stephen foster
Up through the years, I've read and heard several times that Stephen C. Foster isn't worth a cent. The vignette picture here should counterprove it, but he was a controversial person already in his time, for his ways of writing lyrics. But there are a few facts that can't be denied. Many consider him being the greatest songwriter of the nineteenth century, he was the first full-time professional songwriter in America, he is the only person to have written two state songs (Florida and Kentucky) and he's even been called "Father of American Music". Most of all; there is no doubt he was a brilliant composer.
Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826 – January 13, 1864) managed to write more than 200 songs during his rather short career, starting at the age of 14. There is no evidence he was a racist, or had political convictions at all. He was simply a product of his time. And; really, are Americans much better nowadays, when it all comes down to dust?
There is no official biography; he left nothing himself, and his brother Morrison most probably shuffled things away for sheltering reasons. Among quite many varying efforts I found one from an academic point of view, "University of Pittsburgh". From the condition of that website, and the fact that I consider ALL .edu-sites on American servers being volatile due to the political situation, I ripped the text and put it HERE. Foster's icon at the bottom links to the original site, if still existing.
I've gathered a few of his songs, because I like them. Against my normal habit (skipping most signs and capitals except for names) I leave the lyrics exactly as I found them in the old Pittsburgh archive, because Foster was almost autistic in punctuation and spelling, and I respect him. I judge only the music. Don't shoot me; I'm only the guitar player.
Published in 1853, the song was first recorded and released in 1898 by "Mr. T. Craig" - first name and later fate unknown - called "the colored basso", who had a short recording career in the late 1890s. The song has, now writing 2026, been covered 100 times and have 6 adaptions.
Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay
Gone are my friends from the cotton fields away
Gone from the earth to a better land I know
I hear their gentle voices calling "Old Black Joe."
I'm coming, I'm coming, for my head is bending low
I hear their gentle voices calling "Old Black Joe."
Why do I weep when my heart should feel no pain?
Why do I sigh that my friends come not again?
Grieving for forms now departed long ago
I hear their gentle voices calling "Old Black Joe."
:/:
Where are the hearts once so happy and so free?
The children so dear that I held upon my knee
Gone to the shore where my soul has longed to go
I hear their gentle voices calling "Old Black Joe."
:/:
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
D D7 G Em D gone are the days when my heart was young and gay D F#m G Em [E7] A7 gone are my friends from the cotton fields away D [Dmaj7] D7 [D6] G Em7 D gone from the earth to a better land I know A [Asus4] A7 Gmaj7 Em7 I hear their gentle voices calling E7+9*) A7 D old black Joe D D7 G Em7 D I'm coming I'm coming for my head is bending low A [Asus4] A7 Gmaj7 Em7 I hear their gentle voices calling E7+9*) A7 D old black Joe
*) Normally played plain D, but try this instead!
