Traditional Songs

 

You Are My Sunshine

Chorus:

The other night dear, when I was sleeping,
I dreamt I held you in my arms.
When I awoke dear, I was mistaken;
So I hung my head and I cried.

I'll always love you and make you happy,
If you will only say the same,
But if you leave me to love another,
You'll regret it all some day.

You told me once, dear, you really loved me,
And no one else could come between.
But now you've left me and love another,
You have shattered all my dreams.

***************

Down in the Valley
(source: "Rise Up Singing", Peter Blood and Annie Patterson, 1992.)

Down in the valley, the valley so low,
Hang your head over, hear the winds blow.
Hear the winds blow, dear, hear the winds blow.
Hang your head over, hear the winds blow.

Down in the valley, walking between,
Telling our story, here's what it means.
Here's what it means, dear, here's what it means,
Telling our story, here's what it means.

Roses love sunshine, violets love dew,
Angels in heaven know I love you;
Know I love you, dear, know I love you,
Angels in heaven know I love you.

Build me a castle forty feet high,
So I can see him as he rides by;
As he rides by, dear, as he rides by,
So I can see him as he rides by.

Writing this letter, containing three lines,
Answer my question, "Will you be mine?"
"Will you be mine, dear, will you be mine,"
Answer my question, "Will you be mine?"

If you don't love me, love whom you please,
Throw your arms round me, give my heart ease.
Give my heart ease, dear, give my heart ease,
Throw your arms round me, give my heart ease.

Throw your arms round me, before it's too late;
Throw your arms round me, feel my heart break.
Feel my heart break, dear, feel my heart break.
Throw your arms round me, feel my heart break.
 

***************

Home on the Range
Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Chorus:

Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

***************

Oh Suzannah

I came from Alabama
With my banjo on my knee
I'm going to Louisiana
My true love for to see
It rained all night the day I left
The weather it was dry
The sun so hot I froze to death
Suzannah don't you cry
Oh Suzannah, oh don't you cry for me
I've come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee

***************

Old Smokey

On top of Old Smokey
All covered with snow
I lost my true lover
For a courting too slow

For courting is a pleasure
And parting is grief
And a false hearted lover
Is worse than a thief

A thief will just rob you
And take all you have
But a false hearted lover
Will lead you to the grave

The grave will decay you
And turn you to dust
Not one boy in a hundred
A poor girl can trust

They'll hug you and kiss you
And tell you more lies
Than cross-ties on a railroad
Or stars in the sky

So come all young maidens
And listen to me
Never place your affections
On a green willow tree

The roots they will wither
The leaves they will die
You'll all be forsaken
And never know why

***************

Working on the Railroad

I've been working on the railroad
All the live long day
I've been working on the railroad
Just to pass the time away
Don't you hear the whistle blowing
Rise up so early in the morn
Don't you hear the captain shouting
Dinah blow your horn

Dinah won't you blow
Dinah won't you blow
Dinah won't you blow your horn
Dinah won't you blow
Dinah won't you blow
Dinah won't you blow your horn

Thanks to Joyce Rabellino for e-mailing me these extra verses!

Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah.
Someone's in the kitchen I know,
Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah,
Strummin' on the old banjo, and singing

Fee-fi-fiddle-e-i-o
Fee-fi-fiddle-e-i-oooo
Fee-fi-fiddle-e-i-o (hold the o)
Strummin' on the old banjo.

***************

Yellow Ribbon

Thanks very much to Ray Lawson, who sent me this song.

Around her neck she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it in the springtime and in the month of May, hey hey
Around her neck she wore a yellow ribbon
She wore it milking cows and mowing hay, mowing hayay-ay
And if you asked her why the heck she wore it
She wore it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, Far away, Far away, Far away
Oh she wore it milking cows and mowing hay, mowing hay-ay-ay

Upon the wall she kept a marriage license
She kept it in the springtime and in the month of May, hey hey
Upon the wall she kept a marriage license
She kept it milking cows and mowing hay, mowing hayay-ay
And if you asked her why the heck she kept it
She kept it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, Far away, Far away, Far away
Oh she kept it milking cows and mowing hay, mowing hay-ay-ay

Behind the door her father kept a shotgun
He kept it in the springtime and in the month of May, hey hey
Behind the door her father kept a shotgun
He kept it milking cows and mowing hay, mowing hayay-ay
And if you asked him why the heck he kept it
He kept it for her lover who was far, far away
Far away, Far away, Far away, Far away
Oh he kept it milking cows and mowing hay, mowing hay-ay-ay

("Far away" is sung using a high note, then a low note. You can also sing "mowing cows and milking hay, yellow neck she wore a ribbon", etc, to make the song more challenging.)

***************

Songs Main Page

Main Page