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

by Guthrie

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

Imagine being on one of them boats coming to
America, like Columbus or something, standing
there at night on watch, everyone is either 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 there and watch, for what. Only he
knows, and he ain't watching. You the waves
lapping against the of the ship. The moon is
behind 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 size of the ship. Feet first. standing
there shivering with fear, you grab one of these.
is a belaying pin. They used to have 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 these 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 grab out of the hole, run on over
there, BAM BAM on them little feet! into the
ocean would go a hurt, but not defeated,
clam. Ready to strike again when opportunity
was better.

You not even the coastal villages was safe from
big clams. You know them big clams had an inland
range of about 15 miles. Think of that. I our
early and the settlers built little houses
all up and down the coast you know. A inland
and like that And they didn't have houses like
we got now, with and stuff. They built little
out back. And late 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 kid for America. One more
smiling, smurking, giant 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 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, come stomping
up to a fort at night, put them feet on points, jump
back crying, tears out of them everywhere. But
Americans couldn't in forts forever. You couldn't
just build one big fort America. How would you go
to the

So what they did was formed groups of people. I mean
had groups of people all up and down the coast form
these little alliances. up North it was call the
Alliance. And farther down South is was called
the Catfish Alliance. had these Alliances all up and
down the coast defending themselves these
threatening monsters. These humungus clams. And
go out there, if there was maybe fifteen of them,
they'd be singing songs in part harmony. And when
one part disappeared, that's how 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 these big spears called clampoons.
And they'd be walking up and down the and the method
they devised where they'd have this guy, the
most strongest heavy true blue 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.

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


FINALLYTHEMANWOULD jump over a big sand dune, over
the side, the would come over the dune, fall in the
hole and fourteen guys come out there and stab the
shit out of him their 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. 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 these songs were controversial. These was
radical, almost revolutionary songs. times was
different and clams was a threat to America. right.
So we want to sing this tonight about the one last...
You see what they did was was one man, he was one
of these men, his name always be remembered, his
name was Clamzo, and he was one of the last great
clam men ever was. He stuck the last clam stab,
the last clampoon into the last clam that was ever
on continent.

Knowing he be out of work in an hour. He did it
anyway so that you and me go to the beach in
safety. That's right. Made America safe for the
likes of you and me. And so we sing song in his
memory. He went into whaling like most of them 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 they can jump and can spread their
kinda shells and kinda almost fly like one of them
squirrels.

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

I sing the 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 used to sing. be
calling clams out of the water. Like taunting them,
making fun of them. Clams would get mad and come out.

Here we go. I you to sing 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 ever wants to one, now
you have some historic background. So you know where
guys are coming from. It's not some 60's movement or
something, things go back a long time.

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

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

2. Oh, was no sailor
(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 Clamzo's (Ref. I)
She her dad for mercy (Ref. II)

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

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