1. |
Big Mystery
03:39
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Big Mystery
Who ever said, “You can’t get there from here”
Couldn’t have known the palm of their hand
Excepting the weather the pot holes and pitfalls
Springtime in the northland is with us again
Thoughts turn to love ‘cause we’re warm enough now
And all of the animals are showing us how
It’s under our noses all eyes to see
The fuse of creation the big mystery
Debris of the winter lay still on the ground
And a neighbor’s old hound is asleep in the sun
Down from the hill towns come boys on their Harleys
They’re grizzled and knarly but they’re just looking for fun
It’s an elaborate ritual of folks in their springwear
Tie dye and green hair make good company
It’s under our noses all eyes to see
The fuse of creation the big mystery
It’s a massive migration of warm blooded mammals
You’ve got hippies with sandals driving their bugs
Winnebago’s and U-hauls head north on the interstate
Conquering real estate that’s been vacant since fall
And down on the floodplain ferns and unfurling
Tulips are twirling their petals toward sky
It’s under our noses all eyes to see
The fuse of creation the big mystery
Before the corn ripens before the beans burst
Before the meadow wants rain for its thirst
It’s under our noses all eyes to see
The fuse of creation the big mystery
It’s under our noses all eyes to see
The fuse of creation the big mystery
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2. |
Zephyr Wind
02:53
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Zephyr Wind
Zephyr wind
You play me like a fiddle
Zephyr wind
With a dram and with a dream
Zephyr wind
You tell to me a riddle
About the lazy willow
And why my darlin’ sings
Harvest moon
So low on the horizon
Harvest moon
So way up in the sky
Harvest moon
You caught me in the middle
Suspended like a riddle
Or a hawk upon the wing
This old valley whispers secrets
‘bout the world that’s turning ‘round
But to hear ‘em you must listen
Until you cannot hear a sound
Zephyr wind
Hark the cows a distant lowing
Zephyr wind
Where the hyacinth are growing
Zephyr wind
Brings every moment fleeting
And joyful in its greeting from a distant zephyr wind
And joyful in its greeting from a distant zephyr wind
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3. |
Sycamore Tea
02:46
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4. |
Griselda's Waltz
04:56
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Griselda's Waltz
As you step through the door there's a hush in the air
And every head turns as you come down the stair
Now only the prince has the boldness to move
As he walks up and holds out his hand.
And you take it in yours and the band starts to play
And you're lost in his arms as you're dancing away
And mother is livid with fire in her eye
She wanted the prince to choose me.
Your gown is so lovely, no wonder they stare
All white and bejeweled like a princess would wear
But it isn't the silk and it isn't the jewels
It's the light in your eyes and your smile
For it's there just the same when we see you at home
With soot on your face and your hair all uncombed
So it only took vision, and courage, and soap
And some magic to come to the ball
Chorus
As you dance through the night with your prince in your arms
I sit by the wall and I envy your charms.
And I wonder if magic could do that for me,
If magic is there for us all.
There's a carriage outside with a footman and all
It belongs to the man who brought us to the ball
An old orange thing that he had in the barn
A favor he did on the side
Now the footman's a lizard when girls are around
But any smart woman can take him right down
The driver's a mouse who's afraid of his wife
He has to be home before one.
As you dance through the night with your prince in your arms
I sit by the wall and I envy your charms.
And I wonder if magic could do that for me,
If magic is there for us all.
The jewels are your father's, he hid them you know
In a box in the attic where mother won't go
Ever since she's had you doing all of the work
She never knows what goes on
The silk was there too, on the back of a shelf
If a thing's too expensive just do it yourself
The style is the latest we saw in a store
We sewed on it half of last night
The hour's getting late, keep the plan in your mind
Be sure to leave one of your slippers behind
The furrier who made them will have our address
That's why it's the one thing we bought.
And thanks for undoing what Mother had done
Now I know that two sisters are better than one
And I'll have my turn to be belle of the ball
Now that I have a friend in the court.
As you dance through the night with the prince in your arms
I sit by the wall and I envy your charms...
But I think we made magic together tonight
So magic is there for us all.
But I think we made magic together tonight
So magic is there for us all.
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5. |
Cairo
03:25
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Cairo
Floodplain makes good cotton fields
I’ve got Dixieland beneath my wheels
And faded, faded skies
Cairo in my eyes
I been here once or twice before
And danced the Charleston on barroom floors
Faded, faded skies
Cairo in my eyes
The dress was fine and the mood was gay
Money flowed and brass bands played
Faded, faded skies
Cairo in my eyes
Some folks curse and shun this town
Say the devil gonna bring her down
On a spit of land where the rivers meet
Mississippi come and fill the streets
Faded, faded skies
Cairo in my eyes
Ain’t no levee gonna help you now
There’s no tourist dollars in this ghost town
You’re a city belle and a southern jewel
Won’t you take me home with you
Faded, faded skies
Cairo in my eyes
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6. |
Poor Howard
02:43
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Poor Howard
Poor Howard, poor boy
Poor Howard was a poor boy
Left me here to shout with joy
Who’s been here since I’ve been gone
Pretty little girl with a red dress on
Who’s been here since I’ve been gone
Pretty little girl with a red dress on
Who’s been here since I’ve been gone
Great big man with a derby on
Who’s been here since I’ve been gone
Great big man with a derby on
Poor Howard, poor boy
Poor Howard was a poor boy
Left me here to shout with joy
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7. |
Delta Queen
03:11
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Delta Queen
The paddle wheel’s goin’ roundi-o
Along the banks of the Ohio
Gliding handsome and serene
There goes the Delta Queen, oh Lord
There goes the Delta Queen
I met her back in twenty-eight
Upon the waters of the Golden State
From Sacramento to the Frisco Bay
Riding on the Delta Queen, oh Lord
Riding on the Delta Queen
She shuttled troops in forty-two
And did what she was asked to do
Carried presidents and royalty too
Upon on the Delta Queen, oh Lord
Upon on the Delta Queen
In forty-six came good Tom Greene
Brought her five thousand miles to New Orleans
Now she’s a celebrity
We love the Delta Queen, Oh Lord
We love the Delta Queen
She’s sternwheel driven and steam propelled
And in her day she gave them hell
Oh the stories the promenade could tell!
Now there’s a dispute o’re in Washing-town
Some old law’s been throwd around
They say they’re gonna shut her down
Let’s save the Delta Queen, Oh Lord
Let’s save the Delta Queen
So let sing your Calliope
Ring your bell and glory be!
Here’s to your posterity
Long live the Delta Queen, Oh Lord
Long live the Delta Queen
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8. |
French Broad Waltz
03:25
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9. |
Gone But Not Forgotten
03:07
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Gone but Not Forgotten
John Dunston rose before the dawn
Gone to a brighter home
He burned the kiln till past sundown
Where grief cannot come
Gone but not forgotten
He slaved for his master half his span
Gone to a brighter home
The other half a freed man
Where grief cannot come
Gone but not forgotten
Oberlin Village in brambled row
Gone to a brighter home
tended by four black crows
Where grief cannot come
In a sunken grave John Dunston lies
Gone to a brighter home
As city traffic rumbles by
Where grief cannot come
Soft shade of oak and maple tall
Gone to a brighter home
O'er shadowed by a towering wall
Where grief cannot come
Where loyal hearts and true
Stand ever in the light
All rapture through and through
In God's most holy sight
Gone but not forgotten
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10. |
Waiting For Gordon
04:37
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11. |
Dog's Life
03:11
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Dog’s Life
Got a house, got a home
Got a pad to call my own
I like it here, I think I’ll settle in
Now I know all is well
So far as I can tell
The food is good and the wood stove sure feels fine
It’s a dog’s life, it’s a dog’s life
The food is good and the wood stove sure feels fine
It was not long ago
I witnessed kennel row
The line grew shorter and my days were numbered few
But they came just in time
They treated me so fine
They opened the door and they let me run outside
It’s a dog’s life, it’s a dog’s life
They opened the door they let me run outside
I’ve got the yard and the sun
I don’t bother anyone
If you’ve got strange ideas you better keep away
Cause I’m not going back to that lonesome kennel camp
I’ll sit right here and keep those squirrels away
It’s a dog’s life, it’s a dog’s life
I’ll just stay right here and keep those squirrels away
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Dana and Susan Robinson Cabot, Vermont
"From Cabot, Vermont – Americana-roots and folk duo, Dana and Susan Robinson combine vivid, songwriting with fiddle tunes, oldtime banjo, elegant melodies, and rich harmony singing."
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