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

by Guthrie

Wanna hear something? You know that never ate
clams. didn't have linguini! And so what happened
was that clams was to grow unmolested in the
coastal waters of America for of years. And
they got big, and I 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 could have got bigger this whole room. And
they get that big, God gives them little feet so
that they walk around easier. And when they get
feet, they get dangerous. I'm talking about
dangerous. I ain't talking about sitting the
water waiting for you. I'm talking coming after
you.

Imagine being on one of them boats over to
discover America, like or something, standing
there at night on watch, everyone else is either
or asleep. And you're watching for and the
boat's up and down. And you don't like it anyhow.
But you stand there 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
footprints on deck. IS THAT YOU KIDS? IT AIN'T.
MY GOD. THIS HUMUNGUS GIANT CLAM!

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

I mean, you'd grab out of the hole, run on over
there, BAM BAM on them little feet! back the
ocean go a hurt, but not defeated, humungus
giant clam. Ready to strike when opportunity
was better.

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

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

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

Which is why Americans only sing in four part to
this very day. proved to be too dangerous. See, what
did was they'd be singing these songs called Clam
Chanties, and they'd have big spears called 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
type they could find and they'd have him out there
walking up and down the beach by himself other chicken
hiding behind the sand dunes somewhere.

He'd be the verses. They'd be singing 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 pretty was flying all over,
the flying UPANDOWNTHEBEACHMANMANCLAMCLAMMANMANCLAM


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

That's the way it was. That was one way to deal them.
The other way was to weld two together. l don't
believe it. I'm losing it. Hey. can you do. Another
night to hell.

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

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

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

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

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

Notice the you're going to have to make now
between the first and easy "Clamzo Clamzo" and the
more "Clamzo Me Boys Clamzo". Stay serious.
songs are serious. That's what Pete Seeger told me.
"Arlo I only want to you one thing...folk songs are
serious". I "right". Let's 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 hope that big don't see me. Let's
do it in F...for he me. Let's do it back in A...for A
clam is coming. get this song done quick. The Story
of Reuben Clamzo and His Strange in the Key of A.

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

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

3. Because he was no (Ref. I)
He would not do his (Ref. II)

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

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

6 She him wine and water (Ref. I)
And a bit more she oughta (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 bastard on the go (Ref. II)

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