"Thirteen" (Johnny Cash 1993)

Cicso Freeman covers "Thirteen" recorded by Johnny Cash in 1993 on American Recordings Album produced by Rick Ruben written by Glenn Danzig from the band "Misfits"

Chords
Am - D - C - G

Folk Arpeggio Finger Style Picking Pattern
(Ref. "The Dictionary of Strum & Picking Patterns" by Fred Sokolow)

As usual I'm posting one of three takes to capture the raw amatuer nature of my performace including lots of mistakes to encourage myself and others to do better.

Its worth pointing out or mentioning that since I was a little kid, more or less randomly, I was given the number 13 on my hockey jersey at like 5 years old. The funny thing is/was it just worked out....I was the 13th kid on the rooster...and my last name (Van Zandbergen) had 13 letters. and yes, the old joke was, I would be 13 years old before my shoulders were wide enough for my last name to be legible across the back of my hockey jersey thus my name was usually shortened to "Van" and became knowns as "VAN 13" com[plete with a fan or Van Club complete with buttons, T'shirts, signs with a picture of me with a hockey stick through my head...the captone....."I'm a Fan of Van 13". It was just a number given to me at a young age and it stuck. I worked with it and any time as so often the question came about....do I worry that the #13 is unlucky? My standard reply was..."YES! 13 is unlucky for any one that crosses my path on the ice". I was a monster, the captain of the Varsity Hockey team 4 years running, leading the league in penalty minutes mostly for roughing and fighting, leading the team in points mostly by assist. I was the same kid that delivered your newspapers in the morning and bussed your table at the restaurant, then turned into a goon for sell out crowds at nite for the best show in town....I still miss the roar of the crowd, being cheered on, but also being hated on by the fans of the other team as they always made the most noise.

I learned to play "Thirteen" as part of the Johnny Cash song class at the OTS taught by Fred Holstein. Again the class was mostly Ed performing then telling stories to which was very cool. 13 is not exactly the kind of song 20 people sit in a circle and jam to...its more the kind of song..the teacher plays...tells stories...and the students go on to practice and perfect their own versions on their own time as I did.

I touched on this topic in the story posted on the previous song of this set list as I weave a tapestry of stories and songs....how Ed would seem to get a bit worked up talking about his brother, the bar scene in the 60's the way things were and the way things are....Ed seemed to hold a bit of a grudge againt some of the artist his brother associated with accusations of them getting him hooked on drugs but the thing is those circles of individuals over lapped...guys like Steve Goodman and John Prine albiet perhaps pot smokers and beer drinker were not known for hard drug use like guys associated with "The Outlaws" being Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristopherson that went on to make it big. Guys like Shel Silverstein fell somewhere in between working with guys like Bobby Bare and Dr. Hook. Other associated acts were Blaze Foley, Townes Van Zandt, then guys like Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, and Bob Dylan all fell into different categories but all ran in the same circles....then there are guys like Michael Peter Smith...that seemed to just do his own thing all together.

It was really cool, one time at OTS, about 2010, Pete Seeger came through an open jam session, no one but me seemed to know who he was, and I swear, he acted like he remmembered me from that time I was 5 years old in grade school that he gave me a harmonica, me and my grandparents the only ones that showed up to his concert on the Julia Belle Swain in Peoria IL back in about 1978. Oddly enough I was invited to come see his performance later that night. Seeger was one of the original founders of the OTS along with guys like Big Bill Broonzy...but it seems no one really cared...so strange..so odd...how the guys that started the whole thing...some how were shunned...not fully appreciated...its so difficult to explain...but at the same time...its like having the #13 tatooed on your neck....everyone knows who you are...but everyone is scared to death of you...turns and runs...rumors have gotten out of control....

So stange this is Pete Seeger he is huge if not for him there would be no OTS but instead he was sort of snubbed shunned.

I still do not completely understand the rational...behind the other OTS employees, teachers, how they did not ralley, get students excited, show up in masse...have sold out shows, guest appearances, a Pete Seeger workshop...instead....the concert hall that night was about 1/4 full...not near as close as sold out shows for World Music featuring dancers from Zimbobway, or the Tuven Throat singers, Moracan Skirt Dancers, or Flaco Himinez playing the accordian.

Cheers,
Cisco Freeman.