by Ellen Kuhfeld » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:25 pm
A question, instead of a song. I was digging around in my files, and found a filk songbook I published in the mid-Seventies. It includes some old classics I can't find on the Web anymore, like "Radiation Blues". There are songs by Poul Anderson and Ben Bova. There are songs I wrote, and others I contributed to. And there are songs without listed authors. They're filk songs, which means they were set free as soon as they were sung, and we needn't worry about copyright.
Should I publish the lyrics to some of them here? Is it something that deserves its own heading? Or is it something that should not be done at all? As a sample, here are the lyrics to "Radiation Blues":
Radiation Blues
Words by Ted Cogswell
Music traditional (something like Frankie and Johnnie)
Old H-Bomb went off last Tuesday
By the Second Chance Saloon.
There ain’t nothing left but the juke box
And it’s playing a mournful tune.
Just keeps on playing those radiation blues.
I’ve been drinking since last Wednesday
And I should be getting high.
But the dehydration’s got me,
And all I am is dry.
Can’t get no edge on—got radiation blues.
Last evening when the sun went down,
I went walking in the park.
Didn’t mind those busted street lights,
I was glowing in the dark.
Just call me glow-worm—got radiation blues.
Had a wake for Jake the barber –
One long drink and one short prayer.
He went and shot himself this morning
When the whole town lost its hair.
Came out in handfuls—got radiation blues.
Ain’t no use in going noplace –
Whole damn world is just like here.
Bossmen really fixed us this time;
Guess I’ll have another beer.
Ain’t no use singing those radiation blues.