This Talk of Jeffrey Frederick is timely, coming as it does, right on Easter:
Let Me Down
Well, if I were well-to-do
I'd have that man not bother you
Go away
Don't you bother me nowWell, yo-de-lee, yo-de-leye
Meet me Jesus, when I die
but 'til that time, take the hell, don'tcha bother meNow you got your old boy Jesus hangin' up there on the cross in Gal-Oh-Lee!
He was lookin' down at all them damn Romans and he was thinkin' of the Heaven up Ay-boveHe was lookin' up at the sky and he was wonderin' how come his dear old father had forsaken him so bad, makin' him feel his hands was hurtin' and his legs, they was bad now
So meanwhile while Jesus had all them doubts up in his mind the sky rolled back and By God in Heaven! it was the good Lord above
And the Lord looked down on Jesus an he said
"Jesus, Jesus!"
He said
"Jesus, Jesus!
How come you can never remember nothin' that I tell you?"Jesus said
"By the way, Father
Can you please explain what the Hell you're talkin' about right now?
Can't you see my legs is hurtin' and my hands is bad?
Whatcha mean by all this?"So the Lord says to Jesus
He says
"Jesus, all you gotta do is tell 'em
Tell 'em eveything's OK with me
Tell 'em all their sins will be in good shape if the crucify YOU"And Jesus, he says
"That's one helluva show, man
but I'll do it anyway cos you're my good daddy
and you helped me turn that water into wine"So he say
"Father, forgive 'em
for they know not what they do"
He say
"All you're sins are forgiven, now let me down!
Let me down!
Oh, Lordy!"He say
"All your sins are forgiven, let me down"
He say
"All your sins are forgiven, let me down"
He say
"All your sins are forgiven
Yes, all your sins are forgiven
All your sins are forgiven"
He say
"Take these nails outta my hands
I swear you will get to the promised land"
He say
"All your sins are forgiven
Let me down!"
That's not all the song. I exercised some editorial judgement. Afterall, how many of you really want to read about yokels blowing their own heads off?
Posted by: Tony.T | 14 April 2006 at 17:30
Give us the rest of the words Tony cause so far I'm thinking this song must have one hell of a melody as the lyrics are a pure crock o' shit.
Posted by: pat | 14 April 2006 at 17:49
You could be onto something, Pat. The lyrics would work infinitely better with the music. Getting all high-minded, and shit, a lot of it is spoken recitative. Hardly the sine qua non of country rock, but it works when you hear the whole package.
Posted by: Tony.T | 14 April 2006 at 18:58
"a descriptive narrative song in which the music follows the words" - let me guess, the music is Frederick's farting solo (after first shitting himself on stage to clear his throat), with Yoko chundering on backup.
Happy Easter anyway Tony.
Posted by: pat | 14 April 2006 at 19:34
No, that's the first song on side two - Beer Shits.
Posted by: Tony.T | 14 April 2006 at 20:34
Did you find that the Universe
Doesn't care at all?
Did you find that if you don't care
This whole wrong world will fall?
Or have you come by again
To die again?
Try again another time
Did you ever capture
All those jewels in the sky?
Did you find that the world outside
Is all inside your mind?
Or have you come by again
To die again
Try again another time
- pearls before swine.
Now that is obscure. But right for Good Friday.
Posted by: david tiley | 14 April 2006 at 21:39
Rapp music.
Posted by: Tony.T | 14 April 2006 at 22:30
Google is my friend, don't you know.
Posted by: Tony.T | 14 April 2006 at 22:31
"Memento, homo ... quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris"
Posted by: pat | 15 April 2006 at 09:12
Quidnam?
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 April 2006 at 12:00
You know exactly what I'm talking about homo! Me, I'm just trolling for Jesus.
(nice pun hey? See Mark 1:17 for witty clue)
Posted by: pat | 15 April 2006 at 12:31
Got it:
"Memento, homo ... quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris"
Coupled with:
Mark 1:17 - "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men."
Gives:
Because we are dust and return to the dust souvenirs are worth fishing for.
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 April 2006 at 14:03
He he Tony ye wiggly blue shirted blasphemer. The first was an earthly warning to those who presume to know God and mock Him, death is their recompense, the second was a call to shore - from a troll trolling as the Lord requests.
Posted by: pat | 15 April 2006 at 16:02
Oh. Is that all.
Posted by: Tony.T | 15 April 2006 at 16:08
Watching the game tonight @ 7:30 Tone? I tell you that it will be more tolerable for what has been given to your Mon's than what shall be inflicted upon your Storm this very night.
Posted by: pat | 15 April 2006 at 16:25
Hey now, Jeff was a great singer. One version of Let Me Down is available on Jeffrey Frederick Band, Live at the Icehouse (but the sound quality isn't all that great). Spiders in the Moonlight will be reissued on CD in the near future, from his widow, Kathryn's Frederick Productions.
Right now, you can get the best feel for his music from "Jeffrey Frederick and the Clamtones, B.C." a two-CD set from a live 1976 radio broadcast (complemented by "Steve Weber and the Holy Modal Rounders B.C., the rest of that show). This song's not there -- it was a broadcast, it was Canada, and it was 1976...
Frederick also does a fine version of "Jesus on the Mainline," on a CD of stuff left unissued when he died, "Unfinished Business" -- although the spirit comes closer to "Hot Spoon on the Table" than what you might near in Church. Unless you are in Portland, OR where "Church" can mean the regular Sunday night gig by the Freak Mountain Ramblers, all of whom played in one or another of Jeff's bands. It all comes round and ties itself into a nice, neat knot...
Posted by: Dehypnotist | 18 April 2006 at 03:38
Don't worry, DeH, you won't catch me bagging Jeffrey - I love his work. In fact, Robbing Banks, Jacknife/Red Newt and What Made My Hamburger Disappear are three of my all-time favourite songs.
Posted by: Tony.T | 18 April 2006 at 22:37
Just in case anybody's listening -- Spiders In The Moonlight has been resurrected as (gee) Resurrection of Spiders In The Moonlight. Digitally remastered and expanded. Available through www.jeffreyfrederick.com and and wherever CDs are sold, except banks. Also, we're in the studio with a tribute album, "St. Jeffrey's Day" and a bunch of REAL gospel singers will be doing the chorus to "Let Me Down."
Posted by: DeHypnotist | 20 July 2007 at 04:07