Original Tune Titles You've Thunk Up, But...

**Michael Barnett** · Dec-30-2008, 5:35pm

...haven't gotten 'round to writing yet, and the story behind it, if there is one.

Here's mine. A little over 20 years ago, when I first started pickin' and grinnin', and bowin' too, I went to the Straberry Festival with my buddy and Guitar picker/Banjo plucker friend Jon. We camped the night, and in the morning, we got in the pancake line and loaded up. I stepped up to the big ol' tub o' butter, rarin' to slather big ol' hunks on top of the pile, but it was a fairly cold morning, and the butter wasn't quite soft and maleable enough to jsut scoop up. I was having a fair amount of trouble with, when I heard a voice booming behind me saying "Whip that butter!" I turned around and lo and behold, there was Byron Berline waiting behind me, and giving me sound advice on how to handle a cold tub o' butter.

Always thought "Whip That Butter" would make a great fiddle tune, but I've never gotten around to writing it.

And how 'bout y'all?

**Phillip Tigue** · Dec-31-2008, 1:55pm

I came up with the title "Gigligan's Ivan" the other day. I used to work with a guy who swore he could say it correctly, and he'd sit there going, "Gigligan? Am I saying that right? Gigligan's Ivan?"

Thought it'd make a neat cross breed of a hornpipe or jig with a Russian flavor. Been piddling around with some scales...nothing sticks as of yet.

**allenhopkins** · Dec-31-2008, 2:15pm

Michael Cooney once said that Putty Up the Nail Holes would be a good name for a fiddle tune. Don't know if he ever wrote a tune for it, though.

**billhay4** · Dec-31-2008, 2:21pm

Honey, You're Just a Salt Lick in the Pastures of My Mind
Bill

**Neil Gladd** · Dec-31-2008, 5:22pm

SOMEDAY I will write "Elvis Prelude and Blue Suede Fugue!" I actually used "Blue Suede Fugue" for one of my student compositions, but want to write a better one!

**Rick Lindstrom** · Dec-31-2008, 6:14pm

I always thought that "Don't Beat Your Granny with a Big 'Ol Stick" was pretty good. I didn't thunk up that one- it was thunk, I think, by some writer for the Andy Griffith show (for the Darlings of course). It always made Charlene cry.

"Tearin Up Your Old Clothes For Rags" is pretty good too.

Rick

**Mike Snyder** · Dec-31-2008, 6:29pm

The guitar player I did my first gigs with was a co-worker in the home building buisness. Carpenters we were, and he fancied himself a songwriter. We collaborated on the lyrics for a tune, "Lunchbag Blues". I think we only wrote verses, never found the bridge. Mostly just disgruntled employees.

**Mando_Lynn** · Dec-31-2008, 8:43pm

I was making a grilled cheese sandwich one day and just after I had buttered one of the pieces of bread, I accidentally dropped it. And, of course, it landed butter side down. I have thought ever since then that "Butter Side Down" would be a great bluegrass tune. I have not yet worked on it, but I might someday.

**John Flynn** · Dec-31-2008, 11:53pm

When my old string band played the The Old Time Music Ozark Heritage Festival in West Plains, Missouri a few years back, our group was invited to camp out on the grounds of the Little Yeoman microbrewery. The name "Little Yeoman" referred to, ironically, a very large hill, almost a small mountain, near the brewery. I got up very early the day of our performance and played mandolin while watching the sun rise next to Little Yeoman and I wrote a string band tune that was kind of cool and called it "Little Yeoman." Unfortunately, I should have recorded it. We got into the hustle and bustle of getting to the gig and the whole festival thing and I forgot the tune!

**Golman8** · Jan-01-2009, 12:07am

I wrote a song once, but I lost it, now, everytime I hear a new song, I think, "did I write that?" (even that is not original) I'm writing a book now called "what could have happened, did." G.B.

**Ivan Kelsall** · Jan-01-2009, 2:55am

Inspired by Ken Olmstead's recent thread - "Midlife Ramble" (the honour has to go to Ken himself for that though). I thought that a 3-part instrumental,where,in the middle (mid) section,the player could just wander meaninglessly around the fingerboard (sounds just right for me) & then blend in the 3rd part,could sound great. OK i'm weird !!,
Saska

**Michael Barnett** · Jan-01-2009, 8:51am

Originally Posted by Mando_Lynn

I was making a grilled cheese sandwich one day and just after I had buttered one of the pieces of bread, I accidentally dropped it. And, of course, it landed butter side down. I have thought ever since then that "Butter Side Down" would be a great bluegrass tune. I have not yet worked on it, but I might someday.

Howsabout a nice medley of Whip That Butter -> Butter Side Down?

**Bob Andress** · Jan-01-2009, 9:02am

Originally Posted by Michael Barnett

Howsabout a nice medley of Whip That Butter -> Butter Side Down?

Love it! We can shorten it too "Whip That/Down" - aka -"The Butter Suite"

**man dough nollij** · Jan-01-2009, 7:15pm

Whip it good!

**TonyP** · Jan-01-2009, 7:33pm

My son was in the first incarnation of the band I'm still in. That was before we started getting gigs, and he just couldn't handle been seen with a bunch of old dudes.

He was one of the guitar players and came up with a couple of great tunes. One of them we've kept. It's name has evolved over the years. After a semi embarrassing incident, he decided to call the tune Fluffy's Hornpipe. But after I played it for Micheal Lewis he renamed it Fluffy's Ride, and that has now stuck.

**Phillip Tigue** · Jan-01-2009, 8:21pm

I came up with one a few years back. As far as I know, it's an original idea.

I used to live up on Shinbone Ridge of Lookout Mountain, and on my way to work one morning, my car stalled out and quit working. While I was walking back home in the pea-soup thick fog, I started humming a tune.

Once I got back, I left my car on the side of the road until I tabbed out a tune I call, oddly enough, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown."

**Fred Keller** · Jan-02-2009, 7:57am

I've had a title in dire need of a song for a few years, too: "The Gravedigger is the Last One To Let You Down"

It's begging for lyrics but nothing's come up yet.

**Mandolin Fan** · Jan-02-2009, 10:11am

Speaking of tune titles...About a year or two before we lost Mr. Monroe, I was fortunate to spend some time with him...I remember him saying that he had written a number of songs ... but needed titles, and asked me to send him any I might think of....I hope we didn't lose any gems because he didn't have a title....Dave Folta

**mandopete** · Jan-02-2009, 10:54am

"How Can I Miss You If You Wont Go Away?"

**jim_n_virginia** · Jan-02-2009, 11:32am

Keep'em coming fellas I'm writing all these down their great!

**Santiago** · Jan-02-2009, 11:39am

My friend wrote a Latin jazz tune called "Apocolypso Now."

**mandocrucian** · Jan-02-2009, 12:05pm

So where are all the politcally incorrect, religiously incorrect, totally (so-called) amoral, sarcasm-laden titles? And, of course, the truly amoral and tasteless.

I guess "the mandolin" is anathema to anything along the lines of Zappa, Capt. Beefheart, The Fugs, Dead Kennedys........

Keep'em coming fellas I'm writing all these down their great!

Reason enough not to list a single one.

Besides, there's the strong possibility that the titles alone are probably inflammatory enough (and without even being pornographic) "politically & cultural values-y" (to both right & left wingers) to cause a lock-down of this thread within minutes. (But I've got some that Kinky Friedman would appreciate!)

"How Can I Miss You If You Wont Go Away?"

Dan Hicks recorded that one back in 1967 or 1968.

**Phillip Tigue** · Jan-02-2009, 10:18pm

Mandocrucian,

I was trying to write The Black Page and then one called Trout Mask Replica, but apparently, those have been taken!

**Michael Barnett** · Jan-03-2009, 9:28am

Originally Posted by jim_n_virginia

Keep'em coming fellas I'm writing all these down their great!

Maybe we can take this list and move these tunes to the "Song and Tunes Project" thread and actually finally get something down for these. Maybe create a Mandolin Cafe CD. That sounds kinda like work tho...

Any ideas for titles for the CD?

**Andrew B. Carlson** · Jan-04-2009, 2:15pm

Just thought of this song title the other day. "Alas for me, I haven't a lass for me."

That's all I got. It's one of those lines that HAS to be bluegrass.