SMALL TOWN TALK: Episode 48

Small Town Talk

It’s 1958 and the Ginger Kid is transported to Ramsgate and Barnett’s emporium to purchase some magical black discs.

1. As Long As I’m Moving - Ruth Brown

2. Your Cash Ain’t Nothing But Trash - The Clovers

3. Smack Dab In The Middle - Amos Garrett, Doug Sahm, Gene Taylor Band

4. Back In The Night - Dr Feelgood (This month’s earworm)

5. Cruisin’ - Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps

6. Lonesome Train (On A Lonesome Track) - Johnny Burnette And The Rock ‘N’ Roll Trio

7. Poor Jenny - The Everly Brothers

8. Take A Message To Mary - Bob Dylan (This month’s death song)

9. Keep A Knockin' - Bobby Fuller Four

10. Keep A Knockin' - Chuck Willis

11. Working For The Man - Roy Orbison

12. Nighthawkin’ - Tim Buckley

13. Dreamboy - Theo Lawrence & The Hearts

14. Not In Nottingham - Theo Lawrence & The Hearts

16. Shama Langa Ding Dong - Lloyd G. Williams

16. He’s So Fine - The Chiffons

17 Zenizenabo - Miriam Makeba

Theme song: Small Town Talk - Bobby Charles (1972)

WELL JENNY HAD HER PICTURE IN THE PAPER THIS MORNING,

SHE MADE IT WITH A BANG.

ACCORDING TO THE PAPER THIS MORNING,

JENNY IS THE LEADER OF A TEENAGE GANG.

Poor Jenny - The Everly Brothers / written by Felice & Boudleaux Bryant

Some thoughts on Nighthawkin’ by Tim Buckley:

I don’t often publish the full lyrics to a song, but in this case, because it’s so unusual I felt it worthwhile.

On the original gatefold sleeve of Greetings from LA, the lyrics as presented by Tim Buckley were sparse and incomplete. In live performances,Tim Buckley changed and added extra lyrics, enlarged performances with extra verses, and it is suggested that he published only what he had at that given moment. More likely, to avoid censorship, Tim avoided writing down anything that might frighten off record executives, after all Greetings From LA is an album full of steamy sex - except that is, for it’s shortest song, Nighthawkin’.

As I hint at in the podcast, Nighthawkin’ does seem autobiographical, an interchange between a cab driver and an unhinged, dangerous customer. The last part of the song is a crazed account by the drunken passenger, a Vietnam war veteran of his boast to murder a “Gook” (a derogatory term for a S.E. Asian)

Buckley’s final riposte is tongue in cheek - basically, the things I do to earn a dime!

I was a-nighthawkin' in my taxi

On a cruise below the deadline.

My fare was a shaky ol' lush,

So I kicked it over and took off.

Then he whipped out this switch blade

Straight outta nowhere, level to my throat.

He said, "You ever been over to the war boy"

I said "Man I was a combat paratrooper daddy."

Well then he slumped back cool and he pocket that steel.

He said "Take me down to Fourth and Main."

Ah that paratroop bluff always cools those red-eyed geezers down.

Man - that last block - that cat was singing,

Oh - Man he was sittin' in the backseat singing to me this song'

“I got my B.A.R boy,

I got my M1 on my hip, right.

You better listen, Mr. President,

Oh boy, don't you mess with my war.

I wanna do, I wanna do,

Lord, I wanna do the Blood Boogaloo.

I'm just a Redneck son of a gun,

I wanna kill me a gook before dawn."

Ah, nighthawkin' - Ah for my change.

Notes:

On the album sleeve, the published lyrics for Nighthawkin’ finished at “Fourth and Main” and thereafter the song’s lyrics (see above) would invite censorship, and are not printed.

B.A.R is the older Browning Automatic Rifle, and the M1, the Garand M1 carbine, a semi-automatic, extensively used in the Korean and Vietnam wars.

I love Buckley’s ability to “feel” a song, his vocal asides, whoops and cries, adding to the absolute funk and melody that would never be apparent in reading the lyrics - lyrics that do not rhyme, but sound simply like a conversational verbal account, perhaps to a friend in a bar.

Don’t forget to check in with our sister show, Johnny Corsair’s Bright Lights Big City for R&B, old and new, Gospel, Soul and Blues over at:

https://johnnycorsair9.podbean.com/

And to get further information and musings on this podcast or my music collection, email me at:

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Episode 48 Illustration: It's 1958 and Small Town Talk’s younger self, the Ginger Kid drops in at his favourite haunt, Barnett's at 15 Queen Street, Ramsgate to pick up some late 50’s Rock ‘n’ Roll.