Rise Again

“This is all because of Joe McCarthy.” John McCutcheon, folk musician and songwriter extraordinaire, was on the stage at Proctors Sunday night. He was talking about the network of folk venues and series like our own Eighth Step, which is now housed at Proctors, and which was hosting a release concert for Rise Again, the sequel songbook to Rise Up Singing, the venerable 1200-song, tiny-print, words-and-chords only songbook that has enabled thousands of groups of people to sing together over the past 25 years.

My nine year old elbowed me. “Who’s Joe McCarthy?” Oh boy.

Kids on the Range

At her birthday party last month, when it came time to light her candle, I handed my seven-year-old a box of matches. One of the kids gave her a funny look and said “I don’t think you should do that.” I explained that she only used matches with parental supervision, but that we had taught her how to do it safely and she was quite good at it.

The Song of the Very Straight Men

—To the tune of “Away, Away With Rum” (the Song of the Temperance Union)

We never wear kilts, ’cause kilts are like drag
And one little swish turns a man to a fag
Can you imagine a deeper despair . . .
Than a man who went gay ’cause he wanted some air?

Refrain:
No way, no way we’re gay. No way!
No way we’re gay. No way we’re gay.
No way, no way we’re gay. No way!
And we’ll tell whoever will listen.

Making Space

Performing this poem at the GottaGetGon folk festival, for which it was written, Saratoga County Fairgrounds, Memorial Day Weekend 2003.
Photo by Howie Eskin

for the Pickin’ and Singin’ Gatherin’