TRACK TALK #319 Hard Times I New York Town

HARD TIMES IN NEW YORK TOWN
ALBUM : The Bootleg Series, Vol.1 (1991)
Recorded : 22 Décembre 1961
Released : 26 Mars 1991

Enregistrée à Minneapolis parmi les autres Minnesota Hotel Tapes, écrite en Novembre 1961 à partir du Down On Penny's Farm pioché dans l'Anthology of American Folk Music de Harry Smith.
Aucune performance live.



Lyrics:
Come you ladies and you gentlemen, a-listen to my song
Sing it to you right, but you might think it’s wrong
Just a little glimpse of a story I’ll tell
’Bout an East Coast city that you all know well
It’s hard times in the city
Livin’ down in New York town

Old New York City is a friendly old town
From Washington Heights to Harlem on down
There’s a-mighty many people all millin’ all around
They’ll kick you when you’re up and knock you when you’re down
It’s hard times in the city
Livin’ down in New York town

It’s a mighty long ways from the Golden Gate
To Rockefeller Plaza ’n’ the Empire State.
Mister Rockefeller sets up as high as a bird
Old Mister Empire never says a word
It’s hard times from the country
Livin’ down in New York town

Well, it’s up in the mornin’ tryin’ to find a job of work
Stand in one place till your feet begin to hurt
If you got a lot o’ money you can make yourself merry
If you only got a nickel, it’s the Staten Island Ferry
And it’s hard times in the city
Livin’ down in New York town

Mister Hudson come a-sailin’ down the stream
And old Mister Minuet paid for his dream
Bought your city on a one-way track
’F I had my way I’d sell it right back
And it’s hard times in the city
Livin’ down in New York town

I’ll take all the smog in Cal-i-for-ne-ay
’N’ every bit of dust in the Oklahoma plains
’N’ the dirt in the caves of the Rocky Mountain mines
It’s all much cleaner than the New York kind
And it’s hard times in the city
Livin’ down in New York town

So all you newsy people, spread the news around
You c’n listen to m’ story, listen to m’ song
You c’n step on my name, you c’n try ’n’ get me beat
When I leave New York, I’ll be standin’ on my feet
And it’s hard times in the city
Livin’ down in New York town

Et voici l'originale :



Ce que ne dit pas YouTube : c'est une chanson jouée par The Bently Boys, "from which we know nothing except that they were from North Carolina".

Et ses paroles :
Come you ladies and you gentlemen
And listen to my song,
I'll sing it to you right, but you might think it's wrong,
May make you mad, but I mean no harm,
It's all about the renters on Penny's farm.
CHORUS:
It's hard times in the country,
Down on Penny's farm.
Now you move out on Penny's farm,
Plant a little crop of 'bacco and a little crop of corn,
He'll come around to plan and plot,
Till he gets himself a mortgage
On everything you got.
You go to the fields
And you work all day,
Till way after dark, but you get no pay,
Promise you meat or a little lard,
It's hard to be a renter on Penny's farm.

Now here's George Penny come into town,
With his wagon-load of peaches, not one of them sound,
He's got to have his money or somebody's check,
You pay him for a bushel,
And you don't get a peck.

Then George Penny's renters, they come into town,
With their hands in their pockets, and their heads hanging down,
Go in the store and the merchant will say:
"Your mortgage is due
And I'm looking for my pay."

Goes down in his pocket with a trembling hand --
"Can't pay you all but I'll pay you what I can."
Then to the telephone the merchant makes a call,
"They'll put you on the chain gang
If you don't pay it all."




(hazel, quand tu feras le track talk de Hard Times, tu pourras aussi reprendre ce lien...
Bon, ben finalement, je me le suis presque fait correctement, ce track talk
Reste que :
- L'image n'est pas de bonne qualité, mais je n'ai pas trouvé de version plus grande de cette photo qui illustre bien Minnesota hotel, je trouve. si tu veux la remplacer, pas de problème;
- Il te reste à l'indexer, ça je ne peux pas faire. Et j'espère que je n'ai pas foiré la numérotation, mais ça aussi tu peux éditer)

C'est parfait, une bonne surprise !
L'image est correcte et la numération aussi.
N'hésitez pas à suivre cet exemple, je m'occuperais d'indexer.

Du coup, j'avais oublié de dire que j'aime énormément cette chanson.

D'abord pour le contexte : quand le premier Bootleg Series est paru, il fallait se pincer pour le croire. 1 CD entier d'inédits de la première période, accoustique. Un don du ciel, inespéré. Alors forcément, la première chanson de cette merveille retentissait comme une revanche sur la morosité ambiante.

Et en plus elle est enlevée, entrainante, joyeuse malgré ses paroles. Bien enregistrée en plus (c'est en faisant le track talk que je me suis rendu compte que ce n'était pas une chute de studio mais une des Minnesota hotel tapes).

Que du bonheur.