Word Play in Bob Nolan's Songs
Bob Nolan was a many faceted songwriter - rollicking cowboy songs, pseudo spirituals, hymns, philosophical thought poems, ballads, comical songs, love songs and the most beautifully crafted word paintings of the West. He also delighted in playing with words. Check out the following songs to see if you can spot the word play.
Things are Never What They Seem
You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Till You Hear Him Roar!
My Old Pal, Pal of Mine
Lift your feet, old pal of mine, you know
The weary long days unravel.
My old pal, pal of mine
You’ll always be until we go
The happy last trail to travel.
My old pal, pal of mine (mind)
Your step for soon we will be there
Is someone waiting by
An open gate for you and I,
Someone who’ll be glad to know
We’re still the same old pals
Until the prairie breezes blow
The tops from the mountains level,
My old pal, pal of mine.
You know that some fellows long for riches
Some fellows want a throne.
I have the world in my pony
And that’s all I care to own, so….
(repeat first verse)
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The last word the first singer sings and the first word the second singer sings is the same word, sung together, then taken away by the alternate singers so, except for the difference in voices, it sounds like one run-on sentence.
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I Still Do
Darlin’, many happy years have passed away since you and I
Were tiny little boy and girl, playin’ ‘neath a summer sky.
Do you recall the day I was bold enough to say,
“I love you, dear, I want you near”?
And I still do.
Refrain:
Here’s a story I will tell
How I loved a little girl.
I was just a little lad
But knew
That I was true because
I was proud to say that I
Loved a little gal
Like you
And I still do.
Darlin’, let your memory stray and try to picture you and me
Roamin’ through the open field and playin’ in the hollow tree.
The rocky hills above I climbed to show my love
For the little girl I loved so well
And I still do.
Darlin’, close your weary eyes and let me take you by the hand
And straightway lead you through the past
Back to happy childhood land
And there we’ll live again the same as we did then
Among the flow’rs we claimed as ours
And we still do.
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Nolan played with the voices in the trio to make a separate statement within the chorus - “Here’s how I knew that I loved you.”. The bold print shows where each member of the trio began his line and then held the last note.
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Chorus:
Listen to the rhythm of the joy that life has given you today
Sing as you work and work’ll be play, happy day
To drive your cares away.
Listen to the beating of the happy heart repeating, “Don’t delay!”
Sing as you work and work’ll be play, happy day to drive your cares away.
Come on and sing! in the sun, we’ll dance in the blue
Come on and sing! in the sun, we’ll travel with you
Come on and shout! in the hills, we’ll join in your song
Come on and shout! in the hills, we’ll help you along, happy day
Listen to the voices of the world as he rejoices to be gay
Sing as you work and work’ll be play, happy day to drive your cares away.
All this world needs to be happy is a song
I have felt the rhythm throbbing in my heart
And I’ve heard the melody the whole day long
Now’s the time to let the music swell and start.
Repeat Chorus
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The first voice takes the lead, the Pioneers answer and the third voices sing, “Happy Day!” The lead singer is designated by normal font, the chorus by italic and the place where both sing together by bold face. In this recording, Roy sings lead, the Pioneers sing “Sing as you work and work’ll be play” and the girls come in with “Happy day!”
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Pioneers:
One little, two little, three little, four little, five little miles from you.
Four little, three little, two little, one little mile so don’t feel blue.
One little, two little, three little, four little, five little miles to go
Four little, three little, two little, one little mile and then you’ll know
Bob:
That I’ve been counting every moment since I’ve been away
And I knew that just to go meant soon I’d hear you say—
Pioneers:
It’s just been one little, two little, three little, four little, five miles too far.
Four little, three little, two little, one little mile and here we are.
Bob:
I have roamed this wide world over on my merry way
But a new leaf I’ve turned over, starting from today.
Pioneers:
One little, two little, three little, four little, five little girls went by.
Four little, three little, two little, one little girl just caught my eye.
One little, two little, three little, four little, five little girls could see
Four little, three little, two little, one little girl was meant for me.
Bob:
Did she smile or was I dreaming? Did she smile for me?
Did her eyes speak in their gleaming? I wonder what they see.
Pioneers:
Or are we one little, two little, three little, four little, five little miles apart?
Four little, three little, two little, one little mile—there goes my
One little, two little, three little, four little, five girls stole my heart!
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I’ve been away but there’ll come a day so, Darling, don’t you cry.
Here comes your rover, coming home!
Packing my pack and back on track and straight as an arrow flies,
Here comes your rover, coming home!
Back to the open range and roping one little gal I knew.
Back to the waving sage and saving all my love for you.
Open the gate and stand there waiting, smile as I come by.
Here comes your rover, coming home!
I’ve got a yearning home fires burning, Darling, don’t you cry.
Here comes your rover, coming home!
I see the light of your eyes so bright and I see a clear blue sky.
Here comes your rover coming home!
Out of a storm cloud into a warm cloud, timing each step to you.
Watching the rainbow down by the lane go climbing to heaven, too.
One little mile more save me a smile for, Darling, you know why--
Here comes your rover coming home!
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You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Till You Hear Him Roar!
I’m tough as a boot and a wild galoot and a son of the lone prairie.
He’s tough as a boot and a son of the lone prairie.
I drink raw liquor, my trigger hand’s quicker than the human eye can see.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
Once Jesse James took careful aim with sixty rounds of lead.
Once Jesse James took sixty rounds of lead.
On my chest they cracked and they all bounced back and killed poor Jesse dead.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
When they made this land they needed a plan for the toughest man to be.
They needed a plan for the toughest man to be.
So the recipe came and they built the frame and then they assembled me.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
I’m a high strung lad and my temperament’s bad and the least thing makes me sore.
You ain’t heard nothin’ till you hear him roar!
This song, written for comedian Pat Brady, uses a double trio. Pat performed it in two Republic films, taking the solo lead and then joining in with one trio for the last two lines. This combination of alternating trios building up into a crescendo sounds very much like the roar of a lion. The lines indicated in bold font are the lines sung by one of the trios.
Things are Never What They Seem
Things are never what they seem.
A blackberry’s red when it is green.
The night owl says “who” when he doesn’t much care
If it’s me or you or the feller out there.
You see that things are never what they seem.
I’ll…. (yodel)
Things are never what they seem.
The bright moon won’t fall without his beam.
My pony says “neigh” but he doesn’t mean “no”,
He’s just sayin’ “hey” [sic]
And he don’t mean “hello”.
You see that things are never what they seem.
Things are never what they seem
And you’re not asleep, but what a dream.
A river can run but he hasn’t got legs,
A carpet can lay but tell me where are those eggs?
You see that things are never what they seem.
(yodel)
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Woe [whoa] is me, my children, woe, I say.
For there’s one little word can’t never be heard - that’s “Stop!” I say.
I got a gal in the Cumberland Mountains, pretty as she can be.
Pure as streams and the bubblin’ fountain, mine she’s gonna be.
I says, “Sal, should we oughta get hitched and shall I name the day?”
But her pappy showed up with a two-hole pistol, “Stop!” he say.
Woe is me, my children, woe, I say,
For her pappy showed up with a two-hole pistol, “Stop!” he say.
Bullfrog sleep by the lily pad pond and the pollywog he comes by.
The pollywog wink and the bullfrog blink and he opens up his eye.
Said the bullfrog, “Pollywog, let’s take a swim in the lily pad pond close by”.
When the bullfrog div and the pollywog give with a, “Stop! It’s dry!”
Woe is me, my children, woe, I say,
When the bullfrog div and the pollywog give with a “Stop! It’s dry!”
I got a mule, got a mighty fine mule, boys, I got a mule for sale.
But I think that I oughta tell you why - he’s got a granny knot in his tail.
He turned his nose at my courtin’ clothes, he turned me down today
With a hee-haw hoot at my catalog suit, he stop and bray.
Woe is me, my children, woe, I say,
With a hee-haw hoot at my catalog suit, he stop and bray.
Bob plays on an alternate word for "stop" - "whoa" in this little ditty.
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