My name it is Jack Hall, chimney sweep, chimney sweep,
My name it is Jack Hall, chimney sweep,
My name it is Jack Hall,
And I rob both great and small,
But my life must pay for all,
When I die, when I die.
But my life must pay for all,
When I die.
I've furnished all my room, that's no joke, that's no joke.
I've furnished all my room, that's no joke.
I've furnished all my room,
Both with shovels and birch brooms
Besides a chimney pot that I stole,
That I stole, that I stole,
Besides a chimney pot that I stole.
I sold candles in the Jail short of weight, short of weight,
I sold candles in the Jail short of weight.
But the candles that I sold,
They would light me to the hold,
They would light me to the hold,
Where I lay, where I lay,
They would light me to the hold
Where I lay.
They told me in the Jail, I should die, I should die
They told me in the Jail I should die,
Oh! they told me in the Jail
I should drink no more brown ale,
But the ale will never fail
More shall I, more shall I,
But the ale will never fail,
More shall I.
As we goes up Holborn Hill in a cart, in a cart,
As we goes up Holborn hill in a cart;
As we goes up Holborn Hill,
At St. Giles we did fill,
Then for old Tyburn
We depart, we depart,
Then for old Tyburn,
We depart.
The ladder and the rope went up and down, up and down.
The ladder and the rope went up and down,
Oh! the ladder and the rope,
My collar bone they broke.
And a devil a word I spoke come down,
Coming down, coming down,
And a devil a word I spoke
Coming down.
My name it is Jack Hall, chimney sweep,
My name it is Jack Hall,
And I rob both great and small,
But my life must pay for all,
When I die, when I die.
But my life must pay for all,
When I die.
I've furnished all my room, that's no joke, that's no joke.
I've furnished all my room, that's no joke.
I've furnished all my room,
Both with shovels and birch brooms
Besides a chimney pot that I stole,
That I stole, that I stole,
Besides a chimney pot that I stole.
I sold candles in the Jail short of weight, short of weight,
I sold candles in the Jail short of weight.
But the candles that I sold,
They would light me to the hold,
They would light me to the hold,
Where I lay, where I lay,
They would light me to the hold
Where I lay.
They told me in the Jail, I should die, I should die
They told me in the Jail I should die,
Oh! they told me in the Jail
I should drink no more brown ale,
But the ale will never fail
More shall I, more shall I,
But the ale will never fail,
More shall I.
As we goes up Holborn Hill in a cart, in a cart,
As we goes up Holborn hill in a cart;
As we goes up Holborn Hill,
At St. Giles we did fill,
Then for old Tyburn
We depart, we depart,
Then for old Tyburn,
We depart.
The ladder and the rope went up and down, up and down.
The ladder and the rope went up and down,
Oh! the ladder and the rope,
My collar bone they broke.
And a devil a word I spoke come down,
Coming down, coming down,
And a devil a word I spoke
Coming down.
Contributed by Dead End - 2012/9/24 - 09:36
Language: English
La versione di Johnny Cash, da “Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West” del 1965, poi ripresa anche in “American IV: The Man Comes Around” del 2002, ultimo album del grandissimo “Man in Black” prima della sua morte:
(traduzione italiana di Alessandro Portelli, da “Note Americane. Musica e culture negli Stati Uniti”, Shake/Acoma edizioni, 2011)
“… Mi chiamo Sam Hall
E vi odio dal primo all’ultimo
Siete tutti un mucchio di imbecilli
Vi pigliasse un colpo.
Ecco che salgo su con la corda
Mentre voi animali lì sotto mi dite:
“Sam, te l’avevo detto!”
Vi pigliasse un colpo…”
E vi odio dal primo all’ultimo
Siete tutti un mucchio di imbecilli
Vi pigliasse un colpo.
Ecco che salgo su con la corda
Mentre voi animali lì sotto mi dite:
“Sam, te l’avevo detto!”
Vi pigliasse un colpo…”
(traduzione italiana di Alessandro Portelli, da “Note Americane. Musica e culture negli Stati Uniti”, Shake/Acoma edizioni, 2011)
SAM HALL
Well, my name it is Sam Hall, Sam Hall.
Yes, my name it is Sam Hall; it is Sam Hall.
My name it is Sam Hall an' I hate you, one and all.
An' I hate you, one and all:
Damn your eyes.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.
I killed a man, they said an' I smashed in his head.
An' I left him layin' dead,
Damn his eyes.
But a-swingin', I must go, I must go.
A-swingin', I must go, I must go.
A-swingin', I must go while you critters down below,
Yell up: "Sam, I told you so."
Well, damn your eyes!
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
I saw Molly in the crowd an' I hollered, right out loud:
"Hey there Molly, ain't you proud?
"Damn your eyes."
Then the Sherriff, he came to, he came to.
Ah, yeah, the Sherriff, he came to, he came to.
The Sherriff, he come to an he said: "Sam, how are you?"
An I said: "Well, Sherriff, how are you,
"Damn your eyes."
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
My name is Samuel, an' I'll see you all in hell.
An' I'll see you all in hell,
Damn your eyes.
Well, my name it is Sam Hall, Sam Hall.
Yes, my name it is Sam Hall; it is Sam Hall.
My name it is Sam Hall an' I hate you, one and all.
An' I hate you, one and all:
Damn your eyes.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.
I killed a man, they said, so they said.
I killed a man, they said an' I smashed in his head.
An' I left him layin' dead,
Damn his eyes.
But a-swingin', I must go, I must go.
A-swingin', I must go, I must go.
A-swingin', I must go while you critters down below,
Yell up: "Sam, I told you so."
Well, damn your eyes!
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
I saw Molly in the crowd, in the crowd.
I saw Molly in the crowd an' I hollered, right out loud:
"Hey there Molly, ain't you proud?
"Damn your eyes."
Then the Sherriff, he came to, he came to.
Ah, yeah, the Sherriff, he came to, he came to.
The Sherriff, he come to an he said: "Sam, how are you?"
An I said: "Well, Sherriff, how are you,
"Damn your eyes."
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
My name is Samuel, Samuel.
My name is Samuel, an' I'll see you all in hell.
An' I'll see you all in hell,
Damn your eyes.
Contributed by Dead End - 2012/9/24 - 09:37
A margine di questa versione, mi permetto una richiesta: caro Riccardo, la faresti una paginetta - come Extra, s'intende - su "Somliga går med trasiga skor" del buon Vreeswijk?
Mi è piaciuta tanto, mi pare sia un po' il suo testamento artistico-spirituale e forse ci azzecca pure qualcosetta con le CCG...
Grazie!
Saluti
Mi è piaciuta tanto, mi pare sia un po' il suo testamento artistico-spirituale e forse ci azzecca pure qualcosetta con le CCG...
Grazie!
Saluti
B.B. - 2017/11/18 - 14:38
Caro BB, mi accingo a scorporare da questa pagina la "cover" di Cornelis Vreeswijk, e a farci una pagina apposita. Come avrai sicuramente visto, uno dei procedimenti tipici di Cornelis era quello di utilizzare i motivi di canzoni per scriverci sopra testi assolutamente differenti; e questo è uno di quei casi. Non si tratta quindi di una "versione svedese di Sam Hall", ma di una canzone autonoma, sempre ovviamente da inserire nel sito.
Riccardo Venturi - 2017/11/21 - 19:30
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Un’antica ballata inglese che racconta una storia di miseria, di sfruttamento, di ribellione e di morte, quella di Jack Hall, nato a Londra alla fine del 600 in una famiglia miserrima. Da questa fu venduto a soli 7 anni, per una ghinea, ad uno spazzacamino che ne fece il suo schiavo, il suo “climbing boy”. Imparato alla svelta ad arrampicarsi ovunque con destrezza, il giovanissimo Jack Hall salutò il suo padrone e, mettendo a frutto quanto aveva imparato, si diede al furto negli appartamenti. Fu per questo arrestato e condannato a morte, ma poi graziato e rilasciato. Arrestato nuovamente per furto, non gli diedero un’altra possibilità: fu impiccato a Tyburn (il luogo dove nel 18° si tenevano le esecuzioni dei prigionieri londinesi), nel 1707.
Negli anni 40 dell’800 un cantante di music hall, tal W. G. Ross, cambiò il titolo della canzone in “Sam Hall”.
Come per tutte le canzoni di antichi natali, per giunta trasportate dai migranti dalla Vecchia Europa nel Nuovo Mondo, anche di questa esistono innumerevoli versioni ( e molti anche gli appellativi indirizzati dal recidivo ed irredento Jack/Sam Hall a quanti assistono alla sua esecuzione: “muckers”, “fuckers”, “buggers”, “muggers”, “bastards”…) .
La versione più famosa è forse quella country di Tex Ritter portata al successo da Johnny Cash nel 1965. (fonte: en.wikipedia)