Answers for the Song Meme!
Okay, it's been ten days since I posted this meme, and the eleven(!) songs nobody's guessed yet are pretty obscure, so I'm going to wind this up. Answers and filled-out lyrics under the cut!
#1: "Get You a Copper Kettle", American trad, my cover by Joan Baez; unguessed
Get you a copper kettle,
Get you a copper coil,
Cover with new-made corn mash,
And nevermore you'll toil...
#2: "O Holy Night", Christmas carol, my cover by the Sacrum Chamber Choir; guessed by meneleth, sophia_sol, bookblather
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
#3: "Foreign Exchange", VeggieTales medley; guessed by bookblather, sophia_sol, solo_by_choice
Hey Bob, check it out! -
W-what is this, Larry? -
I took a walk around the world, and look what I found!
#4: "Spring, Spring, Spring", from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954 musical starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell, also some incredible choreography and gymnastics); unguessed
Oh, the barnyard is busy in a regular tizzy
And the obvious reason is because of the season;
Each nest is twittering, they're all baby-sittering,
Spring, spring, spring!
#5: "In the Willow-Meads of Tasarinan" by J.R.R. Tolkien and Donald Swann; my cover by William Elvin & Donald Swann; guessed by lolmac Beth
In the willow-meads of Tasarinan I walked in the Spring;
Ah, the sight and the smell of the Spring in Nan-Tasarion!
And I said that was good.
(All of you other LOTR fans who missed this one should feel bad now. *joking*)
#6: "Valleri" by The Monkees, whose version I have; guessed by dbskyler, eponymous_rose
Valleri! Valleri!
There's a girl I know who makes me feel so good,
And I wouldn't live without her even if I could;
They call her Valleri! Valleri!
#7: "Mama Sang Amazing Grace" by Nancy Honeytree, cover by same; unguessed
Early in the morning, Mama would always sing;
Lord, it seemed like you and her had a special kind of thing.
Oh, I confess I'd groan and pull the pillow on my face,
But I'd lie still so I could hear her sing Amazing Grace.
#8: "Hush Little Baby", American trad, cover by The Weavers; guessed by dbskyler, eponymous_rose, sophia_sol, bookblather
Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
#9: "Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees, my version by same; guessed by dbskyler, meneleth
Take the last train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station,
You can be here by four-thirty 'cause I've made your reservation,
don't be slow,
Oh no no no, oh no no no,
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.
#10: "Does Jesus Care", hymn, my cover by Andy Griffith and orchestra; unguessed
Does Jesus care if my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth and song,
While the burdens press and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?
#11: "Away from the Roll of the Sea", Irish trad? My cover by Frank Patterson; guessed by sophia_sol
Small craft in a harbor that's still and serene
Give no indication what their ways have been;
They rock at their moorings all nestled in dreams
Away from the roll of the sea.
#12: "The Belly Button Song", VeggieTales, my version by same; unguessed
Baby, I know your eyes see right through my disguise,
(And no one can deny)
Baby, that I'm the one whose love is no surprise,
(And he can't tell you no lie)
But there's this secret I've been hiding, I can't keep it no more
(There's this thing about himself he's never told you before,
Oh, he needs to tell you somethin'!)
I don't got a belly button!
#13: "Children, Go Where I Send Thee", Christmas carol, my cover by The Weavers; guessed by sophia_sol
Children, go where I send thee!
How shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send you one by one,
One was the little bitty baby,
Born, bo-orn, born in Bethlehem.
#14: "John Henry", American trad, my cover by Pete Seeger; guessed by neveralarch, bookblather
John Henry was a little bitty baby,
Sittin' on his papa's knee,
And he picks up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
Says hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord Lord,
Hammer's gonna be the death of me.
#15: "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name", hymn, not sure which cover; guessed by pedanther
Holy God, we praise Thy name!
Lord of all, we bow before thee;
All on earth Thy scepter 'cclaim.
All in Heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign.
Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign.
(If I ever get uppity about my proofreading skillz, feel free to ask about the time I left a "k" in "everlasting" for - as near as we can figure - seven or eight years of annual reviews. *g*)
#16: "Christmas in Indiana" by Straight No Chaser? Cover by same; unguessed (it's one of their more lackluster songs)
(Bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum)
The moonlight shines on the sycamores,
And now they are calling to me,
In the city it's snowing, the sidewalk's glowing,
But there's somewhere I'd rather be
#17: "You Never Give Up On Me" from the Facing The Giants soundtrack (it's a Christian football movie), I've no idea what artist; unguessed
Time after time, you've been left behind
Like the sun when it's starting to rain,
And time after time, you've been forgotten
Like a picture that's faded with age,
Time after time, you ran after me
When I was still running away
#18: "Proud to Be An American", unknown artist (it's one of those drugstore CDs that cropped up everywhere after 9/11/01); guessed by meneleth, bookblather
If tomorrow all the things were gone
I've worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my God above to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can't take that away
#19: "Songs of Yesterday" by The White Mountain Singers, cover by same; unguessed
Sunset's glow hangs over the hills as the evening starts to fade,
The campfire glows; its coals shine bright to hide away the shade,
We've hiked upon the mountainside and we've watched the eagles soar,
A day like this ends peacefully; how could you ask for more?
(I don't blame anyone for not guessing it, because they and it are pretty lame - but these lyrics do remind me of Beth's post-MacGyver road-trip fic. Of which I forget the name, but which I did read despite not seeing The Stringer yet, and neglected to review. o_O But I liked it!)
#20: "Testify to Love" by Wynnonna Judd, cover by same taped from "Touched by an Angel"; unguessed
All the colors of the rainbow,
All the voices of the wind,
Every hand that reaches out,
Reaches out to find where love begins,
Every word of every story,
Every star in every sky,
Every corner of creation
Lives to testify!
#21: "Once I Had a Sweetheart", trad, cover by Joan Baez; guessed by sophia_sol
Once I had a sweetheart, but now I have none;
once I had a sweetheart, but now I have none.
He's gone and leave me, he's gone and leave me,
He's gone and leave me to sorrow and mourn.
Last night in sweet slumber, I dreamed I did see,
Last night in sweet slumber, I dreamed I did see,
My own precious jewel sat smiling by me.
#22: "Plow Under", by Pete Seeger with the Almanac Singers, my cover by same; unguessed
Remember when the A-A-A killed a million hogs a day?
Instead of hogs it's men today; Plow the fourth one under.
Plow under! Plow under! Plow under every fourth American boy.
(This would be from the very early days of WWII before the folk singers turned... non-anti-war.)
#23: "Pioneer" by Nancy Honeytree, my cover by same; unguessed
Pioneer, pioneer,
Keep pressing onward beyond your fear;
Only the Father goes before you
To your own frontier; you're a pioneer.
#24: "Streets of Laredo" by Johnny Cash, my cover by one Harry Jackson presumably not related to MacGyver; guessed by bookblather
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo,
As I walked out in old Laredo town,
I spied a poor cowboy all wrapped in white linen,
All wrapped in white linen, for they had gunned the boy down.
Well, come sit down beside me, I'll tell you my story,
This poor boy said from his lips of flame red;
Oh they done gunned me down, boys, and gone off and left me
Here in this back street just like I was dead.
#25: "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz soundtrack; guessed by dbskyler, eponymous_rose, meneleth, bookblather
As Mayor of the Munchkin city
In the county of the Land of Oz,
I welcome you most regally -
But we've got to verify it legally!
To see (to see) if she (if she)
Is morally, ethically,
Spiritually, physically,
Positively, absolutely,
Undeniably and reliably dead!
(That's the whole track. But it's just fun, so I put it down. *g*)
#26: "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer" by Johnny Cash, cover by same; guessed by neveralarch, bookblather
John Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight,
He said, before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you: listen, boy,
He said, learn to ball a jack, learn to lay a track,
Learn to pick and shovel too,
And take my hammer: it'll do anything you tell it to.
#27: "The Good Reuben James" by Woody Guthrie, cover by same; guessed by lolmac Beth
Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James?
Of the hard-fighting men both of honor and of fame;
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.
What were their names, tell me what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
#28: "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees, cover by same; guessed by dbskyler, meneleth
(Seven-A - what number is this, chaps? - Seven-A. -
Okay, I don't mean it, don't get excited, man. It's 'cause I'm short, I know.)
Oh I could hide 'neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings,
The six-o'clock alarm would never ring,
But it rings and I rise, wipe the sleep out of my eyes,
My shaving razor's cold and it stings.
Oh, cheer up, sleepy Jean,
Oh, what can it mean
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?
#29: "Upon the Hearth the Fire Is Red" aka Bilbo's Walking Song by J.R.R. Tolkien, tune by Donald Swann, cover by William Elvin & Donald Swann; guessed by dbskyler, meneleth
Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed,
But not yet weary are our feet, still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass, let them pass!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! fare you well!
#30: "In Western Lands" aka Sam's Song by J.R.R. Tolkien, tune by Donald Swann (though I prefer "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" for tune), cover by William Elvin & Donald Swann; guessed by lolmac Beth
In Western lands beneath the Sun
The flowers may rise in spring,
The trees may bud, the waters run,
The merry finches sing,
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
And swaying beeches bear
The elven-stars as jewels white
Amid their branching hair.
And by final count, the least hapless denizens of my LJ flist (or at least, the ones who most share my tastes in music) are bookblather, dbskyler, meneleth, and sophia_sol, all tied with six correct guesses each! Congratulations to y'all, and to everyone else who guessed anything correctly - I've got some pretty weird stuff on here. *g*
(And Beth gets special Internet cookies for catching TWO rather famous Tolkien poems everyone else missed! O_O)
#1: "Get You a Copper Kettle", American trad, my cover by Joan Baez; unguessed
Get you a copper kettle,
Get you a copper coil,
Cover with new-made corn mash,
And nevermore you'll toil...
#2: "O Holy Night", Christmas carol, my cover by the Sacrum Chamber Choir; guessed by meneleth, sophia_sol, bookblather
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
#3: "Foreign Exchange", VeggieTales medley; guessed by bookblather, sophia_sol, solo_by_choice
Hey Bob, check it out! -
W-what is this, Larry? -
I took a walk around the world, and look what I found!
#4: "Spring, Spring, Spring", from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954 musical starring Howard Keel and Jane Powell, also some incredible choreography and gymnastics); unguessed
Oh, the barnyard is busy in a regular tizzy
And the obvious reason is because of the season;
Each nest is twittering, they're all baby-sittering,
Spring, spring, spring!
#5: "In the Willow-Meads of Tasarinan" by J.R.R. Tolkien and Donald Swann; my cover by William Elvin & Donald Swann; guessed by lolmac Beth
In the willow-meads of Tasarinan I walked in the Spring;
Ah, the sight and the smell of the Spring in Nan-Tasarion!
And I said that was good.
(All of you other LOTR fans who missed this one should feel bad now. *joking*)
#6: "Valleri" by The Monkees, whose version I have; guessed by dbskyler, eponymous_rose
Valleri! Valleri!
There's a girl I know who makes me feel so good,
And I wouldn't live without her even if I could;
They call her Valleri! Valleri!
#7: "Mama Sang Amazing Grace" by Nancy Honeytree, cover by same; unguessed
Early in the morning, Mama would always sing;
Lord, it seemed like you and her had a special kind of thing.
Oh, I confess I'd groan and pull the pillow on my face,
But I'd lie still so I could hear her sing Amazing Grace.
#8: "Hush Little Baby", American trad, cover by The Weavers; guessed by dbskyler, eponymous_rose, sophia_sol, bookblather
Hush, little baby, don't say a word,
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
#9: "Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees, my version by same; guessed by dbskyler, meneleth
Take the last train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station,
You can be here by four-thirty 'cause I've made your reservation,
don't be slow,
Oh no no no, oh no no no,
And I don't know if I'm ever coming home.
#10: "Does Jesus Care", hymn, my cover by Andy Griffith and orchestra; unguessed
Does Jesus care if my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth and song,
While the burdens press and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?
#11: "Away from the Roll of the Sea", Irish trad? My cover by Frank Patterson; guessed by sophia_sol
Small craft in a harbor that's still and serene
Give no indication what their ways have been;
They rock at their moorings all nestled in dreams
Away from the roll of the sea.
#12: "The Belly Button Song", VeggieTales, my version by same; unguessed
Baby, I know your eyes see right through my disguise,
(And no one can deny)
Baby, that I'm the one whose love is no surprise,
(And he can't tell you no lie)
But there's this secret I've been hiding, I can't keep it no more
(There's this thing about himself he's never told you before,
Oh, he needs to tell you somethin'!)
I don't got a belly button!
#13: "Children, Go Where I Send Thee", Christmas carol, my cover by The Weavers; guessed by sophia_sol
Children, go where I send thee!
How shall I send thee?
I'm gonna send you one by one,
One was the little bitty baby,
Born, bo-orn, born in Bethlehem.
#14: "John Henry", American trad, my cover by Pete Seeger; guessed by neveralarch, bookblather
John Henry was a little bitty baby,
Sittin' on his papa's knee,
And he picks up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
Says hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord Lord,
Hammer's gonna be the death of me.
#15: "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name", hymn, not sure which cover; guessed by pedanther
Holy God, we praise Thy name!
Lord of all, we bow before thee;
All on earth Thy scepter 'cclaim.
All in Heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign.
Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign.
(If I ever get uppity about my proofreading skillz, feel free to ask about the time I left a "k" in "everlasting" for - as near as we can figure - seven or eight years of annual reviews. *g*)
#16: "Christmas in Indiana" by Straight No Chaser? Cover by same; unguessed (it's one of their more lackluster songs)
(Bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum)
The moonlight shines on the sycamores,
And now they are calling to me,
In the city it's snowing, the sidewalk's glowing,
But there's somewhere I'd rather be
#17: "You Never Give Up On Me" from the Facing The Giants soundtrack (it's a Christian football movie), I've no idea what artist; unguessed
Time after time, you've been left behind
Like the sun when it's starting to rain,
And time after time, you've been forgotten
Like a picture that's faded with age,
Time after time, you ran after me
When I was still running away
#18: "Proud to Be An American", unknown artist (it's one of those drugstore CDs that cropped up everywhere after 9/11/01); guessed by meneleth, bookblather
If tomorrow all the things were gone
I've worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my God above to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
And they can't take that away
#19: "Songs of Yesterday" by The White Mountain Singers, cover by same; unguessed
Sunset's glow hangs over the hills as the evening starts to fade,
The campfire glows; its coals shine bright to hide away the shade,
We've hiked upon the mountainside and we've watched the eagles soar,
A day like this ends peacefully; how could you ask for more?
(I don't blame anyone for not guessing it, because they and it are pretty lame - but these lyrics do remind me of Beth's post-MacGyver road-trip fic. Of which I forget the name, but which I did read despite not seeing The Stringer yet, and neglected to review. o_O But I liked it!)
#20: "Testify to Love" by Wynnonna Judd, cover by same taped from "Touched by an Angel"; unguessed
All the colors of the rainbow,
All the voices of the wind,
Every hand that reaches out,
Reaches out to find where love begins,
Every word of every story,
Every star in every sky,
Every corner of creation
Lives to testify!
#21: "Once I Had a Sweetheart", trad, cover by Joan Baez; guessed by sophia_sol
Once I had a sweetheart, but now I have none;
once I had a sweetheart, but now I have none.
He's gone and leave me, he's gone and leave me,
He's gone and leave me to sorrow and mourn.
Last night in sweet slumber, I dreamed I did see,
Last night in sweet slumber, I dreamed I did see,
My own precious jewel sat smiling by me.
#22: "Plow Under", by Pete Seeger with the Almanac Singers, my cover by same; unguessed
Remember when the A-A-A killed a million hogs a day?
Instead of hogs it's men today; Plow the fourth one under.
Plow under! Plow under! Plow under every fourth American boy.
(This would be from the very early days of WWII before the folk singers turned... non-anti-war.)
#23: "Pioneer" by Nancy Honeytree, my cover by same; unguessed
Pioneer, pioneer,
Keep pressing onward beyond your fear;
Only the Father goes before you
To your own frontier; you're a pioneer.
#24: "Streets of Laredo" by Johnny Cash, my cover by one Harry Jackson presumably not related to MacGyver; guessed by bookblather
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo,
As I walked out in old Laredo town,
I spied a poor cowboy all wrapped in white linen,
All wrapped in white linen, for they had gunned the boy down.
Well, come sit down beside me, I'll tell you my story,
This poor boy said from his lips of flame red;
Oh they done gunned me down, boys, and gone off and left me
Here in this back street just like I was dead.
#25: "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz soundtrack; guessed by dbskyler, eponymous_rose, meneleth, bookblather
As Mayor of the Munchkin city
In the county of the Land of Oz,
I welcome you most regally -
But we've got to verify it legally!
To see (to see) if she (if she)
Is morally, ethically,
Spiritually, physically,
Positively, absolutely,
Undeniably and reliably dead!
(That's the whole track. But it's just fun, so I put it down. *g*)
#26: "The Legend of John Henry's Hammer" by Johnny Cash, cover by same; guessed by neveralarch, bookblather
John Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight,
He said, before the sheriff comes I wanna tell you: listen, boy,
He said, learn to ball a jack, learn to lay a track,
Learn to pick and shovel too,
And take my hammer: it'll do anything you tell it to.
#27: "The Good Reuben James" by Woody Guthrie, cover by same; guessed by lolmac Beth
Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James?
Of the hard-fighting men both of honor and of fame;
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.
What were their names, tell me what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
#28: "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees, cover by same; guessed by dbskyler, meneleth
(Seven-A - what number is this, chaps? - Seven-A. -
Okay, I don't mean it, don't get excited, man. It's 'cause I'm short, I know.)
Oh I could hide 'neath the wings of the bluebird as she sings,
The six-o'clock alarm would never ring,
But it rings and I rise, wipe the sleep out of my eyes,
My shaving razor's cold and it stings.
Oh, cheer up, sleepy Jean,
Oh, what can it mean
To a daydream believer and a homecoming queen?
#29: "Upon the Hearth the Fire Is Red" aka Bilbo's Walking Song by J.R.R. Tolkien, tune by Donald Swann, cover by William Elvin & Donald Swann; guessed by dbskyler, meneleth
Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed,
But not yet weary are our feet, still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower and leaf and grass,
Let them pass, let them pass!
Sand and stone and pool and dell,
Fare you well! fare you well!
#30: "In Western Lands" aka Sam's Song by J.R.R. Tolkien, tune by Donald Swann (though I prefer "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" for tune), cover by William Elvin & Donald Swann; guessed by lolmac Beth
In Western lands beneath the Sun
The flowers may rise in spring,
The trees may bud, the waters run,
The merry finches sing,
Or there maybe 'tis cloudless night
And swaying beeches bear
The elven-stars as jewels white
Amid their branching hair.
And by final count, the least hapless denizens of my LJ flist (or at least, the ones who most share my tastes in music) are bookblather, dbskyler, meneleth, and sophia_sol, all tied with six correct guesses each! Congratulations to y'all, and to everyone else who guessed anything correctly - I've got some pretty weird stuff on here. *g*
(And Beth gets special Internet cookies for catching TWO rather famous Tolkien poems everyone else missed! O_O)