What's in your songbook?

[Cosmic Wonder]

I know there are all kinds of players on this forum. Some, like me, are hobbists. Some, like Larry Pattis and Russel Letson, are pros. Some are in the middle like Bill and Sandy. (hope no one takes offense to these generalizations )

Anyway, over the last six years since I first picked up the guitar and started to try to make music, I have picked up songs fom here and there. Some I bought, some were given to me, some are from tab sites. I put the ones I like and want to keep in a three ring binder, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one out there with something like this.

Anyway, this is a peek at my binder. (it' sorta alphabetized, but not really)

The first page has three loose sheets.

Can't find My way home_ Blind Faith
Do You believe in Magic- Lovin Spoonful
Fishin' Blues- Trad- Taj Mahal

then we have the properly attached stuff:
Out Of Time- The Rolling Stones
In The Wee Small hours of the Morning- think I printed that off something millring posted somewhere
Georgia On My mind- Got that one from Froon
Cinnamon Girl- Gota have some Neil in case I ever get to play for Bill
Across the Great Divide- Kate Wolf
After the Gold Rush- Neil
All I have to do is Dream- Roy Orbisson
Allison -Elvis Costello
Amy- Pure Praire League
Baby Let me Follow You Down-Dylan
Buckets Of Rain-Dylan
City Of New Orleans Steve Goodman
Go to Sleep little Babe- From Down from the Mountain, Emmylou, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch. Trad I guess, I do hte whole thing in Bb
Don't think twice-Dylan
Down to the River to Pray Alison Krauss
Dreadful Wind and Rain Trad- Garcia and Grisman
El Condor Pasa Trad- Simon and Garfunkel
Forever Young-Dylan
For What It's Worth- Buffalo Springfield
Freight Train- Elizabeth Cotton
Girl Form the North Country-Dylan
Hey Good lookin' -Hank Williams
Home Grown Tomatoes -Guy Clark
Hotel California -Eagles
I am a Pilgrim- Trad? The Byrds
If I were a Carpenter-Tim Hardin
I know Your Rider- Trad- the Dead
Julia- The beatles
Kind Woman-Richie Furay- Buffalo Springfield and Poco
Louis Collins-Mississippi John Hurt
Love in Vain-Robert Johnson and the Stones
Maggies Farm-Dylan
Me and Bobbie McGee- Kristoferson
Mother Nature's Son- Beatles
No Expectations- The Stones
Oil In MY Lamp- trad- the Byrds
Old Man- Neil
One Hundred Years-Gram Parsons- The Byrds
Pancho and Lefty- Townes Van Zandt
Puff, The Magic Dragon- PPand M
River Waltz- Kate Power
Hey Good lookin'- Hank W
Rosa Lee Mcfall- Charlie Monroe- via Garcia and Grisman
She belongs to me- Dylan
Sitting here In Limbo- Jimmie Cliff
Stewball- PPnad M
The Angels want to wear my red shoes- Elvis Costello
The Circle Game- Joanie Mitchell
The Weight- the band via millring
Factory Girl -The Stones
Watching the Detectives- Elvis Costello
West Virginia My home-Hazel Dickens
What a Wonderful World-Louis? I don't know who wrote this
You ain't goin' nowhere-Dylan and the Byrds
You're still on my Mind- The Byrds
Yvette in English- David Crosby

Well that's it. And now my daughter needs the computer for her homework.

Mike

[Deleted]

We're supposed to have song books?

A lot of traditional hymns, Cash, Classic Rock and such.

[iamjohnne]

I don't play out, so I don't have a 'gigbook'. I do have a notebook of songs I like to play. Mostly stuff by:

Fred Neil
Joni Mitchell
Judy Collins
Tom Rush
PP&M
Simon and Garfunkle
Lightfoot
Dylan

and I am getting some newer stuff, some blues, and even some stuff I have written.

[aquaduct]

I think I've got 5 or 6 serious fakebooks. Don't know how many tunes that makes.

And when I play out, I'm usually working from whatever book the leader has.

[Russell Letson]

Pattis is a pro. Bill Hammond is a pro (if part-time). I am a guy who gets a sandwich and a beer for not scaring off sober customers and small children. And I can play ten of the tunes on Cosmic's list. I think that places me pretty accurately.

I do keep a tunebook--because otherwise I can't remember what tunes I know.

[Doug]

You asked for it.
BTW Cosmic Fishin' Blues isn't Trad. it's Henry Thomas 1919 and he's still giggin'

There are about a doz more in the book that haven't been added to the TOC. Here is the TOC of my gig book.
Songs in the gig book I can do looking at the book for Qs or if I know I want them in a set and have a weeks warning. There are some in there that I don't like to do and don't unless I get pushed against the wall.

I try to add one a week.

Ain't Misbehavin
Amanda
Amazing Grace
Angel From Montgomery
Baby Let Me Lay It On You
Baby Ran Off With Her Vibrator
Bad Bad Leroy Brown
Bad Moon Rising
Ball of Inverness
Battle of New Orleans
Beulah Land
Big Bruce
Big Leg Blues
Big Wheel
Billy
Black Dog Blues
Blow Up Your TV
Blowing in the Wind
Blue (Old Blue)
Blue Eyes Cryin in the Rain
Bony Fingers
Camptown Races
Cape (The)
Charlie Brown
Chili In The Wind
Cigarette Blues
City Of New Orleans
Cocaine
Colours
Corrina, Corrina
Country Roads
Cover Of The Rolling Stone
Davy Crockett
Dead Flowers
Dear Abby
Deep River Blues
Della and the Dealer
Don’t Think Twice
Down on the Corner
Down To Seeds And Stems Again
Draft Dodger Rag
Eastbound
Election Year Blues
Everglades
Fever
Fishin Blues
Flag Decal
Folsum Prison Blues
For Loving Me
Four for 04
Fox On The Run
Freight Train
Friend Of The Devil – C?
Funky Butt
Get My Rocks Off
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad
Good Time Charlie
Goodnight Irene
Gypsy Davey
Gypsy Rover
Hell of A Drunk
Help Me Make It Through The Night
Henry
Hesitation Blues
Hey Good Lookin
Honkytonk Woman
Hot Sticky and Blue
House of the Rising Sun
I Ain't Givin' Nobody None
I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound
I Can’t Help It If I’m Still In Love With You
I Fought the Law and the Law Won
I Got Mine
I Know You Rider
I Saw the Light
I Shot The Sheriff
I Walk the Line
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
I’m so Lonesome I Could Cry
I'd Rather Be Sorry
Illegal Smile
It Ain't the Meat
Jambalaya
Josie
Katie Marie
Keep On Truckin
King of the Road
Kiss The World Good Bye
Knockin’ On Heavens Door
Last Thing On My Mind
Lay Lady Lay
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me
Lighting Bar Blues
Little Red Riding Hood
Livin' on Vampire Time
Lodi
London Homesick Blues
Lonesome LA Cowboy
Long Haired Country Boy
Looking For The Music
Love is a Rose
Lovesick Blues
Make Me A Pallet On The Floor
Mama Don't Allow
Mama Tried
Marie Laveau
Marvelous Toy (The)
Maybellene
Me And Bobby McGee
Medley of Melody / Wildwood Flower/ R. James
Midnight Special
Might Quinn (The)
Mind Your Own Business
Mountain Dew
Move It On Over
Mr. Bojangles
My Creole Belle
My Ding a Ling
My Ramblin Boy
Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Nobody's Business
Norwegian Wood
Not the Creeper Blues
Oh Lonesome Me
OH Susanna
Okie From Muskogee
Older Women
One Less Set of Footsteps
One Toke Over the Line
Operator
Pancho and Lefty
Paradise
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Pearl Snaps
Pencil Thin Mustache
Pilgrim Chapter 33
Puff the Magic Dragon
Put Another Log On The Fire
Queen Of The Silver Dollar
Rag Mama Rag
Railroad Lady
Rainbow Stew
Rawhide
Ready Or Not
Red Headed Woman
Redneck Mother
Rich Young Dumb Nympho
Richland Woman Blues
Roller Derby Queen
Rooster
Saginaw Michigan
Same Old Blues
Sangria Wine
Scotch And Soda
Season of the Witch
Set'um Up Joe
Shady Grove
She Belongs To Me
Silver Threads & Golden Needles
Singing The Blues
Sitting On Top of The World
Sixteen Tons
Sloop John B
Smart Woman (in a real short skirt)
Some Days are Diamonds
Stormy Monday
Sugar Babe
Summertime
Sunday Morning Coming Down
Sundown
Take It Easy
Talkin’ Vietnam Potluck Blues
Tangled Up In Blue
Tennessee Stud
That's What Food Eats
The One On the Left is on the Right
They Call The Wind Mariah
They Don't Dance Like Carmen No More
They’re Red Hot
This Hotel Room
This Land Is Your Land
Tijuana Jail
Tobacco Road
Today
Tom Paine Rag
Tomorrow Is a Long Time
Two More Bottles Of Wine
Up on the Roof
Up the Lazy River
Walk On By
Waltzing Matilda
We’ll Sing In The Sunshine
Weight (The)
What Did You Learn In School Today
What's That Taste Like Gravy
When The Saints Go Marching In
Why Don’t We Get Drunk And Screw
Wild About My Loving
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Willin’
Worried Man
Year That Claton Delaney Died
Yesterdays Wine
You Ain’t Gong Nowhere
You Ain't Coming Home With Me
You Are My Sunshine
You Got To Walk That Lonesome Valley
You’re The Reason God Made Ok
Your Biscuits are Big Enough For Me
Zip-a-dee Doo-dah

[paulschlimm]

Mostly stuff I'm not talented enough to play yet?

Paul

[secondroy]

When I first got married in 1957 my wife and I started a song book for me to use at sing along and parties. Back then they had to be typed out and the chord score written above by hand.

At first it was mainly Kingston Trio stuff along with Willie, Hank Sr. and a few others of that genre. Over the years I have added to it to the extent that the one book is now two big books. The copy machine when it came along made out job much easier. The computer was a dream come true. We no longer have to type in every song and chord it.

The first songs we put in the book are still there though yellow and aged as they were put in over fifty years ago. My memory is that the, "M.T.A.", was the first song we put in the book. I don't know how many songs are in there now.

[billhammond]

secondroy said:

My memory is that the, "M.T.A.", was the first song we put in the book. I don't know how many songs are in there now.

Still a great song, Roy! And he never returned!

[mccoyblues]

I don't have a songbook. I don't even use set lists most of the time. It's the blues.

But since you asked and since we just finalized this, here is our set list for Saturday night when we open for The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Please don't ask who wrote or originally recorded these tunes. I don't even know if I've ever heard the original versions of many of these tunes.

1 Treat Your Daddy Right
2 No More Doggin
3 Doin' the Best I Can - original
4 Jump Little Baby - original
5 Wipe it Off - original
6 Go On If Your Goin'
7 Sittin' On Top of The World
8 Finger Lickn'
9 Bottoms Up Boogie - original
10 Read About My Baby
11 Jussi's Blues - original
12 Hi Healed Sneakers
13 Mean Old World
14 The Jump'n Jukes Jump - original
15 Tore up Over You
16 She's Dynamite
17 Don't Keep Me Waitn' - original
18 Rock Me

[Deleted]

I wish I could sing other peoples' songs

[Deleted]

Doug - you and I do a LOT of the same songs. I've got two big binders full of music, plus a couple more full of hymns and contemporary Christian music. Way too many to list.

Tom

[Doug]

Tom,
Come on down and we'll fit you in as a trio.

doug

[majorminor]

Mike - I'll trade you some bear meat for a copy of Georgia

[Deleted]

When I sing out I do primarily 70's folk tunes, from Lightfoot to James Taylor and everything in between. Instruments are pretty much jazz standards.

[Cosmic Wonder]

majorminor said:

Mike - I'll trade you some bear meat for a copy of Georgia

Majorminor, as it was freely given to me, I feel it should be freely passed on to you. Shoot me your snail mail addy, and I will send you a copy by authorized US Government personel.

[e-mail]



Doug, you list is killer.

So is yours, McCoy, i'd like to hear your band sometime.
Mike
PS No bear meat is required.

[Cornflake]

Kinda like Dave said...people who do originals have to beg off here. But the covers in my three-ring notebook include Angel From Montgomery, To Live Is To Fly, If I Needed You, Scarlet Tide, Cry Me a River, East of the Sun, London Homesick Blues, Pioneer Cemetery (by one Village Idiot), Dirty Old Town, Dolores Waltz, a half-dozen by Turlough O'Carolan, Half a Man, Cornhusker Refugee and Pancho and Lefty. Two of which I detest (not VI's) but our band is a democracy.

[Village Idiot]

I guess I'd break my songbook down into three sections: The songs I've written, the songs played at nursing homes, and the songs I've learned so I can play something neighbors, friends and relatives had actually heard of before. Unfortunately, the songs I think people have heard of before are songs most people have never heard of.

[millring]

No songbook, but I'm enjoying reading others.

[Deleted]

Hey Doug - "Baby ran off with her vibrator"? You win for best song title.