John McCutcheon
Mail Myself to You

New versions of childhood standards are mixed with exciting new songs, played in a variety of styles, from reggae to Afro-Cuban. McCutcheon remains one of the most highly respected performers of children's music today. Notable Children's Recording - American Library Association Gold Medal Award - Parents Magazine

"McCutcheon is not out to prove anything, only to entertain...A fine album. A." —Susan Stewart, Entertainment Weekly

"Whether gently hammering a dulcimer on the title cut or nearly rocking out on the traditional "Over In the Meadow," McCutcheon performs his second children's record with spirit and a backup band that's sensitive to the material." —Parents' Choice

"The 1988 release features McCutcheon's exquisite world music arrangements and authentic instrumentation. It is the only album for children I have heard that exceeds merely quoting musical genres: it embodies them completely. McCutcheon serves up a spicy combination of South African beat, calypso, reggae, bluegrass, string band music, rock 'n' roll, new age folk-jazz, and Latin American-influenced music." —Acoustic Guitar

Personnel

John McCutcheon, vocals, hammer dulcimers, fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, jaw harps, hambone / Bobby Read, saxophones, clarinet, synthesizer / Pete Kennedy, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin / John Previti, acoustic bass, electric bass / Tom Jones, drums, percussion / With: Anne Louise White, harmony vocals / Elizabeth Sanders, harmony vocals / Howard Levy, piano, harmonica / Gerry Bowles, trumpet, synthesizer / Mike Stein, fiddle / Kids Chorus: Aubrey and Carson Gemignani, Marisa and Carla Petrocelli

Formats

Compact Disk: Rounder CD:011661801622 Cassette: Rounder CS:011661801646

Over in the Meadow
traditional

   C                                   G
1) Over in the meadow in a pond in the sun
       Am                      F      G       C
Sat an old mother frog and her little froggie one
 C                      F C
"Hop" said the mother, "I hop" said the one
         Am                           F    G      C
And they hopped and were happy in the pond in the sun

2) Over in the meadow in a worn out shoe
Sat an old mother cat and her little kittens two
"Purr" said the mother, "we purr" said the two
And they purred and were happy in the worn out shoe

3) ...nest in a tree...bird (birdies)...sing

4) ...old apple core...worm (wormies)...squirm

5) ...old bee hive...queen bee (bees)...buzz

6) ...house made of sticks...dog (puppies)...bark

7) ...tree of heaven...owl (owlets)...hoot

8) ...old packing crate...duck (ducklings)...quack

9) ...a ball of twine...mouse (mice)...squeak

10) ...cozy little den...spider (spiders)...spin

Mail Myself to You
words & music by Woody Guthrie

C                F       G
I'm gonna wrap myself in paper
C                F       G
I'm gonna daub myself with glue
Am                       F
Stick some stamps on the top of my head
G                        C
I'm gonna mail myself to you

I'm gonna tie me in a little red string
I'm gonna tie blue ribbons too
Climb up into my mailbox
I'm gonna mail myself to you

When you find me in your mailbox
Cut the string and let me out
Wash the glue off of my fingers
Stick some bubble gum in my mouth

Take me out of my wrapping paper
Wash the stamps off of my head
Pour me full of some ice cream soda
Tuck me into a nice warm bed

Barnyard Dance
Howard Armstrong

       A      E              A    E
It was late one night in the pale moonlight
         F#7            B7   E
When all the vegetables went on a spree
    A       E             A        E
They put out a sign, it said, "Dancing at 9"
   F#7                B7
And all the admission was free
        A       E    A         E
There was peas and beans, cabbage and greens
         F#7            B7   E
It was the biggest sight you ever seen
      F#7
And when old man cucumber struck up his number
                               B7
You oughta heard the vegetables scream

      C#7
Oh, the little turnip top did the backwoods flop
  F#7
The cabbage tried to shimmy, he could not stop
B7
Little red beet shook his feet
      E
And the watermelon cried with the cock-eyed heaves
C#7
Little tomater, the agitator
F#7
Shook the shimmy with the sweet potater
   A      A#dim          E          C#7
And old man garlic dropped dead with the colic
F#7       B7      E        C#7
Down at the barnyard dance this morning
F#7       B7      E
Down at the barnyard dance

Sly Little Crow
traditional from Currence Hammonds

A                    (D)    E      A
Sly little crow was sittin' on an oak
                          E    A
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh
                           (D)   E    A
Watching a tailor cuttin' out a coat
                                       D          A
And it's "Hey ho!" said the sly little crow

"Caw! Caw!"
                          E      A
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh

"Go and fetch my arrow and bow"
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh
"And I will shoot yon sly little crow
And it's "Hey ho!" said the sly little crow
"Caw! Caw!"
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh

Well, I shot and I shot but I missed somehow
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh
I missed the old crow and I shot my neighbors sow
And it's "Hey ho!" said the sly little crow
"Caw! Caw!"
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh

"Go fetch me molasses on a spoon"
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh
"For this old sow's in an awful swoon"
And it's "Hey ho!" said the sly little crow
"Caw! Caw!"
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh

Now the big bell rung and the little one tolled
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh
And the little pigs squealed for the old sow's soul
And it's "Hey ho!" said the sly little crow
"Caw! Caw!"
Fa the riddle iddle i dee oh

The Awful Hilly Daddy-Willie Trip
words & music by John and Willie McCutcheon

   C
The moon shines bright on the neighbors' fields
     F                    C
You can hear the gravel crackle underneath our wheels
                F
Now I know just how the early bird feels
    C                 G
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip
C
Even with the stars there's isn't much light
F                       C
Daddy says it's morning, well, he might be right
      C                    F
But it sure the heck looks like the middle of the night
     C       G         C - C7
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip

CHORUS:
        F                        C
(We've got)The books and the banjos packed into the truck
   G                 C
There's juice in the jar and coffee in the cup
F             C
It's so early even the sun ain't up
  G                  C
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip

The lights of the city look just like stars
Up in the sky Daddy showed me Mars
We've been driving for an hour, haven't seen any cars
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip
But little by little it's turning into day
Daddy's gotta sing tonight and I'm gonna play
In North Carolina far away
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip CHORUS

Mama and Peter are asleep at home
I hope they'll be alright alone
Tonight we're gonna call them on the telephone
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip
And I've got a dozen questions for everything new
It's a might long journey when you're only two
And this world's alot bigger than I ever, ever knew
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip CHORUS

So when the fiddles put away and the last tale's told
We'll cuddle up tonight as the air gets cold
And when I wake up in the morning I'll be three years old!
On our awful hilly Daddy-Willie trip CHORUS

©1985 by John & Willie McCutcheon. Published by Appalsongs(ASCAP)

Teddy Bear
by Widney HS, Period 5

CHORUS:

    F                       Bb     F
    Teddy bear, teddy bear, I love you
                           C       F
    I've got a teddy bear how 'bout you?
                            Bb     F
    Teddy bear, teddy bear, I love you
                             C      F
    I've got a teddy bear how 'bout you?

F                   Bb
I got a teddy bear just last week
F                      C
White as snow and his name is Pete
F                   Bb
Furry and soft, he goes to school
G7                   C7
Does his work, he ain't no fool CHORUS

When I feel lonely, sad inside
I want my teddy bear so I won't cry
Give him a hug, squeeze him tight
So I feel better and sleep all night CHORUS

Teddy bears come in every shape and size
Some are dumb and some are wise
Some are brown, some are blue
But if you love your teddy your teddy loves you CHORUS

New Car
by Widney HS, Period 5

C
I got a new car

Bright and shiny like a star

I got a new car in my garage
  F
I shine it everyday
                              C
I shine the front, the sides, and the bumpers
  G
I wash the windows, I vacuum the floors
  F
I wash the motor, I dry the doors
C
I got a new car in my garage

I drive it everyday
I got to the movies
I see my friends
They think she's groovy
I clean the dash, I wash the tires
I clean the radio, I really like the rear view mirror
I got new seat covers, blue as the sky
I open up my window and I wave bye-bye
I got a new car in my garage

I'm a Little Cookie
by Larry Penn

 E
I'm a little cookie, yes I am
  A
And I was made by the cookie man
  E
And on my way from the cookie pan
  E7                 A
A little piece broke off of me
 E
A little piece broke off of me, uh-huh
 A                          A7
A little piece broke off of me, uh-huh
   D     (Dm)        A     F#7
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
    B7    E7   A
As a regular cookie can

I'm a little chocolate bar, I am
And I was made by the chocolate bar man
And on my way to the chocolate stand
I got a little bend in me
I got a little bend in me, uh-huh
I got a little bend in me, uh-huh
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
As a regular chocolate bar can

I'm a little tootsie roll, yes I am
And I was made by the tootsie roll man
And on my way from the tootsie roll land
I got a little twist in me
I got a little twist in me, uh-huh
I got a little twist in me, uh-huh
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
As a regular tootsie roll can

I'm a little gum drop, yes I am
And I was made by the gum drop man
On my way from the sugar can
I got a little dent in me
I got a little dent in me, uh-huh
I got a little dent in me, uh-huh
But I can taste just as good, uh-huh
As a regular gum drop can

Oh, I'm a little cookie, yes I am
And I was made by the cookie man
And on my way from the cookie pan
A little piece broke off of me
Now I ain't as round as I might be
But I taste good just wait and see
And I can love back twice as hard
As a regular cookie can

Somos El Barco
words & music by Lorre Wyatt

CHORUS:

        Bb        Eb   F            Bb - /A  - Gm
	Somos el barco, somos el mar
                            Cm - F                  C - C7
	Yo navego en ti,        tú navegas en mí
                     Eb F               Bb - /A  - Gm
	We are the boat, we are the sea
                     Cm - F                C - F - C - C7
	I sail in you,       you sail in me

The stream sings it to the river
The river sings it to the sea
The sea sings it to the boat
That carries you and me

Chorus

Now, the boat we are sailing in
Was built by many hands
The we are sailing on
It touches every sand

Chorus

So with our hopes we raise the sails
To face the wind once more
And with our hearts we chart the waters
Never sailed before

Chorus

Kindergarten Wall
Words and Music by John McCutcheon

When I was a little kid not so long ago
I had to learn a lot of stuff I didn't even know
How to dress myself, tie my shoes, how to jump a rope
How to smile for a picture without looking like a dope
But of all the things I learned my favorite of them all
Was a little poem hanging on the kindergarten wall

CHORUS:

Of all you learn here remember this the best:
Don't hurt each other and clean up your mess
Take a nap everyday, wash before you eat
Hold hands, stick together, look before you cross the street
And remember the seed in the little paper cup:
First the root goes down and then the plant grows up!

Well, it was first, second, third grade, fourth grade, too
Where I had to learn the big things the big kids do
To add, subtract, and multiply, read and write and play
How to sit in a little uncomfortable desk for nearly half a day
But of all they taught me my favorite of them all
Was the little poem hanging on the kindergarten wall

Chorus

But lately I've been worried as I look around and see
An awful lot of grown-ups acting foolish as can be
Now I know there's lots of things to know I haven't mastered yet
But it seems there's real important stuff that grown-ups soon forget
So I'm sure we'd all be better off if we would just recall
That little poem hanging on the kindergarten wall

Chorus

©1988 by John McCutcheon. Published by Appalsongs (ASCAP).

Turn Around
words & music by Melvina Reynolds

 A             C#m        D          E
Where are you going, my little one, little one
        A          C#m         D              E
Little dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone
        A             /G         D               Bm
Turn around and you're 2, turn around and you're 4
        A                 F#m              E          A
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door

CHORUS:

  A                 C#m          F#m           D
Turn around, turn around, turn around, turn around
        A                 C#m              E          A
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door

Where are you going, my little one, little one
Little bullfrogs and bicycles, where have you gone
Turn around and you're tiny, turn around and you're grown
Turn around and your a young man with babes of your own

CHORUS:
Turn around, turn around, turn around, turn around
Turn around and you're a young man with babes of your own