Red Foley Chords and Lyrics
- Goodnight Irene
- Old Shep
- Smoke On The Water
- The Funeral
- Tennessee Saturday Night
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Goodnight Irene - Red Foley
CHORUS
[D] Irene, Good-[A] night
Irene, Good-[D] night
Goodnight Irene,
Good-[G] night Irene,
I'll [A] see you in my [D] dreams.
[D] Last Saturday night I got [A] married
Me and my wife settled [D] down
Me and my wife have [G] parted
Gonna [A] take another stroll down [D] town.
REPEAT CHORUS
Sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in town
Sometimes I take a fool notion
To jump in the river and drown.
REPEAT CHORUS
Stop ramblin', stop [A] gamblin'
Stop stayin' out [A7] late at [D] night
Go home to your wife and [G] family
And [A] stay by the fireside [D] bright.
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Old Shep - Red Foley
(C)
(VERSE - 1)
(C) (A) (D)
WHEN I WAS A LAD AND OLD SHEP WAS A PUP
(G) (G7) (C) (F#dim) (G)
O'ER HILLS AND MEADOWS WE'D ROAM.
(C) (A) (D)
JUST A BOY AND HIS DOG, WE BOTH FULL OF FUN;
(G) (G7) (C) (F)(C)
WE GREW UP TOGETH-ER THAT WAY.
(G) (G7) (C)
I REMEMBER THE TIME AT THE OLD SWIMMING HOLE,
(A) (D) (G)
WHEN I WOULD HAVE DROWNED BEYOND DOUBT.
(C) (A) (D)
SHEP WAS RIGHT THERE, TO THE RESCUE HE CAME,
(G) (G7) (C) (F) (C)
HE JUMPED IN AND HELPED PULL ME OUT.
(VERSE - 2)
SO THE YEARS ROLLED ALONG, AND AT LAST HE GREW OLD,
HIS EYESIGHT WAS FAST GROWING DIM.
THEN ONE DAY THE DOCTOR LOOKED AT ME AND SAID
"I CAN'T DO NO MORE FOR HIM, JIM."
WITH A HAND THAT WAS TREMBLING, I PICKED UP MY GUN,
I AIMED IT AT SHEP'S FAITHFULL HEAD.
JUST COULN'T DO IT, I WANTED TO RUN,
AND I WISHED - THEY'D SHOOT ME INSTEAD.
(VERSE - 3)
I WENT TO HIS SIDE, AND SAT ON THE GROUND,
HE LAID HIS HEAD ON MY KNEE.
I STROKED THE BEST PAL, THAT A MAN EVER FOUND,
I CRIED SO - I SCARCELY COULD SEE.
OLD SHEPPIE HE KNEW, HE WAS GOING TO GO,
FOR HE REACHED OUT AND LICKED AT MY HAND.
HE LOOKED UP AT ME, JUST AS MUCH AS TO SAY,
WE'RE PARTING, BUT YOU UNDERSTAND.
(CHORUS - LAST TIME ONLY)
(C) (A) (D) (D7)
OLD SHEP IS GONE WHERE THE GOOD DOGGIES GO,
(G) (G7) (C) (F#dim) (G)
AND NO MORE WITH OLD SHEP WILL I ROAM.
(C) (A) (D)
BUT IF DOGS HAVE A HEAVEN, THERE'S ONE THING I KNOW,
(G) (G7) (C) (F) (C)
OLD SHEP HAS A WONDERFUL HOME.
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Smoke On The Water - Red Foley
There will be a sad day comin' for the souls of all mankind
They must answer to the people, and it's troublin' their minds
Everybody who must fear them will rejoice on that great day
When the powers of dictators shall be taken all away.
There'll be smoke on the water, on the land and the sea
When our army and navy overtakes the enemy
There'll be smoke on the mountains where the heathen gods stay
And the sun that is risin' will go down on that day.
For there is a great destroyer made of fire and flesh and steel
Rollin' towards the foes of freedom; they'll go down beneath its
wheels
There'll be nothin' left but vultures to inhabit all that land
When our modern ships and bombers made a graveyard of Japan.
Hirohito, 'long with Hitler, will be ridin' on a rail
Mussolini'll beg for mercy; as a leader he has failed
There'll be no time for pity when the screamin' eagles flies
It will be the end of Axis, they must answer with their lives.
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The Funeral - Red Foley
Thought some of you might enjoy this song, and perhaps even want to perform
it. Hank Williams wrote the original version, which was a bit too
descriptive of Negroid features for the radio listening public of the day.
It was blackballed almost before it was released. Red Foley reworded the
song and so that it was apparently less objectionable and recorded it. He
was obviously successful because it was never blacklisted and I heard him
do it several times on his weekly TV show in the mid-50's. It was much
requested.
I have done this song many times over the years and it has never failed to
move every audience. I even did it once to a 90+% black audience and got a
standing ovation.
When Red did it, he used the old gospel song "Steal Away" for background
while he recited the song. When I do it, I use "What a Friend We Have In
Jesus". I sing one verse of the song, do the recitation with the song in
the background, and end by singing the lines - "What a privilege to carry,
everything to God in prayer." Works very well for me.
Here is the recitation:
I was walking in Savannah past a church decayed and dimmed
When slowly through a window came a plaintive funeral hymn.
A sympathy awakened and a wonder quickly grew
'Til I found myself environed in a little negro pew.
Now up front a couple sat, in sorrow nearly wild
For on the altar was a coffin, and in the coffin was a child.
Rose a sad old negro preacher from behind a wooden desk
with a manner grandly awkward and a countenance grotesque.
And he said: "Now don' go a'weepin' fo dat pretty bit o' clay,
Fo da little boy dat lived there , he done gone and run away.
Now he doin' very finely, and he 'preciate yo' love,
But his sho' nuff Father want him in dat large house up above.
You know He didn't give you dat baby, oh not by a hundred thousand mile --
Why He just figger you need some sunshine, so He lent him for a while.
And He let you love and keep 'im 'til your hearts was bigger grown,
And dem silver tears you're sheddin', why dere jus' interest on da loan.
So my poor dejected mourners, let yo' hearts with Jesus rest,
And now don' go criticizin' da One dat knows da best.
Fo' you see He give us many comforts and He got da right to take away
To da Lord be praise and glory -- now and ever. Let us pray.
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Tennessee Saturday Night - Red Foley
[A] Now, listen while I tell you 'bout a place I know
Down in Tennessee where the tall corn grows
[D] Hidden from the world in a bunch of pines
Where the [A] moon's a little bashful and it seldom shines
[E] Civilized people live there alright
Ah, but they [A] [P] all go native on Saturday Night. [A]
Oh, well the music is a fiddle and a flat guitar
They get their kicks from an old fruit jar
They do the boogie to an old square dance
The woods are full of couples lookin' for romance
They struggle and they shuffle till broad daylight
Yes, they all go native on Saturday night.
When they really get together there's a lot of fun
They all know the other fellow packs a gun
Ev'rybody does his best to act just right
'Cause there's gonna be feudin' if you start a fight
Somebody takes a brogan and knocks out the light
Yes, they all go native on Saturday night.
Well, now you've heard my story 'bout a place I know
Down in Tennessee where the tall corn grows
HIdden from the world in a bunch of pines
Where the moon's a little bashful and it seldom shines
Civilized people live there alright
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