Blood on a hardwood floor
December 10, 2009 7:47 AM Subscribe
Another mystery song. You'll NEVER get it (please get it).
Okay, now I've got a real stumper. A friend has been looking for years for a song he heard in the late 1970's or early 80's. It was a "story song" - perhaps a folk song. He remembers something about a girl who lives alone in a faraway place or a castle, a magic teddy bear who brings her things, and the phrase "blood on a hardwood floor". The singer was a woman, accompanied by a guitar, or maybe a guitar and a piano. I've done a lot of Googling on this one but can't find anything. I actually didn't think it would be that hard, given how unusual the key words are, but no luck.
Anything? Anyone?
Okay, now I've got a real stumper. A friend has been looking for years for a song he heard in the late 1970's or early 80's. It was a "story song" - perhaps a folk song. He remembers something about a girl who lives alone in a faraway place or a castle, a magic teddy bear who brings her things, and the phrase "blood on a hardwood floor". The singer was a woman, accompanied by a guitar, or maybe a guitar and a piano. I've done a lot of Googling on this one but can't find anything. I actually didn't think it would be that hard, given how unusual the key words are, but no luck.
Anything? Anyone?
I mean "Suzanne" and "hardwood".
posted by DarkForest at 8:01 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by DarkForest at 8:01 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: I really love that song, but I think the teddy bear is probably a pretty important element, and I also think that song came out in the mid-80's, didn't it?
posted by Evangeline at 8:04 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 8:04 AM on December 10, 2009
I refuse to try and answer until I have an mp3 of Evangeline singing this song
posted by I am the Walrus at 8:41 AM on December 10, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by I am the Walrus at 8:41 AM on December 10, 2009 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Noooooo!!! I don't even know the tune to this one, so.... there.
posted by Evangeline at 8:47 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 8:47 AM on December 10, 2009
Is your friend sure of all this? I Googled the Blood on the Hardwood Floor bit, but all I can find is a song by Brock Zeman. You can listen to it here. It fits the style, but nothing about a girl or bear. Perhaps that was a separate song?
posted by I am the Walrus at 8:47 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by I am the Walrus at 8:47 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Wrong time period, I'm afraid.
posted by Evangeline at 8:51 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 8:51 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: I'm actually beginning to think he made this whole thing up just to screw with me.
posted by Evangeline at 8:52 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 8:52 AM on December 10, 2009
Googling ' "blood on a hardwood floor" -zeman lyric' returns only this page. If these are the exact lyrics, Google doesn't know about this song.
posted by KathrynT at 9:03 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by KathrynT at 9:03 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Well, it's been a long time since he's heard it, so I can't guarantee that his memory is absolutely accurate. I think the important elements are blood on some kind of floor, a girl and a teddy bear. I googled "blood on a hardwood floor" as well and didn't get any matches that looked right.
I wasn't expecting anyone to have any better luck googling it than I did, but it is possible it may be the one song in the world Google has never heard of, so I thought it might exist anyway.
posted by Evangeline at 9:11 AM on December 10, 2009
I wasn't expecting anyone to have any better luck googling it than I did, but it is possible it may be the one song in the world Google has never heard of, so I thought it might exist anyway.
posted by Evangeline at 9:11 AM on December 10, 2009
Nothing comes from "blonde on the hardwood floor" either
posted by scrutiny at 9:17 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by scrutiny at 9:17 AM on December 10, 2009
Maybe it's "smoke on the water" by Deep Purple. No mention of teddy bears in the lyrics, though.
posted by indigo4963 at 9:36 AM on December 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by indigo4963 at 9:36 AM on December 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
This is a huge longshot since none of the elements match up exactly, but the song that started forming in my head when I read the description is "Go Down Easy" by Dan Fogelberg. About a woman who moves out to the country after a bad breakup, and it contains the words "the cold hard ground." It's from 1985 according to Wikipedia.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 9:41 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 9:41 AM on December 10, 2009
Was this a children's song? Except for the "blood" phrase (which it sounds like he may have misheard) it sounds that way.
Also, did he hear it on the radio or in another context?
posted by pete_22 at 9:56 AM on December 10, 2009
Also, did he hear it on the radio or in another context?
posted by pete_22 at 9:56 AM on December 10, 2009
"Justice in Ontario" has the line "the blood ran red on a hardwood floor" but it's a Steve Earle song, and there are no teddy bears. I too am wondering if this is two songs conflated.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:58 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by restless_nomad at 9:58 AM on December 10, 2009
Any chance it might be something in the neighbourhood of Steeleye Span's Long Lankin?
The lyrics offer blood all in the kitchen, all in the hall, and all in the parlor. No magical teddy bear, but we're playing with longshots here, right?
posted by Hellgirl at 9:58 AM on December 10, 2009
The lyrics offer blood all in the kitchen, all in the hall, and all in the parlor. No magical teddy bear, but we're playing with longshots here, right?
posted by Hellgirl at 9:58 AM on December 10, 2009
Julia Blum has a song called "Princess" that at least mentions blood -- no sign of any magic bears though. You can listen to it here, and these are part of the lyrics:
There's a princess who lives in a faraway land,
Royal by blood and the scroll in her hand
The scroll in her hand and the flame in her heart
And the castle that keeps her apart.
The other girls play at the foot of the hill,
Dancing in circles whenever they will,
Laughing at princesses who stand apart
And hating her deep in their heart.
posted by rollick at 10:30 AM on December 10, 2009
There's a princess who lives in a faraway land,
Royal by blood and the scroll in her hand
The scroll in her hand and the flame in her heart
And the castle that keeps her apart.
The other girls play at the foot of the hill,
Dancing in circles whenever they will,
Laughing at princesses who stand apart
And hating her deep in their heart.
posted by rollick at 10:30 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: He loves Steeleye Span and is very familiar with their songs, so that's not it. He clearly remembers it being a woman's voice. The Blum song looks to be the most promising so far. I'll run it by him.
posted by Evangeline at 11:45 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 11:45 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Reading all the lyrics to "The Princess" that sounds like a pretty good shot. There's this:
Come to Me, my princess child, bear your soul to Me.
Talk to Me, My princess child, share your mind with Me.
I'll be near you, princess child. My face you'll never see,
But I will hear you, princess child, the day that you call Me.
It has the word "bear" in it, so he might have confused that in his head with an actually teddy bear, and whoever is speaking is an invisible presence offering help - very magic-y.
No blood, but I've run this by him and am eagerly awaiting his reply.
posted by Evangeline at 11:49 AM on December 10, 2009
Come to Me, my princess child, bear your soul to Me.
Talk to Me, My princess child, share your mind with Me.
I'll be near you, princess child. My face you'll never see,
But I will hear you, princess child, the day that you call Me.
It has the word "bear" in it, so he might have confused that in his head with an actually teddy bear, and whoever is speaking is an invisible presence offering help - very magic-y.
No blood, but I've run this by him and am eagerly awaiting his reply.
posted by Evangeline at 11:49 AM on December 10, 2009
Wouldn't be Murder Tonight in the Trailer Park by the Cowboy Junkies, would it? The lyrics don't really match at all, but it is a woman singing about someone with her throat cut after dark. There's some imagery about red cherry police lights slashing through the night and yellow ribbons.
posted by crush-onastick at 11:53 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by crush-onastick at 11:53 AM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Sigh. It's not the Julia Blum song, though he said that's a "very good guess" and bonus points for the "bear". He insists there's a mention of a hardwood floor.
posted by Evangeline at 11:59 AM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 11:59 AM on December 10, 2009
Is there any chance at all that Red Sovine's Teddy Bear might be a song?
I mean, it's not about a magic teddy bear and it's not about a princess at all, but it is from the 70s and it is a story song. And Teddy Bear is a CB handle and what not.....probably far reaching, but if two songs are being conflated, maybe this is one?? Maybe?
posted by zizzle at 12:08 PM on December 10, 2009
I mean, it's not about a magic teddy bear and it's not about a princess at all, but it is from the 70s and it is a story song. And Teddy Bear is a CB handle and what not.....probably far reaching, but if two songs are being conflated, maybe this is one?? Maybe?
posted by zizzle at 12:08 PM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Oh, I really love you guys sometimes, you know that?
One thing we can be sure of - it is not Red Sovine. The singer is a woman.
posted by Evangeline at 12:09 PM on December 10, 2009
One thing we can be sure of - it is not Red Sovine. The singer is a woman.
posted by Evangeline at 12:09 PM on December 10, 2009
Another longshot, but Helen Reddy's No Sad Songs mentions a women who "bled on a hardwood floor"
posted by rollick at 12:15 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by rollick at 12:15 PM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Rollick, you don't have a link to the lyrics, do you? I can't listen to the song at work.
posted by Evangeline at 12:22 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 12:22 PM on December 10, 2009
lyrics are in the video description, and here as well
it doesn't really fit the description, but I found it googling, and figured it might ring a bell
"Visions of power danced in his head
Let them right, he'd throw women out of his bed
There's still a spot where one of them bled
On the hardwood floor"
posted by rollick at 12:31 PM on December 10, 2009
it doesn't really fit the description, but I found it googling, and figured it might ring a bell
"Visions of power danced in his head
Let them right, he'd throw women out of his bed
There's still a spot where one of them bled
On the hardwood floor"
posted by rollick at 12:31 PM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks Rollick - youtube is blocked at my company, so I couldn't even follow the link to the video description.
posted by Evangeline at 12:46 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 12:46 PM on December 10, 2009
Reddy = Teddy? Perhaps?
Maybe your friend heard someone say something about a song by Helen Reddy and associated it with Teddy and ever since has thought the song included Teddy Bears?
posted by triggerfinger at 12:52 PM on December 10, 2009
Maybe your friend heard someone say something about a song by Helen Reddy and associated it with Teddy and ever since has thought the song included Teddy Bears?
posted by triggerfinger at 12:52 PM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: But there's no mention of a little girl. The song is about a little girl. He said that "The Princess" and "The Queen and the Soldier," both mentioned above, are closest in content and style.
posted by Evangeline at 12:55 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 12:55 PM on December 10, 2009
Do you have any idea where he might have heard it? Was it on the radio? Was it live? Was it on some random recording? One of the things about folk songs in particular is that they're covered all the time, by everybody, so the "sung by a woman" part isn't necessarily helpful.
posted by restless_nomad at 1:42 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by restless_nomad at 1:42 PM on December 10, 2009
Response by poster: Just checked with him - he said it was piped in music at a sandwich shop.
posted by Evangeline at 2:20 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by Evangeline at 2:20 PM on December 10, 2009
Where? I wonder if there's any way to do some research on the local radio stations/playlists.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:28 PM on December 10, 2009
posted by restless_nomad at 2:28 PM on December 10, 2009
I think I know this! On Tanya Tucker's album "What's Your Mama's Name", there is both a song called "The Teddy Bear Song" and a song called "Blood Red and Goin' Down" which has the following lyrics:
"That Georgia sun was blood red and goin' down
That Georgia sun was blood red and goin' down
We searched in every bar room, and honky-tonk as well
And finally Daddy found them, and Lord, you know, the rest is hard to tell
He sent me out to wait, but scared, I looked back through the door
And Daddy left them both soakin' up the sawdust on the floor"
Oh please tell me I am right. I had the same childhood as your friend!
posted by Duffington at 5:11 PM on December 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
"That Georgia sun was blood red and goin' down
That Georgia sun was blood red and goin' down
We searched in every bar room, and honky-tonk as well
And finally Daddy found them, and Lord, you know, the rest is hard to tell
He sent me out to wait, but scared, I looked back through the door
And Daddy left them both soakin' up the sawdust on the floor"
Oh please tell me I am right. I had the same childhood as your friend!
posted by Duffington at 5:11 PM on December 10, 2009 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by DarkForest at 7:58 AM on December 10, 2009