On the Record, Sept. 10
By Susan Pugh on Sep. 10, 2008
By Bradford Brady and John Maron
Q: I have heard that there is a compilation album of previously unreleased songs by the great folk singer, Woody Guthrie. Who performs the songs?
A: We believe you are referring to the collaboration between the English punk-folk singer songwriter, Billy Bragg, and the American alternative country band, Wilco, which resulted in two albums of “new” Woody Guthrie songs. In the liner notes Bragg wrote accompanying the first release, “Mermaid Avenue,” he states that Guthrie’s daughter, Nora, approached him in 1995 and told him that her father had continued to write songs between the late ’40s, when he was forced into retirement and subsequent hospitalization due to the onset of Huntington’s disease, and his death in 1967. Nora’s idea was to give life to her father’s lyrics by enlisting the aid of modern-day kindred spirits in an effort that would result in a collaboration with her father rather than a tribute. Bragg was an obvious choice to work on this project since his own writings and career echoed the socially conscious folk tradition that Guthrie popularized and represented. Nora gave Bragg unfettered access to more than 1,000 of her father’s unrecorded lyrics, most of which had no musical notations whatsoever. Both Bragg and Jeff Tweedy, leader of Wilco, set about the task of writing music to accompany the lyrics. Although the album was generally well-received by critics, many have hinted that Bragg’s contributions perhaps matched Guthrie’s spirit and personality more closely than Tweedy’s. A second album, “Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II,” was released in 2000. The titles of both albums refer to the street in Coney Island, Brooklyn, where Guthrie lived with his family following World War II.
Q: In the Led Zeppelin song “Ramble On,” what is the line after “I met a girl so fair?” I keep trying to figure it out. By doing a few Internet searches, I found many sites that say it is “But gollum and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her.” What does this mean?
A: There are many reasons why Led Zeppelin was the No. 1 selling artist of the ’70s, with more than 100 million albums sold. Some fans liked the way they blended rock with the blues, while others liked Jimmy Page’s guitar solos. For some, it was the mythical imagery of some of the song lyrics. The mysterious lyrics in “Ramble On” will suddenly make sense when you realize that Robert Plant was a fan a J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Originally written between 1937 and 1949, the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy became very popular during the late ’60s and early ’70s. As a fan of the works, Plant reportedly used references from the books in many Led Zeppelin songs. In “The Battle of Evermore,” one of the lines mentions “Ringwraiths,” which are characters in the books. In “Ramble On,” Gollum refers to a central character in the books. Another reference can be found in the line immediately preceding the one you quote. “’Twas in the darkest depths of mordor” refers to the home of Sauron, the central villain in the books. Gollum’s home, the Misty Mountains, is also thought to have influenced Plant when he wrote another Zeppelin classic, “Misty Mountain Hop.” It is the use of these allegorical words and phrases that continue to make dissecting Led Zeppelin lyrics a popular pastime for many fans.
What’s the name of that song? Where are they now? What does that lyric mean? Send questions to or visit http://www.musicontherecord.com. Brady and Maron are freelance music writers based in Raleigh, N.C.
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