1. |
Born in the Deep Woods
03:59
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Late one night at the garden gate
I saw a little rabbit come to pull his freight
His hair was golden and his tail was white
His big black eyes were shining bright
I said, “Slow down, man, please slow down
Keep your fast feet on the ground
There’s a world of wonder for you to see
So please slow down and watch with me”
He said, “If you’d been where I have been
If you’d seen what I have seen
You’d know the world is swift and mean
When you got nowhere to go
So you’d keep on running this rugged race
You’d keep that sly smile on your face
You tell me to slow down my pace
But this is all I know:
“I was born in the old Deep Woods
And I been hurrying ever since I could
If I was worrying it wouldn’t do no good”
And I understood
One bright morning I took a stroll
Straight down to that crawdad hole
I saw a turtle on a grassy knoll
All pulled up in his shell
I said, “Come out, turtle, the day is new
The sun is shining, the sky is blue
Hurry up, man, you gotta do
All that you do well”
He said, “Slow down, man, please slow down
Keep your body on the ground
If you’d been down where I’ve been down
Where you never been so low
You’d know that slow and steady wins the race
You’d build a shell to hide your face
You tell me to pick up my pace
But this is all I know:
“I was born in the old Deep Woods
And I been worrying ever since I could
If I was hurrying it wouldn’t do no good”
And I understood
I sing a story that you might know
Of a rabbit fast and a turtle slow
Whichever way you’re made to go
Our stories are the same
Some are old, some are young
Some are told, some are sung
Some are stolen from their native tongue
Or trapped up on a shelf
Some we’re given, some we earn
Some we wait till it’s our turn
Some we’re born with, some we learn
Some we write ourselves
But we’re all born in the old Deep Woods
And we’ve been singing ever since we could
Our voices ringing, yeah, they ring for good
Yeah, it’s understood
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2. |
Old Mother Goose
03:48
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Old Mother Goose, she busted loose
She flew the coop, man, she slipped the noose
Now Old Mother Goose, she cutting loose
Say hello to the new Old Mother Goose, Goose, Goose
That Old Mother Goose is gone
She been locked up for far too long
Stuck in the nursery, cooped up in the barn
Trapped with the babies on Old MacDonald’s Farm
So she picked the lock, she jumped the gate
She spreading her wings and she shifting her fate
Now Old Mother Goose is moving along
Just strutting her stuff and singing her song
It goes, Old Mother Goose…
Goosey, goosey gander, whither shall I wander
Upstairs, downstairs, in my lady’s chamber
There I met an old man who wouldn’t say his prayers
So I bit him in the left leg and I kicked him down the stairs
Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed to see such sport
And the dish ran away with the spoon
All around the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel
The monkey thought it was all in good fun
But then, “POP!” goes the weasel
Mothers and fathers: you do not understand her
What’s good for this goose ain’t no good for your gander
Whatever the season, her weather is fine, man
Whatever the reason, she’s got a rhyme
Old Mother Goose…
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3. |
Birdies' Ball
03:03
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The Oak once said to the nightingale
“I mean to give you birds a ball
Pray invite the birdies all
The birds and the birdies great and small”
Tra-la-la-la…
Soon they came from bush and tree
Singing sweet their songs of glee
Each one fresh from its cozy nest
Each one dressed in its Sunday best
Tra-la-la-la…
The wren and the cuckoo danced for life
The raven waltzed with the redbird’s wife
The awkward owl and the bashful jay
Wished each other a happy day
Tra-la-la-la…
Cock robin rocked around the clock
The Tall Oak laughed and the songbirds flocked
They made such a racket that everyone heard
That the bird bird birdie, the bird is the word
Tra-la-la-la…
The brown canary and the jangle byrds sang
All through the forest the music rang
The laurel canyon was cool and breezy
So the lonesome eagle just took it easy
Tra-la-la-la…
They danced all day till the sun was low
Then the mama birds prepared to go
So one and all, both great and small
Flew to their nests from the birdie’s ball
Tra-la-la-la…
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4. |
Mr. Gamble
03:30
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Frog went a-courting and he did ride
Rock strop by Mr. Gamble
Had a sword and a pistol buckled to his side
Rock strop by Mr. Gamble
Heemo hi-mo, keemo ky-mo, rolly, rolly, ray
Rock strop penny winkle flanna doodle yella booger
Rock strop by Mr. Gamble
He rode right up to Miss Mousie's house
Said, "Please, will you marry me, Miss Mouse?"
Heemo hi-mo...
She said, "Now, I can't tell you that
Until I ask my Uncle Rat"
Uncle Rat gave his consent
The weasel wrote the publishment
Rock strop penny winkle...
Where will their supper be?
Way down yonder in a hollow tree
And what will the supper be?
Butter cups and dew drop tea
Rock strop penny winkle...
The first to come was a big white moth
Spread her wings for a tablecloth
Next to come was a big black gnat
He sat down on Uncle Rat
Next to come was a brokeback flea
Danced a jig with the bumblebee
Rock strop penny winkle...
Next to come was an old tomcat
He swallowed the mouse and ate up the rat
Frog come swimming across the lake
He got swallowed by a big black snake
Rock strop penny winkle...
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5. |
Rabbit in a Log
02:33
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Rabbit in a log and I ain't got my dog
How will I get him? I don’t know
I'll find me a briar and twist it in his hair
That’s how I'll get him, I know
I know (I know!), I know (I know!)
That's how I'll get him, I know
I'll find me a briar and twist it in his hair
That’s how I'll get him, I know
I'll build me a fire and cook that old hare
Roll him in the flames good and brown
Have a feast here tonight while the moon’s shining bright
Find me a place to lie down
To lie down (lie down!), lie down (lie down!)
Find me a place to lie down
Have a feast here tonight while the moon’s shining bright
And find me a place to lie down
I'm going down the track with just my coat on my back
Soles of my shoes are nearly gone
A little ways ahead there's an old farmer's shed
That's where I'll rest my weary bones
Weary bones (weary bones!), lazy bones (lazy bones!)
That's where I'll rest my weary bones
A little ways ahead there's an old farmer's shed
That's where I'll rest my weary bones
Rabbit in a log and I ain’t got my dog…
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6. |
Little Baby Born Today
03:26
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Little baby was born today
The leaves all danced and the branches swayed
They heard the cry from miles away
And all went quiet in the woods today
In a little log cabin a mama smiled
As she gazed at the face of her newborn child
All the generations reconciled
In the gentle little face of a newborn child
And oh, the heave and push
And oh, the birds all hushed
And oh, the rabbit rushed away
And oh, the face so flush
The glowing eyes in the bramble bush
The forest sang a song so lush and gay
For the sweet little baby born in the woods today
The animals felt the shine today
Like the warming touch of the sun’s red rays
The doe and the sow and the mama jay
Spread the word through the woods today
In a little log cabin a daddy cried
As he gazed in the faces of the babe and bride
He heard the rush of the river and the wind outside
Said a prayer to the giver of the spirit wild
And oh, the aching love
Below the snowy dove
That soared in the sky above the fray
And oh, the deal we make
The old and young and the give and take
We owe a debt when we create a way
For a sweet little baby born in the woods today
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7. |
Mockingbird
03:28
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Mama, mama, have you heard?
Our sweet little baby is a mockingbird
Every word that I can speak
Mockingbaby can repeat
If I say, “Baby, howdy-do!”
He say, “Baby, howdy-do!”
If I say, “No, I mean how are you?”
He say, “No, I mean how are you?”
Mockingbird…
When I wake up and say, “Good day”
He say, “Good day,” and then he flies away
So I give chase and I yell, “Stop!”
And he yell, “Stop!” and so I stop
“Gosh dang you tricked me so-and-so!”
“Gosh dang you tricked me so-and-so!” Uh oh!
But when I say, “No, I mean wait right here”
Of course he pretend he cannot hear
Mockingbird…
Mama, mama, have you heard?
Sweet little baby is a mockingbird
And when that mockingbird can sing
He’s gonna sing like everything
He’ll spin songs from all around the world
Into the bright white song of the mockingbird
But he’ll have rhythm and he’ll have soul
Sweet little baby gonna rock’n’roll
When I say, “That’s alright, mama”...
Mama, mama, have you heard?
Sweet little baby is a mockingbird
And when that mockingbird grows wings
He’s gonna learn about everything
He’ll fly around the great big world
Singing the bright white song of the mockingbird
So hold him tight until you let him go
Sweet little baby gonna rock’n’roll
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8. |
Leatherwing Bat
03:18
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“I,” said the little leatherwing bat
“I’ll tell you the reason that
The reason that I fly by night
Is cuz I’ve lost my heart’s delight”
Hidee didee diddle-dum day
Hidee didee diddle-dum day
Hidee didee diddle-dum day
Hi-lee lie-lee lie-lee low
“I,” said the blackbird sitting on a chair
“Once I courted a lady fair
She proved fickle and turned her back
And ever since then I’ve dressed in black”
Hidee didee diddle-dum day...
“I,” said the woodpecker sitting on a fence
“Once I courted a handsome wench
She got scared and from me fled
And ever since then my head’s been red”
Hidee didee diddle-dum day...
"Hoot," said the owl with a head so white
"A lonesome day and a lonesome night
Thought I heard some pretty girl say
Court all night and sleep all day"
Hidee didee diddle-dum day...
"No," said the little turtle dove
"That's no way to win her love
If you want to gain your heart's delight
Court all day and court all night"
Hidee didee diddle-dum day…
“I” said the young man down below
“I ain’t a bird but this I know
While you’re all busy flying around
I’ll find my true love on the ground”
Hidee didee diddle-dum day…
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9. |
Crawdad
03:35
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You get a line, I'll get a pole, honey
You get a line, I'll get a pole, babe
You get a line, I'll get a pole,
We'll go down to the crawdad hole
Honey, sugar baby mine
Get up, sweetheart, you slept too late, honey
Get up, sweetheart, you slept too late, babe
Get up, sweetheart, we slept too late
Crawdad man's done passed our gate
Honey, sugar baby mine
What you gonna do when the lake runs dry, honey?
What you gonna do when the lake runs dry, babe?
What you gonna do when our lake runs dry?
Sit on the bank and watch the crawdads die
Honey, sugar baby mine
What you gonna do when the crawdads die, honey?
What you gonna do when the crawdads die, babe?
What you gonna do when our crawdads die?
Sit on the bank and cry, cry, cry
Honey, sugar baby mine
You get a line, I'll get a pole, honey…
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10. |
Deep Woods Revisited
03:06
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As ants ate an apple on my ancestors’ tree
A buckeye rabbit was beckoning me
Carrying the carrots and the cabbage he stole
Through a ditch that he dug to his deep dark hole
Eagle soared above earth with a secret for the sun
Over fox on the run, that old son-of-a-gun
Got my goose and my gander, the goslings are mourning
Hound dog howled to the whole woods his warning
“You better stop running, it’ll do you no good
My master is coming, he was born in the Deep Woods”
In the indigo skyglow I inched my way in
Jaybird, he jumped from a juniper limb
With the key to the forest he keeled like a kite
As lightning, it flashed with its luminous light
A mouse and a frog made their marital vows
I knew nothing that instant but the infinite now
The officiant, an owl, stood on Grandmother Oak
As the pigeons and possums all parted, he spoke
I am no shaman but I understood
We got one thing in common: we were born in the Deep Woods
Quietly I scribbled with the quill of a quail
As a raccoon and rabbit got rowdy and railed ‘gainst
A slithery snake scaring a squirrel off a stump
Turtle carved an asterisk in the Oak Tree trunk
Under starlight the universe humbly unfurled
And the voices sang verses of songs of the world
As wild as the wind or a wolf in the rain
X marked the spot of this exalted exchange
Yes, way over yonder in the yellow moonlight
I sang with the zest of a zealot that night
I saw alpha and omega, the first to the last
To the farthest flung future from the predawn of past
From the great Big Bang to the End coming soon
Every trip round the sun, every face of the moon
Ashes to ashes, dust into dust
From the earth we all come and return there we must
The dead and the living, the evil and good
Well we’ll all be forgiven and reborn in the Deep Woods
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11. |
Born Again
05:05
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When the wintertime is finally through
And the ice has thawed and the sky is blue
And the green grass just shines with dew, so shiny new
And the flower buds start climbing through
The sleeping animals awaken
From their long night sleepy shaking
Roll the stones back from their caves and
See the bright green morning breaking
And the mothers and the fathers
With their sons and with their daughters
All go down to the water
To prey on fish with the others
And they jump into the blue spring
See the sunlight wildly dancing
Remember everything and nothing
And then they’re born again, they’re born again
One time I got so deep blue
I couldn’t tell which way to turn to
I didn’t know who I could talk to
I whistled at a bird, she spoke a word
Then away she flew
So I went out walking
Past the city’s tall and dark things
To where the trees were gently rocking
And my mind slowed its fast talking
And I jumped into the blue spring
Saw the sunlight wildly dancing
And my weary soul began to sing
“Remember everything and nothing“
Yeah, one bright Sunday morning
Without a word, without warning
My spirit started soaring
And I was born again, I was born again
When your dreams have all gone fluttering
And you’re still searching for that something
Well, just remember one thing
We’re born naked, carrying nothing
When we reach our destination
Across the river, across the nation
We find we’re right back where we came from
And then we’re born again, born again, born again
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12. |
Old Black Dog
04:02
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Old black dog come down by the river
Shook his tail and the world start to shiver
“Go away, dog, go away, dog”
He can’t have my baby
Cuz mama loves you, daddy loves you
Everybody loves baby
Mama loves you, daddy loves you
Everybody loves baby
Great big bear just woke up in his cave
Heard his roar and I try to be brave
“Go away bear, go away bear “
He can’t have my baby
Cuz mama loves you...
Big boogerman come flying ‘cross the meadow
Swallows the world in his deep dark shadow
“Go away, man, go away, man“
He can’t have my baby
Cuz mama loves you…
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Red Yarn Portland, Oregon
Red Yarn is a Texas-born, Oregon-based family performer who weaves folksongs & puppetry into engaging shows for all ages. With his energetic performances and lush folk-rock recordings, Red Yarn reinvigorates American folklore for younger generations.
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