Compiled by Albie The Good, your average desert-dwelling, Bible-believing, Christian Beatnik and Incurable Bookworm... Thoughts about stuff... oh, and things too. :)
A couple blogs back I implied that Hollywood westerns had never shown us the realism of cowpokes eating canned goods in a traditional western.
Welllll.... Only a few nights later I opened up a 1945 movie I had DVR'd called ALONG CAME JONES with Gary Cooper [GREAT movie, by the way-- if you've never seen it it's a classic western comedy... on a level with RUGGLES OF RED GAP or O. Henry's best stories-- HIGHLY recommended!]
Anyway, within the first 5 minutes itinerant saddle-tramp Coop is shown eating a can of "termaters" with a case knife-- just like ol' Andy Adams himself described over 100 years ago. A quick image search even turned up a helpful autographed pic to illustrate the scene I am describin' [good ol' innernet!!]
So... I stand somewhat corrected... and have to admit... at least this once Hollywood done showed it:
Albie's Note: Here's a question that has been asked for thousands of years: Does God have the right to do whatever He wants?
Frankly, I like the answer given-- in the form of a fearful parable-- by the old-time Scottish Bible Scholar and Preacher John Brown (July 12, 1784 – October 13, 1858) in his Expository Discourses on Galatians (1853).
His parable is provided as a comment on the following two verses:
Galatians 3:22 and 23
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
“May I be allowed to speak a parable on this subject?A ship’s crew mutinied against their commander, who was the king’s son; and not only refused to obey him, but threw him overboard with the intention of depriving him of life. Feeling their situation desparate, they commenced pirates, and while disorder and every evil work prevailed among themselves, they carried terror and misery over the ocean and into all the surrounding coasts. The prince, contrary to all probability, reached the shores in safety, and on arriving at his father’s palace, instead of urging the punishment of those who meant to murder him, employed all his influence, and with success, to induce his justly offended parent to lay aside all thoughts of vengeance, and even to despatch immediately heralds of mercy offering a free pardon to them if they would but acknowledge the prince as their saviour and ruler, and submit to be guided by him in all their future proceedings; but reminding them that if they did not accede to this overture mercy, sooner or later they must fall into the hands of some of his war-vessels, and must count on being dealt with according to the rigour of the law.
"On the messengers of mercy approaching the vessel, some of the most determined villains were for treating them as they had done their commander, but this proposal being overruled, they were taken aboard, and their sovereign’s proclamation was made in the hearing of the piratical rebels. Some mocked at it; and even the most sober thinking among them, though they were tired of this scene of discord and ravage, both in the vessel and when they were on shore, said that really they could not give the king credit for such extraordinary kindness, nor bring their mind to acknowledge the authority of the prince, but that they would endeavor to behave better as individuals, to establish better order in the ship, and to restrain their compassions from those excesses of cruelty and rapine in which they had formerly indulged, so that if the king’s cruisers should lay hold of them, as they feared might be the case, the king might be induced to pardon them, perhaps reward them for their good conduct.
"The time dreaded by them all at last arrived. Their vessel is boarded by the king’s servants in irresistible force, and the whole crew are safely lodged in prison, and in due time brought before the king for judgment. With a calmness of inflexible determination, more appalling than the most furious passion, the sovereign pronounces their sentence. ‘You most causelessly violated your allegiance; you transgressed the law; you in intention murdered my son; yet, on his intercession I proffered you forgiveness – free, full of forgiveness. You refused to give me credit for the generosity I manifested, and dishonoured me by supposing me false and malignant like yourselves. You persisted in contemning my authority and opposing my will. And even such of ou as have not run to the same enormity of licentiousness and cruelty, have formed laws to yourselves. And you have trampled on my grace as well as my authority. You have spurned mercy on the only terms consistent with my honour to offer it; and you have had the insufferable arrogance of attempting to dictate to me in what way I should bestow my favour. You have had your choice, and you must abide by it. As for those men who would not that I should reign over them, bring them forth and slay them before me.'
"Let the self-righteous see, in this figure, the doom which awaits him if mercy prevent not. The law by which he must be judged is none of the laws of human device, but the law of God!"
"How shall we escape, if we neglect sogreatsalvation..."-- Hebrews 2:3
Albie's note: If you haven't managed to see it yet, I urge to check out the 2011 film 25 HILL, written, produced, and directed by its star Corbin Bernson. It's a great family film about the vanishing tradition of Soap Box Derby.
This sport actually once had a pretty strong Arizona connection, as Bisbee used to hold a major annual race until 1980, when a mother and son were tragically killed there in a freak accident. After that, i am told that the Bisbee course was deemed too steep for the competition. Although there is still a race there each summer, I am told it is nothing like the nation-wide competition it used to be. Bernson's film showcases the "last gasp" event still held anuually in Akron, Ohio.
Anyway, from HOT ROD KING COMICS #1 (Ziff-Davis, 1952), here is another cool tribute to the American Soap Box Derby... from the world of vintage comic books! [Sorry for the condition in spots.]
Albie's note: I like songs about things we can all relate to... songs that pay an interesting tribute to some formative things in all of our lives. This one is a great tribute to the late lamented American Transistor Radio [though, of course, it wasn't always American made!] by Country Singer Lionel Cartwright.
It's surprisingly hard to remind people-- even hardcore country fans-- of Lionel C. I say "surprisingly," because ol' Lionel actually had a pretty darn good run of chart success in the late '80s and early '90s: twelve charted singles, 2 Top 20's, 3 Top 10's, and 3 Top 5 hits, and one number one country song, "Leap of Faith."
It may be the fact that Cartwright's music was unbelievably clean and positive-- not a cheatin' or drankin' song among all those singles-- that has blocked him out of country fandom's collective memory [a similar thing seems to have happened to the legacies of Paul Overstreet and Holly Dunn, to name just two others.]
It's a shame because Cartwright was a really great talent. Proficient on mandolin, guitar, piano and fiddle, he wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the songs he recorded, and had a fine distinctive singing voice. Wikipedia says he is now a worship pastor in Nashville and has recently recorded an independent album which he thinks is his best ever. Good for him!
I always appreciated this song and could relate to every last word of it. How many of us-- especially those of us with rural backgrounds-- had a transistor radio and listened to it every night under the covers? I know I did. The only part of this song that does NOT ring true for me is the part about tuning in the Grand Ol' Opry. I probably would have done that if I could have, but apparently historic Nashville station WSM-- the "Air Castle Of The South"-- had powered down by the time of my 1970s childhood and could not any longer be picked up in as far away as Arizona. Bummer.
But other than that it all rings perfectly true! Ball games [especially Dodger games from L.A.'s KNX], late night preachers, CCR and the Byrds, the EBS test, and the brassy tones of "The Star Spangled Banner"...
Yep... Check, check and double check! :)
So.... Enjoy this old video-- [complete with Lionel sportin' the early '90s obligatory "mullet"]-- and the lyrics to this great song-- a number 8 country hit from 1990-- co-written with song-writing legend Don Schlitz:
I had a six-transister when I was a kid Under my pillow, I kept it hid When the lights went out, and no one could see Over the airwaves, the world came to me I'd go through the stations 'til I found a game I knew how they played by the sounds of their names The sluggers hit homers, those pitchers threw smoke And I watched it all on my radio At the crack of the bat, I knew how far it'd go And I watched it all on my radio I watched it all on my radio When the ball game was over, the wrap-up complete I'd search through the static 'til I found a beat The Beatles and Creedence, The Stones and The Byrds You should have seen all the groups that I heard! And on Saturday night when the skies were all clear A station from Nashville sometimes would appear The steel guitars and soft southern twang The stars of the Grand Ole Opry would sing And I had a seat on the very front row And I watched it all on my radio I watched it all on my radio And right about midnight, some Preacher came on To tell me what's right, to tell me what's wrong And there was a test at the sound of the beep "It was only a test" the voice would repeat And the National Anthem would sing me to sleep I had a six-transister when I was a kid Under my pillow, I kept it hid When the lights went out, and no one could see Over the airwaves, the world came to me And I had a seat on the very front row And I watched it all on my radio I watched it all on my radio!
Picture at top: An actual Vintage "Six-transistor"
Albie's note: Hollywood westerns have really dropped the ball in presenting the presence -- and preference -- of canned goods on the American Frontier and 19th century Cattle Ranges. Andy Adams, in one of his books, remarks that Camp cooks with true fully stocked Chuck Wagons were actually a luxury of only the richest outfits, and most trail hands practically lived on canned goods-- Peaches, Tomatoes and fish like Sardines being particular favorites. That's interesting, isn't it? Somehow we never saw Rowdy Yates or Trampas or Hoss Cartwright open a tin of smelly Kippered Herring... but I think it would have been a cool image somehow.
Richard W. Slatta's The Cowboy Encyclopedia comments, "On the trail, canned tomatoes helped to quench thirst. Philip Ashton Rollins notes that acidic tomato juice counteracted the ill effects of alkali dust inhaled by men on the trail. Even the greenest cook could whip up a batch of 'pooch,' stewed tomatoes mixed with bread and sugar." The Culinary Arts Museum site notes, "Canned foods were sometimes carried on chuck wagons during cattle drives. On fancier wagons, canned tomatoes were considered the 'greatest prize of all.' Sometimes, cowboys carried cans of tomatoes while on the range to cut their thirst. It can be argued that tomato juice certainly tasted better than water from wagon barrels that often was alkaline and 'wiggling with wildlife.'"
Well, S. Omar Barker, all-time king of the cowboy poets, was NOT silent on the matter. Here, from his 1954 collection "Songs Of The Saddlemen," is a poetic tribute to:
Canned Termaters
by Squire Omar Barker
Them old time western cowboys mostly ate what they could git, And drank what turned up handy, but I've heard them all admit They sometimes got so tired of beans, of beef and even 'taters, They'd purt near swap their saddles for a bait of canned termaters. About the only stuff in cans them days was pork and beans, Terrmaters, Eagle milk, and corn, and maybe some sardines; And none of these was plentiful out where the cow trails ran, For grub come mighty costly when you bought it in the can. But sometimes in the wagon bed of big ranch operators You'd find maybe a case or two of stuff called canned termaters. Them old time cowhands never heard of vitamins an' such; They never craved no fancy foods--at least not very much-- But, comin' in from cow-work where the dust was thick and hot, Them juicy, cool termaters--well, they sure did hit the sport. You even liked them better than you did dried apply pie, And, when your outfit furnished them, you sure was livin' high. Why, even when you et in town, you shocked them restrunt waiters By turnin' fancy vittles down and eatin' canned termaters! A-batchin' in the boars-nest, as the line camps then was called, You often tired of cookin', and your appetite got stalled, But if up there upon the shelf some canned termaters stood, You'd "cut a can" for supper, and it sure did savor good. Some days inside your slicker you would pack a can or two Tied on behind your saddle. If the water holes was few You'd "cut a can" and drink it as you jogged along the road, And swear that canned termaters was the best fruit ever growed. In town, the morning after you had helped the owl to hoot, Your tongue would taste like leather from the top of some old boot, Until you found a grocer that would trust you for a can, And when you'd cut and drunk it, you was sure a diff'rent man. That's how them oldsters tell it of the days when life was rough, When ridin' men was rawhide men, and nothin' else but tough; When men with hides and stummicks like on ol' bull alligator's,
Was still like kids for candy--when it come to canned termaters.
OK, so if you've gotten to know me thru this little blog at all, there a few things you have come to learn about me. One of them, surely, is that I am about as Pro-Israel as a guy can get. I make no apologies for this... I am convinced of the rightness of it, not just Biblically, but historically, socially and even pragmatically. I have heard all the arguments-- whether religious ones or political ones-- from Preterists, Arab exchange students, Black Muslims, Covenant Theologians, Calvinist Re-constructionists, Obama democrats, old school Liberals [sometimes themselves Jewish] and even many of my fellow Libertarian-leaning Conservatives... but I still stand firm on this.
Israel is no ordinary nation, plain and simple... and therefore ordinary answers just don't satisfy. When the USA abandons Israel as a nation and an ally, it will be to our great peril. Mark it down. Sorry if that offends you... but please just tolerate me, as I promise to surely tolerate you!
So... what does all this have to do with my "Jovial Jukebox?" Well, my latest installment in that series happens to be a pop song about Israel, recorded by a British invasion teen-idol duo back in 1966. Peter And Gordon [real names Peter Asher and Gordon Waller... yep, good British Jews both] recorded this song for their Lady Godiva album-- which was a vinyl selection at home when I was a wee lad-- and did a great version of it. My older brother Steve used to play it a lot and loved to sing along with it. It was not a hit for them, but it is still remembered fondly in some quarters, judging by the Youtube comments.
The song itself started life as the hugely successful instrumental theme for the 1960 film EXODUS, adapted from the classic Leon Uris novel of the same name. [By the way, I would heartily recommend both the book and, to a lesser extent, the movie. Though both have been roundly criticized for alterations of certain historical facts-- I should say I still think Uris actually used LESS "license" with historical facts than most other historical novelists have, especially those writing today!-- They tell the story of the 1948 birth of modern Israel in a vigorous dramatic fashion.] The theme, composed by Ernest Gold, was a huge international hit, and as a result many top song-writers submitted their lyrics to Gold, hoping to cash in on the inevitable "version with words." Interestingly Gold is said to have rejected over 50 submissions-- even some by heavyweight Jewish song-writers like Carole King and Hal David, in favor of one from a famous singer known as Pat Boone.
Yep, you read that right... Pat Boone. The lyrics of this song were supplied by none other than the fundamentalist Christian direct descendant of Dan'l Boone... the singer of "April Love" and "A Wonderful Time Up There"... Mr. "White Buck Shoes" himself...THE Pat Boone!
Boone remembers how he came to write these lyrics {which, by the way, would earn him a pretty penny in writing royalties-- especially after Andy Williams and Edith Piaf would record his great lyrics) one Christmas eve when he had been listening to Gold's version several times on end::
“As I set the needle down, maybe for the 30th time, and the music goes
“Bum Bum… Bum Bum,” the words “This land… is mine” came out of me,”
said Boone.
“I had been reading about Ari Ben-Canaan in the book, and
thinking about Moses and Joshua, and I realized that it had to be
personal, one person’s statement – not a grand scheme statement; a
declaration to the land and ownership to the land.
“When those four words came out, I said to myself, that’s it – that’s the whole story!
“And I grabbed something to write it down with, and immediately ‘God
gave this land to me’ came out. And in 20 or 25 minutes, I had written
the whole lyric, almost as fast as I could put the needle back on to
hear the next passage.
“When I turned over the piece of paper I had written the words on, I
realized that it was a Christmas card – and I had written on it what
became the second Jewish national anthem. For me, that was so
appropriate, because it was an amalgam of everything I believe coming
together. This land is God’s covenant to his people, and it’s never
going to change.”
So there you have it: an American Evangelical Christian's Christmas Card to the [literal] Sons of Abraham!
And here is my personal favorite version... by 2 English Jews who made the song a pop classic:
This land is mine, God gave this land to me This brave and ancient land to me And when the morning sun reveals her hills and plain Then I see a land where children can run free.
So take my hand and walk this land with me And walk this lovely land with me Though I am just a man, when you are by my side With the help of God, I know I can be strong.
Though I am just a man, when you are by my side With the help of God, I know I can be strong
To make this land our home If I must fight, I'll fight to make this land our own Until I die, this land is mine.
"Behold, all they
that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they
shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended
with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a
thing of nought.
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." -- Isaiah 41:11-13
UPDATE, Jan. 19, 2014: I just love surf music, DelFi Records and The Lively Ones... so i couldn't help but add this instrumental version once I found on glorious Youtube! Check it out, also!
Albie's note:Here is an old sermon outline by the late, greatBaptist Preacher MAZE JACKSON that originally appeared in his magazine THE PREACHER'S GOLDMINE. "Brother Maze," as he preferred to be called, is one of my true heroes in the Christian faith. I remember listening to his radio program THE TRUCK DRIVER'S SPECIAL on 30,000 watt Trucker station KWKH-- out of Shreveport, LA, o'course!--when I was just an insomniac teen-ager with an AM radio on a ranch inSonoita, AZ. Although reading this outline is a poor substitute for hearing the great man's legendary, booming voice, [sample it HERE] one can still feel the heart of the great man even in these scant words. Enjoy, and remember...
"His Eye Is On The Sparrow, and I KNOW He watches me!"
-----------------------
"GOD'S CARE OF HIS PEOPLE"
by MAZE JACKSON
TEXT: Matthew 10:29-31:
"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."
I. HE TAKES CARE OF US BY LOOKING AFTER EACH
ONE INDIVIDUALLY
"One of them shall not fall on the ground without
your Father." The Sparrow is one of the least among
birds. A hair of the head is about as worthless and
useless a thing as you can think of. But though we be
insignificant as the sparrow and worthless as a hair of
the head, God looks after each one of us. He knows us by
name.
II. GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS PEOPLE BY HAVING TO
DO WITH EVERYTHING IN THEIR LIVES
He does not promise that the sparrow shall never fall,
but that it shall not take place without Him.
III. GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS PEOPLE BY MAKING
THEM PRIZE THE SOUL ABOVE THE BODY
"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not
able to kill the soul." God would take care of His
weakest children by urging them to prize the soul above
the body.
IV. GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS PEOPLE BY INDUCING
THEM TO CONFESS HIM BEFORE MEN
"Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before
men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in
heaven." The theme is God's care of His People, and
He would take care of them by urging every one of them to
confess Him before the world.
V. GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS PEOPLE BY LEADING
THEM TO BE TRUE TO HIM
Around this text about the sparrows are the words:
"I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come
to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother.''
VI. GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS PEOPLE BY INDUCING
THEM TO PROVE HIM AND HIS CROSS
"He that taketh not his cross, and followeth
after me, is n6t worthy of me.'' The cross of Jesus means
all of Calvary and if we would be safe, let us not shrink
from bearing with Him His reproach.
VII. GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS PEOPLE BY MAKING
ALL THEIR LOSSES SURE GAIN
"He that loseth his life for my sake shall find
it." A life of self-sacrifice for the sake of Christ
will make a large and better self, and a life of
self-seeking will result in a little impoverished self.
AMEN.
Maze Jackson [1922-1996]
And here-- by golly!-- is an archival recording of his radio show. It's just how I used to hear it-- right down to the good old AM static! :)
