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

by Arlo

hear something? You know that Indians never ate
clams. They didn't have linguini! And so what
was that clams was allowed to grow in the
waters of America for millions of years. And
they got big, and I ain't about clams in
general, I'm about each clam! I mean each one
was a couple of years old or older. So imagine
they could have got bigger than whole room. And
when get that big, God gives them little feet so
that they could walk around easier. And they get
feet, get dangerous. I'm talking about real
dangerous. I ain't talking about under the
water waiting for you. I'm about coming after
you.

being on one of them boats coming over to
discover America, like Columbus or something,
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 and watch, for what. Only he
knows, and he ain't watching. You the waves
against the side of the ship. The moon is
going behind the clouds. You the pitter patter of
little footprints on deck. IS YOU KIDS? IT AIN'T.
MY GOD. IT'S THIS GIANT CLAM!

Imagine those little feet on deck. A clam twice
the size of the ship. first. You're standing
shivering with fear, you grab 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 used to these stuck in the
holes all along the of the ship. Everywhere.
You wouldn't know what 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 go a hurt, but not defeated, humungus
giant clam. to strike again when opportunity
was better.

You know not the coastal villages was safe 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 houses
all up and the coast you know. A little inland
and stuff like that And didn't have houses like
we got now, with bathrooms and stuff. They little
privies out back. And at night, maybe a kid would
have to go, and go stomping out there in the
moonlight. And all they'd hear for around...
(loud clap/belch)....one kid for America. One more
smiling, smurking, humungus clam.

So built forts. Them forts. You know them
of them forts with the wooden points all
around. You probably them points was for Indians.
But stupid! 'Cause Indians know about doors. But
didn't. Even if a clam 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,
crying, tears coming out of them everywhere. But
Americans couldn't live in forever. You couldn't
just build one big fort America. How would you go
to the

So what they did was they formed groups of people. I
they had of people all up and down the coast form
these little alliances. Like up it was call the
Clamshell Alliance. And farther down is was called
the Catfish Alliance. They had Alliances all up and
down the coast themselves against these
threatening monsters. These humungus clams. And
they'd go out there, if there was maybe of them,
they'd be songs 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 part to
this very day. That 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 beach and the
eventually devised where they'd have this guy, the
most heavy duty true blue American, courageous
type dude they could and they'd have him out there
walking up and the beach by himself with other chicken
hiding behind 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 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 come the dune, fall in the
hole and fourteen guys would come out there and the
shit out of him with 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. can you do. Another
shot to hell.

Hey, this was back then. This was very serious.
I mean these now are just piddley folk songs. But
back then these songs were controversial. was
radical, almost songs. Because times was
different and clams was a to America. That's right.
So we want to sing this tonight about the one last...
You see what did was there was one man, he was one
of men, his name will always be remembered, his
name was Reuben Clamzo, and he was one of the last
clam men there ever was. He stuck the clam stab,
the last clampoon into the 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 this song in his
memory. He went into like most of them guys did.
And he got out of that when he died. You know, was
much more dangerous 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
kinda shells and 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 name of Clamzo,
and the song place right after he stabbed this clam
and the clam was, going through this kinda death
on the side somewhere. The song starts there and he
goes into 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. Clams would get real mad and out.

we go. I want you to sing it in case you ever have an
occasion to join such an Alliance. You know of these
Alliances are still around. Still America against
like them 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, things go back a long time.

Notice the distinction you're going to to make now
the first and easy "Clamzo Boys Clamzo" and the
more "Clamzo Me Boys Clamzo". Stay serious.
Folk songs are serious. what Pete Seeger told me.
"Arlo I want 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 big clam don't see me. Let's
do it in F...for he sees me. 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 boys
Oh poor old Reuben
(II) Clamzo me Clamzo

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

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

4. Because he was so (Ref. I)
We him five 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 than she (Ref. II)

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

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

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