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

by Arlo

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

Imagine being on one of them boats coming to
discover America, Columbus or something, standing
there at night on watch, everyone is either drunk
or asleep. And you're for America 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
against the side of the ship. The moon is
going behind the clouds. You hear the pitter of
little footprints on deck. IS YOU KIDS? IT AIN'T.
MY GOD. IT'S THIS GIANT CLAM!

Imagine those little feet coming on deck. A clam
the size of the ship. Feet first. standing
shivering with fear, you grab one of these. This
is a belaying pin. 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. used to have these stuck in the
holes all the sides of the ship. Everywhere.
You wouldn't know this is for unless you was that
guy night.

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

You know not even the 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 pioneers and the built little houses
all up and down the coast you know. A little
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
have to go, and he'd go out there in the
moonlight. And all they'd for miles around...
(loud clap/belch)....one kid for America. One more
smiling, smurking, humungus clam.

So Americans built forts. forts. You know them
pictures of them forts with the wooden all
around. You probably thought points was for Indians.
But that's stupid! 'Cause Indians know doors. But
clams didn't. if a clam knew about a door, so what?
A clam couldn't fit in a door. I mean, he'd come
up to a fort at night, put them on them points, jump
back crying, tears out of them everywhere. But
couldn't live 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 the coast form
these little alliances. Like up it was call the
Clamshell Alliance. And farther South is was called
the Catfish Alliance. had these Alliances all up and
the coast defending themselves against these
threatening monsters. humungus giant clams. And
they'd go out there, if there was maybe of them,
they'd be singing songs in fifteen harmony. And when
one part disappeared, that's how knew where the clam
be.

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

He'd be singing the verses. They'd be 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 soon was all over,
the sand UPANDOWNTHEBEACHMANMANCLAMCLAMMANMANCLAM


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

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

Hey, this was serious then. This was very serious.
I mean these songs now are piddley folk songs. But
back these songs were controversial. These was
radical, almost revolutionary songs. times was
and clams was a threat to America. That's 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 men, his name will always be remembered, his
name was Reuben Clamzo, and he was one of the last
men there ever was. He stuck the last clam stab,
the last into the last clam that was ever seen
on continent.

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

You could be standing thinking that your perfectly
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, going through this kinda death
over on the side somewhere. The song starts and he
goes into and takes 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 part of the 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. Clams get real mad and come out.

Here we go. I want you to it in case you ever have an
to join such an Alliance. You know some of these
Alliances are still around. defending America against
like them clams. If you ever wants to join 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 distinction going to have to make now
the first and easy "Clamzo Boys Clamzo" and the
more complicated "Clamzo Me Boys Clamzo". serious.
Folk songs are serious. That's what Seeger told me.
"Arlo I only to tell you one thing...folk songs are
serious". I said "right". 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 me. Let's do it back in A...for A
is coming. Better get this song done quick. The Story
of Reuben Clamzo and His Daughter in the Key of A.

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

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

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

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

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

6 She brang him wine and (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 '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)