Michael Hurley (born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on December 20, 1941) i… Read Full Bio ↴Michael Hurley (born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on December 20, 1941) is an American folk singer and guitarist who was essential to the New York Greenwich Village folk music scene of the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to playing a wide variety of instruments (including the fiddle), Hurley is also a cartoonist and a painter. Hurley's music has been described as "outsider folk".
Hurley's debut album, First Songs, was recorded for Folkways Records in 1965 on the same reel-to-reel machine that taped Leadbelly's Last Sessions. He was "discovered" by blues and jazz historian Frederick Ramsey III, and subsequently championed by boyhood friend Jesse Colin Young, who released his 2nd & 3rd albums on The Youngbloods' Warner Bros. imprint, Raccoon. In the late 70's, Hurley made three albums for Rounder, all of which have since been reissued on CD. His 1976 LP Have Moicy, a collaboration with the Unholy Modal Rounders and Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones, was named "the greatest folk album of the rock era" by the Village Voice's Robert Christgau.
In 1996, Koch Records released Wolfways with Hurley backed by Mickey Bones - Drums, Gus Ziesing - percussion, Jill Gross - Harmony Vocals, Jim Harvey - Trombone, Dan Archer and Bob Jordan - Guitars and Mike Boise - Bass. Tours with Son Volt and high praise from younger performers like Lucinda Williams, Vic Chesnutt, Calexico, Cat Power and Robin Holcomb followed.
Greg Weeks of Espers noted in an eBay auction in July 2006 that the band has begun work on a collaborative album with Hurley.
Gnomonsong released the Michael Hurley album titled "Ancestral Swamp" on September 18, 2007. Backing was provided by longtime Hurley associate David Reisch of the Holy Modal Rounders and new friends Tara Jane O'Neil and Lewi Longmire.
In 2021 Hurley released "The Time of the Foxgloves".
Hurley's debut album, First Songs, was recorded for Folkways Records in 1965 on the same reel-to-reel machine that taped Leadbelly's Last Sessions. He was "discovered" by blues and jazz historian Frederick Ramsey III, and subsequently championed by boyhood friend Jesse Colin Young, who released his 2nd & 3rd albums on The Youngbloods' Warner Bros. imprint, Raccoon. In the late 70's, Hurley made three albums for Rounder, all of which have since been reissued on CD. His 1976 LP Have Moicy, a collaboration with the Unholy Modal Rounders and Jeffrey Frederick & The Clamtones, was named "the greatest folk album of the rock era" by the Village Voice's Robert Christgau.
In 1996, Koch Records released Wolfways with Hurley backed by Mickey Bones - Drums, Gus Ziesing - percussion, Jill Gross - Harmony Vocals, Jim Harvey - Trombone, Dan Archer and Bob Jordan - Guitars and Mike Boise - Bass. Tours with Son Volt and high praise from younger performers like Lucinda Williams, Vic Chesnutt, Calexico, Cat Power and Robin Holcomb followed.
Greg Weeks of Espers noted in an eBay auction in July 2006 that the band has begun work on a collaborative album with Hurley.
Gnomonsong released the Michael Hurley album titled "Ancestral Swamp" on September 18, 2007. Backing was provided by longtime Hurley associate David Reisch of the Holy Modal Rounders and new friends Tara Jane O'Neil and Lewi Longmire.
In 2021 Hurley released "The Time of the Foxgloves".
Get the Best of Me
Michael Hurley Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Get the Best of Me' by these artists:
Kid Mac Horus The little devil on my shoulder whispering And that′s …
We have lyrics for these tracks by Michael Hurley:
Be Kind to Me Told you once and I told you twice: Why be mean…
Eyes Eyes Protein monster ate a sack of poison sugar Crawlin out of…
Hog Of The Forsaken an' The Hog of the Forsaken got no reason to cry he…
Hoodoo Bash Down at the station at one in the morning There's a…
Hoot Owls Let them hoot owls keep on howlin let em howl…
I Paint A Design Well, I paint a design On the side for you, mister I…
Jocko's Lament When I was a puppy dog, I never had the…
Just a Bum Just a bum... All the years that I lived people say…
Knockando I had a glass of Knockando Ah yes I really did the…
Light Green Fellow I'm going to your house Gonna knock on the door I'm going…
Mona Lisa Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa men have named you You're so like…
New Tea Turn on the tea and let it brew I like six…
O My Stars Kiss me once, oh, kiss me twice Give me a taste…
Panama Hat Honey when I cross that ol′ border line My Chevrolet be…
Portland Water The Portland water they swillin' cold and it swills my body…
So You Say So you want me to carry You home I'll do anything That you…
Sweedeedee My little woman causes me a lot of trouble sometimes. She…
The 8-Ball Cafe I found myself untied in the mountains I cried cried cried…
The Portland Water The Portland water they swillin' cold and it swills my body…
The Tea Song Turn on the tea and let it brew Ohhhhh I like six…
The Werewolf Oh the werewolf, oh the werewolf Comes a-stepping along He d…
Water Train One little drink Was all I had I didn't need To drink that…
Werewolf Oh the werewolf, oh the werewolf Comes a-stepping along He d…
When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano When the swallows come back to Capistrano That's the day you…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@ChuckDeFuque
[Verse 1]
Told you once and I told you twice:
Why be mean when you can be nice?
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 2]
I hardly feel like a mustard seed
‘cause your love is what I need
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 3]
I’m the ace of hearts and she’s my queen
The best old girl you ever seen
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 4]
I told you, child, when you were sixteen
I wanted you, girl, to be my queen
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 5]
A bullfrog sitting on a lily pond
And I was holding her in my arms
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 6]
I call you on the telephone
Tell me why you’re never home
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Outro]
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misereeeeeeeee?
@erickcaetano2388
Told you once and I told you twice:
Why be mean when you can be nice?
Come on, be kind to me!
Can't you see I'm in misery?
I hardly feel like a mustard seed
'cause your love is all I need
Come on, be kind to me!
Can't you see I'm in misery?
I'm the ace of hearts and she's my queen,
The best old girl you ever seen
Come on, be kind to me!
Can't you see I'm in misery?
I told you, child, when you were sixteen,
I wanted you, girl, to be my queen
Come on, be kind to me!
Can't you see I'm in misery?
I'm a bull frog sitting on a lily pond
I was holding her in my arms
Come on, be kind to me!
Can't you see I'm in misery?
I call you on the telephone
Tell me why you’re never home
Come on, be kind to me!
Can't you see I'm in misery?
Oh, can't you see I'm in misery?
@fos6872
Told you once and I told you twice:
Why be mean when you can be nice?
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 2]
I hardly feel like a mustard seed
‘cause your love is what I need
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 3]
I’m the ace of hearts and she’s my queen
The best old girl you ever seen
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 4]
I told you, child, when you were sixteen
I wanted you, girl, to be my queen
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery?
[Verse 5]
A bullfrog sitting on a lily pond
And I was holding her in my arms
Come on, be kind to me!
Can’t you see I’m in misery
@janepiepes2243
For decades we've loved Michael Hurley. He even stayed at our house once in Charlottesville Virginia
and played my piano.
@blueherringjw93
Jane Piepes what a rascal!
@jacobeck4220
Randomly heard this song today on Spotify while going to school at UVA. Cool to hear he was right around here at some point!
@aidanfrench7255
this is epic, man’s was a corner stone of my childhood
@justinspivey8728
@jacob he used to live in Richmond, VA in a place called Oregon Hill 😃
@Scorpyishere
Nice
@aDogNamedHandsome
I was in a restaurant tonight. The singer covered this and I asked him who wrote it.
"Michael Hurley" he explained. Easy enough to remember. I was in Hurleyville, New York.
@kevinchambers547
What Venue? Who Was The Singer. I don't live that far from Hurleyville !
@JS-nw7xf
Hurley's version is wonderful... but he didn't write this song. Dave Bartholomew and Earl King did, the great Smiley Lewis recorded the original version for Imperial in the '50s. Testament to Hurley's deep and abiding love of NOLA R&B.
@KrisHarsh
@@JS-nw7xf I want you to be right so i went in search of the Smiley Lewis version and song writing credits for Dave Bartholomew. I can't find either. Could you link? I found smiley Lewis' entire Imperial recrordings (or so they say) on Discogs and unless the song was renamed, it's not there either.