The Devil`s Punchbowl

English folk tales are full of deception, murder ( often grisly)and the supernatural...with pub time thrown in. This story has those things,( mostly true - there was a murder of a sailor at the Devil`s Punchbowl in Hindhead England in 1786), plus the otherwordly guitar of ScottC.

Style is _MERRILY.STY (Merrily Acoustic Accordion Pop)

RealTracks in style: ~683:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 1850:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopShiningGrittyMuted Ev 120
RealTracks in style: ~405:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 120
RealTracks in song: 618:Fiddle, Background Allis Ev120
RealDrums in Song: PopAmericanEv^1-a:SS 1/2 BB, b:Snare Half BB




The Devil`s Punchbowl

Sam Wellers walked out from Portsmouth
with a seamans purse a terrible thirst
and the last words of his father
of all fools you`re the first

that very same day in daisies gay
three sailors make a pact where they sit
to seize the throat of fortune
looking over an ancient pit

cunning greed and malice they throw
in the devil`s the devil`s punchbowl

at the Rose and Crown with eyes cast down
these three watch Sam walk in
hail well met take your rest
with fellow sailors share a drink

I`ll have just one for ere the sun
sinks below the fateful rim
I journey past dark waters
they say hide all manner of sin

and blood enough to drown your soul
in the devil`s the devil`s punchbowl

hark the screech owl cry says one
the second swears the legend`s true
the third slips laudanum in Sam`s rum
and the devil delights in the brew

such a generous lad to pay the tab
Sam staggers to Hindhead Tor
where the blows of these three sailors
cover the grass with gore

no fitter liquor no blacker hole
than the devil`s the devils punchbowl

desperate fun at the Rising Sun
a seaman`s suit offered for bid
accusing from the water
Sam`s body will not stay hid

three corpses sway irons creak
on Gibbett`s cloud capped hill
wearing sailor`s clothing
the devil laughs drinks his fill

come rogues come fools pay your toll
in the devil`s the devil`s punchbowl
the devil`s the devil`s punchbowl


© Robert Cordrey June 2018

Love the groove you have happening with this one, Robert, nice changes too.

Very nice vocals!! Right up there with your best. And clever, interesting lyrics as usual.

I really like that melodic line Scott came up with, nice hook. It’s still playing in my head as I type this

Production wise everything sounds great, and love the slowdown at the end, very effective!

I’m a fan of the material you two produce, always a good listen. Keep them coming!

Great Groove, right in the pocket!

Very strong vocals, excellent lyrics, and backing track. Scott plays an awesome lead plus his tone is perfect for this song. Super ending.

This is really excellent!

LIKE!

Had so much fun playing along with the backtrack on this song. And such a creative lyric. Who would not want to be a hang out with such a motley crew

Hey Scott,
If you and Robert are putting a band together you will need to come up with another name, pretty sure "motley crew" is taken

Thats funny. I must clarify I was referring to the characters in the lyrics not Robert or I lol. My "Motley" days are long past :-). A few good memories still linger however ….

"hark the screech owl cry says one
the second swears the legend`s true
the third slips laudanum in Sam`s rum
and the devil delights in the brew"

Wow!!!


Great collab you two. Scott certainly knows how to support a lyric, melody and vocalist like the way his sound for the tune was established from the get go.

We love the write. The oldest songs in Bluegrass were derived from English folk ballads and with our bands we performed our share of murder songs. So the genre doesn't startle us!

Your vocal nails the feel...just the right amount of edginess.

One of your top productions and writes.

The whole package shines!

J&B

Enjoyed this musical journey, it all fits really well lyrically and vocals, and I love the guitar work.

Nice one.

Dave,
I appreciate that- it was fun to create the folky backing for
this ... then rock it up a bit! Scott got the idea very quickly
and his lines really glue all the verses together.

Robert



Thanks Mario!
First time I`ve tried a slowed down ending so I`m glad it worked ok.

Robert

Robert & Scott,

What a fantastic song! The lyric (a classic, in my opinion) is haunting and entertaining. Robert's vocal is as perfect as could be for such a song. The backing tracks, particularly the percussion, steers this song from beginning to end - and makes all the right turns. And Scott's guitar work is fabulous, as always.

It doesn't get much better than this, regardless of genre. Take a bow, gentlemen!

Alan

Robert Scott Band

Amazing work! Brilliant set of lyrics and some wonderful guitar & vocals.
A stellar production.

Peter

Robert,

This is a truly excellent write (one of your best, for sure).

"accusing from the water
Sam`s body will not stay hid"

Just one example (of so many) of well worded descriptions...

The 4 lines matched to
"in the devil`s the devil`s punchbowl"

...
"cunning greed and malice they throw"
...
"and blood enough to drown your soul"
...
"no fitter liquor no blacker hole"
...
"come rogues come fools pay your toll"

...show true songwriting skill. Impressive that each of those lines are as strong as the next.

And it never lets up. A story WELL TOLD start to finish!

A good band to carry it, too... And a good mix.


Scott,

Your guitar work works perfectly. Supportive, never "in the way" or vying for attention - right in the slot. Nice!


This is superb.

fj

Thanks!



J&B,

I sent Scott, Fairport`s "Tam Lin", one of my favourite folk rock
interpretations of a traditional song for reference; he got the hang of the sound and added his own style.
Gong to have to check out some old Bluegrass murder songs!
Thanks for all your positive comments.

Robert





I appreciate that - thanks for listening and commenting.

YES!! Excellent!! Very dark and very gripping.....Vocals and groove are mesmerizing as is Scott's guitar work. Great job!! Take care. Greg

Okay, but I absolutely loved the title of this song! It really captured my attention. The song did not disappoint.

Yep - classic murder ballad, with a driving beat. Cool.

Thanks everyone for the comments on the guitar work on this song. Roberts creative lyric and backtrack made it so much fun to work on...

Hello, Robert and Scott

What a fantastic song!
The intro guitar is very impressive. Scott's guitar is wonderful throughout the song.
The rhythm of this tune reminds me of the old song "Apache".
I agree with Alan.
Robert's vocal is as perfect as could be for such a song.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

What a jam, Robert! There are some terrific lyrics on this tune, and your vocal performance really adds to the haunting subject matter somehow. Those harmonies on the chorus sealed the deal for me. It is wonderfully unique, and really a standout for me.

Great work, and thanks for sharing

Alan,
Thank you! I settled on that drum track (I`ve used it before on folk rock) after trying to get a bodhran track to work.
I`m glad you like the lyrics - I went to the location in S. England in early teens and had a creepy experience alone in the woods there, so never forgot about the place.

Robert



Well we are getting to the point we should think about a name!
Thank you for the listen and likes.

Robert

Floyd,

The electric band style seems to have gone out of favour, but for a while it did revive interest in traditional folk music in the UK. To my ears Scott brings some cool western influence to this.
I appreciate those comments on the lyrics- trying to write something that gives me goosebumps, its always a boost when the words resonate with others.

Robert

Hi Robertkc, Great work on this! I really enjoyed the overall progression, fun lyrics too! Very imaginative and brilliant layering of instruments. Fantastic piece!

I enjoyed this very much, made me feel like a time traveler.

Great groove generated with the drums and electric guitars. I can't quite follow the lyrics, but the vocals fit nicely and overall feel reminds of Nick Cave.

JAnne

Greg,

I`m happy the story held your interest- thanks for the positive comments.

Robert



Ember,
There are a few landscape features in different countries with the song title`s name - no doubt all have some dark tale attached.
Thanks for your listen.

Robert




Thanks David!





Shigeki,

I`m glad someone mentioned Scott`s intro - I think its one of his best (and ,yes, his guitar does bring some cowboy feel to the song).
I appreciate your kind comments.

Robert

Thank you, Deryk!

Joe,
I tried to add a little dark humour to the story- glad you liked it.

Robert



Marty,
Thank you for getting into the olde time feeling!

Robert



There are a few twists in the tale that might be lost in translation - I appreciate you listening and commenting.

Robert