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

by Arlo

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 ain't talking clams in
general, I'm talking about each clam! I mean one
was a of million years old or older. So imagine
they could have got bigger than this room. And
when get that big, God gives them little feet so
that could walk around easier. And when they get
feet, they get dangerous. I'm about real
dangerous. I ain't talking about under 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 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 there and watch, for what. he
knows, and he watching. You hear the waves
lapping against the side of the ship. The is
going behind the clouds. You the pitter patter of
little on deck. IS THAT YOU KIDS? IT AIN'T.
MY GOD. IT'S THIS HUMUNGUS CLAM!

Imagine those little feet coming on deck. A twice
the of the ship. Feet 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 ship ..you probably
know what this is for; you 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 know what this is for you was that
guy night.

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

You know not even the coastal villages was safe
them big clams. You know 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 little
and stuff like that And they have houses like
we got now, with and stuff. They built little
privies out back. And late at night, maybe a kid
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 Americans built forts. forts. You know them
of them forts with the wooden points all
around. You probably thought points was for Indians.
But that's stupid! 'Cause Indians know doors. But
clams didn't. Even if a clam 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, coming out of them everywhere. But
Americans couldn't in forts forever. You couldn't
just build one big fort around America. How you go
to the

So what they did was they groups of people. I mean
they had groups of people all up and down the form
these little alliances. up North it was call the
Alliance. And farther down South is was called
the Alliance. They had these Alliances all up and
the coast defending themselves against these
threatening monsters. 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 part disappeared, that's how they where the clam
be.

Which is why Americans sing in four part harmony 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 spears clampoons.
And they'd be up and down the beach and the method
they devised where they'd have this guy, the
most strongest heavy duty true blue American,
type dude they could find and they'd have him out
walking up and down the beach by with other chicken
dudes hiding the sand dunes somewhere.

He'd be singing the verses. 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 see pretty soon was flying all over,
the sand flying


FINALLYTHEMANWOULD jump over a big dune, roll over
the side, the clam would over the dune, fall in the
hole and guys would come out there and stab the
out of him with 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. What can you do.
night to hell.

Hey, this was back then. This was very serious.
I mean these songs now are just folk songs. But
back then these were controversial. These was
radical, almost songs. Because times was
different and clams was a to America. That's right.
So we want to this song tonight about the one last...
You see what did was there was one man, he was one
of these men, his name always be remembered, his
name was Reuben Clamzo, and he was one of the last
clam men there ever was. He the last clam stab,
the clampoon 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 could go to the 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 most of them guys 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 or on the ground, and they are so big
sometimes that they can jump and can spread their
kinda shells and kinda fly like one of them flying
squirrels.

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

I sing the part of the guy on the by himself. I go
like "Poor old Reuben 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 these clams out of the water. taunting them,
making fun of them. would get real mad and come out.

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

Notice the distinction going to have to make now
between the first and "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 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 big clam 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. Better get this done quick. The Story
of Reuben and His Strange Daughter in the Key of A.

1. Oh old Reuben Clamzo
(I) Clamzo Clamzo
Oh old Reuben Clamzo
(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. Because he was no (Ref. I)
He would not do his (Ref. II)

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

5. Oh Clamzo's 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 sails 'er the whalefish blow (Ref I)
As the hardest on the go (Ref. II)

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