Hanuka Dance - Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie's Hanukah Songs

December, 2016

Author: Eliahu Adelman

Photo of Woody and Marjorie from the Woody Guthrie Foundation Archives

Over the generations Hanukah has generated a substantial repertoire of songs, some of which have attained an almost universal status, even among non-Jews. At the same time, the need of each generation to express itself in its particular contemporary literary and musical taste has engendered new songs. These new songs about Hanukah represent the individual reflections by poets and singers on the holiday's themes and the stories associated with it. These include, to name only a few, songs by Morris Rosenfeld, Debbie Friedman, Adam Sandler,  The Maccabeats and many additional artists. In honor of the forthcoming Hanukah celebration we will discuss a few songs written by Woody Guthrie, America's troubadour of the downtrodden and the oppressed.

Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was one of the United States' great and prolific folk singers. Many of his songs dealt with the plight of the worker, the importance of unionization, social solidarity and resistance against tyranny in its many forms. His influence on American music is incalculable, as new generations of musicians continue to adapt and be inspired by his work.

It was through his close connection to the poet and socialist Greenblatt that Guthrie became more acquainted with Judaism. They would share songs and Woody would study Jewish texts and history. In the late 1940s Guthrie wrote a handful of Hanukah-related songs, some for the local Jewish community and some for his children. The themes of the songs range from joyous children's songs, without much content connected to the actual holiday (Hanuka Dance, Hanuka Gelt, Honeyky Hanukah), to songs that express the rituals and history of Hanukah (Hanuka Bell, The Many and the Few, Happy Joyous Hanuka -- the latter is structured as a cumulative song similar to the Passover Seder songs Had gadya and Ehad mi yode’a) to a song that has a certain Christian feeling to it (Hanuka Tree).

Within his vast oeuvre there are a handful of songs with Jewish themes, and a few of them are specifically related to Hanukah. Guthrie himself was not Jewish; however his second wife, Marjorie Mazia Greenblatt, and their four children, including famous folk-singer Arlo Guthrie, were. Guthrie met Marjorie in 1942 when she was performing a dance based on one of his songs. Their first daughter Cathy Ann was born in 1943 and they were married from 1945 until 1953. In 1942 the couple moved to Coney Island, across the street from Marjorie's mother, Aliza Greenblatt, a well-respected Yiddish poet and songwriter in her own right.

Although no direct connection has been documented, a similarity can be found between the themes that arise in most of Guthrie's Hanukah songs and a Yiddish Hanukah poem written by Greenblatt that was published during the same period. This poem, Hanukah, was released in her 1947 collection of children's poems and songs Ikh Zing, and can point towards a possible inspiration and template for Guthrie's songs. This five verse poem (one of the few holiday songs in the book published without music), like the themes interspersed between Guthrie's Hanukah themed texts, combines the telling of part of the holiday story -- in this case the story of Hannah and her seven sons – with verses on family rituals, eating Hanukah food, and a general sense of happiness and togetherness.

                G Tippy tap toe! Happy Hanuka! D ‘Round you go! My little latke! G On your toes! Happy Hanuka! A D And around and around you go! G Clap your hands! Happy Hanuka! D Clap clap hands! My little strudel! G On your toes! Happy Hanuka! A D And around and around you go! G Jump real high! Happy Hanuka! D Jump jump high! My little fruitycake! G On your toes! Happy Hanuka! A D And around and around you go! G Run real fast! Happy Hanukkah! D Runny run run! My little sugar pie! G On your toes! Happy Hanuka! A D And around and around you go! G Hop hop hop! Happy Hanukkah! D Hoppity hop! My little rabbit! G On your toes! Happy Hanuka! A D And around and around you go! G Skippy skip skip! Happy Hanukkah! D Skippity skip! My little honeybun! G On your toes! Happy Hanuka! A D And around and around you go!

Medusa In Chains - The Fratellis

Medusa In Chains

Artist: The Fratellis

Album: Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied

Released: 2015

Art by Peter Marček

Intro D Bm7 Em A x2

D                 Bm7                  Em                             A 
Turn off the light when you leave, switch off that evil sound
D               Bm7          Em                          A
I'm trying hard not to breathe, till I'm on solid ground
D                          C#             F#m    D                 C#                  F#m
Sometimes that's just how it goes-,   take it from someone who knows
G                D                F#m                 G        Gm
Eyes wide, tongue tied, she   replied, "I'm lost in-side"

D                  Bm7     Em                         A 
I'm not your miracle man I'm not your spirit guide
D                Bm7              Em                       A 
Before this whole thing began I had some sense of pride
D                      C#                   F#m    D                        C#        F#m
Just one more night with your lips-,   your company is hard to eclipse
G                   D                F#m           G             Gm
Weak knees, yes indeed guaranteed, make my heart ble-ed

D               Bm7        Em                            A 
Give me a reason to breathe don't let my sun go down!
D                   Bm7         Em                      A 
I'll make you sad and receive I'll be your sa-cred ground
D              Bm7      Em          A 
Be my Medusa in Cha-ins, petrified
D               Bm7       Em 
Only your beauty rema-ins
A#                                                                                      D   Bm7 Em A      
Tell me, baby, one more time won't you be a friend o-f mine?

D  Bm7 Em A      

D                 Bm7      Em                            A 
Put out your e-   cigarette, take off your sequin shawl
D                  Bm7        Em                      A 
Just try your best to forget, that I once made you crawl
D                      C#                F#m   D                               C#              F#m
Just one more sway of your hips-,    I love the way your con-fidence slips
G                      D             F#m          G                             Gm
You should be out-lawed, dear  God, every single breath, I  a-ppla-ud

D               Bm7       Em                            A 
Give me a reason to breathe don't let my sun go- down!
D                   Bm7        Em                       A 
I'll make you sad and receive I'll be your sa-cred ground
D         Bm7             Em          A 
Be my Medusa in Cha-ins, petrified
D               Bm7        Em 
Only your beauty rema-ins        
A#                                                                                    D        
Tell me, baby, one more time won't you be a friend o-f- mine?

A Rose For Emily - The Zombies

A Rose for Emily

Artist: The Zombies

Composer: Rod Argent

Album: Odessey and Oracle

G                           D               Fdim                   A

    The summer is here at last          The sky is overcast, 

        Ddim                  A               Bm    E7

And no one brings a rose for Emily

G                             D                  Fdim                    A

    She watches her flowers grow         while lovers come and go, 

     Ddim                  A                    Bm         E7                   A

To give each other roses from her tree, but not a rose for Emily!

Bb               F                                C#dim               D

Emily------,  can't you see  there's nothing you can do

         (Emily, can't you see,              see----------------how the sun is...)

    Gdim                          D                      Adim                D         G

               There's loving everywhere but none----------for you----!

(...shi------------------------ning again,                but not  for you-----!)

G                        D                Fdim                        A

    Her roses are fading now,         she keeps her pride somehow

        Ddim                    A                       Bm    E7

That's all she has pro--tecting her from pain

G                     D                Fdim                      A

    And as the years go by,         she will grow old and die 

        Ddim          A                      Bm    E7

The roses in her garden fade a--way

       A                      Bm7    E7                     A7

Not one left for her grave, Not a rose for Emily 

Bb               F                                C#dim               D

Emily------,  can't you see  there's nothing you can do

         (Emily, can't you see,              see----------------how the sun is...)

    Gdim                          D                      Adim                D         G

               There's loving everywhere but none----------for you----!

(...shi------------------------ning again,                but not  for you-----!)

G                        D                Fdim                        A

    Her roses are fading now,         she keeps her pride somehow

        Ddim                    A                       Bm    E7

That's all she has pro--tecting her from pain

G                     D                Fdim                      A

    And as the years go by,         she will grow old and die 

        Ddim          A                      Bm    E7

The roses in her garden fade a--way

       A                      Bm7    E7                     A7

Not one left for her grave, Not a rose for Emily 

Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me) - Wings

"Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" is a song from Paul McCartney and Wings' album Band on the Run. It was not released as a single. Wings band member Denny Laine covered "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" in 2007 on his album Performs the Hits of Wings. An abbreviated performance of the song appears on the live album Wings over America.

In an interview on British TV channel ITV1 for the program Wings: Band on the Run, to promote the November 2010 2xCD/2xDVD rerelease of the original album, McCartney says he was on vacation in Montego Bay, Jamaica where he "snuck" onto the set of the film Papillon where he met "Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen". After a dinner with Hoffman, with McCartney playing around on guitar, Hoffman did not believe that McCartney could write a song "about anything", so Hoffman pulled out a magazine where they saw the story of the death of Pablo Picasso and his famous last words, "Drink to me, drink to my health. You know I can't drink anymore." McCartney created a demo of the song and lyrics on the spot, prompting Hoffman to exclaim to his wife: "…look, he's doing it…he's doing it!"

    G         D       F              G
The grand old painter died last night
                         D
his paintings on the wall
  Am
Before he left he bade us well
    D                        G
and said good night to us all
G        Bm
Drink to me
Em                Am7
Drink to my health
    G                D    G    D
You know I can't drink anymore
G        Bm  
Drink to me

Em               Am7
Drink to my health
    G                D        C  G
You know I can't drink anymore

Bm                      Em
Three o'clock in the morning
Bm                       Em
I'm getting ready for bed
Am                    G
   It came without a warning
            Bm                        
But I'll be waiting for you baby
        Am              D
I'll be waiting for you there

G           Bm
So Drink to me
Em               Am7
Drink to my health
    G                D    G    D
you know I can't drink anymore
G        Bm
Drink to me
Em               Am7
Drink to my health
    G                D        C   G Bb  Am  D  G
You know I can't drink anymore

  

Richard Cory - Simon & Garfunkel

"Richard Cory" is a song written by Paul Simon in early 1965, and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for their second studio album, Sounds of Silence in 1966. The song was based on Edwin Arlington Robinson's 1897 poem of the same title. 

"Whenever Richard Cory went down town,

We people on the pavement looked at him:

He was a gentleman from sole to crown,

Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,

And he was always human when he talked;

But still he fluttered pulses when he said,

"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—

And admirably schooled in every grace:

In fine, we thought that he was everything

To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,

And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;

And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,

Went home and put a bullet through his head."

The song tells the tale of a Richard Cory from the perspective of one of the men who works in his factory. The factory worker is envious of the advantages and enjoyments available to Cory, believing him (Cory) to be a satisfied man. The last verse of the song ends similarly to the Robinson poem: Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head. The chorus repeats again after this verse. This signifies that, despite Cory's unhappiness - explained by his suicide - the worker still "curses his [the worker's] poverty", and would still rather be Richard Cory.

The song was covered by Wings during their 1975-1976 Wings Over The World tour (available on the 1976 album Wings Over America). Denny Laine sang lead.

Em                                                          D                  
They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town,
                 Em                              B7
With political connections He spreads his wealth around.
             A7
He was born into society, a banker's only child,
             Em   D          G                A       B7
He had everything a man could want: money,  praise, and style.


Em                                                     D                      
The papers print his picture almost every place he goes:
               Em                       B7
Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at the  shows
               A7
And the rumour of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
       Em      D          G        A    B
He really  must be happy         with everything he's got.


G                          Em
But I work in his factory
Am                                 Em
And I curse the life I'm living
Am                Em
I curse my poverty
Am                        Em
I wish that I could be,
Am                        Em
I wish that I could be,
Am                               B7
Oh, I wish that I could be,
         Em
John Denver.

      Em                              D    
He really gave to the  charities, had the common touch,
                         Em                                            B7
And they were thankful for his patronage, so they thank you very much,
            A7
So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
 Em          D               G                                                                               Em
"Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head."

G                          Em
But I work in his factory
Am                                 Em
And I curse the life I'm living
Am                Em
I curse my poverty
Am                        Em
I wish that I could be,
Am                        Em
I wish that I could be,
Am                               B7
Oh, I wish that I could be,
      Em
Richard Cory.

Jeepster - T-Rex

"Jeepster" is a song by English glam rock act T. Rex. It was released on 5 November 1971 by record label Fly as a single from the group's sixth studio album (and second as T. Rex) Electric Warrior. The B-side, "Life's a Gas", is taken from the same album.

"Jeepster" was released as a single on 5 November 1971 by record label Fly. The single peaked at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, and was controversial in that Fly Records released the song without singer Marc Bolan's prior permission, Bolan having just left Fly for EMI, which had given him control of his own label T. Rex Wax Co. Records.

The music and rhythm are similar to that of the Howlin' Wolf song "You'll Be Mine", written by Willie Dixon. In interviews, Marc Bolan has acknowledged that he "lifted it from a Howlin' Wolf song". "Jeepster" has also similarities with Roy Orbison's song "You're My Baby" (written by Johnny Cash).

Cover versions: 

Former Marillion singer Fish covered the song as one of his personal favourites for his album Songs from the Mirror, released in 1993, and American rock supergroup Hollywood Vampires, formed in 2015 by Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Joe Perry to honour the music of the rock stars who died from excess in the 1970s, included the song on their 2015 debut album Hollywood Vampires to commemorate Marc Bolan's death on 16 September 1977.

A7                                                                                 
You're so sweet,  you're so fine,
                                    C           B9           A7
I want you all and everything just to be mine
                             D                                   A
Cause you're my baby, 'Cause you're my love
       G                    F#                       C  B  Bb A7
Oh girl I'm just a Jeepster for you love

A7                                              
You slide so good, with bones so fair,
                              C           B9                   A7
You've got the universe reclining in your hair
                             D                                   A
Cause you're my baby, 'Cause you're my love
       G                    F#                       C  B  Bb A7
Oh girl I'm just a Jeepster for you love

A7                                                                
Just like a car you're pleasing to behold,
                                  C        B       A7
I'll call you Jaguar if I may be so bold
                             D                                   A
Cause you're my baby, 'Cause you're my love
       G                    F#                       C  B  Bb A7
Oh girl I'm just a Jeepster for you love

[Instrumental Break]

A7                                                                        
The wild winds blow upon your frozen cheeks,
                                                   C       B             A
The way you flip your hip it always makes me weak
                             D                                   A
Cause you're my baby, 'Cause you're my love
       G                    F#                       C  B  Bb A7
Oh girl I'm just a Jeepster for you love

A7                                              
Your motivation is so sweet,
                                  C         B          A
Your vibrations are burning up my feet
                               D                                   A
Cause you're my baby, 'Cause you're my love
       G                    F#                       C  B  Bb A7
Oh girl I'm just a Jeepster for you love
         G                      F#                         C  B/C   Bb A7 
I said, Girl I'm just a vampire For your love

And I'm gonna suck ya

Time to Change - A Very Brady Sequel

"Time to Change" is a song recorded in 1972 by The Brady Bunch Kids, the children characters on 1970s television situation comedy The Brady Bunch. The song and another Brady Bunch Kids song, "We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter", were featured in The Brady Bunch episode "Dough Re Mi", which aired on January 14, 1972.

Written by Raymond Bloodworth, Billy Meshel and Chris Welch, "Time to Change" features solos by Barry Williams and Maureen McCormick, who portrayed the Brady's eldest children Greg and Marcia, respectively, on the TV series. Some listeners might classify this as an example of a "bubblegum pop" record, while fans of such music might feel that the term is insulting.

The songs featured in this episode marked the Brady Bunch' on-screen singing debut of Marcia and Bobby (Mike Lookinland). Greg's singing debut occurred in Season 2 episode "Where There's Smoke", while Peter, Jan (Eve Plumb) and Cindy (Susan Olsen) briefly sang The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond in Season 2 episode "The Drummer Boy".

The song was also featured in the first episode of the Saturday-morning cartoon series The Brady Kids, titled "Jungle Bungle, Part I."

"Time to Change" was released as The Brady Bunch's second single, with "We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter" as the B-side. The song performed poorly on the pop charts, failing to reach the Billboard Hot 100.

The original recording of "Time to Change" is currently found on their greatest hits album, It's a Sunshine Day: The Best of The Brady Bunch, and a re-recorded version was released on the soundtrack to A Very Brady Sequel.

The song was also prominently featured in A Very Brady Sequel twice, the second time being the end credits music.  

D                        G

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

D                        A7  

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

D                               G

Autumn turns to winter and then winter turns to spring

A               G                  D                         

It's not just a season to know its goes for everything

D                                   

Clouds can turn to rain and then it just might snow

A                                            G                D 

You gotta take lesson from mother nature and if you do you'll know.

          G                        D

When it's time to change then it's time to change

A                          G                  D 

Don't fight the tide come along for the ride, don't you see

          G                            D  

When it's time to change you've got to rearrange

A                G                 D

Who you are into what you're gonna be

D                        G

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

D                        A7  

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

D                               G

Day by day it's hard to see the changes you've been through

  A                      G                     D              

A little bit of living a little bit of growing all adds up to you

D                          G

Every boy's a man inside a girl's a woman too

    A                                      G                  D  

And if you wanna reach your destiny here's what you've got to do

          G                        D

When it's time to change then it's time to change

A                          G                  D 

Don't fight the tide come along for the ride, don't you see

          G                            D  

When it's time to change you've got to rearrange

A                G                 D

Who you are into what you're gonna be

D                        G

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

D                        A7  

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

          G                        D

When it's time to change then it's time to change

A                          G                  D 

Don't fight the tide come along for the ride, don't you see

          G                            D  

When it's time to change you've got to rearrange

A                G                 D

Who you are into what you're gonna be

D                        G

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

D                        A7  

Sha na na na na na na na, sha na na na na

Time to Change from A Very Brady Sequel

Introductory fact of "Dough Re Mi", is Peter's first voice cracked as he answered the telephone and was later told, that he sounded like a girl, answering the telephone, when Sam, the butcher, called, trying to contact Alice. Greg is hoping to sign as a solo vocalist, a recording contract, but after executive decides that a family group is better than going solo (given the recent popularity of acts such as The Carpenters, The Jackson 5 and The Partridge Family, pointed out later), Greg invites his siblings to become part of his act. While rehearsing "We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter", Peter's voice begins to crack suddenly, raising concerns about the group's viability. Greg initially wants to drop Peter from the group, but after getting advice from his parents, Mike and Carol, he decides to write a new song where Peter's cracking voice won't be so conspicuous; that song is "Time to Change". The final act features the siblings in the recording studio recording the song.

On the TV show, the refrain humorously features Peter's voice crack as the group sings the refrain lyrics "When it's time to change, you've got to rearrange". The studio version, released for retail sale, does not feature the voice crack. The cracking voice was not Christopher Knight's as Peter Brady, as some may think. It is still a secret among the Brady Bunch staff of actors, actresses, episode writers, off-screen directors and producers.

Brady Bunch Kids (Animated)

You and I - Ingrid Michaelson

You and I is written by Ingrid Michaelson and appears on the Be OK special edition of her album Girls and Boys that was released in Germany and Austria in 2009. 

Intro: C C C C


 C
Don't you worry, there my honey
 F
We might not have any money                           
Am                                                 F
But we've got our love to pay the bills
 C
Maybe I think you're cute and funny,
 F                                                 Am
Maybe I wanna do what bunnies do with you,
                               F
If you know what I mean  

       C                         E                         F                                  C
Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
               C                            E
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
         F                            G
And teach them how to dance
               C                          E
Let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
             F                              D
Making everybody look like ants
                       C                    F  G         C
From way up there, you and I, you and I

         C 
Well you might be a bit confused
         F
And you might be a little bit bruised
       Am                                              F
But baby how we spoon like no one else
     C
So I will help you read those books
    F
If you will soothe my worried looks
       Am                                                F
And we will put the lonesome on the shelf

       C                         E                         F                                  C
Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
               C                            E
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
         F                            G
And teach them how to dance
               C                          E
Let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
             F                              D
Making everybody look like ants
                       C                    F  G         C
From way up there, you and I, you and I

       C                         E                         F                                  C
Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
               C                            E
Let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters
         F                            G
And teach them how to dance
               C                          E
Let's get rich and build our house on a mountain
             F                              D
Making everybody look like ants
                       C                    F  G         C   G C
From way up there, you and I, you and I