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

by Arlo

Wanna hear something? You know Indians never ate
clams. They didn't have linguini! And so happened
was that clams was allowed to grow in the
coastal waters of America for of years. And
they got big, and I talking about clams in
general, I'm talking about each clam! I each one
was a couple of years old or older. So imagine
they could have got bigger than this 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 talking about sitting under the
water for you. I'm talking about coming after
you.

Imagine being on one of boats coming over to
discover America, Columbus or something, standing
there at night on watch, everyone is either drunk
or asleep. And you're watching for and the
boat's going up and down. And you like it anyhow.
But you gotta stand there and watch, for what. he
knows, and he watching. You hear the waves
against the side of the ship. The moon is
going behind the clouds. You hear the patter of
footprints on deck. IS THAT 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 fear, you grab one of these. This
is a belaying pin. They to have these stuck in
the holes all around the ..you probably didn't
know what is for; you probably had an idea, but
you were wrong. used to have these stuck in the
holes all the sides of the ship. Everywhere.
You wouldn't know what this is for unless you was
guy night.

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

You know not even the coastal was safe from
them big clams. You them big clams had an inland
of about 15 miles. Think of that. I mean our
early and the settlers built little houses
all up and down the coast you know. A inland
and stuff like that And they didn't have houses
we got now, with bathrooms and stuff. They built
out back. And late at night, maybe a kid would
have to go, and he'd go 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 Americans forts. Them forts. You know them
pictures of them forts with the wooden all
around. You probably thought them was for Indians.
But that's stupid! Indians know about doors. But
clams didn't. Even if a knew about a door, so what?
A clam couldn't fit in a door. I mean, come stomping
up to a fort at night, put them feet on them points,
back crying, tears out of them everywhere. But
couldn't live in forts forever. You couldn't
just build one big around America. How would you go
to the

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

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

He'd be the verses. They'd be singing the chorus.
And clams would hear 'em. And clams 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 flying


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

That's the way it was. 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
night to hell.

Hey, this was serious back then. was very serious.
I these songs now are just piddley folk songs. But
then these songs were controversial. These was
radical, almost songs. Because times was
and clams 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 name will be remembered, his
name was Clamzo, and he was one of the last great
clam men there ever was. He the last clam stab,
the last clampoon into the last clam that was ever
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. America safe for the
likes of you and me. And so we this song in his
memory. He went into whaling most of them guys did.
And he got out of when he died. You know, clams was
much dangerous than whales. Clams can run in the
water, on the or on the ground, and they are so big
sometimes that they can jump and they can their
shells and kinda almost fly like one of them flying
squirrels.

You could be standing there thinking that perfectly
and all of a sudden WHOP....That's ' true...And so
this is the song of this guy by the name of Clamzo,
and the takes place right after he stabbed this clam
and the was, going through this kinda death dance
over on the side somewhere. The song there and he
goes into whaling and takes you 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 part of the fourteen chicken dudes
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 such an Alliance. You know some of these
are still around. Still defending America against
things like clams. If you ever wants to join one, now
you some historic background. So you know where these
guys are coming from. It's not just some 60's or
something, these things go back a time.

Notice the distinction going to have to make now
the first and easy "Clamzo Boys Clamzo" and the
more "Clamzo Me Boys Clamzo". Stay serious.
Folk are serious. That's 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...
Iet's do it in B...for boy a big clam... Iet' s do
it in G for Gee, I hope that big don't see me. Let's
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 Clamzo and His Daughter in the Key of A.

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

2. Oh, Reuben was no
(Clamzo Clamzo) (Refrain I)
So shipped him on a whaler
(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 and water (Ref. I)
And a bit more she oughta (Ref. II)

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

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

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