How To Get The Blood Off Your Concertina

[Mark Evans]

Absolutely David,

 

Every elder group I sing for roars the chorus and you I'm sure are not suprised that the majority know all the verses.

 

When I was just a sprout we lived in Stillwater Oklahoma. I would get up a 4:00 a.m. (lord help me I still do). Dad did the early shift before going off to the base. We would listen to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys radio program. He would dance me around the room and sing all the songs to me. You can't imagine the comfort I get hearing or singing You Are My Sunshine. I hear my dad's sweet baritone voice and a feeling of warmth and safety envelops me.

 

I'm performing for a DAR luncheon today and this one will be added to the line up. Those gals should raise the roof

[Bill Barnert]

Hi. This is David's brother, posting for the first time. Just wanted to say that I ALMOST guessed it while reading the posts. (I just started reading them after the answer was posted, so I only had a minute or two to guess.) My first guess was "Down in the Valley", for the same reasons David gave for "You Are My Sunshine". I thought about "You Are My Sunshine", but my final answer went to "Down in the Valley" on gut instinct.

 

I'm also the evil snot who sent David the piece in the first place.

[David Barnert]

Hi. This is David's brother, posting for the first time.

Hi, Bill.

My first guess was "Down in the Valley", for the same reasons David gave for "You Are My Sunshine".

After we got through "YAMS" (yes, Mark, all the verses) we moved on to "DITV", although I think this one was my idea rather than hers.

I'm also the evil snot who sent David the piece in the first place.

In case anyone's wondering what "piece" he's referring to, look back at the thread title and the first post.

[Jim Besser]

"You Are My Sunshine" was what our parents sang to us to tuck us in at night. It is comforting and tells us that someone who loves us is taking care of us (and without invoking religious imagery). When a frightened surgical patient wants to be sung to, that's how they want to be treated.

 

Amazing.

For boomers, I would have thought Mairzy Dotes would be right up there.

 

Don't forget the Ray Charles version of YAMS. Not exactly traditional, but great.

[Mark Evans]

Well the formidible ladies of the local DAR did in fact sing along on all the verses of You Are My Sunshine. They all joined in on Amazing Grace and dropped me in my tracks when two sisters in their young 90's knew and sang the words to Redwing.

 

All that fun and they threw in a very nice lunch too!

 

The Brothers Barnert have just made me realize that I have been neglecting Down in the Valley. That is a wonderful song. Thank you for shaking me from my sloth.

 

Welcome Bill!

Edited December 16, 2005 by Mark Evans

[David Barnert]

The Brothers Barnert have just made me realize that I have been neglecting Down in the Valley. That is a wonderful song. Thank you for shaking me from my sloth.

Here are some more from the same "collection." Go nuts.

 

Love, oh Love, oh Careless Love

Cockles and Muscles, Alive Alive-o

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

The Blue-Tail Fly

Goodnight Irene

Plaisir D'Amour

 

Bill? You still with us? What am I leaving out?

[Bill Barnert]

Here are some more from the same "collection." Go nuts.

 

Love, oh Love, oh Careless Love

Cockles and Muscles, Alive Alive-o

Go Tell Aunt Rhody

The Blue-Tail Fly

Goodnight Irene

Plaisir D'Amour

 

Bill? You still with us? What am I leaving out?

 

David:

 

Cockles and MUSCLES? I'm ashamed of you.

 

Not really sure what defines this collection, but it brings to mind:

 

Clementine

Frankie & Johnny

Eatin' Goober Peas

Michael, Row the Boat Ashore

The River is Wide

John Henry

The Boll Weevil

 

Does "Poost v'yeg da" count as the same collection? (*)

 

And if the collection is defined by "songs Dad sang a lot when we were kids", I'd add "Tu, Solo Tu", and "Abdullah Bulbul Amir".

 

- Bill

 

(*) For the uninitiated, this is a song sung in Russian & English. My Russian is transliterated from memory - David took Russian in HS so he can probably correct my garbage:

 

Poost v'yeg da bood yet soltzyeh,

Poost v'yeg da bood yet nyeba,

Poost v'yeg da bood yet Mama,

Poost v'yeg da boodoo ya.

 

May there always be sunshine,

May there always be blue skies,

May there always be Mama,

May there always be me.

[David Barnert]

I'm ashamed of you.

Story of my life. But aren't we getting a little off-topic?

My Russian is transliterated from memory - David took Russian in HS so he can probably correct my garbage

There are better Russian scholars than me on this forum, some who even seem to have figured out how to make cyrillic characters appear in these pages. I will only add that I would have transliterated the 2nd word as "fsyegda."

[Samantha]

You transliterate it the way it is pronounced, David, and Bill the way it is spelt. My Russian teacher always told me that Russian was so much easier than English as it was always pronounced the way it is spelt - but she wuz wrong! Концертинисты мира соедияйтесь! (Concertinists of the world unite!)

Samantha

[JimLucas]

Poost v'yeg da bood yet soltzyeh,

Poost v'yeg da bood yet nyeba,

Poost v'yeg da bood yet Mama,

Poost v'yeg da boodoo ya.

 

May there always be sunshine,

May there always be blue skies,

May there always be Mama,

May there always be me.

There are better Russian scholars than me on this forum, some who even seem to have figured out how to make cyrillic characters appear in these pages.

I'm no Russian "scholar", but...

 

Пусть всегда будет солнце,

Пусть всегда будет небо,

Пусть всегда будет Мама,

Пусть всегда буду я.

 

And the English version is not a bad translation:

пусть будет = let there be; may there be (3rd person)

пусть буду = [the same, but 1st person]

всегда = always

солнце = sun

небо = sky [somebody added "blue" to make the English fit the tune]

Мама = [some things seem universal ]

я = I

[Henk van Aalten]

There are better Russian scholars than me on this forum, some who even seem to have figured out how to make cyrillic characters appear in these pages.

David,

Let the internet help you.... Just go to Babelfish and paste the quoted text above in the textbox.

Select translate "from English to Russian" and you get:

 

Будут более лучше русские эрудиты чем я на этом форуме, некоторые которые даже кажется, что вычисляют из как сделать cyrillic характеры появиться в эти страницы.

 

It's that simple!!

 

When you tranlate from English to Dutch:

Er zijn betere Russische geleerden dan me op dit forum, sommigen wie zelfs schijnen berekend te hebben hoe te om cyrillische karakters te maken in deze pagina's verschijnen.

It makes sense to me, though it looks a bit clumsy

Edited December 17, 2005 by Henk van Aalten

[Cream-T]

The proof of the pudding, as it were, is in the reverse translation of the text.

 

The original again:

There are better Russian scholars than me on this forum, some who even seem to have figured out how to make cyrillic characters appear in these pages.

 

Back from Russian:

Will be more better the Russian scholars than 4 on this forum, some whom even it seems that calculate from as to make cyrillic natures to appear into these pages.

 

Back from Dutch:

There are Russian scientists better than me on this forum, some whom even, seem have calculated how at to make Cyrillic character in these pages appear.

 

I reckon the Russian translation machine wins hands-down - for sheer entertainment value!

[Animaterra]

That's a lovely song, Bill, David, et al, but I'm not sure I'd put it on the "classics" list. A Russian friend of mine told me it was a Russian (Soviet) pop hit in the '70s. Seems the songwriter saw a young boy hopping in and out of puddles chanting the words and was moved to write the song. There's a lot more to it, but only the refrain was translated and transmitted across the English-speaking world (it may have traveled to other languages as well, but I'm only aware of its presence in mine!).

It became something of an anthem in the peace movement before it found its way into American general elementary music textbooks!

[PeterT]

This came by e-mail. I've seen versions concerning accordions and melodeons as well. Given the current chatter here about morris dancing, I thought this was particularly apt. Enjoy.

 

How to get the Blood off Your Concertina

By Bored Borinson

 

There are many ways to get blood off a concertina. Usually I prefer

to discuss how to get it on there, but for now we'll consider the

problem of removal.

 

Pour any flammable spirit onto the instrument. Don't worry if any

spills beyond the area of the stain, this won't affect the end result.

Now set light to it. (Please note this is best done in an open space

when there's no one around who might get injured - at least no one we

care about - A town square during a morris dance display is ideal.)

 

Using a drill bit at least half the size again as the stain, drill

out the marked area. Don't worry, this will not adversely affect

the sound of the instrument. Quite the contrary.

 

Attach sandpaper to the head of an industrial weight sledgehammer.

The grade of sandpaper used is irrelevant. Now let the hammer head

fall onto the marked area from as great a height as you please.

Repeat this until the mark is completely gone.

 

 

This reminds me of a joke which I heard in The Radway, Sidmouth, many years ago:

 

What's the difference between a Melodeon and an Accordeon? An Accordeon burns longer!

 

Regards,

Peter.

[JimLucas]

What's the difference between a Melodeon and an Accordeon? An Accordeon burns longer!

Yep, that's a classic!

 

Actually, the "classical" version compares a violin and a viola.

[Charlotte]

How to get the Blood off Your Concertina

By Bored Borinson

 

There are many ways to get blood off a concertina. Usually I prefer

to discuss how to get it on there, but for now we'll consider the

problem of removal.

 

Pour any flammable spirit onto the instrument. Don't worry if any

spills beyond the area of the stain, this won't affect the end result.

Now set light to it. (Please note this is best done in an open space

when there's no one around who might get injured - at least no one we

care about - A town square during a morris dance display is ideal.)

 

Using a drill bit at least half the size again as the stain, drill

out the marked area. Don't worry, this will not adversely affect

the sound of the instrument. Quite the contrary.

 

Attach sandpaper to the head of an industrial weight sledgehammer.

The grade of sandpaper used is irrelevant. Now let the hammer head

fall onto the marked area from as great a height as you please.

Repeat this until the mark is completely gone.

 

 

I sent this to my family today. Boy, was this a hit!!!!!!!! Hmmm. That might be due to the fact that the only concertina they have heard is the noise I've recorded. Perhaps I'd better have them listen to Anglo International...... That should make them change their opinion!

[David Barnert]

What's the difference between a Melodeon and an Accordeon? An Accordeon burns longer!

Yep, that's a classic!

 

Actually, the "classical" version compares a violin and a viola.

Credit where it's due: It's Victor Borge's line. He would talk about his father and how he played viola in the orchestra. He said his father was always upset by the fact that so many people didn't know the difference between a violin and a viola. It particularly upset him because he was one of them.

 

Borge continued: "You do, of course know the difference between a violin and a viola, don't you?..."