The Way I Feel/Wayfaring Stranger

[Jim Nasium]

They say "you learn something new everyday" Well, I certainly learned something new at a recent music festival here in the UK. Jamming with a fellow music lover, I was asked if I knew Wayfaring Stranger, I said sure, what key do you do it in, I was asked, Am, says I. My new friend produced a book with it in Dm, I looked at it, only to see that "Gordon Lightfoot had used the tune for The way I feel." That sure WAS news to me. But playing it slowly and mournfully, Wayfaring Stranger is in certainly there. Wow. I suspect that little pearl of wisdom is hidden elsewhere on this site.

[jj]

hi jim, what was the name of the book that had that quote?

the verse chant is certainly riding on the melodic riff and chords

as with The Wreck / Back Home in Derry, it's the choruses that set them apart...ie. the two GL tunes don't have any

i suppose traditional folk tune melodies become public domain ie. Greensleeves / What Child is This?

there are many arrangements of WS out there, i dig this one

YouTube - JD Sumner - Wayfaring Stranger

...that piano player must go through a lot of bruelcream

[Jesse Joe]

Bruelcream or hairspray. lol !

[Jesse Joe]

Hey jj, we both spelled it the wrong way !

YouTube - Brylcreem TV Commercial 1950's

Originally Posted by jj

hi jim, what was the name of the book that had that quote?

the verse chant is certainly riding on the melodic riff and chords

as with The Wreck / Back Home in Derry, it's the choruses that set them apart...ie. the two GL tunes don't have any

i suppose traditional folk tune melodies become public domain ie. Greensleeves / What Child is This?

there are many arrangements of WS out there, i dig this one

YouTube - JD Sumner - Wayfaring Stranger

...that piano player must go through a lot of bruelcream

This is my very favorite version of Wayfaring Stranger -let me know what you think

YouTube - Wayfaring Stranger

[Jesse Joe]

This guy is some good guitar player & singer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhL4P...e=channel_page

[Jesse Joe]

6 or 12 string is no problem for this Fret Killer !


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrN-Z...e=channel_page

[charlene]

Aengus Finnan has Wayfaring Stranger on one of his CD's.. it's sublime.
wish I knew how to get it from the cd then online...

yeah Fretkllr is quite amazing . Make sure to read his notes for the songs he has up on youtube...like on "Wayfaring"...he adds lots of interesting info @these songs, I've learned alot. He's obviously a big Neil Young fan and refers to a Massey Hall performance on "Tell Me Why".

btw my other very favorite rendition of "Wayfaring" belongs to Johnny Cash

YouTube - Wayfaring Stranger - Johnny Cash

[Jesse Joe]

I have read a lot of his notes @ You Tube.

He is a great guitar player for a guy who taught himself how to play.

Joan Baez does a pretty good job with song as well. I also like the Johnny Cash version.

YouTube - Joan Baez: I Am A Poor Wayfaring...

Nice vocals on the Joan Baez...but I'm not too crazy about it like:

YouTube - Trace Adkins - Wayfaring Stranger

[jj]

Originally Posted by charlene

Aengus Finnan has Wayfaring Stranger on one of his CD's.. it's sublime.
wish I knew how to get it from the cd then online...

no need, it's the promo track at his myspace site, just click

http://www.myspace.com/aengusfinnan


i'm not crazy about any of the versions, maybe i'm just not a fan of the song...i do like the vocal echo on last verse of the finnan version though (jenny whitely?)

at one time you could hear his Lightfoot tribute recording and the entire Fool's Gold album mp3s at www.aengusfinnan.com but it's all disappeared...the fools gold track really needed a supporting video, imo...but he said the funding had all dried up...he's a fine photographer

back to Lightfoot, i prefer the 'original' TWIF arangement/recording

[charlene]

Aengus doesn't have his website any longer.
I never check anybody's MySpace anymore..lol.
So many places for people to be!

He has Rollin' Home on it too..it's a great song...
He's a great talent..

[Jesse Joe]

What would we do without jj ?

Char was right, he does a fantastic job w/ the song...

Everytime I listen to my, "BEAUTIFUL/ A Tribute To Gordon Lightfoot" CD, I always look forward to that bonus track #15...LIGHTFOOT by: Aengus Finnan. It sends goosebumps on my goosebumps as they say ! lol

Ever wonder why Gordon Lightfoot has a finger in each ears on the back photo of that cd ?

[formerlylavender]

Ever wonder why Gordon Lightfoot has a finger in each ears on the back photo of that cd ?

I've wondered that too, Jesse Joe.

Originally Posted by jj

no need, it's the promo track at his myspace site, just click

http://www.myspace.com/aengusfinnan


i'm not crazy about any of the versions, maybe i'm just not a fan of the song...i do like the vocal echo on last verse of the finnan version though (jenny whitely?)

at one time you could hear his Lightfoot tribute recording and the entire Fool's Gold album mp3s at www.aengusfinnan.com but it's all disappeared...the fools gold track really needed a supporting video, imo...but he said the funding had all dried up...he's a fine photographer

back to Lightfoot, i prefer the 'original' TWIF arangement/recording

ooooh yeah VERY nice rendition by Aengus !!!

My point here being (in referring to the various renditions) is along the line of what Fretkllr writes, "This is a spiritual song from the American folk music catalog and it's been around for so long that there are countless versions with variations on the lyrics, melody, and harmonic structure."

Some of the versions...it may be easier to pick out similarities to TWIF, than on others -where I'd be hard-pressed to. There are many, many other traditional folk songs that follow similar structures in the melodies, cadence, etc. jj - mentioned Greensleeves and I've added a few others here as examples.

So in response to Jim's post/observation...I too hear the similarities to TWIF and Wayfaring....as is in accordance with the genre of traditional folk music.

Gordon's later more commercial i.e., in structure....contemporary songs naturally become less similar to the traditional folk genre. And as we know...whether it be his earlier works or the later transcend all else in par with his genius/skills/creativity/talents -his work continued to flourish, etc.

YouTube - Bobby Bare - 500 miles

YouTube - Greenfields - The Brothers Four

YouTube - Christy Moore - Black Is The Colour

[Jim Nasium]

ii, you ask in which book did I find the quote that GL used WS as the tune for TWIF, sadly I cannot recall the title, it was a large orange book with about 200 tunes, slanted towards Bluegrass and Old Time music. I skipped through it, but did not grab the title. Sorry.

[jj]

Originally Posted by Jim Nasium

it was a large orange book with about 200 tunes

thanks, at least we've narrowed it down a wee bit

[BendRick]

I have Emmylou Harris's version on a 45, dated 1980.

[Jim Nasium]

Originally Posted by jj

thanks, at least we've narrowed it down a wee bit

Oops, jj not ii, sorry. I thought the above would be useful, now you can ignore every other colour songbook, and concentrate on orange. Rest assured that next year when I do the rounds of Festivals I will meet this person again and make a point of noting the title and compiler of this book and post it here.

[jj]

Originally Posted by Jim Nasium

you can ignore every other colour songbook, and concentrate on orange

thanks, i shall keep an eye peeled...

[jj]

jim, not sure if you noticed that Gord used to do a live cover version of Wayfaring Stranger (i can't find the enlarged version of the Newport setlist pic but i think it may have been in there)...that may have influenced him either consciously or subconsciously to come up with the similar verse

[Jim Nasium]

Originally Posted by jj

jim, not sure if you noticed that Gord used to do a live cover version of Wayfaring Stranger (i can't find the enlarged version of the Newport setlist pic but i think it may have been in there)...that may have influenced him either consciously or subconsciously to come up with the similar verse

jj, I seem to remember a photo of Gordon with his guitar and stuck to the top side was a list of songs, quite extensive if I remember rightly. I took a magnifying glass to it and was impressed with the range of songs. I cannot locate it in my Lightfoot memorabilia. Wayfaring Stranger may have been there. I shall keep looking.

[jj]

jim, i think that's in the Songbook(let)...i have a large version some where on the hard drive of an old clunker in the basement

ok, i dug a bit and apparently, this is what he played at Newport:

I'm Not Sayin'
The Way I Feel
The Auctioneer
For Lovin' Me
Hollis Brown (Dylan)
The Hands I Love (Early title of "Song For A Winter's Night"!)
The General Store
Early Morning Rain

i recommend you check Wayne's site for more goodies...

[Jim Nasium]

jj, for some reason whilst trying to find the picture I mentioned, I did not look at the Songbook booklet. Songbook CD in another CD rack from all my other Gordon CDs. However close perusal of said picture shows Wayfaring Stranger in what is a lot of songs in Gordon's earlier repertoire. So he did do the song way back. I have sung The Way I feel many times and play Wayfaring Stranger quite often and never noticed the similarity, strange.