking all she had at the topless bar
Right in the face of Ben and Bob
Put a little too much into the job
Now sweet Myfanwe she took a shine
Dumped me for Dai worked down the mine
I was a temp, Dai was a keeper
He knew how to dig that little bit deeper
Now Bonnie Jean meant everything
But she threw back my hard-earned ring
Said she had other men who dig her
She was holding out for something bigger
Lyrics to Johnny's Far Away :
(Richard Thompson)
Johnny's joined a ceilidh band,
They're known quite well throughout the land, The Drones
The Drones are signed up on a cruise
While Tracey's laying in the booze back home
She's got herself another man, a smoothie
While the kids are in the front room watching movies
She's got him in a head lock, in an arm lock, in a jam
She says, I can't express myself with my old man
While Johnny's Far away on the Rolling, Rolling
Johnny's Far Away On The Rolling Sea
Johnny's cruising out to sea
And he believes in chastity - for some
The wealthy widows bill and coo
He fends off one or two, and then succumbs
As they're turning hard-a-port in the Bahamas
He's turning her right out of her pyjamas
He's turned her every which way to the rhythm of the sea
He says, I can't express myself with my old lady
While Johnny's Far away on the Rolling, Rolling
Johnny's Far Away On The Rolling Sea
Johnny's home, he opens up his door
While someone's sneaking out the back
And Tracey says, you look so poorly
Sores and all, you need to see the quack
She wipes the snot from off the kiddies' noses
He charms her with eleven battered roses
And by and by they get down to the job of man and wife
Back to the old comforts of the missionary life
While Johnny's Far away on the Rolling, Rolling
Johnny's Far Away On The Rolling Sea
Lyrics to Sunset Song :
(Richard Thompson)
With you or without you, love,
I must be moving
Never meant to linger here so long
With you or without you,
Though it breaks my heart
To hear the Sunset Song
Wasn't that a time we had,
And bless you for it
But I'm a stranger here, I don't belong
The band's down on the jetty,
If you cup your ear
You'll hear the Sunset Song
You said, if I hold my breath
Dive down deep enough
I might grow fins
Seems to me I've held my breath
Held my breath to please you
Ever since
Early morning, that's the time
For fare-thee-wells
Slip out of the warm sheets and gone
But I want to hear it as I walk along
Hear the Sunset Song
In your waking, in your dreams,
I won't be martyred
On that cross where some say
I belong
Opinions are coffins, I'll just trust my feet
To find the Sunset Song
Every day I'll wear your memory
Like a favourite shirt upon my back
In the hallway, there's my suitcase
By the door, I never did unpack
With you or without you, love,
I must be moving
Never meant to linger here so long
With you or without you,
Though it breaks my heart
To hear the Sunset Song
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