Zoomer Roberts: vocals
recorded August 2020
From the "Quarantine Hymns" series
Thursday, May 6, 2021
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Zoomer Roberts: vocal and harmonica
recorded June/July 2020
from the "Quarantine Hymns" series
David's Lamentation
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocalsSacred Harp singing isn't indigenous to El Paso, but thanks to the Smithsonian Folkways catalogue, I've been exposed to quite a bit of this ancient and intriguing music.
The words to "David's Lamentation" are from 2 Samuel 18:33 -- And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! (KJV)
Death Is Only A Dream
Zoomer Roberts: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitarIn 2003, some of us local folkies observed the 50th anniversary of Hank Williams' passing with a celebration of his songs on KTEP's Folk Fury show. Since Hank's first wife, Audrey, was on record as saying that "Death Is Only a Dream" was Hank's favorite song, Buddy and I thought it fitting to include it in our portion of the program. We learned it from an old Stamps-Baxter songbook. We did the show live while my JVC auto-reverse cassette deck recorded the proceedings off the air back at the house. I've done my best to clean up the sound, but it is what it is. I'm putting it out there because I'll never sing it this well again.
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
The Fourth Man In the Fire
Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer
We learned this spirited song from a Johnny Cash album (the long-deleted "Strawberry Cake") and it was a staple of our repertoire for years. The story it tells is from the third chapter of the book of Daniel. The lyrics are:
Here is a story from the Bible we should know
A story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
We hope that you'll find courage when temptations you might meet
For there's somebody watching who'll be strong when you're weak
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knees to the idols made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the Fourth Man in the fire
They wouldn't bend, they wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
Now the prophet Daniel tells about three men who walked with God
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Before the wicked king they stood
Now the king commanded them bound and thrown into the fires that day
But the fire was so hot that the men were slain that pushed them on their way
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knees to the idols made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the Fourth Man in the fire
They wouldn't bend, they wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
Now the three were cast in and the king rose up to witness their awful fate
He began to tremble at what he saw
In astonished tones he spake
Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire
Well I believe I see four men unhurt, unbound and walkin' down there
I see Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
In the fiery coals they trod
But the form of the Fourth Man that I see is like the Son of God
They wouldn't bend
They held on to the will of God so we are told
They wouldn't bow
They would not bow their knees to the idols made of gold
They wouldn't burn
They were protected by the Fourth Man in the fire
They wouldn't bend, they wouldn't bow, they wouldn't burn
There Is A Fountain
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocalsBuddy Winston: guitar
Steve Smith: mandola
This is yet another track from the "Roadhouse" sessions. It was my good fortune to have Steve Smith play mandola on it. Steve is a good improviser, but I wanted him to play melody in an old-fashioned way. He gave me exactly what I wanted, but it took a few tries. Playing simply is difficult!
Around this same time, Buddy told a woman at an Applejack gig that we were recording some hymns. "How nice!" she chirped. "Is it 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound?' " She said the words with a lilt, almost singing them.
"No," I replied dryly, "it's 'There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins.' "
"That's disgusting!" She curled her lips as though the crucifixion were a Stephen King creation.
There Is a Fountain
William Cowper, pub.1772
American melody, pub.1874
There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away:
Wash all my sins away,
Wash all my sins away;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
When this poor, lisping, stamm’ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save:
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save,
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save;
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy pow’r to save.
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