The Annotated "Corrina"

Copyright notice; © 1995-2002, David Dodd

Lyrics omitted. The annotations below are reproduced by permission of David Dodd; the song lyrics themselves are copyrighted and are not reproduced here. Read them at the official source: dead.net/songs.

• The Other Ones: The Strange Remain
• Ratdog: Evening Moods
• Ratdog: Live At The Roseland

Covered by:

• Joe Gallant & Illuminati on Live, Vol 1

First performance: February 23, 1992, at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. "Corrina" closed out the first set, following "Black Throated Wind". The other first in the concert was "Long Way to Go Home." "Corrina" remained in the repertoire thereafter.

Corrina

• The most familiar reference, for American listeners, is the folk blues, "Corinna Corinna," sung and recorded by innumerable performers.

  Corinna, Corinna, where'd you stay last night? (2x)
  Your shoes ain't buttoned, girl, don't fit you right.

  Corinna, Corinna, where you been so long? (2x)
  Ain't had no lovin' since you been gone.

  Corinna, Corinna, what's the matter now? (2x)
  You done gone bad, babe, ain't no good nohow.

  Corinna, Corinna, way cross the sea, (2x)
  Ain't done no good, babe, since you left me.

  I love Corinna, God know I do, (2x)
  And I hope some day, she come to love me, too.

  The version by the Blue Sky Boys includes the first verse from "Midnight Special" as well.

• The Great Song Thesaurus lists a tune called "Corrine Corrina" (1932) by Bo Chatman, Mitchell Parish, and J.M. Williams, which was "popularly revived in 1961." (p. 215)

• Since I have a cousin named Corinna, (note the different spelling) I have learned that the name is also used in two poems by Robert Herrick, for whom she was named (at least, according to her father, though her mother says it was for someone they knew personally.) More on that in a moment. Further poking around reveals that the original Corinna was a Greek lyric poetess, ca. 200 B.C.E. or possibly ca. 500 B.C.E. Little is known about her, but some fragments of her poetry have survived. The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature says

  "According to an ancient anecdote Corinna criticized the absence of myth from one of Pindar's poems; when he thereupon went to the other extreme she remarked that one should 'sow by handfuls, not with the whole sack', an expression which became proverbial." (p. 155)

• Ovid, the Roman poet, wrote numerous poems about a Corinna.

• Jonathan Swift wrote a poem entitled "Corinna" (ca. 1711), which was probably about either a Mrs. Manley or Mrs. Eliza Haywood--there seems to be some dispute. Swift, as evidenced by his other poems to "Stella", was fond of assigning pseudonyms to women of his acquaintance.

• One of Herrick's poems is "Corinna's Going A-Maying" (1648)

  Get up, get up for shame, the blooming Morn
  Upon her wings presents the god unshorn.
  See how Aurora throws her fair
  Fresh-quilted colours through the air;
  Get up, sweet slug-a-bed, and see
  The dew bespangling herb and tree.
  Each flower has wept, and bow'd toward the east,
  Above an hour since; yet you not drest,
  Nay! not so much as out of bed?
  When all the birds have matins said,
  And sung their thankful hymns, 'tis sin,
  Nay, profanation, to keep in,
  Whenas a thousand virgins on this day
  Spring, sooner than the lark, to fetch in May.
  

  Rise; and put on your foliage, and be seen
  To come forth, like the spring-time, fresh and green;
  And sweet as Flora. Take no care
  For jewels for your gown, or hair;
  Fear not, the leaves will strew
  Gems in abundance upon you;
  Besides, the childhood of the day has kept,
  Against you come, some orient pearls unwept;
  Come and receive them while the light
  Hangs on the dew-locks of the night;
  And Titan on the eastern hill
  Retires himself, or else stands still
  Till you come forth. Wash, dress, be brief in praying;
  Few beads are best when once we go a-Maying.
  

  Come, my Corinna, come; and, coming, mark
  How each field turns a street, each street a park
  Made green and trimm'd with trees; see how
  Devotion gives each house a bough
  Or branch; each porch, each door ere this
  An ark, a tabernacle is,
  Made up of white-thorn, neatly interwove;
  As if here were those cooler shades of love.
  Can such delights be in the street
  And open fields and we not see't?
  Come, we'll abroad; and let's obey
  The proclamation made for May,
  And sin no more, as we have done, by staying;
  But my Corinna, come, let's go a-Maying.
  There's not a budding boy, or girl, this day,
  But is got up, and gone to bring in May.
  A deal of youth, ere this, is come
  Back, and with white-thorn laden, home.
  Some have despatch'd their cakes and cream,
  Before that we have left to dream;
  And some have wept, and woo'd, and plighted troth,
  And chose their priest, ere we can cast off sloth;
  Many a green-gown has been given;
  Many a kiss, both odd and even;
  Many a glance too has been sent
  From out the eye, love's firmament;
  Many a jest told of the keys betraying
  This night, and locks pick'd, yet we're not a-Maying.
  

  Come, let us go, while we are in our prime;
  And take the harmless folly of the time.
  We shall grow old apace, and die
  Before we know our liberty.
  Our life is short, and our days run
  As fast away as does the sun;
  And as a vapour, or a drop of rain,
  Once lost, can ne'er be found again,
  So when or you or I are made
  A fable, song, or fleeting shade,
  All love, all liking, all delight
  Lies drown'd with us in endless night.
  Then while time serves, and we are but decaying,
  Come, my Corinna, come, let's go a-Maying.
  

  The other Herrick poem is "Upon the Loss of His Mistresses," in which he laments a series of names, including Corinna and Electra, among others.

Bird on a phone line

"Listen to the bird on the hot wire singin..."

There is no fear that lovers born will ever fail to meet