"Gonna be the Death of You"  Harry's CD

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If It Wasn't For Huddie

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The instrumental melody of this song was taught to Huddie by an Irish fiddle player sometime in the 1940's. The song was about an old man who had lost his only cow and was titled "If it wasn't for Dickie". Dickie was the name of the cow.

When Pete Seeger heard it, he knew the melody was a good one, and his musical partner at the time, perhaps Lee Hays, wrote new words for the song which was titled "Kisses Sweeter than Wine". This song actually became a hit for another musician in the early 1960's.

In the folk tradition, that is to say, the lazy man's way of writing songs, I have made entirely new words, which are, in my opinion, a little more like the old fiddle tune.

If it wasn't for Huddie, I'd tell you right now, I couldn't sing this verse, 'cause I wouldn't know how.

For I play my guitar and I sing the song just the way that Huddie Ledbetter done, oh , oh Huddie Ledbetter done

If it wasn't for Huddie, I'd tell you right now, I couldn't sing this verse, 'cause I wouldn't know how.

For I sing this song, and I play my guitar, just to practice Huddie Ledbetter's art. oh, Huddie Ledbetter's art.

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