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

by Guthrie

Wanna hear something? You that Indians never ate
clams. They didn't linguini! And so what happened
was that was allowed to grow unmolested in the
waters of America for millions of years. And
they got big, and I ain't talking about in
general, I'm talking each clam! I mean each one
was a couple of million old or older. So imagine
they could have got than this whole room. And
when they get that big, God gives little feet so
that they could around easier. And when they get
feet, they get dangerous. I'm about real
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, Columbus or something, standing
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 like it anyhow.
But you gotta there and watch, for what. Only he
knows, and he ain't watching. You hear the
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 coming on deck. A twice
the of the ship. Feet first. You're standing
there with fear, you grab one of these. This
is a belaying pin. used to have these stuck in
the all around the ship ..you probably didn't
know what this is for; you had an idea, but
you were wrong. They used to these stuck in the
holes all the sides of the ship. Everywhere.
You wouldn't know what is for unless you was that
guy night.

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

You know not even the coastal was safe from
big clams. You know them big clams had an inland
range of 15 miles. Think 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
privies out back. And at night, maybe a kid would
have to go, and he'd go stomping out in the
moonlight. And all they'd hear for around...
(loud clap/belch)....one less kid for America. One
smiling, smurking, giant clam.

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

So what did was they 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 Catfish Alliance. They had these all up and
down the defending themselves against these
threatening monsters. These humungus clams. And
they'd go out there, if there was fifteen of them,
they'd be singing in fifteen part harmony. And when
one part disappeared, that's how they knew where the
be.

Which is why Americans sing in four part harmony to
this very day. That to be too dangerous. See, what
did was they'd be singing these songs called Clam
Chanties, and they'd these big spears called clampoons.
And they'd be up and down the beach and the method
they eventually devised where they'd this guy, the
strongest heavy duty true blue American, courageous
type dude they 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 singing the verses. be singing the chorus.
And clams would hear 'em. And hate music. So clams
would out of the water and they'd come after this one
guy. And all you'd see soon was flying all over,
the flying UPANDOWNTHEBEACHMANMANCLAMCLAMMANMANCLAM


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

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

Hey, was serious back then. This was very serious.
I mean these songs now are just folk songs. But
then these songs were controversial. These was
radical, almost revolutionary songs. Because was
different and clams was a threat to America. right.
So we want to sing this song about the one last...
You see they did was there was one man, he was one
of these men, his name always be remembered, his
was Reuben Clamzo, and he was one of the last great
clam men there ever was. He stuck the 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. America safe 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 that when he died. You know, was
much more than whales. Clams can run in the
water, on the water or on the ground, and are so big
that they can jump and they can spread their
kinda and kinda almost fly like one of them flying
squirrels.

You could be standing there thinking that 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 he stabbed this clam
and the clam was, going through this kinda dance
on the side somewhere. The song starts there and he
goes into and takes you through the I next...

I the part of the guy on the beach by himself. I go
like "Poor old Reuben Clamzo" and you go "Clamzo Boys,
Clamzo". That's the part of the fourteen dudes over
on the other side. That's what they 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 it in case you ever have an
occasion to such an Alliance. You know some of these
Alliances are still around. Still America against
things like them clams. If you ever wants to one, now
you have some background. So you know where these
guys are coming from. not just some 60's movement or
something, these things go back a time.

Notice the distinction you're going to have to now
between the and easy "Clamzo Boys Clamzo" and the
more "Clamzo Me Boys Clamzo". Stay serious.
Folk songs are serious. That's what Pete 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 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
is coming. Better get this song done quick. The Story
of Clamzo and His Strange Daughter in the Key of A.

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

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

3. he was no beauty (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 him wine and water (Ref. I)
And a bit more than she (Ref. II)

7 Well he got his seaman's (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 poor old Reuben (Ref. I)
Oh poor old Clamzo (Ref. II)