Frank, Jackson C. - Marlene Lyrics






The ghost of her hair floats over there
And the smile, the smile, it seemed so lonely
She gave me her hand as they struck up the band
And she seemed to say, she seemed to say 'you're the only'

And we danced like two snowflakes
In the falling wind, in the wind
And do me a favor God
Won't you let Marlene come in

The gymnasium floor, the brass-bound door
The jungle bird, the jungle bird that you showed me
Her love was so clean, to tell the truth, Marlene
The sound of your tambourine still owns me

We were so young then,
Now that I'm old I know, oh I know
I loved you right then
I would have made Marlene let go

My friends in the bars, hell they only see the scars
And they do not give a damn, they do not give a damn
That I loved you

I don't know why, but once you've seen the sky
You think you know all birds are lovely
But there's snow on the ground in Woodstock tonight
It's 22 years dear, since I saw the light

The world it explodes, as such a high powered load
To run, to run, to run, was all they left me
Up here there's breeze, high in the clouds we're free
To fly, to fly away, was the lesson
And though the fire had burned her life out, it left me little more
I am a crippled singer, and it evens up the score

The ghost of her hair floats over there
And the smile, the smile it seems, seems so lonely
She gave me her hand as I struck up the band
And she seemed to say, she seemed to say 'you're the only'

And there we danced like two snowflakes
In the falling wind, in the wind
And do me a favor God, won't you let Marlene come in
Do me a favor God, won't you let Marlene come in





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Frank, Jackson C. Marlene Comments
  1. L.... f....

    Utter shivering beauty. 😢

  2. N.... P....

    One of the most harrowing, heart-broken songs I’ve ever heard

  3. m.... ....

    Every tab out there for this is wrong in certain parts. I figured it out, and I suck at guitar. Anyone curious, the chords are: (standard, capo 3rd) em (022000 with the hammer-on), then into the end of verse, its Am (002210), then whatever (302013) is, then (200200) before returning to Em again. Chorus is C (032010), D (000232), quick to G (3200××) quick to ? (2000××) back to Em. Just was annoying me that no one tabbed it right.

  4. A.... M....

    To hear and feel this song is the closest empathy to this man's life pain we'll get.

  5. B.... J....

    This song might be my suicide song

  6. s.... k....

    David Kohlhagen

    s.... k....

    I listen to Marlene every once in a while because it's my favorite of Jackson's songs. I knew them both, Marlene was so beautiful. RIP

  7. J.... H....

    https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117990378/marlene-dupont

  8. J.... P....

    Given what happened, this has to be one of the most haunting songs ever written.

  9. M.... D....

    my name irl is Marlene :3

  10. T.... ....

    utter genious...this is too deep for words, only song to give me shivers

  11. I.... ....

    Holy shit, heavy.

  12. M.... ....

    Somewhere between hope and total dispair... I guess what we hear is a soul that refuses to vanish

  13. j.... ....

    Best than Dylan...

  14. P.... R....

    Thank God for Spotify. I heard Kimbie and now a huge fan.

  15. P.... C....

    Some of his songs are featured in the film Martha, Marcy, May, Marlene.

  16. x.... ....

    This is what emerged from the ashes of that burned down school so long ago..

  17. M.... ....

    Ее призрак все еще витает там
    И улыбка, улыбка его кажется такой одинокой
    Она протянула мне руку, когда я пришел в группу
    И кажется она сказала, кажется сказала ‘ты единственный'

    Мы танцевали, словно две снежинки
    Падающие на ветру, на ветру,
    Боже, сделай мне одолжение,
    Позволь Марлен войти,

    Пол в спортзале, дверь c латунной окантовкой,
    И тукан, тукан, которого ты мне показывала,
    Ее любовь вправду была так чиста, Марлен,
    Звук твоего бубна все еще завораживает меня,

    Мы были так молоды,
    Теперь я знаю,что я стар,о, я это знаю
    Я любил тебя тогда,
    Я должен бы тебя отпустить,

    Приятели в барах замечали лишь чертовы шрамы,
    И им было плевать на то, плевать на то,
    Что я любил ее,

    Не знаю почему, но однажды ты смотрела в небо,
    Тебе казалось, что все птицы, что известны тебе, так милы,
    Но снег накрыл земли Вудстока тем вечером,
    Уже 22 года, дорогая, как я не видел свет,

    Мир взрывается, словно большая связка динамита,
    Бежать, бежать, бежать, единственное, что остается,
    Там наверху высоко в облаках, где мы были свободны,
    Дует прохладный бриз,
    Лететь прочь, лететь прочь - вот вам урок,
    И хотя огонь сжег ее жизнь, мне он оставил немного больше,
    Я - изувеченный певец, и это сводит счет,

    Ее призрак все еще витает там,
    И улыбка, улыбка его кажется такой одинокой,
    Она протянула мне руку, когда я пришел в группу,
    И кажется она сказала, кажется сказала ‘ты единственный,'

    Тогда мы танцевали,словно две снежинки,
    Падающие на ветру, на ветру,
    Боже, не мог бы ты сделать мне одолжение,
    Впусти Марлен
    Сделай мне одолжение,Боже, позволь Марлен войти.

  18. B.... G....

    Those who share the most light
    On others that would be alone
    Continue to fight the good fight
    But never find themselves a home
    Lay clear the wrong from the right Whilst holding devils of their own
    Pray this soul never looses sight
    Of the joy their light has grown

    Just thinking more about his story and it popped into my head. Why not write it down.

    B.... G....

    Benjamin Goulding

    Nothing wrong with writing it down but why not show the man who's the focus of this page a little respect and not try to steal some of his spotlight with your own shit....you wanna feel special for real then I suggest you don't try to get it whilst hanging on the coat tails of your hero's, yah dig ? Just a thought anyways, and the poem wasn't bad in my humble opinion.

    B.... G....

    why are you shitting on this comment then? he wrote a poem inspired by this guy. nothing wrong with that.

    B.... G....

    Felt Puppets
    Save it for the JacksonnFrank tribute page, you only disrespect the man by using his fame to attract flies to your manure so to speak

  19. D.... S....

    his life seemed to be one tragedy after another. ironic that he's brought so much joy to mine

    D.... S....

    Any relation to the keele sneyeds?

    D.... S....

    The misery of others often brings happiness to strangers ud sooner choke before seeing them happy because of you haha life eh

  20. D.... ....

    the toughest listen in a catalogue of tough listens.

    D.... ....

    From the first lines of the first house. Then it gets tougher.

  21. t.... v....

    "The sound of your tambourine still owns me" How powerful. Great song by a great singer.

    t.... v....

    I think "still haunts me".

    t.... v....

    definitely owns me

    t.... v....

    Think it's "still haunts me"

  22. T.... L....

    he wrote this in honor of the girl Marlene he loved that died in a school fire when he was 11

    T.... L....

    Tanner Larson
    Yeah we know....

  23. E.... Y....

    Jackson Frank benim için vazgeçilmez bir şarkıcı.Allah Rahmet eylesin,güzel söylemiş;Mekanı Cennet Olsun.

  24. F.... R....

    Amazing.

  25. M.... L....

    This makes me cry

  26. J.... O....

    Always brings me to tears.

  27. J.... P....

    ˜You're the only'

  28. Y.... D....

    heard the tune at the end of a movie,,, looks like a deep tragic voice,,,, brought me here

    Y.... D....

    Me too but I forgot which movie was it, i only shazamed the song.

  29. D.... ....

    I get this weird feeling whenever I listen to Jackson C. Frank, its almost like his songs were waiting for you since he sang them for the first time.

    D.... ....

    Makes a lotta sense, really. I get it.

    D.... ....

    Yes! Like I can't possibly be hearing this for the first time.

    D.... ....

    I think he wrote this song about his grade school sweetheart (Marlene). In music class his school in buffalo NY burnt down and 15 of his young class mates died...he made it out with some burns and hard emotions. Yall remember your very first crush? Here he is for his. RIP.

  30. d.... ....

    this is how i felt the day i discovered arthur russell... it's like, a part of my heart that i didn't know was missing till i heard this voice. how beautiful.

    d.... ....

    Beautifully expressed!!!

    d.... ....

    well said - !

  31. H.... L....

    THANK YOU !!!!!!!

  32. A.... ....

    Martha Marcy May brought me here. Great song btw.

  33. C.... C....

    God his songs can be so heartbreaking

    C.... C....

    +Samuel S - It is about his girlfriend who burnt to death when they were 11. He is an incredibly tragic character, if you read his story.

    C.... C....

    +Robert J. Williamson aye i was aware

    C.... C....

    so sad and beatiful lyrics..
    The ghost of her floats over there
    And the smile, the smile, it seemed so lonely
    She gave me her hand as they struck up the band
    And she seemed to say, she seemed to say ‘you're the only'

    And we danced like two snowflakes
    In the falling wind, in the wind
    And do me a favor God
    Won't you let Marlene come in

    The gymnasium floor, the brass-bound door
    The jungle bird, the jungle bird that you showed me
    Her love was so clean, to tell the truth, Marlene
    The sound of your tambourine still haunts me

    We were so young then,
    Now that I'm old I know, oh I know
    I loved you right then
    I would have made Marlene let go

    My friends in the bars, hell they only see the scars
    And they do not give a damn, they do not give a damn that I loved you
    I don't know why, but once you've seen the sky
    You think you know all birds are lovely

    But there's snow on the ground
    In Woodstock tonight
    It's 22 years dear
    Since I saw the light

    The world it explodes, as such a high powered load
    To run, to run, to run, was all they left me
    Up here there’s breeze, high in the clouds we're free
    To fly, to fly away, was the lesson

    And though the fire had burned her life out
    It left me little more
    I am a crippled singer
    And it evens up the score

    The ghost of her floats over there
    And the smile, the smile it seems, seems so lonely
    She gave me her hand as I struck up the band
    And she seemed to say, she seemed to say ‘you're the only'

    And there we danced like two snowflakes
    In the falling wind, in the wind
    And do me a favor God
    Won't you let Marlene come in

    Do me a favor God
    Won't you let Marlene come in
    https://genius.com/Jackson-c-frank-marlene-lyrics

  34. J.... G....

    I want to say this Is my favorite Jackson C Frank song but they're all masterfully crafted I could not choose

  35. b.... ....

    Marlene DuPont was such a beautiful girl, it absolutely blew me away to see her photo as this has always been one of my favourite Jackson Frank songs. If anyone wants an excellent biography of Frank can I suggest 'The Clear Hard Light of Genius' by Jim Abbott? Really worth reading if you want a better understanding of this tortured genius.

    b.... ....

    Hi, where did you see the photo of Marlene?

    b.... ....

    You'r right! Thank you so much RAINZONYOHEAD!

  36. J.... ....

    wow, just heard this tune at the end of the film, Martha Marcy May Marlene! had to find it! holy ... beautiful!

  37. b.... ....

    Marlene Du Pont was just the most beautiful girl. According to Jim Abbott, who knew Jackson very well, she was so badly burned that she had to be identified by scraps if her clothing, she was only 11.

  38. K.... ....

    Some of the lyrics are wrong. I think it's "she seemed to SIGH you're the only", it's "brassbound door", and it sounds like he's singing "I do not give a damn they do not give a damn".

  39. B.... R....

    The Cleveland Hill alumni Group on Facebook has more info about the fire and about Jackson Frank.  My older sister was the same age as Frank,  Marlene lived two doors down from us.  Her parents moved away soon after the fire.

    B.... R....

    can anyone be a member or only alumni?

  40. M.... ....

    Thanks for posting the meaning of the song- for those like me who didn't know. I heard this song from the ending of the film "Martha Marcy May Marlene".

    M.... ....

    +No, No, No same here. so powerful and moving.

  41. M.... A....

    Wherever you are this is for you.
    Grateful memory in your name.
    Thanks for posting,

    tojugula

  42. p.... ....

    tomorrow (3-31) is 60 years removed from the Cleveland Hills School Boiler Fire that took the lives of both Marlene Du Pont and Marlene Miller  and 13 other classmates and inflicted severe physical and mental pain on Jackson C. Frank for life.  This is such a powerful and sad song and with memorable lines about " I am a crippled single" and "evening up the score" and "ghost of her hair" and "let Marlene come in"...  I also think a lot over the years of Blaine Poss, another classmate who was  killed in the explosion, who apparently escaped and then went back in to try and pull another classmate out. 

    p.... ....

    https://news.wbfo.org/post/heritage-moments-those-lost-cleveland-hill-school-fire-bell-tolls-15-times

  43. N.... C....

    Yeah Same Here, Marlene Is Someone He Dated Or Had A Crush On And This Is A Song That He Wrote Years Later About Marlene, She Died In The Cleveland Hill School Fire In 1954. We Think It Happened By A Boiler Explosion, Well At Least We Think. It Is 2014 Exactly 60 Years AFTER The Fire. R.I.P All Or The Ones Who perished In The Tragidy.

    N.... C....

    Perished.

    N.... C....

    What's with that irritating habit of writting every single word with initial caps?

    N.... C....

    Why do you have to be such a dick about him writing with capitals?

    N.... C....

    @Deborah Hatten Because it's wrong.

    N.... C....

    @Michael JS Lundy whats wrong

  44. E.... R....

    I go to this school marlene died in

    E.... R....

    Elizabeth Rusinski oh

  45. C.... N....

    I go to the school Marlene died in Cleveland hill

  46. C.... N....

    This is about somebody named Marlene who died in a fire at my school, Cleveland hill. Jackson frank was just one of the lucky survivors.

    C.... N....

    Frank was the ONLY survivor of the fire in the particular room of the school in which he was injured, wasn't he?

    C.... N....

    no there were like 15 survivors

    C.... N....

    the fire happened on this day

    C.... N....

    @Matt Stefon he was the worst burned to survive. Marlene Dupont was the young lady.

  47. I.... L....

    such a beautiful song.

  48. A.... ....

    One of the most capturing and sorrowful songs I've ever heard. 

  49. J.... P....

    pijnlijk mooi.

  50. B.... C....

    Love this song. Saw it in the film Martha Marcy May Marlene.

  51. B.... C....

    Love this. Heard it in the film, Martha Marcy May Marlene

  52. t.... ....

    Why is this unavailable on mobile? When I try to listen to it on my mobile I get the following message:
    "The content owner has not made this video available on mobile"

    Why? Why? Why?

  53. N.... N....

    Noir desir !

  54. l.... ....

    google cleveland hill school fire cheektowaga ny and you can read about the incident which occurred march 31, 1954 (talking proud-memoirs by Ed Marek)

  55. J.... B....

    If you Google "March 31, 1954 cleveland hill school fire" you can locate the extensive accounts on a site called talkingproud

  56. J.... B....

    I am from Buffalo and was born two years after the fire. Never heard one thing about the fire, or Jackson Frank (despite the fact my dad's pal was a Cleveland Hill fireman) -- until I spoke with a friend/survivor about it last year. I asked why he never talked about it before and he said, "It was too horrifying."

  57. J.... O....

    i love you

  58. m.... k....

    there should be more songs called marlene c:

  59. J.... P....

    And she seemed to say, she seemed to say
    ˜You're the only'...

  60. A.... M....

    Wow...incredible, simply incredible.

  61. l.... ....

    get adblocker for firefox

  62. J.... W....

    sublime

  63. A.... M....

    I hope you're just trying to sound edgy. Not only do politics have no place in this video, hateful irrelevant insults make you look childish. Get off youtube.

  64. Q.... ....

    heard i want to be alone from electroma and had to search for the artist, when I found his music i loved it, when i heard his story i almost wept. as a young director i have set myself the goal that one day I will try tell this mans story to the world.

  65. L.... G....

    made my day!

  66. J.... A....

    Just for the record, Copyright 1975 by JacksonC. Frank pub by Peachesand Crust/JCFrankMusic
    PO Box 2002, Jackson, GA 30233

  67. M.... G....

    Martha Marcy May Marlene :)

  68. v.... ....

    Yeah,
    It's the song for my beer time. Then i feel sorry for about the whole world.
    But, tomorrow I wake up and become an ordinary man

    Тяжелая трудовая неделя, а предстоит ещё 3-и, да таких, что порадуешься предыдущей. А тут ещё посмотрел "Martha Marcy May Marlene". Понравилась песенка про Marcy. Узнал про Jackson C. Frank-а и о том фрагменте, которым люди пытаются объяснить его грусть. Параллельно все больше осознаю смысл фильма... Фуцк, что будет дальше?

  69. A.... ....

    Me too. I ache when I play his songs. It's a good ache.

  70. b.... ....

    That advert is an abomination in context - its doing the company responsible no favors at all

  71. m.... ....

    I just love this song. I am awaiting the full album to come in from order, amazing emotion, I want to live in this melody.

  72. J.... P....

    I heard this in the movie Martha Marcy May Marlene. Breathtaken.

  73. F.... ....

    This Man's Music has had a Huge impact on my simple life.
    Thank You kindly Jackson Carey Frank for the Great music you have left w/ all of us.
    God bless and please rest in Peace.

  74. l.... ....

    Once you hear this song you cant forget it

  75. p.... ....

    a simple but powerful statement about one of the most tragic elementary school disasters of all time and the tortured life of Jackson C. Frank and the greatness of his music and words which will carry on.

  76. F.... ....

    R.I.P Marlene & Jackson C & All the other students that perished that cold, fateful day March 31,1954.

  77. L.... ....

    song at the credits

  78. A.... O....

    Does anyone know the chords?

  79. S.... ....

    guitar reminds me of 'cherokee nation'...

  80. p.... ....

    one of the saddest and most powerful songs I have ever heard.. while thinking of the 1954 fire which killed Marlene Dupont (and another Marline (Miller) I also think of Blaine Poss who was a classmate who escaped only to go back through the window of fire and try and rescue his classmates and only to perish as well.. I wish I got to see Jackson C. Frank perform, and what is left, is about 20 seconds on you tube..

  81. s.... k....

    WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE MOVIE

  82. C.... ....

    the one who put the advertisement before this beauty better not get into my hands

  83. J.... S....

    I'm stunned. Blown away like you can only be when you discover beauty for the first time.

  84. S.... S....

    A genius, a brilliant genius, who passed through this life with us barely noticing the flash in the night. I heard of him only years after his passing. What a grief to me.

  85. E.... L....

    ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

  86. S.... ....

    I hope this never gets a dislike, damn . . . . . . . now that i've said it, somebody probably will dislike it!

  87. s.... ....

    this song is amazing

  88. S.... ....

    Great upload !
    Beautiful song...