Song Saturday Challenge: Cal Smith – Country Bumpkin

Normally, when I post music, it is upbeat and cheerful. This one is sort of sad. However, there are a couple of points to this selection. First, I’m eclectic. I like all sorts of music; rhythm and blues, jazz, folk, spiritual, pop, rock, country, western, and even some classical. I don’t focus on just one kind of music. Also, in keeping with my series on learning to sing better, this is an excellent example of the use of what I call a country twang. Notice that his vowels are purposely sung with a strong country accent. For instance, in the second line, he doesn’t sing “cool”, he sings “cewel”. This is a hard style to master, but in ways, it is easier to sing than other styles.

I also offer this song because I readily admit that I am a country bumpkin. I’m not at all ashamed of that fact. This is one of the songs I used to sing, though, at the time, I couldn’t hit Cal’s deeper notes. I can now do the low notes with ease as they fall in my modal voice. This song came out the year I graduated High School.

Here are the words:

He walked into the bar and parked his lanky frame upon a tall barstoolAnd with a long soft southern drawl, he said “I just have a glass of anything that’s cool”

A barroom girl with hard and knowing eyes slowly looked him up and downAnd she thought I wonder how on earth that country bumpkin found his way to town

She said, “Hello, country bumpkin, how’s the frost put on the pumpkin?””I’ve seen some sights, but man you’re something”

“Where’d you come from country bumpkin?”It was just a short year later in a bed of joy-filled tears yet death locked painAnd to this wondrous world many wonders, one more wonder came

That same woman’s face was wrapped up in a raptured look of love and tendernessAs she marveled at the soft and warm and cuddly boy child feeding at her breast

And she said “Hello country bumpkin. Fresh as frost out on the pumpkin.”I’ve seen some sights but babe your something

Momma loves her country bumpkinForty years of hard work later in a simple quiet and peaceful country placeThe heavy hand of time had not erased the raptured wonder from the woman’s face

She was lying on her deathbed knowing fully well, her race was nearly runBut she softly smiled and looked into the sad eyes of her husband and her son

She said “So long country bumpkin, the frost is gone now from the pumpkinI’ve seen some sights and life’s been something

See ya later country bumpkinShe said “So long country bumpkin, the frost is gone now from the pumpkinI’ve seen the sights and life’s been something