MORE “Less Of Me”

7-9 January, 2022: On the 28th last-month is when I first heard of Loretta Lynn singing “Less Of Me” in a video. Although country-music, I liked the tune and wanted to have more of it {but less of me}.

So, since it was unfamiliar, I figured I had the first rendition and not a cover. Looking into information, we find that Glen Campbell’s considered the first noted-singer to give music to the words in 1965. The lyrics are a poem from Mr. Edgar A. Guest {1881-1959}. It “was published around 1909, whereupon it became very popular and was often quoted in magazines/journals and included in devotional calendars. Glen called the song ‘Less of Me’ and Guest called the wording ‘A Creed’.”


A CREED

Let me be a little kinder,
Let me be a little blinder
To the faults of those around me,
Let me praise a little more;
Let me be, when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery,
Let me serve a little better
Those that I am striving for.

Let me be a little braver
When temptation bids me waver,
Let me strive a little harder
To be all that I should be;
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker,
Let me think more of my neighbor
And a little less of me.

Let me be a little sweeter,
Make my life a bit completer
By doing what I should do
Every minute of the day;
Let me toil, without complaining,
Not a humble task disdaining,
Let me face the summons calmly
When death beckons me away.


WORDS MISSING:

{list of singers/bands: https://secondhandsongs.com/work/68799/all}

It is too-bad that, in all of the versions I have listened-to so far {Campbell; Lynn; Campbell & Gentry; Miller; Statler Brothers; Oak Ridge Boys (not on that list)}, nobody is singing the final stanza. It has been said how, in many of the re-printings, that portion is just discarded.

I can only assume that it is because the last two-lines could bring a sadness. Lynn’s version of the music is the only I know of at the moment which is fast-enough for it to be “ruined” if those words were there. All the others I heard are rather-slow and not uplifting to me {and, if they did have that complete stanza, it would have not helped}.

I like the cute “completer” part; especially, that would have been welcome to hear from Lynn’s singing. Also, replacing the last-line as “when the Lord beckons my way” is how I would have written it to be sung.


RECORD-OBTAINED:

So, it was delightful that on the 8th, I happened-upon a record store and inquired about the album of Lynn’s COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER from 1970. It actually happened to be there among the new {to the store} releases.

I have not played the LP yet, only the MP3-file of the tune I captured from a video. There was a change in “let me serve a little better” to “harder”. Also, “those that I am striving for” to “for those I’m striving for”. It is okay, but I would have enjoyed if she had said “to the sister that is weaker” instead of “brother”; I remember that I was actually expecting that once.

I am new to her and have no-idea what the other tunes will be like.
Getting this now was unexpected and cheered me up today. I find it
cool how a sudden-thing you might look for is discovered!


ANOTHER’S RECORD:

Here is someone’s nice video/scene of a record playing the tune. My record is not blue and the cover is the same design … but not-with any vibrant colours … so, this may be a release not from American. I actually do not detect it as a live recording, but an MP3 overlapping the video {it would have been soothing to here any birds and sounds of nature}. The song is on the third-track, so the needle does-look in the correct spot, however.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMg5ER6zJk8


TIME FOR KARAOKE:

I should have this page updated sometime with video of the new-to-me record playing the tune {not in nature, though}. Meanwhile, here is my karaoke-effect version that turned-out better than some others songs I tried. It is from an MP3-file and I sped it up, too. This all gives a different-experience; I like how I could hear more of the instruments and only the different-pitch of the guys in the background.

https://www.bitchute.com/video/TWoWrepXhJTO/


LAST, I PRESENT A NEVER-BEFORE-PRINTED STANZA:

Let me be a little “crazy”
foiling business that is lazy;
Let me prose beyond this entry …
with some hope for those astray.
Let folks learn the way they wanna
{without drugs that make some “mental”};
Let them free from the controllers …
who just strive to have their way.

Let us know there are some patients …
hindered by psychiatry.

https://mindmadeup.svbtle.com/14th-january-2017-behavioural-health-
program-charged


{excluding Guest’s poem}

Copyright © 2022 Dee Essem/MIND MADE UP

 
0
Kudos
 
0
Kudos

Now read this

“MENTAL ILLNESS” CURE: *I AM* {PART 1}

Yes, I am not great. Not good, either {which I wrote of earlier}: https://mindmadeup.svbtle.com/i-am-not-a-good-person What am I? A person. It took me a long time to learn that I can consider myself one. Due to the abuse/rape it... Continue →