changing the world one heart at a time
hanknclaire@gmail.com
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CD Release: Heart of the Matter
Liner Notes
1. Long Monday (John Prine & Keith Sykes): No matter what he sings, John Prine sounds as if he is grinning ear to ear. When we sing this song, we can’t help grinning ourselves.
2. Slow Time Kid (Chuck Pyle): How many years does it take to learn what we knew when we were just kids? Chuck Pyle, the self-styled Zen Cowboy from Boulder, writes a lot of songs that beg to be sung, like this one. We’re doing our bit to spread them around.
3. The Dutchman (Michael P. Smith): A poignant, universal story of loss and true love; it is an honor to sing this gem of a song.
4. Blue Water (Hank Payne): Claire thought
5. The Good Guys Wore White Hats (Bill Gallaher): Bill refers to this song as TGGWWH—as much a mouthful as the actual title. There’s a sweet surprise in the middle of it for anyone old enough. Laurie Riley adds harmony vocal to make it a trio.
6. The Old Trail (Steve Gillette & Charles John Quarto): Steve may be more well-known for his Darcy Farrow hit, but we enjoy the way The Old Trail moseys right along.
7. The Mountains and the Music (Hank Payne): West Virginia was Hank’s home state until his folks made the move north to provide a better life for the family. The music that felt like home to Hank was left behind, and he’s never forgotten it. Matt Sircely adds a little mountain-style mandolin.
8. Some Walls (Pamela Rose, Mary Ann Kennedy, & Randy Sharp): This is one of those songs that manages to sing a deep truth right into your heart while you’re picturing its beautiful images.
9. Rusty Old Red River (Tim Henderson): Healing is often associated with water, and we can’t help but feel how much the world needs both.
10. God Is God (Steve Earle): Steve wrote this for Joan Baez. She’s been performing it live on tour and included it on her CD, Day After Tomorrow. Singing it is as close as Claire will probably ever come to her teenage dream of being Joan Baez.
11. Shade Tree Mechanic (Hank Payne): A tale of the road, the kindness of strangers, and the magic of banjo-picking. Matt Sircely’s mandolin adds sparkle. Laurie Riley sings harmony vocal and sneaks in a little “tasty” banjo as well.
12. Double Yodel (Lou and Peter Berryman): The best cowboy comedy song we’ve come across—Lou and Peter have a way with words that leaves us speechless, or nearly so.
13. Home to Me (Is Anywhere You Are) (Tom Paxton): It’s fun to find a song for those of us who stumbled a bit on the path to true love and found a sure footing a little later in life. Thanks for giving us a theme song, Tom.
14. Step by Step (Chuck Pyle): Hand in hand, this old world’s a better ride. Yes, indeed
15. Waiting for Me (Hank Payne): No matter what life brings, there is comfort in realizing we belong. Like birds that flock together, we need each other and that’s a good thing. Laurie Riley joins her voice to make it a trio.
Sample tracks
Blue Water - Hank Payne 4:13
Double Yodel - Lou Berryman/Peter Berryman 2:28
The Good Guys Wore White Hats - Bill Gallaher 3:45
Hank Payne Lyrics
Blue Water
Blue Water run down to the edge of town (G-C-D-G)Blue Water run deep while we're fast asleep (G-D-G)
Carry us away to a distant shore (G-C-D-G)
Where the pleasure stays and the pain's no more (G-D-C-G)
A young woman got hurt and she left her home.
She cried all night when she was first alone
She lost her heart on a rainy day
And she gave her love to the ones who paid
Chorus
A man took to drinking, couldn't quit on his own
He lost his house and he lost his home
He lost the favors of the ones who cared
He could have come back but he never dared
Chorus
Some people get lucky and they find their way
They soon forget there's a price to pay
They wind up thinking they made it on their own
And they're afraid to leave for a world unknown
Some other people get lucky and they find their way
To a life that blooms like a summer day
They face the fears of a world unknown
And they come to find they are not alone
Chorus
Copyright 2007 Hank Payne
The Mountains and the Music
I was born in West Virginia and when I was a child (D-D-G-D)I heard the banjo ringin' and the fiddle playin' wild (D-D-A-D)
The mountains rolled like waves beneath an ocean full of trees (D-D-G-D)
And the music and the mountains carried far as you could see (D-D-A-D)
Why did you leave the mountains and the music behind (G-G-A-D)
I was just a lad but it still plays on my mind (D-D-A-G)
Dearest Mamma, Papa I don't mean to be unkind (G-G-A-D)
But why did you leave the mountains and the music behind (D-D-A-D, A-G-D)
My parents they both grew up in the hollers and the hills
Wanted better for their children than the coal mines and the mills
They moved to Northern cities where buildings block the skies
And the music on the radio was just a distant cry
Chorus
My sister she is older but she feels the same as me
Now she pieces quilts to keep alive the memory
Me, I play this old guitar to rest a weary mind
And dream about the mountains and the music left behind
Chorus
Copyright 2007 Hank Payne
Shade Tree Mechanic
Way out in Montana on a road with no nameMy car started knocking; I busted the mains.
I had a little change to spare and the friend of a friend
Knew a man who helped put us
He was a shade tree mechanic, a gentle old soul.
He talked of the mountains and panning for gold.
He worked on the railroad and in the deep silver mines,
Now he'll work on your car while he's passing the time.
His knuckles were battered and his nails were all torn.
He had an old banjo that was just as well worn.
He took it down in the evening when we happened to stay
And we all got a chance to hear the tunes that he played.
He played Red River Valley and tunes we all know.
The Cowboy's Lament, he played it real slow.
He played Soldier's Joy and some other fast reels
And he got us all to laughing and kicking our heels.
Amazing Grace was the very best song.
He saved it for last and we all sang along.
When he put down his banjo there was little to say
So we just gave our thanks and we called it a day.
In just a few days we were back
He filled up the tank to help lighten the load, and
When we hit fifty-five I swear you could hear
The frailing of a banjo in the whine of the wheels .
And it sounded like Red River Valley and tunes we all know.
It played the Cowboy's Lament when we were taking it slow.
When we picked up our speed it would play a fast reel
And it kept us all laughing and kicking our heels .
I went back years later to find that old man,
But his house was in shambles he moved off the land.
If he's been taken to heavens reward,
I'll bet he's playing his banjo in the choir of the Lord.
I'll bet he's playing Red River Valley and tunes they all know.
The Cowboy's Lament, I bet he's playing it slow.
He's playing Soldier's Joy and some other fast reels
And he's got them all laughing and kicking their heels.
Copyright 2007 Hank Payne
Waiting for Me
Birds of a feather fly together, springtime and fall.Birds of a feather fly together, springtime and fall.
Makes no difference with the wind and the weather when they're traveling far they fly together.
Birds of a feather fly together, springtime and fall.
Momma and Papa sitting on the front porch waiting for me.
Momma and Papa sitting on the front porch waiting for me.
Momma's in the swing, papa's in the rocking chair; it’s been a long time since I've been there,
Momma and Papa sitting on the front porch waiting for me.
Papa plays the fiddle, Momma sings a lullaby, waiting for me.
Papa plays the fiddle, Momma sings a lullaby, waiting for me.
Papa plays the fiddle, Momma sings a lullaby, makes a grown man want to break down and cry,
Papa plays the fiddle, Momma sings a lullaby, waiting for me.
Brothers and sisters sitting on the front lawn, waiting for me.
Brothers and sisters sitting on the front lawn, waiting for me.
Brothers and sisters sitting on the front lawn, it’s been a long time since I've been gone.
Brothers and sisters sitting on the front lawn, waiting for me.
Birds of a feather fly together, springtime and fall.
Birds of a feather fly together, springtime and fall.
Makes no difference with the wind and the weather when they're traveling far they fly together.
Birds of a feather fly together, springtime and fall.
Copyright 2007 Hank Payne
Portland FolkMusic Society Reviews
"Heart of the Matter"
(Local Lore vol 35, No. 2, March/April 2011)
Hank Payne and Claire Favro are a couple of fine singers and tasteful guitar finger-pickers who teamed up in 2009. At the end of 2010 they released a truly lovely CD they call “Heart of the Matter.” The album includes songs by John Prine (Long Monday), Chuck Pyle (Slow Time Kid and Step by Step), Michael P. Smith (The Dutchman – one of the best arrangements I’ve heard yet of this sweet depiction of long-lasting love).
Other songs are Bill Gallaher’s The Good Guys Wore White Hats (a trip back to a more innocent if not necessarily simpler time), Tom Paxton, Berryman & Berryman, and others, plus four of Hank’s well-crafted songs: Blue Water, The Mountains and the Music, Shade Tree Mechanic, and Waiting for Me.
The covered songs are well-presented, the harmonies and guitar work are perfectly balanced; but for me the greatest treat was hearing the songs from Hank’s own pen! He’s not a well-known songwriter, but he deserves to be heard and heard widely.
His rich baritone voice blends beautifully with Claire’s high alto/low soprano range. Laurie Riley guests with banjo and vocal harmony on a couple of tracks and Matt Sircely sits in on mandolin on another pair of songs.
I love this album, and I am already eager to hear them record again – preferably with even more of Hank’s songs. If you enjoy sweet harmonies, a bit of sentiment, some fun, some nostalgia, and a big dose of heart, you’ll enjoy “Heart of the Matter.” Order via www.hanknclaire.com OR email hanknclaire@gmail.com ($15 plus shipping) OR get it directly from the performers who should be at Singtime Frolics! -Meryle
