I was listening to All Things Considered (NPR) the other night, when I heard a band from Winnipeg (The Duhks) play a song with these lyrics:
These dance hall girls, they don't treat you kind
They give you their bodies, but you never reach their minds
Well, they fill you up with lipstick lies
When they put you down some, don't ya be surprised
Is this the way it always is, here in Baltimore?
Well, I saw her mountains, and I kissed her plains
I held her sunshine, and I drank her rains
Well, I went so far, that I broke too fast
Thought I had me a winner picked, but I came in last again
Is this the way it always is, here in Baltimore?
(Chorus)
I must have chosen the wrong season to come down
I never realized they called this sacred ground
My sense of time, hell, I'm a week behind
I sent me a letter home but this all takes time
Gonna get some cash, gonna go back home
These dance hall girls really know how to make a man feel alone
Is this the way it always is, here in Baltimore?
(Chorus)
My sense of time, hell, I'm a week behind
I sent me a letter home but this all takes time
Gonna get some cash, gonna blow this town
These dance hall girls really know how to drag a poor boy down
Is this the way it always is, here in Baltimore?
Is this the way it always is, here in Baltimore?
(You can hear the performance if you scroll down the NPR website --- www.npr.org)
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The Duhk’s singer introduced the song as having been written by a Canadian from Toronto in the 70’s. That made me wonder: why would a Canadian write about Bawlmer wimmin?. So I did a lil’ googlin’… and I found out that the song (Them Dance Hall Girls) was written by Allan Fraser of the folk duo Fraser & DeBolt. The song appeared on their first album, released 1971.
(You can hear this original version in its entirety at http://fraserdebolt.com/audio.html)
…but I still couldn’t find any explanation of song’s background. Until I do, I’ll favor the notion that Fraser chose the word ‘Baltimore’ because it had the right amount of syllables.
(But I wonder if he was referring to clip joints in The Block, although dance halls seems to conjure up a much earlier era. In fact, one account I found, “Baltimore’s Bawdy ‘Block’”, suggests that a harborfront area of sinful carousing goes back to the latter 18th century.)
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I suppose if you wanted to indulge in the modern (neo-modern? Neo-postmodern?) –day version of dance hall girls, (at least the respectable kind) you’d have to wait till the Miss USA Pageant comes to town (Hippodrome Theater) in April.
...Or if you couldn't help but revert to the risque', you could wait just little while longer to catch the visiting pulchritude of Tera Patrick at Fantasies.
I wrote dhg when I was 19. There's a Baltimore Ontario where a lot of migrant farm workers get field and orchard work. I used to call the tune "The Maritime Migrants'Song". I spent my late teens in Sherbrooke Quebec and there was a Baltimore Bay we used to boat to for parties.
Thanks for the interest and views.
AF
Posted by: Allan Fraser at March 2, 2005 7:55 PMFrom the horse's mouth!
So, there's more to "Baltimore" than one would realize, at least from a US-centric point of view.
Well, thanks for the background info. And keep writing those songs!
Posted by: raacluse at March 4, 2005 10:16 AMThanks a lot great tune. I heard it at a folk feastiful many years ago with a change in the lyric to " anit that the way it always is in Montreal" thanks again . could you post the coard pattern , I play it based on the one time I heard it but would love to have the chords as you wrote them .
Posted by: Don at May 8, 2005 3:58 PMWow, it's nice to hear that Allan Fraser is alive and well and posting on the Internet. This has always been one of my favorite songs and I was delighted to hear the real story behind it. (Of course I had assumed that Fraser was writing about Baltimore, Maryland.) A reasonable transcription of the chords, but mis-credited to Tom Russell, whoever he is, is at http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/getsome.org/guitar/olga/main/r/russell_tom/dance_hall_girls.crd
I have an old version by the Buckeye Biscuit Band, from my old home town of Cleveland (on the album "Fresh Candy" [about 1979]). If you're there, Allan, did you know about this cover? It's excellent. They're a rollicking country rock outfit.
Best, Larry Siegel
Posted by: Larry Siegel at September 7, 2005 1:22 AMI lifted this from http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/getsome.org/guitar/olga/main/r/russell_tom/dance_hall_girls.crd and have edited it as best I can.Dance hall girls
Tom Russell (wrong. It's by Allan H Fraser, SOCAN))
These dance hall [C]girls,[G] they'll treat you [C]kind
[C]They'll give you their bodies, but [F]you'll never REACH their [C]minds
They'll [F]fill you [C]up, [F] with lipstick [Em]lies[F]
[F]And when they put you do[C]wn son
[G]Don't be surp[Am]rised[A,A-+G,D+F#]
Is this the [C]way it always [G]is here in Baltim[F]ore?[C] [F] [C]
[C]I held her mountains,[G] I kissed her [C]plains
[C] touched her sunshine, [F]And I drank her [C]rain
I bent so far[C]far,[F]but I broke too [Em]fast[F]
[F]I thought I had a w[C]inner picked
[G]But I came in [Am]last(Am7), a[D]gain
[D]Is this the [C]way it always [G]is here in Baltim[F]ore?[C] [F] [C]
Refrain:
[Em]I must have chosen the wrong [F]season to come [C]down
[Em]I never realized they [F]call this (D+F#)sacred [G]ground
[G7]My sense of [C]time, [G]hell I'm a week beh[C]ind
[C]I sent a letter home,[F] but this all takes [C]time you know
I gotta [F]get some [C]money,[F] So I can go back [Em]home[F]
[F] These dance hall [C]girls
[C]Know how to [G]make a man feel [Am]alone(Am7,D]
[D]Is this the [C]way it always [G]is here in Baltim[F]ore?[C] [F] [C]
Solo: Play through one verse
Repeat Refrain
[G]My sense of [C]time, [G]hell I'm a week beh[C]ind
[C]They'll give you their bodies, but [F]you'll never touch their [C]minds
They'll [F]fill you [C]up, [F] with lipstick [Em]lies[F]
[F]These dance hall [C]girls say
They [G]can't stand to see a [Am]grown man c[D]ry
[D]Is this the [C]way it always [G]is here in Balti[F]more?
[F]Is this the [C]way it always [G]is here in Montr[F]eal?
[F]Is this the [C]way it always [G]is here in Balti[F]more?[C] [G]
[F] [C] [G] [F] [C] [G] [C] >From the album Song Of The West - The Cowboy Collection 1997 BMG/Hightone Records
Transcribed by: Greg Yuriy
Somewhat altered by Allan Fraser
Feel free to send comments to yuriym@cyberbeach.net
I made a couple of changes to what had been posted elsewhere. I used to play the tune rocking back and forth between C and F for the first few lines, but Craig Allen who produced the first Columbia album felt strongly that it was better with the G put in. He must have been right because this is the only song anyone remembers of mine. lol. Thanks to you all for your interest.
Posted by: Allan Fraser at May 15, 2006 1:48 PMI also remember "Gypsy Solitaire," but DHG is definitely a more popular song.
Posted by: Larry Siegel at April 9, 2008 9:12 PMAlso, thanks for the "real" lyrics and chords. I play A minor where you have F on "lies," and likewise in subsequent verses. I don't remember whether I picked that up from the Buckeyes or just made it up. Try it, it sounds good. Larry
Posted by: Larry Siegel at April 9, 2008 9:16 PMTom Russell is one of America's greatest songwriters,having the most played song on Americana Radio in 2006 with "Stealing Electricity" and the Folk Song of the Year in 2007 with "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall"...he has songs recorded by Ian Tyson,Johnny Cash,Joe Ely etc,etc
Posted by: Pete Bowling at May 21, 2008 6:23 PMFirst came across this song in the late 70s on a tape of Peter Allen? at the Fredricton Folk Club, always loved it, now I know where it comes from... thanks... Peter
Posted by: Peter Arbic at July 27, 2008 12:29 AM