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

by Guthrie

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

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

Imagine little feet coming on deck. A clam twice
the size of the ship. first. You're standing
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
know what this is you probably had an idea, but
you were wrong. They to have these stuck in the
holes all the sides of the ship. Everywhere.
You know what this is for unless you was that
guy night.

I mean, you'd 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 strike 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
early and the settlers built little houses
all up and down the you know. A little inland
and stuff that And they didn't have houses like
we got now, with bathrooms and stuff. They built
privies out back. And late at night, a kid would
to go, and he'd go stomping out there in the
moonlight. And all they'd hear for around...
(loud clap/belch)....one less kid for America. One
smiling, smurking, giant clam.

So Americans forts. Them forts. You know them
pictures of them 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 knew about a door, so what?
A couldn't fit in a door. I mean, he'd come stomping
up to a fort at night, put them feet on them points,
back crying, tears out of them everywhere. But
Americans couldn't live in forever. You couldn't
build one big fort around America. How would you go
to the

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

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

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


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

the way it was. That was one way to deal with them.
The other way was to two clams together. l don't
believe it. I'm losing it. Hey. What can you do.
shot to hell.

Hey, this was serious back then. was very serious.
I mean these songs now are piddley folk songs. But
back then these songs were controversial. was
radical, almost revolutionary songs. Because was
different and clams was a threat to America. right.
So we want to sing this song tonight the one last...
You see they did was there was one man, he was one
of these men, his name will be remembered, his
name was Clamzo, and he was one of the last great
clam men there ever was. He stuck the 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 that you and me go to the beach in
relative safety. That's right. Made America for the
likes of you and me. And so we sing song in his
memory. He went into whaling like most of guys did.
And he got out of that he died. You know, clams was
much dangerous than whales. Clams can run in the
water, on the water or on the ground, and are so big
sometimes that can jump and they can spread their
kinda shells and kinda almost fly one of them flying
squirrels.

You could be there thinking that 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 right after he stabbed this
and the clam was, going through this death dance
over on the somewhere. The song starts there and he
into whaling and takes you through the I next...

I the part of the guy on the beach by himself. I go
this: "Poor old Reuben Clamzo" and you go "Clamzo Boys,
Clamzo". That's the of the fourteen chicken dudes over
on the side. That's what they used to sing. They'd be
calling these clams out of the water. Like 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
occasion to join an Alliance. You know some of these
Alliances are still around. Still America against
things like them clams. If you wants to join one, now
you some historic background. So you know where these
guys are coming from. It's not just 60's movement or
something, things go back a long time.

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

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

2. Oh, Reuben was no
(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. he was so dirty (Ref. I)
We gave him and thirty (Ref. II)

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

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

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

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

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