Every day that I listen to Americana music (and I joined the Americana site on Facebook) I hear another great song. Here are the lyrics to another song by Emmylou Harris. I think it’s a song that a crowd would like.  I’ve also heard a real bluegrass version of this song somewhere.

Heartbreak Hill by Emmylou Harris

Long long time ago when we were young
You swore to me I would be the one
I would be the one you loved
But we had to part
You asked me to wait for you
To keep you in my heart
To keep you in my heart

Night after lonely night I’m waiting for you still
High above the lights of town here on Heartbreak Hill

Now maybe I am the foolish kind to think of you so long
Have you found another love
Am I still the one
Am I still the one for you
But you’re far away
Do you ever dream of coming back to me someday
Back to me someday

Night after lonely night I’m waiting for you still
High above the lights of town here on Heartbreak Hill

On Heartbreak Hill alone at night
I think of how you held me tight
And wonder if I ever will see you again
On Heartbreak Hill

Oh Lord if I only could go back in time enough
I’d hold you in my arms again
Never let you go
Never let you go my love
And leave me far behind
High upon this lonely hill where you swore to be mine
You swore to be mine

Night after lonely night I’m waiting for you still
High above the lights of town here on Heartbreak Hill
Night after lonely night I’m waiting for you still
High above the lights of town here on Heartbreak Hill
Here on Heartbreak Hill
Here on Heartbreak Hill

OF TEXAS’ 254 COUNTIES, 26  ARE NAMED AFTER CONFEDERATES

If you’ve ever wondered about how Texas felt (and feels) about the Confederacy, look at this list of counties named after Confederates. I’m working on a list of Texas cities. This information has been of interest to the teachers and students of the schools I’ve worked with. Please feel free to copy and distribute this. If you’re related to any of these men, please drop me an email. rickeyp@bayou.com  Also, if you have a list of cities, lakes, roads, or counties named after Confederates in any state I’d like to have it.

Ector
Mathew D. Ector, Confederate General
Foard
Major Robert L. Foard
Gray
Peter W. Gray, Houston District, Confederate House of Representatives
Tom Green
Tom Green, Brigadier General
Gregg
John B. Gregg, Brigadier General
Hemphill
John Hemphill, Representative of Texas in the Congress of the Confederate States of America until his death
Hood
John Bell Hood, Lt. Gen.
Jeff Davis
Jefferson Davis, President CSA
Johnson
Middleton T. Johnson, Colonel
Lee
Robert E. Lee, General CSA
Lubbock
Thomas Saltus Lubbock, Terry’s Texas Rangers
Ochiltree
William Beck Ochiltree, Colonel, 18th Texas Infantry
Oldham
Williamson Simpson Oldham, Pioneer Texas Lawyer and Confederate Senator
Randall
Horace Randall, Brigadier General
Reeves
George R. Reeves, Colonel
Scurry
William R. Scurry, General
Starr
Dr. James Harper Starr, Confederate agent for the postal service west of the Mississippi River
Stevens
Alexander H. Stevens, Vice President, CSA
Stonewall
Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson, Lieutenant General
Sutton
John S. Sutton, Colonel
Terrell
Alexander Watkins Terrell, Brigadier General, “Terrell’s Texas Cavalry Regiment”
Terry
Benjamin Franklin Terry, Terry’s Texas Rangers
Upton
John C. and William E. Upton, Confederate Generals
Val Verde
Named to commemorate a battle which involved Texas Confederate Forces (the Sibley Expedition) who fought at Val Verde, near Fort Craig, New Mexico, on February 19, 1862
Winkler
Clinton M. Winkler, Colonel
Young
Overton C. Young, Colonel, Twelfth Texas Infantry, CSA

My father is having his pacemaker replaced in late February, so my thoughts have been on him. He was the one who taught me to play guitar. I’m having so much fun traveling through the South (and that’s about to expand to the North and West as well) storytelling and playing my guitar that I’ve given thought this morning on the songs that he taught me. I grew up listening to Country Music. If my daddy wasn’t playing it, he was listening to it.  He determined that I should learn music and taught me a little steel guitar, some mandolin, some bass guitar, and guitar. It was the guitar that stuck and became part of my identity.

The first song I learned was “Little Brown Jug.” You can see a YouTube cartoon sing-a-long of the tune here. It is a fun song that he made me learn IN EVERY KEY. Then we moved on to these songs, maybe not in this exact order, but I do know these were the songs of my childhood, the songs my daddy taught me that I’ll never forget.

2) Wildwood Flower

3) Under the Double Eagle

4) San Antonio Rose

5) Steel Guitar Rag

6) The Hank Williams Oeuvre

7) These were followed by  by artists such as Porter Wagoner, Milburn Brothers, Jimmie Rodgers ( There’s a museum for him in Meridean that I must see some day),  and a host of others. Upon reflection of this, I realize that the music he taught me is a rich legacy. He couldn’t have left me anything better than the notebook of music I’ve memorized and that I carry with me everywhere–the songs my daddy taught me.

Those who know me know that I don’t care much for rain, especially when I have to work in it. Some days I think I really would like to live in the desert. The recent rain made me think of this song by the Duhks, a Winnepeg-based group whose music I was introduced to some time ago. Here is the group’s website:

Out of the Rain – The Duhks

It’s been raining hard in Winnipeg, like where you’ve gone
So I am going to write a song to soothe my aching
For two whole days the rain came down and I’ve been thinking round
To when I was too young to see my heart was breaking
Oh baby I can’t stay here in the rain another day
Though I’ve been trying to find a way to make it happen
Lately I’ve been trying figure what it’s all about
And when I know I’ll work it out but now I’m getting
Out of the rain.

Out of the rain is where I’m headed for
Far from the pain of being tied to your back door
Oh I know that it’s not something that I can control
So I’ll go to go on in the rain.

I’ve been wandering thirsty in the rain for so long now
But it ain’t of the amount but where I’m standing
In the sunshine I will see much clearer just what I can do
I’ll keep it simple free and true
I can do what I want to do.

Out of the rain is where I’m headed for
Far form the pain of being tied to your back door
Take it slow, love yourself for you can’t love no one else
Oh I know I can’t go on in the rain.

Out of the rain, no hurting anymore
Into the sun to find what I’ve been yearning for
Take it slow love yourself for you can’t love no one else
Oh I know I can’t go on in the rain.
Oh I know, I can’t go on in the rain.

If you’re a fan of Americana music, you’ve likely heard the Drive-by Truckers. I’ve officially declared myself to be a fan. Their official site is loaded with song lyrics and information about the band. They have produced a significant amount of work that you should take a look at. You can find their site here:

I heard this song the other day, and it spoke to me, so I purchased it on iTunes and decided to post the music. It is a song with energy that I may be able to use in my own show.

Perfect Timing by Mike Cooley of Drive-by Truckers

Here I am again, perfect timing,
The strings are ringing and the words are rhyming
I used to hate the fool in me, but only in the morning
Now I tolerate him all day long

Out on the highway, I hear the moaning
That low and lonesome whisper,
You only know from longing,
Through those naked trees at the windows glowing orange,
Taking over that cold shoulder racing by

I might have known before
If I’d got this old before I thought I got too cool to give a damn
That who you see in dreams at night seem to spend their afterlives
Trying hard to live the last one down

Here I am again perfect timing,
The strings are ringing and the words are rhyming
I used to hate the fool in me, but only in the morning,
Now I tolerate him all day long

A Review and Study of Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe by Thomas J. DiLorenzo  Three Rivers Press, 2006.

One will never truly understand why and how America’s Civil War happened unless one understands Abraham Lincoln. Like other Americans, I was raised with the Lincoln myth. He was all that represented America. As a Boy Scout, I once visited the Lincoln Monument (my mind was on the Girl Scout I was flirting with), but my naïve mind saw that site only as a monument to a past President. Many years later, having read a great deal, having looked at his face on five-dollar bills and pennies, having looked at evidence that cannot be denied, I’ve come to a different view of the President that America adores, having discovered from reading and research that there is much left out of the history books. As DiLorenzo says, “The point is, not only have whole sections of Lincoln’s record been expunged from history, but other sections have been fabricated.” The Lincoln most believe in did not exist.

Having read The Real Lincoln by DiLorenzo, I predicted that Lincoln Unmasked would be a good read, and I was not disappointed. However, it was stronger and more loaded and important than my pro-Southern mind and heart realized. What I discovered in this well documented work is that American politicians and Lincoln saint-makers have rewritten history with the effectiveness and passion of the communist historians.  There is much that I didn’t know and much that America doesn’t know about Lincoln.  I intend to create a study guide of this book for sale. This is a book that will make you think, as you can see from the chapter titles:

1. Challenging the Gatekeepers
Part I: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Lincoln and His War
2. The Lincoln Myths—Exposed
3. Fake Lincoln Quotes [Things Lincoln Never said]
4. The Myth of the Morally Superior “Yankee” [Rewritten history to portray the North as benevolent and to demonize the South]
5. Lincoln’s Liberian Connection [Lincoln wanted people of color removed from America]
6. An Abolitionist Who Despised Lincoln [People who hated slavery, hated Lincoln!]
7. The Truth About States’ Rights
8. Constitutional Futility
9. Lincoln’s Big Lie
10. A “Great Crime”: The Arrest Warrant for the Chief Justice of the United States
PART II: Economic Issues You’re Supposed to Ignore
11. The Origins of the Republican Party
12. The Great Railroad Lobbyism
13. The Great Protectionist
14. The Great Inflationist
PART III: The Politics of the Lincoln Cult
15. Making Cannon Fodder
16. Lincolnite Totalitarians
17. Pledging Allegiance to the Omnipotent Lincolnian State
18. The Lincoln Cult on Imprisoning War Opponents
APPENDIX: What they Don’t Want You to Read (I’m going to have a separate entry on this)

I’m not the only reader who has found this book fascinating. Thomas E. Woods Jr., bestselling author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, comments: “Brilliant and withering. Lincoln Unmasked answers the kind of forbidden questions that our country now more than ever needs to hear.”

For today’s post, I wanted to share the beautiful lyrics of another great song by Emmylou Harris. I heard it just a few minutes ago on the Americana station and I think it’s one I’ll add to my show someday. I found the lyrics at Cowboy Lyrics.com, a great site to visit if you’re looking for Country & Western & Americana lyrics. If you’re a fan of Emmylou, her official site is here. I do so hope I can see her perform sometime, as I do love her music.

Waltz Across Texas Tonight by Emmy Lou Harris

The wind can blow cold, it moans and it cries
When it carries the sound of a thousand goodbyes
But if you listen tonight on that high, lonely plain
You’ll just hear my voice as it calls out your name
You’ll just hear my voice as it calls out your name

You’ve been on a road that just don’t seem to end
Where that broken old heart of yours won’t ever mend
You’ve crossed over bridges and bridges they burn
So many rivers and so much to learn
So many bridges and so much to learn

But the moon is so full, the stars are so bright
And my hand is steady, my touch id light
Look in my eyes, hold on real tight
And I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight
I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight

We both have known hard luck
And love that’s gone wrong
When the ghosts take the shadows and
The night takes too long
We folded our cards when the hand wasn’t strong
But that wheel will keep spinning long after we’re gone
Yeah, that wheel will keep spinning long after we’re gone

And the moon is so full, the stars are so bright
And my hand is steady, my touch is light
Look in my eyes, hold on real tight and I’ll
Waltz you my darling across Texas tonight

I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight
Look in my eyes, hold on real tight
And I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight
I’ll waltz you my darling across Texas tonight

While working on my online classes I teach and on my tax preparation, I heard a Son Volt song on my Americana Cable station I like to listen to. The song was okay, but as always happens when I hear any Son Volt song, I thought of my favorite song of his and decided to post the lyrics. Songs are often personal turning points, and I’m sure this song was a spark for my interest in the saints and their involvement in or distance from the life of the individual artist. Jay Farrar (of Uncle Tupelo fame) has a voice that deeply resonates in the heart of many. Anyway, here is a transcription of the song I found on the Web somewhere a while back. If I got any of the lyrics wrong, please let me know.  The official Son Volt site is here:

“Tear Stained Eye”

Walking down Main Street
Getting to know the concrete
Looking for a purpose from a neon sign
I would meet you anywhere the western sun meets the air
We’ll hit the road, never looking behind

CHORUS:
Can you deny, there’s nothing greater
Nothing more than the traveling hands of time?
Sainte Genevieve can hold back the water
But saints don’t bother with a tear stained eye

Seeing traces of the scars that came before
Hitting the pavement still asking for more
When the hours don’t move along,
Worn-out wood and familiar songs
To hear your voice is not enough
It’s more than a shame

Chorus:

Like the man said, rode hard and put away wet
Throw away the bad news, and put it to rest
If learning is living, and the truth is a state of mind
You’ll find it’s better at the end of the line.

CHORUS:
Can you deny, there’s nothing greater
Nothing more than the traveling hands of time?
Sainte Genevieve can hold back the water
But saints don’t bother with a tear stained eye.

Upcoming Interviews: I have some great interviews promised for this blog, including Singer/songwriters Trish Murphy, Irish legend Jim Crowley, Brendan Nolan, and Doyle Jeter, a great patron and promoter of the arts in Northeast Louisiana.  There are also several visual artists I hope to interview.

For today’s post, I wanted to add another song I want to add to my Americana show.  I feel it’s another reflection on the ephemeral nature of one’s life.

Adios Days by Pat Green

Adios days in the wide open prairie,
Nights on the canyon are gone,
Steven is dead and Johnny got married,
Me I’m here all on my own.
I’m all on my own.

I used to have nights on the town of Laredo,
Spinning them girls cross the floor,
Now I’m too old for dancing
And too far gone for the whiskey,
So I don’t go down there no more.

Chorus

My dad was a top hand
When he was a young man,
Rode for the Diamond-Bar-J,
He’d push all day long
From the back of his pony,
At nighttime he’d gather the strays.

He hated the cities
And he cussed all the railroads,
Said they would lead us to fall,
Now we have streetcars
And the cowboy is dying,
I guess he weren’t too far from wrong.

Today’s post is a short one and is centered on computer/technical issues. My MAC iBook is now three years old. Hopefully, it will last three more. I travel everywhere with it, and as a big hunk of my income comes from the online college classes I’m teaching, I’m constantly trying to sharpen my computer and technical skills, and I feel like I’m learning something new every day. I’ve been trained to use ANGEL, eCollege, and now am using Moodle. I have Comcast cable at home with a Netgear Wireless setup. I’m thinking of getting the AT&T wireless setup (good anywhere you can get a good cell signal), but I have not talked to a fellow MAC user to evaluate its effectiveness.  If you’ve any knowledge or experience about MACs in this regard, I’d appreciate hearing from you.

FOR ONLINE TEACHERS WHO USE MAC: About online teaching systems I’m certified to teach . . .

ANGEL – I used it last semester and found this system terribly slow when working at home. It worked fast when I was at the university or at Starbucks. Virginia College (who I work for) switched to eCollege this semester.

eCollege is fast, easy to use and works well on my MAC. If you  teach or take an online class, you’ll find it user and teacher friendly. This is the system that Virginia College now uses.

MOODLE – This semester, ULM made the transition from Blackboard to Moodle. With Moodle, so this is what I’m using to teach my ULM classes.  I had the same problem with Moodle as I did with ANGEL–the system seemed to be fast at the university, but SLOW at home. I did some research and finally found a site that gave me some information. As soon as I installed ADOBE Flash Player and ADOBE Shockwave Player, my laptop perked up and  worked with acceptable speed. This site is a good checklist to use for anyone using Moodle, or if you think Moodle is not working quite right. You can find that site is here: