Luyện nghe bài hát Story of Reuben Clamzo & His Strange...

by Arlo

hear something? You know that Indians never ate
clams. They didn't have linguini! And so happened
was that clams was allowed to grow in the
coastal of America for millions of years. And
got big, and I ain't talking about clams in
general, I'm about each clam! I mean each one
was a couple of million years old or older. So
they have got bigger than this whole room. And
they get that big, God gives them little feet so
that they could walk easier. And when they get
feet, they get dangerous. I'm about real
dangerous. I ain't talking sitting under the
water waiting for you. I'm talking about coming
you.

Imagine being on one of them boats over to
discover America, like Columbus or something,
there at night on watch, else is either drunk
or asleep. And you're for America and the
boat's going up and down. And you don't it anyhow.
But you gotta stand and watch, for what. Only he
knows, and he watching. You hear the waves
against the side of the ship. The moon is
going the clouds. You hear the pitter patter of
little footprints on deck. IS YOU KIDS? IT AIN'T.
MY GOD. THIS HUMUNGUS GIANT CLAM!

Imagine those little feet on deck. A clam twice
the size of the ship. Feet first. You're
there shivering with fear, you grab one of these.
is a belaying pin. They used to these stuck in
the holes all around the ..you probably didn't
what this is for; you probably had an idea, but
you were wrong. They used to have stuck in the
all along the sides of the ship. Everywhere.
You wouldn't what this is for unless you was that
guy night.

I mean, grab this out of the hole, run on over
there, BAM BAM on them little feet! into the
ocean would go a hurt, but not defeated,
giant clam. Ready to again when opportunity
was better.

You know not the coastal villages was safe from
them big clams. You know big clams had an inland
range of about 15 miles. of that. I mean our
pioneers and the settlers built little houses
all up and down the you know. A little inland
and stuff like that And didn't have houses like
we got now, with and stuff. They built little
out back. And late at night, maybe a kid would
have to go, and he'd go out there in the
moonlight. And all they'd hear for around...
(loud clap/belch)....one kid for America. One more
smiling, smurking, giant clam.

So built forts. Them forts. You know them
pictures of them forts the wooden points all
around. You thought them points was for Indians.
But that's stupid! 'Cause Indians about doors. But
clams didn't. Even if a clam knew about a door, so
A clam couldn't fit in a door. I mean, he'd stomping
up to a fort at night, put feet on them points, jump
back crying, coming out of them everywhere. But
Americans couldn't in forts forever. You couldn't
just build one big fort America. How would you go
to the

So what they did was formed groups of people. I mean
they had groups of people all up and down the coast
little alliances. Like up North it was call the
Clamshell Alliance. And farther down is was called
the Alliance. They had these Alliances all up and
down the coast defending against these
threatening monsters. These giant clams. And
they'd go out there, if there was fifteen of them,
they'd be singing songs in fifteen part harmony. And
one part disappeared, how they knew where the clam
be.

Which is why Americans only in four part harmony to
this very day. That proved to be too dangerous. See,
they did was they'd be singing these songs called
Chanties, and they'd have these big spears clampoons.
And they'd be walking up and down the beach and the
they eventually devised where they'd this guy, the
most strongest duty true blue American, courageous
dude they could find and they'd have him out there
walking up and the beach by himself with other chicken
dudes behind the sand dunes somewhere.

He'd be singing the verses. They'd be the chorus.
And clams would 'em. And clams hate music. So clams
would come out of the water and they'd come after one
guy. And all you'd see soon was flying all over,
the sand UPANDOWNTHEBEACHMANMANCLAMCLAMMANMANCLAM


FINALLYTHEMANWOULD jump over a big sand dune, roll
the side, the clam would come over the dune, in the
hole and fourteen guys would come out and stab the
shit out of him with clampoons.

the way it was. That was one way to deal with them.
The other way was to weld two clams together. l
believe it. I'm losing it. Hey. can you do. Another
shot to hell.

Hey, this was serious back then. This was serious.
I mean these songs now are just piddley songs. But
back these songs were controversial. These was
radical, almost revolutionary songs. Because was
different and clams was a to America. That's right.
So we want to sing this tonight about the one last...
You see what did was there was one man, he was one
of these men, his name will be remembered, his
name was Reuben Clamzo, and he was one of the great
clam men there ever was. He the last clam stab,
the last into the last clam that was ever seen
on continent.

he would be out of work in an hour. He did it
anyway so you and me could go to the beach in
relative safety. That's right. Made America for the
likes of you and me. And so we sing this in his
memory. He went into whaling like most of them did.
And he got out of when he died. You know, clams was
much more dangerous than whales. can run in the
water, on the water or on the ground, and are so big
sometimes that they can jump and they can their
kinda and kinda almost fly like one of them flying
squirrels.

You could be standing there thinking your perfectly
safe and all of a WHOP....That's ' true...And so
is the song of this guy by the name of Reuben Clamzo,
and the takes place right after he stabbed this clam
and the clam was, through this kinda death dance
on the side somewhere. The song starts there and he
goes into whaling and you through the I next...

I sing the of the guy on the beach by himself. I go
this: "Poor old Reuben Clamzo" and you go "Clamzo Boys,
Clamzo". That's the part of the fourteen chicken over
on the other side. That's what they to sing. They'd be
calling these out of the water. Like taunting them,
making fun of them. Clams get real mad and come out.

Here we go. I want you to it in case you ever have an
to join such an Alliance. You know some of these
Alliances are still around. defending America against
things like them clams. If you wants to join one, now
you have historic background. So you know where these
guys are coming from. It's not just some 60's or
something, things go back a long time.

Notice the distinction you're to have to make now
the first and easy "Clamzo Boys Clamzo" and the
more "Clamzo Me Boys Clamzo". Stay serious.
Folk songs are serious. what Pete Seeger told me.
"Arlo I only want to you one thing...folk songs are
serious". I said "right". do it in C for Clam...
Iet's do it in B...for boy that's a big clam... s do
it in G for Gee, I that big clam don't see me. Let's
do it in F...for he sees me. do it back in A...for A
clam is coming. Better get this song done quick. The
of Clamzo and His Strange Daughter in the Key of A.

1. Oh poor old Reuben
(I) Clamzo Clamzo
Oh poor old Clamzo
(II) Clamzo me Clamzo

2. Oh, was no sailor
(Clamzo Clamzo) (Refrain I)
So they shipped him on a
(Clamzo me Clamzo) (Refrain II)

3. he was no beauty (Ref. I)
He not do his duty (Ref. II)

4. Because he was so (Ref. I)
We gave him five and (Ref. II)

5. Oh Reuben daughter (Ref. I)
She begged her dad for (Ref. II)

6 She brang him wine and (Ref. I)
And a bit more than she (Ref. II)

7 he got his seaman's papers (Ref. I)
a terror to the whalers (Ref. II)

8.And he sails where 'er the blow (Ref I)
As the hardest on the go (Ref. II)

9 Oh poor old Clamzo (Ref. I)
Oh old Reuben Clamzo (Ref. II)