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Ghost of Moses Renfro
© Copyright 2004 Randall Baker

In them old Kentucky Hills
Down Rockcastle way
That good ole mountain music
Is what they like to play
People come from near and far
Just to hear them down home sounds
When they let loose, it could raise the dead
No better pickin’ can be found

The ghost of Moses Renfro dances
Every Saturday night
You might catch a glimpse of him
Just beyond the bright stage lights
So, tune the banjo, rosin the bow
Play for the ghost of Moses Renfro

They call it Renfro Valley
Music gave it fame
No one now seems to recall
Just how it got that name
Moses’ family settled there
In a far back distant time
Them folks that sing don’t remember him
But he don’t really seem to mind

The ghost of Moses Renfro dances
Every Saturday night
You might catch a glimpse of him
Just beyond the bright stage lights
So, tune the banjo, rosin the bow
Play for the ghost of Moses Renfro

Bridge:
Moses love those fiddle tunes
Likes to hear the mandolin
When that sweet rhythm fills the air
Makes him feel alive again

Repeat Chorus


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[This message has been edited by RandyB (edited 04-13-2004).]

[This message has been edited by RandyB (edited 04-14-2004).]

Hi Randy,

I like this but who is Moses Renfro? A real person? Fictional character? What's his claim to fame?

1st verse and chorus are really good. Answer the above questions in the 2nd verse and I think you've got a winner here.

Hi Songbird,

Thanks for checking in on this one. Glad you liked it...well, at least the parts you liked.

Without adding a lot more to the song, I thought I'd answered those questions well enough in the second verse already. Well enough, at least, for the purpose of the song. Maybe not, though, since you still asked. The place in the song is Renfro Valley, which is a famous country music spot. Moses Renfro's family is who it is named after, which is also in the second verse. I'll give some thought to how I might make those points more obvious.

Incidentally, Moses Renfro was a real person. My granddaddy six generations back, in fact. He was a Rev. War soldier, Baptist minister, frontiersman and early settler in what would later become both the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. Not exactly famous in the history books, but a prominent enough fella in his own day.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll certainly take you input into consideration. This is still quite fresh, so it's not carved in stone by any means.

Randy

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Hey Randy,

Nice story. I think you might use V2 to tell a little more about Moses and why he might be dancing.

Bill

Hi Randy

nice thumping tune, yeeeeeehaaaaaaaa

for fun

moses renfro was a banjo preacher
with a violin quartet
fingers fast as the light
mountain music lit up his pulpit




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Hi Bill,

Thanks much for eyeballing this one. I'm thinking maybe I'll add a bridge to tell a little more about Moses. Seems if I did that, maybe the second verse would hold its own a little better as it is. Maybe?

Randy

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Hey Ritt,

Glad it got a yeeeeeehaaaaaaaa out of ya.

I worked on the music for this last night...should be a fairly rollicking tune. Also, I added a bridge, but not sure it's a keeper. I'll have to study on it and, hopefully, can get some more feedback here on possible improvements.

Thanks for checkin' it out.

Randy

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Hey Randy,

I love the name Moses Renfro great stuff really!! This looks like it would make a rollicking good tune although it might be better if we got a better glimpse of who Mose's is and why we are supposed to care about him. I agree the second verse might be a good place to expand on this. Best of luck with it either way.

Later,
Kevin

Hi Kevin,

I appreciate the input on this. The votes seem to be stacking up to find out more about Moses in the second verse. I'm torn on what to do about that, because I'm not sure it's really necessary to the song.

I'm pondering it, though. Like my daddy used to say..."if enough people tell you you're sick, maybe you should go lie down".

Randy

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this one is a keeper. and I like the bridge ritt chimed in.

Hey Randy,

I like it as it stands. But, then, I'm a simple kinda guy . . . it doesn't take much detail for me. I could almost hear Rhonda Vincent and her bluegrass band gettin' down on this one. Saw them at the Opry a few months back, and they are super tight.

Larry

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I love this, but I think Bill is right one money. A little backstory of why Moses dances seems in order. This would be one to kick a heel up to with the right tune.

CP

Hi Leslie,

Thanks for the encouraging words. This'll probably get some more changes done to it, so the bridge may get revised in the process. I appreciate you giving it a look.

Randy

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Larry,

Thanks, I'm glad you like it the way it is. Makes less work for me fixing it up. Seems to me that simply hearing music is enough reason for the ghost to be dancing, but I may have to bow to public pressure.

Yeah, I like Rhonda Vincent a lot...haven't seen her live, though. I reckon I'd let her take a crack at this if she wanted to sing it.

Randy

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Howdy Randy!

I'm guessing you've already addressed the above comments 'cuz I got a pretty clear picture of Moses Renfro.

Liked it! Best of luck with it!

Chuck Crowe

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http://www.chuckcrowe.com

Corey,

Thanks for giving this a look-see. Am giving more thought to what else I may say to illuminate Moses Renfro a bit more. Glad you like it.

Randy

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Hello Randy,

I did a bit of searchin' and it seems there was a Moses Renfro ever couple of generations, with the families averaging about 10 kids in each.

This one seems to have been born in James City (not Jamestown) Virginia in 1729 and got married at New Bedford Courtnhouse (Ricky Scaggs home area). He lived almost a hundred years, which was very rare in those days on the frontier.

Maybe the dancing kept him young...

dawg

Hello Mr. Crowe,

Much obliged to you for dropping in on this one. Actually, other than adding a bridge, I haven't made any changes to this one yet. Not sure how I'll address the suggestions for tweaking this one. It's a matter I'll have to ponder, I suppose.

I'm glad to get another "as is" vote, though. Thanks!

Randy



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Howdy Dawg,

Yes, that would be the same Moses Renfro. The marriage you're referring to was his second wife, not the one I'm descended from. His first wife was also his first cousin...which may explain some things about myself.

Moses Renfro was also part of the John Donelson party that, along with James Robertson's group, were the original settlers of what would become Nashville. Moses and his group actually disembarked near Clarksville, TN and Moses is credited with naming the Red River that runs through that part of the state. After Cherokees massacred most of his little settlement, he then moved up into Kentucky, eventually meandering over to the area referred to in this song...where other of his kinfolk had already migrated to from the East.

Okay, sorry for the meandering, but I know you're a bit of an historian yourself. Thought you might like a little local color. Incidentally, there's another Renfro from early Nashville history I've considered writing a song or story about. "Black Bob" Renfro...owned one of the first (possibly the first) taverns here, which was frequented by such notables as Andrew Jackson.
Anyhoo...thanks for taking the time to read my little lyric. Hope you found it, at least, partially enjoyable.

Randy

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Hello Randy,

It's not alway neccessary to bow to public pressure.
I like it as it is.
You seem to like it as it is....????

Calvin

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewartmusic.htm

I did indeed, Randy,

and I apologise for neglectin' to say so. If I hadn't found it intreagin' I wouldn't have done the lil bit of quick research I did.

There was one other character from the latter half of the 1700s who might have had something to do with his dancing. There was a fiddler, famous throughout Tennessee and Kentucky named James Gamble (not the guy who invented Ivory Soap) who carried his bow and fiddle in a sack made of doeskin. It was said he was the only man who could ride the back trails without fear of molestation, because even the indians and highwaymen loved his fiddlin'.

dawg

Hi Calvin,

Thank you for reading my lyric. I'm pleased that you like it the way it is. Personally, I like it like this, too. However, I realize that just because I know what I meant to convey doesn't always mean the reader/listener will know. So, while I don't always bow to public opinion, it's well worth considering.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Randy



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