Take This Hammer
Encyclopedia
"Take This Hammer" is a prison work song. It was collected by John
and Alan Lomax
. The song "Nine Pound Hammer" has a few phrases in common with this song, and the same Roud number
. "Swannanoa
Tunnel" is similar, and this group of songs are referred to as 'hammer songs' or 'roll songs'. According to the Columbia State University, the earliest collected version was made by Newman Ivey White
in 1915.
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk songs...
and Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
. The song "Nine Pound Hammer" has a few phrases in common with this song, and the same Roud number
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
. "Swannanoa
Swannanoa
Swannanoa may refer to:in New Zealand*Swannanoa, New Zealand, in North Canterbury, New Zealandin the United States*Lake Swannanoa, New Jersey*Swannanoa, North Carolina*Swannanoa River, North Carolina*Swannanoa , Virginia, listed on the NRHP...
Tunnel" is similar, and this group of songs are referred to as 'hammer songs' or 'roll songs'. According to the Columbia State University, the earliest collected version was made by Newman Ivey White
Newman Ivey White
Newman Ivey White was a professor of English at Duke University. He was born February 3, 1892 in Statesville, North Carolina, the town in which Tom Dooley was tried, convicted, and executed...
in 1915.
Recordings
- The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
on Get Back 'Camera B' Rolls vol 11 (recorded 1969) (also on Thirty Days) - The Beau BrummelsThe Beau BrummelsThe Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino , Ron Elliott , Ron Meagher , Declan Mulligan , and John Petersen...
as "Nine Pound Hammer" on their LP TriangleTriangle (The Beau Brummels album)Triangle is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Beau Brummels. Produced by Lenny Waronker and released in July 1967, it was the band's first album to include songs that vocalist Sal Valentino and guitarist Ron Elliott composed together... - Big Bill BroonzyBig Bill BroonzyBig Bill Broonzy was a prolific American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played country blues to mostly black audiences. Through the ‘30s and ‘40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to a more urban blues sound popular with white audiences...
on the DVD The Story of the Blues (2003) - Brothers Four (on the CBS LP Starportrait)
- Delmore Brothers as "Tell It To The Captain" (1948)
- Ken ColyerKen ColyerKenneth Colyer was a British jazz trumpeter and cornetist, devoted totally to New Orleans jazz. His band was also known for skiffle interludes.-Biography:...
(1955, Decca Single F10631, b/w "Down By The Riverside") - Drafi DeutscherDrafi DeutscherDrafi Deutscher was a German singer and composer of Sinti origin.-Biography:He was born Drafi Franz Richard Deutscher in Berlin. His best known song was the 1965 Schlager "Marmor, Stein und Eisen bricht" which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc...
& His Magics, 1965 German version "Ich Will Frei Sein", reissued on the Bear Family CD Drafi Deutscher: Die Decca Jahre Teil 3 - The Felice BrothersThe Felice BrothersThe Felice Brothers are a folk rock/country rock band from Upstate New York founded in 2006.-History:The Felice Brothers got their start as a band playing in the New York City subway,. The sons of a carpenter, they would play together on Sundays at their father's afternoon barbecues...
on Tonight at the Arizona (2007) - Foggy Mountain BoysFoggy Mountain BoysThe Foggy Mountain Boys were an influential bluegrass band founded by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in 1948, shortly after leaving Bill Monroe’s band. They recorded and performed together up until 1969.-Biography:...
(Flatt and Scruggs) on Folk Songs of our Land (1962) - Frederic & The Rangers, German Beat Band (1966), reissued on the Bear Family CD Ruhrgebeat
- The Greenbriar BoysThe Greenbriar BoysThe Greenbriar Boys were a seminal northern bluegrass music group who first got together in jam sessions in New York's Washington Square Park. Along with the New Lost City Ramblers, their urban traditional country sound inspired a generation of musicians and fans.-Biography:In 1959,...
on Ragged But Right! (1964) - Harry ManxHarry ManxHarry Manx is a musician who blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. He was born in the Isle of Man where he spent his childhood and now lives on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada....
on Road Ragas (2004) and Harry Manx & Friends Live at the Glenn Gould Studio (2008) - Hickory FlatHickory FlatHickory Flat may refer to several places in the United States:* Hickory Flat, Georgia* Hickory Flat, Mississippi* Hickory Flat, Tennessee* Hickory Flat, Virginia...
on Long Dry Spell (2003) - Jesse FullerJesse FullerJesse Fuller was an American one-man band musician, best known for his song "San Francisco Bay Blues".-Early life:...
- Jimmy WitherspoonJimmy WitherspoonJimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
on Live in London (recorded 1966) - Johnny CashJohnny CashJohn R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
on Blood, Sweat and Tears (1963) under the title "Tell Him I'm Gone" - John FaheyJohn Fahey (musician)John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
on The Voice of The TurtleThe Voice of the Turtle (album)The Voice of the Turtle is a 1968 album by American folk musician John Fahey. It is considered one of his more experimental albums, combining not only folk elements, but shreds of psychedelia, early blues, country fiddles, ragas, and white noise.-History:...
(1968) under the title "Nine-Pound Hammer" - Junco Partners on a single in 1965 (re-released on Pebbles, Volume 6 (LP)Pebbles, Volume 6 (LP)Pebbles, Volume 6 is a compilation album among the LP's in the Pebbles series. Subtitled The Roots of Mod, Volume 6 is the only album in the Pebbles series that features primarily British music...
(1980) - Lead Belly (on a single recorded in 1942)
- John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, Linda McCartneyLinda McCartneyLinda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
, Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
on A Toot and a Snore in '74A Toot and a Snore in '74A Toot and a Snore in '74 is a bootleg album of the only known recording session in which John Lennon and Paul McCartney played together after the break-up of The Beatles. Mentioned by Lennon in a 1975 interview, details were brought to light in May Pang's 1983 book, Loving John, and it gained...
1974 - bootleg recording: These are bootlegs (see Day by Day) - Long Chris & Les Cowden, 1964 French version "Le Train Qui Part Ce Soir" (Philips EP)
- Lonnie DoneganLonnie DoneganAnthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
on Lonnie Rides Again (1959) - Nitty Gritty Dirt BandNitty Gritty Dirt BandThe Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
feat. Merle TravisMerle TravisMerle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
as "Nine Pound Hammer" from their 3-LP set Will the Circle Be UnbrokenWill the Circle Be UnbrokenWill the Circle Be Unbroken is a 1972 album officially by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but with collaboration from many famous Bluegrass and country-western players, including Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, Bashful Brother Oswald, Norman Blake, Jimmy... - Notting Hillbillies on Missing...Presumed Having a Good TimeMissing...Presumed Having a Good TimeMissing...Presumed Having a Good Time is the first and the only studio album by The Notting Hillbillies. It was released in 1990.-Track listing:# "Railroad Worksong" – 5:29 # "Bewildered" – 2:37...
(1990) under the title "Railroad Worksong" - The New Christy Minstrels on Presenting and In Person (2003)
- Mississippi John HurtMississippi John HurtJohn Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
- MV&EEMV&EEMV & EE is a Vermont-based group of musicians focused around Matt "MV" Valentine and his partner Erika "EE" Elder. Matt Valentine was in the neo-psychedelic group, The Tower Recordings and has also released music under his own name and the pseudonym, Matthew Dell...
"Hammer" on LP Gettin Gone (2007) - Monroe BrothersBill MonroeWilliam Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
as "Nine Pound Hammer is Too Heavy" (1936), also on Feast Here Tonight (1975) - OdettaOdettaOdetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...
on Odetta at the Gate of HornAt the Gate of HornAt the Gate of Horn is the second solo album by American folk singer Odetta, first released in 1957. It was named for the Gate of Horn club in Chicago.Odetta is joined by bassist Bill Lee...
(1957) - Osborne BrothersOsborne BrothersThe Osborne Brothers, Sonny Osborne and Bobby Osborne , were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s...
on Voices in Bluegrass (c 1970) - Our Gang (The RattlesThe RattlesThe Rattles are a rock band from Germany. Their biggest selling record was their 1968 recorded song, "The Witch", which sold over one million copies globally.-Career:...
and friends), reissued on the Bear FamilyBear Family RecordsBear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.-History:...
CD Die Hamburg Szene - Ragged Men, German Beat Band, 1965 Single on PATRIA 8, reissued on the Gee-Dee CD Rare & Raw Beat From The Sixties Vol. 5
- Sanford ClarkSanford ClarkSanford Clark is an American country-rockabilly singer and guitarist best known for his 1956 hit "The Fool".-Biography:...
, 1956 recording as "Nine Pound Hammer" (Dot 15534) - Seven Souldiers (Side-Project of Herbert Hildebrandt from The RattlesThe RattlesThe Rattles are a rock band from Germany. Their biggest selling record was their 1968 recorded song, "The Witch", which sold over one million copies globally.-Career:...
, LP Traditional Soul on FASS 1486 WY - The ShadowsThe ShadowsThe Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
as "This Hammer": B-side of single "Theme For Young Lovers" (1964) - Sonny TerrySonny TerrySaunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry was a blind American Piedmont blues musician. He was widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.-Career:Terry was born in Greensboro, Georgia...
& Brownie McGheeBrownie McGheeWalter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
on their LP Blues & Shouts (America records 6075) - Sooner or Later, Swedish Garage-Band, as "This Hammer" (re-released on Pebbles, Volume 26Pebbles, Volume 26Pebbles, Volume 26 is a compilation album in the Pebbles series. It is one of the ten albums in the sub-series The Continent Lashes Back and is sub-titled Sweden, Part 2...
) - Spencer Davis GroupSpencer Davis GroupThe Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England, formed by Spencer Davis with Steve Winwood and his brother Muff Winwood...
as "This Hammer" on their second LP The Second Album (Feb '66) - Mark SelbyMark Selby (musician)Mark Otis Selby is an American blues rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He is a solo artist, signed to ZYX Records in Europe, and one half of performing duo with his wife, songwriter Tia Sillers...
as "Nine Pound Hammer" on his LP Nine Pound Hammer - Ton Steine ScherbenTon Steine ScherbenTon Steine Scherben was one of the first and most influential German language rock bands of the 1970s and early 1980s. Well-known for the highly political and emotional lyrics of vocalist Rio Reiser, they became a musical mouthpiece of new left movements, such as the squatting movement, during...
as "Nimm den Hammer" on Wenn die Nacht am tiefsten...Wenn die Nacht am tiefsten...Wenn die Nacht am tiefsten is the third album released by Ton Steine Scherben, and is the last one released before their six year break from recording...
(1975) - Merle TravisMerle TravisMerle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
- Townes Van ZandtTownes Van ZandtJohn Townes Van Zandt , best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American Texas Country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet...
Trivia
- The lyrics to the first verse are visible in the liner notes of Brand NewBrand NewBrand New is an American rock band from Long Island, New York. Formed in 2000, the band currently consists of vocalist/guitarist/lyricist Jesse Lacey, guitarist/vocalist/lyricist Vincent Accardi, bassist Garrett Tierney, drummer Brian Lane, and guitarist/keyboardist Derrick Sherman.In the late...
's The Devil and God Are Raging Inside MeThe Devil and God Are Raging Inside MeThe Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me is the third full length album by the alternative rock band Brand New, and their major label debut on Interscope Records. It was released on November 20, 2006 in the United Kingdom, on November 21, 2006 in the United States and Canada, November 25, 2006 in...
album. - There is a movie Take This Hammer, released September 2008. The film is a documentary about the building of dry stack stone walls, and the soundtrack also features the traditional "Nine Pound Hammer song" (which is public domain). http://www.take-this-hammer.com