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

by Guthrie

Wanna hear something? You know that Indians ate
clams. They have linguini! And so what happened
was that clams was to grow unmolested 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 mean one
was a of million years old or older. So imagine
they could have got bigger than this room. And
when they get that big, God gives them feet so
they could walk around easier. And when they get
feet, they get dangerous. I'm talking real
dangerous. I talking about sitting under the
waiting for you. I'm talking about coming after
you.

Imagine on one of them boats coming over to
America, like Columbus or something, standing
there at night on watch, everyone else is either
or asleep. And you're for America and the
boat's going up and down. And you like it anyhow.
But you stand there and watch, for what. Only he
knows, and he watching. You hear the waves
lapping against the side of the ship. The is
going behind the clouds. You hear the patter of
footprints on deck. IS THAT YOU KIDS? IT AIN'T.
MY GOD. IT'S THIS HUMUNGUS CLAM!

Imagine those little feet coming on deck. A clam
the size of the ship. first. You're standing
there shivering with fear, you one of these. This
is a belaying pin. They to have these stuck in
the holes all around the ..you probably didn't
know this is for; you probably had an idea, but
you were wrong. used to have these stuck in the
holes all along the of the ship. Everywhere.
You wouldn't know this 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 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 from
them big clams. You know them big clams had an
range of 15 miles. Think of that. I mean our
early pioneers and the settlers little houses
all up and the coast you know. A little inland
and stuff like that And they didn't have houses
we got now, with bathrooms and stuff. built little
privies out back. And late at night, maybe a kid
to go, and he'd go stomping out there in the
moonlight. And all hear for miles around...
(loud clap/belch)....one kid for America. One more
smiling, smurking, giant clam.

So Americans built forts. forts. You know them
pictures of them forts with the points all
around. You probably thought points was for Indians.
But that's stupid! 'Cause 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 points, jump
back crying, coming out of them everywhere. But
Americans couldn't live in forts forever. You
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 of people all up and down the coast form
these little alliances. Like up North it was the
Clamshell Alliance. And farther down South is was
the Catfish Alliance. had these Alliances all up and
down the coast defending against these
threatening monsters. humungus giant clams. And
they'd go out there, if was maybe fifteen of them,
they'd be singing songs in fifteen part harmony. And
one part disappeared, that's how they knew where the
be.

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

be singing the verses. They'd 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 flying UPANDOWNTHEBEACHMANMANCLAMCLAMMANMANCLAM


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

That's the way it was. That was one way to with them.
The other way was to 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 now are just piddley folk songs. But
back these songs were controversial. These was
radical, almost revolutionary songs. times was
different and was a threat to America. That's right.
So we want to sing song tonight about the one last...
You see what they did was was one man, he was one
of these men, his name will be remembered, his
name was Reuben Clamzo, and he was one of the great
clam men there was. He stuck the last clam stab,
the last clampoon into the last clam that was seen
on continent.

Knowing he would be out of in an hour. He did it
anyway so you and me could go to the beach in
safety. That's right. Made America safe for the
likes of you and me. And so we this 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 more dangerous than whales. can run in the
water, on the or on the ground, and they are so big
sometimes they can jump and they can spread their
shells and kinda almost fly like one of them flying
squirrels.

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

I sing the part of the guy on the by himself. I go
this: "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 what used to sing. They'd be
calling these clams out of the water. taunting them,
making fun of them. Clams would get real mad and out.

Here we go. I want you to sing it in case you ever 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 historic background. So you where these
guys are coming from. It's not just some movement or
something, things go back a long time.

Notice the you're going to have to make now
the first and easy "Clamzo Boys Clamzo" and the
more complicated "Clamzo Me Clamzo". Stay serious.
Folk songs are serious. That's what Pete Seeger me.
"Arlo I want 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 clam see me. Let's
do it in F...for he sees me. do it back in A...for A
clam is coming. Better get this song quick. The Story
of Reuben Clamzo and His Daughter in the Key of A.

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

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

3. he was no beauty (Ref. I)
He would not do his (Ref. II)

4. he was so dirty (Ref. I)
We gave him five and (Ref. II)

5. Oh Reuben Clamzo's (Ref. I)
She her dad for mercy (Ref. II)

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

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