Krishnan's weblog – an assortment of things. A scribble pad. A hybrid microblog. Mostly bread crumbs of an internet journey.
When I was emptying out my memory stick, I just noticed this pic and remembered something.
I was there at the Levis Great Indian Rock 2006 
Reached late when Demonic Ressurection was playing. Wasn’t impressed. Medusa wasn’t nice but the lead guitarist was fabulous. Prestorika was nice, though I had walked out for a snacks in between. I thought they were the best in the competeing category.
Zero (Mumbai) just swept me off. Mindblowing. This picture is of them playing a solo.
And where did they find those buffoons from UK?
The code name is : MILO.
I walked out when they started playing. It was late for me anyway
This song was perhaps written in the 1800s.
There is perhaps no telling how many musicians have sung it.
I listened first to a version sung in 1946 by Mary Ford and Les Paul.
Soon I got to listen to another version sung the same year by Patti Page.
Needless to say they both had completely different tunes.
I liked the sharpness and quickness of Les Paul’s recording over the flowing voice of Patti Page. But what stood out was a song that lent itself to be sung in many different ways.
It’s curious that no one seems to be singing that portion of the song about buying a mule.
I guess they consider it uncool.
Anyways, here is to another great song.
Lyrics to the Mocking Bird’s Hill
When the sun in the morning peeps over the hill,
And kisses the roses around my window sill,
Then my heart fills with gladness when I hear the trill
Of the birds in the treetops on Mockin’ Bird Hill.
Tra la la, tweedle dee dee dee
It gives me a thrill,
To wake up in the morning
To the mockin’ bird’s trill.
Tra la la tweedle dee dee dee
There’s peace and good will;
You’re welcome as the flowers
On Mockin’ Bird Hill
Got a three-cornered plow and an acre to till
And a mule that I bought for a ten-dollar bill
There’s a tumble-down shack and a rusty ol’ mill
But it’s my Home Sweet Home up on Mockin’ Bird Hill.
Tra la la, tweedle dee dee dee
It gives me a thrill,
To wake up in the morning
To the mockin’ bird’s trill.
Tra la la tweedle dee dee dee
There’s peace and good will;
You’re welcome as the flowers
On Mockin’ Bird Hill
When it’s late in the evening I climb up the hill
And survey all my kingdom while everything’s still.
Only me and the sky and an ol’ whippoorwill
Singin’ songs in the twilight on Mockin’ Bird Hill.
Tra la la, tweedle dee dee dee
It gives me a thrill,
To wake up in the morning
To the mockin’ bird’s trill.
Tra la la tweedle dee dee dee
There’s peace and good will;
You’re welcome as the flowers
On Mockin’ Bird Hill
You know, I’ve always wanted to know more about music as it was before Rock and Roll. Before Boney M, ABBA, Elvis or even Chuck Berry.
Was there really no good music before them?
Can’s really say, but there happen to be some bright singles.
The Red Foley version of the Chattanoogie shoe shine boy is certainly one of them.
The hoppety hippety hops and hand claps that form an important part of this music makes it an excellent single. There is even a Wikipedia article on this song here .
Here are the lyrics
Lyrics to the Chattanoogie shoe shine boy
Have you ever passed the corner of Forth and Grand
Where a little ball o’rhythm has a shoe shine stand
People gather ’round and they clap their hands
He’s a great big bundle o’joy
He pops the boogie woogie rag
The Chattanoogie shoe shine boy
He charges you a nickel just to shine one shoe
He makes the oldest kind o’leather look like new
You feel as though you wanna dance when he gets through
He’s a great big bundle o’ joy
He pops the boogie woogie rag
The Chattanoogie shoe shine boy
It’s a wonder that the rag don’t tear
The way he makes it pop
You ought to see him fan the air
With his hoppity-hippity-hippity
Hoppity-hoppity-hippity-hop
He opens up for business when the clock strikes nine
He likes to get up early when they’re feelin’ fine
Everybody gets a little rise ‘n shine
With the great big bundle o’joy
He pops the boogie woogie rag
The Chattanoogie shoe shine boy
It’s a wonder that the rag don’t tear
The way he makes it pop
Just listen to him fan the air
Here goes
He opens up for business when the clock strikes nine
He likes to get up early when they’re feelin’ fine
Everybody gets a little rise ‘n shine
With the great big bundle o’joy
He pops the boogie woogie rag
The Chattanoogie shoe shine boy
Finally…it happened.
It was almost by accident that I spotted the lyrics for Jambalaya. I consider this to be plain luck, because I’ve been curious about it every time I heard the song, but never really bothered to look it up. Carpenters have used a slightly different lyrics compared to Hank Williams Jr. I’ll record the Carpenters’ version because I like it better.
I liked all the funny uncommon words here each of which is worth further examination.
e.g. See here to learn about pirouges
Lyrics to Jambalaya
Good-bye joe, he gotta go, me oh my oh
He gotta go-pole the pirogue down the bayou
His yvonne the sweetest one, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou
Thibodaux, fontaineaux the place is buzzin’
A kin-folk come to see yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style the go hog wild, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo
For tonight, I’m a-gonna see my my-my cher a mi-o
Pick guitar, fill fruit far and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou
Settle down far from town get him a pirogue
And he’ll catch all the fish in the bayou
Swap his mon to buy yvonne what she need-o
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou
This hit was made by Teresa Brewer in 1950.
Nice song.
Lyrics to Music, Music, Music
PUT ANOTHER NICKEL IN
IN THE NICKELODEON
ALL I WANT IS HAVING YOU AND
MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC
ID DO ANYTHING FOR YOU
ANYTHING YOUD WANT ME TO
ALL I WANT IS KISSING YOU AND
MUSIC, MUSIC MUSIC
CLOSER, MY DEAR COME CLOSER
THE NICEST PART OF ANY MELODY
IS WHEN YOURE DANCING CLOSE TO ME
SO PUT ANOTHER NICKEL IN
IN THE NICKELODEON
ALL I WANT IS LOVING YOU AND
MUSIC, MUSIC MUSIC
PUT ANOTHER NICKEL IN
IN THE NICKELODEON
ALL I WANT IS HAVING YOU AND
MUSIC, MUSIC MUSIC
ID DO ANYTHING FOR YOU
ANYTHING YOUD WANT ME TO
ALL I WANT IS KISSING YOU AND
MUSIC, MUSIC MUSIC
CLOSER, MY DEAR COME CLOSER
THE NICEST PART OF ANY MELODY
IS WHEN YOURE DANCING CLOSE TO ME
SO PUT ANOTHER NICKEL IN
IN THE NICKELODEON
ALL I WANT IS LOVING YOU AND
MUSIC, MUSIC MUSIC
COME ON EVERY BODY PUT SOME NICKELS
AND KEEP THAT OLD NICKELODEON PLAYING
MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC
DUM DEE DUM DEE DA DEE DUM
DUM DEE DUM DEE DA DEE DUM
DUM DEE DUM DEE DA DEE DUM
AND MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC
DUM DEE DUM DEE DA DEE DUM
DUM DEE DUM DEE DA DEE DUM
DUM DEE DUM DEE DA DEE DUM
AND MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC
This is a 1946 song by Dinah Shore. The power of its lyrics stuck me.
There is no lyrics available on the internet. Trust me on this one.
I decided to write it up but couldn’t figure out just one word, though.
If some one can help with the lyrics, it would delight music lovers like me.
Lyrics to Doin’ what comes natur’lly
folks are dumb, where i come from
they had aint, any learning
still they’re happy, as can be
doin what comes naturlly
doin what comes naturlly
folks like us, could never fuss
with schools and books and learning
still we’ve gone from a to zee
doing what come naturrly
doing what come naturrly
you dont have to know how to read or write
when you’re off with a feller in the pale moon light
you dont have to look in a book to find
what he thinks of the moon and what is on his mind
that comes naturlly
that comes naturlly
my uncle out in texas
cant even write his name
he signs cheques with xs
and they cash him just the same
grandpa dick was always sick
but never saw a doctor
he just died at ninety three
doing what comes naturlly
doing what comes naturlly
cousin jack, insured his shack
and now he plays with matches
he’ll collect his, wait and see
doin what comes naturally
doin what comes naturally
uncle paul heard some one call
when he’d just had two deuces
he wound up with aces three
doing what comes naturally
doing what comes naturally
you dont have to go to a private school
not to turn up your puzzle to a stubborn view
you dont have to have a ******
no not to go for the honey when the bee is at home
that comes naturally
that comes naturally
a nice young man named harry, is stuck on sister blow
sh’d like to marry harry, but his wife wont let him go
if you saw my pa and mom you’ll know they had no learning
still they rasied a family
doing what comes naturally
doing what comes naturally
They say, love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
What can I say about the song “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All”?
This has to be the best song Air Supply has ever made.
The music, the lyrics, the instruments playing in the background, it is all beautiful.
Air Supply is a distant memory from my child hood. Now that I am a adult I just have to preserve this memory. The song sounds fresh even after all these years.
I had to listen to it on the way to work this morning and it is really prevented tension from building up. It really perks you up and makes you forget the traffic! I have a friends who consider me to be too old these songs, but I’ve been singing along for 20 years now.
How can I deny my love for them?
Lyrics to Making Love Out Of Nothing At All
I know just how to whisper and I know just how to cry
I know just where to find the answers and I know just how to lie
I know just how to fake it and I know just how to scheme
I know just when to face the truth and I know just when to dream
And I know just where to touch you and I know just what to prove
I know when to pull you closer and I know when to let you loose
And I know the night is fading and I know the time’s gonna fly
And I’m never gonna tell you everything I gotta tell you
But I know I’ve gotta give it a try
And I know the roads to riches and I know the ways to fame
I know all the rules and I know how to break’em
And I always know the name of the game
But I don’t know how to leave you and I’ll never let you fall
And I don’t know how you do it making love out of nothing at all
Out of nothing at all……
Making love out of nothing at all
Everytime I see you all the rays of the sun are streaming throught the waves in your hair
And every star in the sky is taking aim at your eyes like a spotlight
The beating of my heart is a drum and it’s lost, and it’s looking for a rhythm like you
You can take the darkness at the pit of the night and turn into a beacon burning endlessly bright
I’ve gotta follow it ’cause everything I know well it’s nothing till I give it to you
I can make the runner stumble
I can make the final block
I can make every tackle at the sound of the whistle
I can make all the stadiums rock
I can make tonight forever
Or I can make it disappear by the dawn
I can make you every promise that has ever been made
And I can make all your demons be gone
But I’m never gonna make it without you
Do you really want to see me crawl
And I’m never gonna make it like you do
Making love out of nothing at all
Out of nothing at all…
When I heard “Puff, the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary for the first time, I knew this is a song I’m going to like forever. It was a story of the friendship between a dragon and a boy. I thought it was a song about losing the innocence of childhood.
Later I discovered from the internet that the song is connected to drugs.
“Puff” was about smoking pot
“Little Jackie Paper’s” surname referred to rolling papers
“autumn mist” was either clouds of marijuana smoke or a drug-induced state
“the land of Hanah Lee” was the Hawaiian village of Hanalei, known for its marijuana plants
I am surprised at how twisted the minds of people can get.
I learnt that “Puff the magic dragon” reached #2 on the Billboard charts in early 1963.
It was a long time #1 favourite for me, which I played out to many friends and visitors.
It is a song that has made people happy, truly.
Lyrics to the song Puff the Magic Dragon, by Peter, Paul & Mary
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee,
Little jackie paper loved that rascal puff,
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. oh
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee,
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee.
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on puff’s gigantic tail,
Noble kings and princes would bow whene’er they came,
Pirate ships would lower their flag when puff roared out his name. oh!
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee,
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee.
A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.
One grey night it happened, jackie paper came no more
And puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane.
Without his life-long friend, puff could not be brave,
So puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave. oh!
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee,
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called honah lee.
When I first saw Rabbi Shergill’s video for the song Bulla ki jaana main kaun, I knew instantly that I would be spending more time on it.
After researching the lyrics for 8 hours and listening to it several times to firm up the lyrics, I found my own translation to be the most convincing. Come on folks, I’m not even Punjabi. I even found the guitar tabs here
Baba Bulleh Shah (1680-1758), has surely been an excellent writer of songs. No other song in an unknown langauage would have impressed me more. Though he lived during the time before the printing press, most of what we know about him has come to us through unreliable anecdotes and folklore. The limited authentic historical record, based on sporadic references to events of his life in his poetry and in the writings of his contemporaries, is barely enough for a brief sketch of his life.
I’ll read more – if only I find time. Anyways, here is my translation of the song:
Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Na main moman vich maseetan Neither am I believer in a Mosque Na main vich kufar dian reetan Nor a pagan practising false rites Na main pakan vich paleetan Nor am I the Pure amongst impure Na main andar bed kitaban Neither am I in any Holy Books (Vedas) Na main rehnda phaang sharaban Nor high on any drugs or alochol Na main rehnda mast kharaban Nor am I an idle delinquent Na main shadi na ghamnaki I am neither happy union nor lonely misery Na main vich paleetan pakeen Nor am I pure or impure Na main aaabi na main khaki Nor am I water or earth Na main aatish na main paun Nor am I fire or air Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Na main arabi na lahori I am neither an Arab or a Lahori (Pakistani) Na main hindi shehar Nagauri Nor am I from the (Indian) town of Nagaur Na hindu na turk pashauri Nor am I a Hindu or a Peshawari Turk Na main bhet mazhab de paya I did not create any differences in faiths Na main aadam hawwa jaya Nor do I know of any Adam or Eve Na koi apna naam dharaya I did not name myself Avval aakhar aap nu jana I know only of the Self Na koi dooja hor pacchana and recognise no Other Mai ton na koi hor syana There is nobody wiser than I Bulle shah kharha hai kaun? Bulleshah, who is standing (in your place)? Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Na main moosa na pharaoh Neither am I Moses nor the Pharoah Na main jagan na vich saun Neither am I awake nor asleep Na main aatish na main paun Neither am I am fire nor wind Na main rahnda vich Nadaun Nor do I live in Nadaun Na main baitthan na vich bhaun Neither am I at rest nor in a storm Bulle shah kharha hai kaun? Bulleshah, who is standing (in your place)? Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I Bulla ki jaana main kaun Bulla, how do I know who am I
Learning Daily is a personal blog that is just as random as my thoughts. The navigation bar at the top and the search box may be the only things that will help you find something.
My present interests lie in sustainability, peak oil, debian, Web after 2.0, creativity and epistemology. I learn daily. I learn about everything under the sun and even those beyond it. I am a perpetual student whose believes that wisdom is the real reward for learning.