At Woody's birthplace
A Note from the Rubble, with Woody Guthrie and Me
In my twenties, I discovered Woody Guthrie in a profound way, through a book by Joe Klein called “Woody Guthrie: A Life”. The combination of his life’s tragedies, his travelling adventures, and truly gifted songwriting spun my head nearly off my shoulders.
I made my first pilgrimage to his hometown, his birthplace, in 1994, and sat in the dusty rubble of his old house. I would look around at the scene where he grew up, imagining him as a kid with his legs flying beneath him, with a mind that was born to capture a story song like a firefly in a jar.
I asked his ghost that day, “Can I do this, too? Can I survive? Can I make a living from writing songs about this world?”
Just sitting there amongst his old stones was enough hear him. “If a kid like me, from Okemah, Oklahoma could do it, so could a kid from Presque Isle, Maine.”
And every year that passed I kept on coming, eventually being a year-after-year artist at The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, and for my own exploits even receiving the key to the city, Woody Guthrie’s hometown.
I still sit in the rubble every year, asking new questions.
“How do you have kids and a partner, a life, and do this job?”
“It ain’t pretty. It ain’t easy. But love them. From wherever you are, so they know and feel it. Be constant, even from far away.”
And this year, after 30 years of visits with him, I come walking up the hill. There is gray in my hair. I’m older. But the questions are new.
“How do I keep going, Woody? How do I keep my commitment? How do I age into this work, gracefully, powerfully, with fire?”
His answer—“Ellis, you are finally beyond me now. I slipped away from this planet when I was 55 years old. You are walking part of the path I never got to. But my life as an artist was shut down when I was a lot younger than you are now. If somebody had told me when I was your age that I had been gifted with another twenty years of life, to write songs and travel the world singing them? It would be like winning the goddamn lottery.”
I stood up from the rubble and knocked the dust of my boots. See you next year, Woody.
My friends, I'd love to see you at show—see the list below.
My very best to you from Okemah,
Ellis
Ellis Paul Upcoming Concerts 2024:
Click here for all details: www.ellispaul.com
• July 13, Guthrie, OK
• July 14, Longview, TX
• July 19, Somerville, MA
• July 21, Billerica, MA
• July 28 - August 3, Swannanoa Gathering, Swannanoa, NC
• August 10, Bridgton, ME
• August 11, Arundel, ME
• August 16, Philadelphia Folk Festival, PA
• August 17, Columbia, MD
• August 18, Philadelphia Folk Festival, PA
• August 23-37, New England Songwriters Retreat (NESR 8A), Chester, CT
• August 30-September 3, New England Songwriters Retreat (NESR 8B), Chester, CT
• September 5, Harvard, MA
• September 6, Natick, MA
• September 7, Beacon, NY
• September 8, Kennett Square, PA
• September 14, Columbia, SC
• September 19, Dayton, OH
• September 21, Alexandria, VA
• October 3, Pittsburgh, PA
• October 4, Thomas, WV
• October 5, Trenton, NJ
• October 6, Frenchtown, NJ
• October 17, St. Augustine, FL
• October 18, St. Petersburg, FL
• October 19, Tampa, FL
• October 20, St. James City, FL
• October 25, Boulder, CO
• October 26, Denver, CO
• November 8, Belmont, MA
• November 9, Brownfield, ME
• November 10, Ogunquit, ME
• November 14, Methuen, MA
• November 15, Northampton, MA
• November 17, Piermont, NY
• November 29, Charlotte, NC
• November 30, Decatur, GA (2 shows)
• December 13, Timonium, MD
• December 14, Peterborough, NH
• December 29, Boothbay Harbor, ME
Did you know?
Ellis and his partner Laurie run one of the best songwriting retreats in the US, in Chester, CT. Two weekends to choose from! www.newenglandsongwritersretreat.com
Ellis leads vacation excursions all around the world. Vacation with Ellis from June 16-23, 2025—see Amsterdam and the fjords of Norway! https://fanclubcruises.com/event/ellis-paul-amsterdam-norwegian-fjords