The Highwayman (Hallowe'en Bonus)

The Highwayman
By Alfred Noyes and Phil Ochs

C Em
The wind was a torrent of darkness
Am
Among the gusty trees
Em F
The moon was a ghostly galleon
Dm G7
Tossed upon cloudy seas
C Em
And the road was a ribbon of moonlight
Am
Over the purple moor
F C E Am
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding
F C
Yes, the highwayman came riding
Dm G7
Up to the old inn door
Over the cobbles he clattered
And clashed in the darkened yard
And he tapped with his whip at the window
But all was locked and barred
So he whistled a tune to the window
And who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black eyed daughter
Bess the landlord's daughter
Plaiting a dark red love knot
Into her long black hair
One kiss, my bonny sweetheart
For I'm after a prize tonight
But I shall be back with the yellow gold
Before the morning light
Yet if they press me sharply
Harry me through the day
Oh, then look for me by moonlight
Watch for me by moonlight
And I'll come to thee by moonlight
Though Hell should bar the way
He did not come at the dawning
No, he did not come at the noon
And out of the tawny sunset
before the rise of the moon
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon
Looping the purple moor
Oh a redcoat troop came marching, marching, marching
King George's men came marching
Up to the old inn door
And they bound the landlord's daughter
with many a sniggering jest
And they bound the musket beside her
With the barrel beneath her breast
Now keep good watch and they kissed her
She heard the dead man say
"Oh look for me by moonlight
Watch for me by moonlight
And I'll come to thee by moonlight
Though Hell should bar the way"
Look for me by moonlight
Hoof beats ringing clear
Watch for me by moonlight
Were they deaf that they did not hear
For he rode on the gypsy highway
She breathed one final breath
Then her finger moved in the moonlight
Her musket shattered the moonlight
And it shattered her breast in the moonlight
And warned him with her death
Oh he turned; he spurred on to the west
He did not know who stood
Out with her black hair a flowing down
Drenched with her own red blood
Oh not till the dawn had he heard it
And his face grew gray to hear
How Bess the landlord's daughter
The landlord's black eyed daughter
Had watched for her love in the moonlight
And died in the darkness there
C Em
Back he spurred like a madman
Am
Shrieking a curse to the sky
Em F
With the white road smoking behind him
Dm G
And his rapier brandished high
C Em
Blood red were his spurs in the golden noon
Am
Wine red his velvet coat
F C
When they shot him down on the highway
E Am
Down like a dog on the highway
F C
And he lay in his blood on the highway
F G
With a bunch of lace at his throat
And still on a winter's night they say
When the wind is in the trees
When the moon is a ghostly galleon
Tossed upon cloudy seas
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight
Over the purple moor
Oh the highwayman comes riding, riding, riding
Yes the highwayman comes riding
Up to the old inn door

Turn, Turn, Turn

Words adapted by Pete Seeger from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. Melody by Pete Seeger

Day is Done

Go to Work on Monday

By Si Kahn
www.sikahn.com
For background on this song, see: http://labornotes.org/node/1150/print

Verse chords:
D - -G / D - - G
Chorus chords:
D DG D - / D - G D / D DG D -

I did my part in World War Two
Got wounded for the nation
Now my lungs are all shot down
There ain't no compensation

I'm gonna go to work on Monday one more time
I'm gonna go to work on Monday one more time, one more time
I'm gonna go to work on Monday one more time

The doctor says I smoke too much
He says that I'm not trying
He says he don't know what I've got
But we both know he's lying

The last time I went near my job
I thought my lungs were broken
Chest bound down like iron bands
I couldn't breathe for choking

The politicians in this state
They're nothing short of rotten
They buy us off with fancy words
And sell us out to cotton

The doctor says both lungs are gone
There ain't no way to shake it
But I can't live without the job
Somehow I've got to take it

They tell me I can't work at all
There ain't no need of trying
But living like some used up thing
Is just this short of dying

Sitting on my front porch swing
I'm like someone forgotten
Head all filled with angry thoughts
And lungs filled up with cotton

Copyright Joe Hill Music

Gone, Gonna Rise Again

By Si Kahn
Chords:
D C D - / C CG D - - -
D C D - / C CG D - - -
D - - - / C - A - - - / D C D - / C CG D - - -

I remember the year that my granddaddy died
Gone, gonna rise again
They dug his grave on the mountainside
Gone, gonna rise again
I was too young to understand the way he felt about the land
But I could read his history in his hand
Gone, gonna rise again

It's corn in the crib and apples in the bin
Ham in the smokehouse and cotton in the gin
Cows in the barn and hogs in the lot, you know, he never had a lot
But he worked like a devil for the living he got

These apple trees on the mountainside
He planted the seeds just before he died
I guess he knew that he'd never see, the red fruit hanging from the tree
But he planted the seeds for his children and me

High on the ridge above the farm
I think of my people that have gone on
Like a tree that grows in the mountain ground, the storms of life have cut them down
But the new wood springs from roots in the ground

Changes (Phil Ochs)

By Phil Ochs
Look, folks, I really apologize for my sub-standard rendition here. Please take it as a teaching aid and not as artistic performance, because I know it's lacking there.
Lots of love, enjoy singing this one.
-Matthew

Rise Up Singing chapter: Time and Changes, p.222
C D G Em / C D Bm / C Am D G / C D G -

Sit by my side, come as close as the air
Share in my memories of grey
Wander in my world, dream about the pictures
That I play of changes

Green leaves of summer turn red in the fall
To brown and to yellow they fade
Then they have to die trapped within the circle time
Parade of changes

Scenes of my young years were warm in my mind
Vision of shadows that shine, til
One day I returned and found that they were victims
Of the vine of changes

Five Little Pumpkins (R.U.S. Bonus)

I didn't put any guitar chords to this one.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late"
The second one said, "There are witches in the air"
The third one said, "But WE don't care!"
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run"
The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun"
Woo-ooo went the wind and out went the light
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight

Alternate tune to the same tune (or just the same rhythm, if you're chanting it):
Five little squirrels sitting in a tree.
The first one said, "What do I see?"
The second one said, "Some nuts on the ground."
The third one said, "Those nuts I found."
The fourth one said, "I'll race you there."
The Fifth one said, "All right, that's fair."
So they shook their tails and ran with glee
To the nuts that lay at the foot of the tree

Squirrel poem taken with thanks from www.preschoolrainbow.org

A third version from musicbox193:
Five baby dinosaurs hatching from their eggs
the first one said, "I have long legs"
the second one said, "Oh where is my mother?"
the third one said, "I must be your brother"
the fourth one said, "I'm hungry for some food"
the fifth one said, "I am too"
so they all went for a walk on their tiny little feet to go searching in the swamp for something good to eat

And another version of Five Little Squirrels, also from musicbox193:
Five little squirrels sitting in a tree
The first one said, "What do I see?"
The second one said, "It's a man with a gun!"
The third one said, "We better run!"
The fourth one said, "Let's hide in the shade"
The fifth one said, "I'm not afraid"
Then up came the man and BANG went the gun
And the five little squirrels, how they did run!

The Marvelous Toy

When I heard this song as a kid I felt I desperately wanted a toy like this. I imagined it kind of like a remote control car without controls and indescribably cooler. Probably because it sounded magic. I imagined that when it wasn't under the chair and was suddenly behind him, that it had actually teleported. Either for wonderful or perhaps sinister reasons.
By Tom Paxton
Rise Up Singing chapter: Play, p.174

D A7 D A7 / G D E7 A7 / D A7 D G / G D AD A7
When I was just a wee little lad full of health and joy
My father homeward came one night and gave to me a toy
A wonder to behold it was with many colours bright
And the moment I laid eyes on it it became my heart's delight

Chorus:
D A7 D G / G D A7 D
It went "zip" when it moved and "bop" when it stopped and "whirr" when it stood still
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will

The first time that I picked it up I had a big surprise
For right on its bottom were two big buttons that looked like big green eyes
I first pushed one and then the other, and then I twisted its lid
And when I set it down again, here is what it did:

It first marched left and then marched right and then marched under a chair
And when l looked where it had gone, it wasn't even there
I started to sob and my daddy laughed, for he knew that I would find
When l turned around, my marvelous toy, chugging from behind

Well the years have gone by too quickly, it seems, and I have my own little boy
And yesterday I gave to him my marvelous little toy
His eyes nearly popped right out of his head and he gave a squeal of glee
Neither one of us knows just what it is but he loves it, just like me

Last chorus:
It still goes "zip" when it moves, "bop" when it stops and "whirr" when it stands still
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will
I never knew just what it was and I guess I never will

Teddy Bears' Picnic

Words by Jimmy Kennedy, music by John W. Bratton
Rise Up Singing chapter: Play, 177

Am E Am E / Am E Am - / C G C G / C G C -
Dm - G - / C - F C / F C F C G7 - C -
If you go out in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise
If you go out in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise...

Interlude:
C - - - / - - Dm G7 / - - - - / - - C G7
C - - - / - C7 F - / - - C - / Dm G7 C -
Picnic time for teddy bears
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday...
Category: Music

Tags: Rise Up Singning folk music song sinalong songbook chords lyrics easy guitar kids' children's Play

Old MacDonald

Traditional American
Rise Up Singing chapter: Play, 175
D GD DA D / D GD DA D //: D - / - - :// D GD DA D

Step by Step

By Waldemar Hille and Pete Seeger
Rise Up Singing chapter: Unity, p.242
Chords:
Am - GAm EmAm / Am - GAm EmAm / Am - AmDm DmE / Am - GAm EmAm
Lyrics:
Step by step the longest march can be won, can be won
Many stones can form an arch, singly none, singly none
And in union what we will can be accomplished still
Drops of water turn a mill, singly none, singly none

Rise Up Singing says this tune was adapted from the traditional Irish song "The Praties They Grow Small".

I Am A Union Woman

Chords tomorrow!
It starts on Am and there are some Ems and Es to mix it up, but that's all! 2-3 chord song.

Step It Out Nancy

Bonus: There was an Old Woman (Hallowe'en Song)

Traditional American? I'm not sure.
I know Raffi does (as usual) a nice version.

Chords:
Am - Dm Am / Am Dm Am - ://

Lyrics:
There was an old woman, all skin and bones
Ooo oo-oo-oooo [spookily]
She lived down by the old graveyard
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
One night she thought she'd take a walk
Ooo oo-oo-oooo
...

Sunrise, Sunset

From Fiddler on the Roof
I sang this in the chorus in a high school musical production in the spring of 1993. My older brother and I got to do a duet in "Consider Yourself" from "Oliver!". Same musical production: our music teacher liked to mix things up. "Musical reviews" I guess is what those are called. I call it doing just doing half a musical and half of another.

Rise Up Singing chapter: Time and Changes, p.227
Words by Sheldon Harnick; music, Jerry Bock
Verses:
Em B7 Em - / - B7 Em E7 / Am E Am - / F# - B7 -
Em B7 Em - / - B7 Em E7 / Am E Am F# / B7 - - -
Chorus:
Em B7 Em B7 / Em - - E7 / Am D G E / Am B7 Em -
Em B7 Em B7 / Em - - E7 / Am B7 Em A7 / Am B7 Em -

In the video I transpose it so it goes the same way but higher up to sing to:
Verses:
Am E7 Am - / - E7 Am A7 / Dm A Dm - / B - E7 - (I get lazy and play a B7. Sounds ok.)
Am E7 Am - / - E7 Am A7 / Dm A Dm B / E7 - - - (again, B7 instead of B)
Chorus:
Am E7 Am E7 / Am - - A7 / Dm G C A / Dm E7 Am -
Am E7 Am E7 / Am - - A7 / Dm E7 Am D7 / Dm E7 Am -

On the first chorus I play these chords, but feel something's not right on the penultimate line "One season following another: Dm E7 Am D7". So on the second chorus I just replace it with the chords to "Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers: Dm G C A". That sounds ok too, but I've since gone back and looked at the chords, and I think the Rise Up Singing pattern holds water, as long as you sing it right.

Let's Go Riding in a Car

By Woody Guthrie
Chords: G D / D7 G / G C / DD7 G

The John B. Sails

Words and music adapted by Lee Hays
Rise Up Singing chapter: Seas and Sailors, p.203
D - - - / - - A - / D - G - / D A D -

Steal Away (to Jesus)

Traditional Black American spiritual
Rise Up Singing chapter: Spirituals, p.212

D - - - / - - A D / - - G A(fermata) / D - A D
Steal away, steal away / Steal away to Jesus
Steal away, steal away home / I ain't got long to stay here

G - D - / - - - - / - - G A / D - A D
My Lord He calls me / He calls me by the thunder
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul / I ain't got long to stay here

Green trees are bending / Poor sinner stands a-trembling
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul / I ain't got long to stay here

My Lord He calls me / He calls me by the lightning
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul / I ain't got long to stay here

Send me a message if the "A(fermata)" confused you.

Have You Seen The Ghost of Tom?

A song for hallowe'en
Traditional American? No author listed in Rise Up Singing
Rise Up Singing chapter: Rounds, p.189

1.Have you seen the ghost of Tom?
2. Long white bones and the rest all gone
3. Ooo oo-oo-oooo
4. Wouldn't it be chilly with no skin on?

Alternate lyrics: Have you seen the ghost of John? Long white bones and the flesh all gone. Ooo oo-oo-oooo, wouldn't it be chilly with no skin on?

Thanksgiving Bonus: Thanks a Lot

Words and music by Raffi

Thanks a lot
Thanks for the sun in the sky
Thanks a lot
Thanks for the clouds so high

Thanks for the whispering wind
Thanks for the birds in the spring

Thanks for the moon at night
Thanks for the stars so bright

Thanks for the wonder in me
Thanks for the way I feel

Thanks for the animals, thanks for the land
Thanks for the people everywhere
Thanks a lot
Thanks for all I’ve got

Little Boxes

By Malvina Reynolds
Rise Up Singing chapter: America, p.2

A - D A / - E A E / A - D A / - E - A
Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same

And the people in the houses all went to the university
Where they were put in boxes and they came out all the same
And there's doctors and lawyers and business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf course and drink their martinis dry
And they all have pretty children and the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp and then to the university
Where they are put in boxes and they come out all the same

And the boys go into business and marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same
There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same

More information: http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/MALVINA/mr094.htm#1

Zum Gali Gali

Traditional Israeli
Em Am Em - / repeat

Zum gali gali gali, zum gali gali (etc.)

Hechalutz le'man avodah / Avodah le'man hechalutz
Avodah le'man hechalutz / Hechalutz le'man avodah

Hechalutz le'man hab'tulah / Hab'tulah le'man hechalutz
Hab'tulah le'man hechalutz / Hechalutz le'man hab'tulah

Morning Has Broken

Words by Eleanor Farjeon; tune, traditional (Scottish Gaelic)

C - Dm G F C / - Em Am D G -
C F - C Am D / G C F G C ( F C )

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the word

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dew fall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's re-creation of the new day

Sakura (Cherry Tree)

Sakura (Cherry Tree)
Traditional Japanese

Am Em Am Em Am - - F / Am F Am E Am Dm Am Dm
Am F Am E / Am Dm Am Dm Am F Am E

Sakura, sakura! Yayo-i no sora wa
Miwatasu kagiri, kasumi-ka? Kumo-ka?
Ni-o-i zo izuru
Iza ya! Iza ya! Mina yuka-n

With a Little Help from my Friends

By John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Bonus: Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh

This is a new video from TenaciousFlea on YouTube. It's not in R.U.S. but it's a great camp song. Enjoy!

Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp) from the album My Son, the Nut. Written by Allan Sherman. This is my first video.

Hallelujah I'm a-Travelling

Melody: "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum" (which was itself adapted from an older hymn)
Words: Anonymous, except for verse 4, by James Foreman, ca. 1960
Rise Up Singing chapter: Freedom, p.60

E - - - / - - B7 - / E - - B7 / E A B7 E
I switch to the first B7 a little later, like this:
E - - - / - - - B7 / E - - B7 / E A B7 E
Same deal.

Stand up and rejoice, a great day is here
We are fighting Jim Crow and the victory's near
Hallelujah, I'm a travelin', hallelujah, ain't it fine?
Hallelujah, I'm a-traveling down freedom's main line!

I read in the news the Supreme Court has said
"Listen here, Mr. Jim Crow, it's time you was dead"
Hallelujah, I'm a travelin', hallelujah, ain't it fine?
Hallelujah, I'm a-traveling down freedom's main line!

The judges declared in Washington town
"You white folks must take that old Jim Crow sign down"
Hallelujah, I'm a travelin', hallelujah, ain't it fine?
Hallelujah, I'm a-traveling down freedom's main line!

I'm paying my fare on the Greyhound bus line
I'm riding the front seat to Nashville this time
Hallelujah, I'm a travelin', hallelujah, ain't it fine?
Hallelujah, I'm a-traveling down freedom's main line!

Columbia's the gem of the ocean, they say
We're fighting Jim Crow in Columbia today
Hallelujah, I'm a travelin', hallelujah, ain't it fine?
Hallelujah, I'm a-traveling down freedom's main line!

I hate Jim Crow and Jim Crow hates me
And that's why I'm fighting for my liberty
Hallelujah, I'm a travelin', hallelujah, ain't it fine?
Hallelujah, I'm a-traveling down freedom's main line!

Different lyrics can be found in the Socialist Songbook (p.68) hosted online here: http://www.hengstrom.net/songbook/68....

La Bastringue

This version is the best I know of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwDGu2SEUPY

Monsieur, Monsieur je voudrais danser
oh la bastringue et pis la bastringue!
Monsieur, Monsieur je voudrais danser
la bastringue dans votre Gaspé.
Yes good sir, I'd like to dance the Bastringue in (your) Gaspé [Gaspé is a region in Québec]

Venez, venez, j'vas vous faire danser
la bastringue et pis la bastringue,
venez, venez j' vas vous faire danser
la queue d'votre robe vas r'voler.
Come with me, I'll show you how to dance the Bastringue. The hem of your skirt will be flying.

Avec toé je veux pas danser,
Ah la bastringue, pis la bastringue!
avec toé je veux pas danser, tu es bien trop excité.
No, no, I don't want to dance the Bastringue with you, you're much too excited.

Mais dis moi donc t'es pas gênée,
la bastringue, la bastringue,
mais dis moi donc t'es pas gênée
d'vnir m' insulter dans une veillée.
Well! Are you even a little ashamed of publicly insulting me at the ball like that?

T'as pas besoin de te fâcher,
ah la bastringue et pis la bastringue!
t'as pas besoin de te fâcher,
j'ai fait ça, c'est pour t'étriver.
There's no need to get angry! I only said it to give you a hard time.

Me voilà donc le cœur brisé,
la bastringue et pis la bastringue,
me voilà donc le cœur brisé
d'la peine que tu m'as donnée.
I feel my heart has broken from the pain you've caused me!

Viens dans mes bras mon cher André,
oh la bastringue, pis la bastringue!
viens dans mes bras mon cher André,
viens donc je vas t'embrasser.
My dear André! Come to my arms, let me kiss you!

T'as donc un beau bec sucré,
la bastringue, la bastringue,
t'as donc un beau bec sucré.
Je suis prêt à r'commencer.
You surely do have sweet lips (a sweet kiss), I think I'm ready for another go.

Do Re Mi (Guthrie) Reprise

A re-do of Do Re Mi which I recorded two or three days ago. A little better.

How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?

By Blind Alfred Reed
Rise Up Singing chapter: Rich and Poor, p.181
Chords:
D A D - / - - A - / D - G D / - A D -

There was once a time when everything was cheap
But now prices nearly put a man to sleep
When we pay our grocery bill we just a-feel like making our will
Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?

Nehemiah's Prayer

"Nehemiah's Prayer" from The Bible in Story and Song collection

verses:
G, D, Em, Bm,
C, G, C, D,
G, D, Em, Bm,
C, G, C,D, G

chorus:
G, C, G, G
G, C,D, G

How could just one man, a Jew, serve the king the king in Shushan,
Help his people in Jerusalem, a city far away?
The people there were fearful for the city walls were broken
Nehemiah wept to hear of it, and then began to pray:

"Oh Lord, help me to help my people"
"Oh Lord, help me to help my people"

The king began to wonder, so he asked his servant plainly,
"Nehemiah tell me of the sorrow in your heart."
Nehemiah, trembling, tried to think of what to tell him
But then he turned to God again, to know just where to start.

"Oh Lord, help me to help my people"
"Oh Lord, help me to help my people"

So Nehemiah spoke and the king was understanding,
Sent him on his way and gave him generous supply
Nehemiah journeyed to the city of his fathers
And quietly began to plan the work before his eyes.

"Oh Lord, help me to help my people"
"Oh Lord, help me to help my people"