A favorite and very strange Brecht/Weill song. We've never heard a version recorded by an Alabama artist, so we thought we should give it our own Alabama flavor. We also have a band tradition of sipping whiskey that has been sitting in a window sill, so whiskey is like our collective spirit, and this song has a humorous way of satirically celebrating earthly pleasures.
It was written by Brecht to satirize the absurd effects of capitalism, in which everything and everyone can be bought and sold….the lyrics point to Marx’s exchange principle in which everything is reduced to a simple monetary value….the words in the verses are exactly the same with only the subject changing from whiskey bar, to pretty boy, etc. …..there’s another verse we didn’t record that says “show us the way to the next little dollar”. It’s a never ending cycle of consumption, whether it be alcohol, sex, gambling or whatever….the classic Las Vegas vices!
Featuring Lauren on the Wurlitzer organ! Gary Wheat on clarinet! Joel on banjo! Jasper on marching bass drum and cymbals! Laura as a drunk bird!
lyrics
Oh, show us the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For we must find
The next whisky bar
For if we don't find
The next whisky bar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why
Oh, show us the way
To the next pretty boy
Oh, don't ask why
Oh, don't ask why
For we must find
The next pretty boy
For if we don't find
The next pretty boy
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
Oh, moon of Alabama
We now must say goodbye
We've lost our good old mama
And must have whisky, oh, you know why
credits
from Wooden Shoe,
released December 15, 2022
Original composed by Brecht + Weill
they picked the cotton that saved the world. that picked cotton propelled u.s. economy; a unique capitalist setup. (though anglo saxon colonizers are not unique.) so many pop stars and hip hop billboard mainstays trumpet u.s. capitalism ad nauseam; or escapism & distraction.
"Don't Die," also powerful.
"i don't believe they lies. don't believe their truth, need they heads for proof" -- that's direct and powerful.
the violinist Saydah Ruz stands out here, i think. Jeremy Leaming
Another riveting winner from the Australian label Altered States, the latest from Troth floats aching vocals over ambient synth beds. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 19, 2020