"I got the idea of playing guitar to my garden from the great Ramblin' Jack Elliott, who talked about singing old cowboy tunes, to soothe an unsettled herd.
Whenever I see plants going through a hard time or new starts in need of a lullaby, I just grab my guitar and sing 'em a SONG. And ya know, it seems to work some. Or sometimes, 'good enough' is all you can do.
Really, it's just me goofing off, noodling around on a guitar, when I should be gardening. I fear they are on to me...."
The ACOUSTIC CORNER is a place for fellow ‘guitar nuts‘ to share all manner of tips, reviews, recordings, memories, gear talk, transcribed guitar tunes, lessons, advice, ‘ones that got away’ stories & general acoustic guitar related miscellanea that excites & inspires us.
“…storms may blow & the wind may rise…”
One of the quickest ways to get me to stop singing is to ask, “yeah, but do you play anything other than hobo ballads, highway hymns & trail songs?…”.
Much of the blame for that, lies with one of my all-time heroes, Utah Phillips, a truly great singer, songwriter, poet, storyteller, and dear & dedicated friend of poor and working class men & women, everywhere.
An avid ‘freight-hopper’ himself, in 1973, Utah released one of my favorite albums, “Good Though!” (Philo Records), featuring so many true classic railway ballads & anthems, such as “Starlight on the Rails”, “Frisco Road”, “Old Buddy, Goodnight”.
This one quickly became a staple of my own repertoire. It’s a great tune for aspiring finger-pickers to ‘train’ their digits on! ENJOY!!
GUITAR: Utah’s main guitar was a 1967 Guild F-50, with a silver dollar set into the headstock. The Guild F-50 is a ‘Jumbo’, sitka spruce top with maple back & sides.
CHORDS & SCALES
GOING AWAY
by Utah Phillips
C – F – C Is that the moon I see over there in the west F – C Or just the headlight gleam, C&O express? C – F – C I know she’s gone, whatever I say F – C – (C/B – Am7 – G) – F It won’t be long till I maaaaaaaake up my mind C And go away.
C – F – C Is that the sun coming up on the eastern shore F – C Or just the coal bed glow behind the firebox door? C – F – C I know she’s gone, whatever I say F – C – (C/B – Am7 – G) – F It won’t be long till I maaaaaaaake up my mind C – C7 and go away.
(BRIDGE)
F Did you see that fool, he can’t hear the whistle C – Am7 Blind old man caught out on the trestle D7 Can’t go up and he can’t go back G7 Train kept coming brushed him off the track.
F – C Oh the storms may blow and the wind may rise F – C I long to go where the fast mail flies F – C I know she’s gone, whatever I say F – C – (C/B – Am7 – G) – F It won’t be long till I maaaaaaaake up my mind C And go away.
*Written by Utah Phillips. From “Good Though!” (1973 Philo Records)
* All transcriptions are from ear & represented in keys, who’s open chord shapes best capture those used in the original recordings, or else best lend themselves to more common finger-picking patterns employed within the specific genre. So keep your CAPO handy!! Comments, corrections, improvements and cool alternate versions are WELCOME!! As previously stated, all transcriptions are as best as I could figure, from ear. So keep me honest.
HEARTH and HOME HERALD 
“…storms may blow & the wind may rise…”
One of the quickest ways to get me to stop singing is to ask, “yeah, but do you play anything other than hobo ballads, highway hymns & trail songs?…”.
Much of the blame for that, lies with one of my all-time heroes, Utah Phillips, a truly great singer, songwriter, poet, storyteller, and dear & dedicated friend of poor and working class men & women, everywhere.
An avid ‘freight-hopper’ himself, in 1973, Utah released one of my favorite albums, “Good Though!” (Philo Records), featuring so many true classic railway ballads & anthems, such as “Starlight on the Rails”, “Frisco Road”, “Old Buddy, Goodnight”.
This one quickly became a staple of my own repertoire. It’s a great tune for aspiring finger-pickers to ‘train’ their digits on! ENJOY!!
GUITAR: Utah’s main guitar was a 1967 Guild F-50, with a silver dollar set into the headstock. The Guild F-50 is a ‘Jumbo’, sitka spruce top with maple back & sides.
CHORDS & SCALES
GOING AWAY
by Utah Phillips
C – F – C
Is that the moon I see over there in the west
F – C
Or just the headlight gleam, C&O express?
C – F – C
I know she’s gone, whatever I say
F – C – (C/B – Am7 – G) – F
It won’t be long till I maaaaaaaake up my mind
C
And go away.
C – F – C
Is that the sun coming up on the eastern shore
F – C
Or just the coal bed glow behind the firebox door?
C – F – C
I know she’s gone, whatever I say
F – C – (C/B – Am7 – G) – F
It won’t be long till I maaaaaaaake up my mind
C – C7
and go away.
(BRIDGE)
F
Did you see that fool, he can’t hear the whistle
C – Am7
Blind old man caught out on the trestle
D7
Can’t go up and he can’t go back
G7
Train kept coming brushed him off the track.
F – C
Oh the storms may blow and the wind may rise
F – C
I long to go where the fast mail flies
F – C
I know she’s gone, whatever I say
F – C – (C/B – Am7 – G) – F
It won’t be long till I maaaaaaaake up my mind
C
And go away.
*Written by Utah Phillips. From “Good Though!” (1973 Philo Records)
* All transcriptions are from ear & represented in keys, who’s open chord shapes best capture those used in the original recordings, or else best lend themselves to more common finger-picking patterns employed within the specific genre. So keep your CAPO handy!! Comments, corrections, improvements and cool alternate versions are WELCOME!! As previously stated, all transcriptions are as best as I could figure, from ear. So keep me honest.
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