►Take Me Out to the Ballgame, 1908 by Norworth and Von Tilzer, (39 words)
Note: The singers start one minute and two minutes after the start of this recording. Usually sung by the crowd in the middle of the seventh inning of a baseball game. "Cracker Jack" is a brand of candied popcorn. The words in parentheses are on this recording, but are not part of the song.
(Batter up. Strike 1, strike 2, strike 3, they're out)
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.
(Throw the bum out. Hey umpire, play ball)
►Autumn Leaves, 1945, music by Joseph Kosma, French lyrics by Jacques Prévert, adapted to English by Johnny Mercer, sung by Douglas Wright (44 words)
The falling leaves
Drift by the window
The autumn leaves
Of red and gold
I see your lips
The summer kisses
The sunburned hands
I used to hold
Since you went away
The days grow long
And soon I'll hear
Old winter's song
But I miss you most of all
My darling
When autumn leaves start to fall
►Fly Me to the Moon, 1954, written by Bart Howard, singer unknown (44 words)
Fly me to the moon
And let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
And let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you
►I Need You Now, 1953, by Al Jacobs and Jimmie Crane, sung by Eddie Fisher (46 words)
If I ever needed you, I need you now
I can't remember when I've ever been so blue
If I ever needed love, I need it now
I feel so all alone I don't know what to do
No day or night goes by
When I don't have my cry
I feel like I could die
From wanting you
I can ease my achin' heart but you'd know how
If I ever needed you, I need you now
If I ever needed love, I need it now
I feel so all alone I don't know what to do
No day or night goes by
When I don't have my cry
I feel like I could die
From wanting you
I can ease my achin' heart. Honey you'd know how
If I ever needed you, I need you now
►There but for Fortune, 1963, sung by Joan Baez, written by Phil Ochs (59 words)
Show me the prison, show me the jail,
Show me the prisoner whose life has gone stale
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I, mmmm.
Show me the alley, show me the train,
Show me the hobo who sleeps out in the rain,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I, mmmm.
Show me the whiskey stains on the floor,
Show me the drunkard as he stumbles out the door,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I, mmmm.
Show me the country where the bombs had to fall,
Show me the ruins of the buildings once so tall,
And I'll show you a young land with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you and I. You and I.
►Yesterday, written by Lennon and McCartney, sung by Michael Bolton (61 words)
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say
I said, I must have said something wrong, now I long for yesterday
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
I believe in yesterday
I believe in yesterday
I believe in yesterday
►A Winter's Tale, 1991, written and sung by Freddie Mercury, of the British band Queen (72 words)
Note: e'en is a contraction of even
It's Winter-fall
Red skies are gleaming - oh -
Sea-gulls are flyin' over
Swans are floatin' by
Smoking chimney-tops
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
The nights draw in
There's a silky moon up in the sky - yeah -
Children are fantasising
Grown-ups are standin' by
What a super feeling
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
woh-woh-woh-woh
(dreaming)
So quiet and peaceful
Tranquil and blissful
There's a kind of magic in the air
What a truly magnificent view
A breathtaking scene
(With the dreams of the world
In the palm of your hand)
A cosy fireside chat
A little this, a little that
Sound of merry laughter skippin' by
Gentle rain beatin' on my face
What an extraordinary place!
(And the dream of the child
Is the hope of the hope of the man)
It's all so beautiful
Like a landscape painting in the sky - yeah -
Mountains are zoomin' higher - mm -
Little girls scream an' cry
My world is spinnin' and spinnin' and spinnin'
It's unbelievable
Sends me reeling
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
Oooh - it's bliss.
►That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine, 1932, written and sung by Gene Autry and Jimmy Long (75 words)
In a vine covered shack in the mountains
Bravely fighting the battle of time
Is a dear one who's weathered my sorrows
'Tis that silver haired daddy of mine
If I could recall all the heartaches
Dear old daddy, I've caused you to bear
If I could erase those lines from your face
And bring back the gold to your hair
If God would but grant me the power
Just to turn back the pages of time
I'd give all I own if I could but atone
To that silver haired daddy of mine
Oh, I know it's too late, dear old daddy
To repay all those sorrows and cares
Though dear mother is waiting in heaven
Just to comfort and solace you there
If I could recall all the heartaches
Dear old daddy, I've caused you to bear
If I could erase those lines from your face
And bring back the gold to your hair
If God would but grant me the power
Just to turn back the pages of time
I'd give all I own if I could but atone
To that silver haired daddy of mine
I'd give all I own if I could but atone
To that silver haired daddy of mine.
►Country Roads, 1970, by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver, (77 words)
Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze.
CHORUS:
Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.
All my memories gather round her, miner's lady, stranger to blue water.
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye. CHORUS
I hear her voice in the morning hour, she calls me, the radio reminds me of my home far away.
And driving down the road I get a feeling that I should have been home yesterday, yesterday. CHORUS 2x
Take me home now, country roads,
Take me home now, country roads.
►You Are My Sunshine, 1939, unclear authorship (82 words)
The other night dear as I lay sleeping I dreamed I held you in my arms
When I awoke dear I was mistaken and I hung my head and cried
You are my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know dear how much I love you please don't take my sunshine away
I'll always love you and make you happy if you will only say the same
But if you leave me and love another you'll regret it all some day
You are my sunshine...
You told me once dear you really loved me and no one else could come between
But now you've left me and you love another and you have shattered all of my dreams
You are my sunshine...
In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me, When I awake my poor heart pains
So won't you come back and make me happy, I'll forgive dear, I'll take all the blame
You are my sunshine...
►Clementine, 1884, written by Percy Montrose, sung by Verna "Esmereldy" Boersma (87 words)
Note: Miners in the 1849 California gold rush were called forty-niners. Topses is an incorrect plural of top; the correct plural is tops. Doth is an archaic version of does.
In a cavern, In a canyon,
Excavating for a mine,
Dwelled a miner, forty-niner
And his daughter Clementine
CHORUS:
Oh my Darling,
Oh my Darling,
Oh my Darling Clementine.
You are lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry, Clementine.
Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine
Herring boxes without topses
Sandals were for Clementine. CHORUS
Drove she ducklings to the water
Every morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter
Fell into the foaming brine. CHORUS
Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles
Soft and fine,
Alas for me I was no swimmer,
So I lost my Clementine. CHORUS
In a church yard near the canyon
Where the myrtle doth entwine
There grow roses, other posies
Fertilized by Clementine. CHORUS
Goodbye forever
Goodbye forever
Goodbye my darling Clementine
Note: The singers start one minute and two minutes after the start of this recording. Usually sung by the crowd in the middle of the seventh inning of a baseball game. "Cracker Jack" is a brand of candied popcorn. The words in parentheses are on this recording, but are not part of the song.
(Batter up. Strike 1, strike 2, strike 3, they're out)
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.
(Throw the bum out. Hey umpire, play ball)
►Autumn Leaves, 1945, music by Joseph Kosma, French lyrics by Jacques Prévert, adapted to English by Johnny Mercer, sung by Douglas Wright (44 words)
The falling leaves
Drift by the window
The autumn leaves
Of red and gold
I see your lips
The summer kisses
The sunburned hands
I used to hold
Since you went away
The days grow long
And soon I'll hear
Old winter's song
But I miss you most of all
My darling
When autumn leaves start to fall
►Fly Me to the Moon, 1954, written by Bart Howard, singer unknown (44 words)
Fly me to the moon
And let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
And let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you
►I Need You Now, 1953, by Al Jacobs and Jimmie Crane, sung by Eddie Fisher (46 words)
If I ever needed you, I need you now
I can't remember when I've ever been so blue
If I ever needed love, I need it now
I feel so all alone I don't know what to do
No day or night goes by
When I don't have my cry
I feel like I could die
From wanting you
I can ease my achin' heart but you'd know how
If I ever needed you, I need you now
If I ever needed love, I need it now
I feel so all alone I don't know what to do
No day or night goes by
When I don't have my cry
I feel like I could die
From wanting you
I can ease my achin' heart. Honey you'd know how
If I ever needed you, I need you now
►There but for Fortune, 1963, sung by Joan Baez, written by Phil Ochs (59 words)
Show me the prison, show me the jail,
Show me the prisoner whose life has gone stale
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I, mmmm.
Show me the alley, show me the train,
Show me the hobo who sleeps out in the rain,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I, mmmm.
Show me the whiskey stains on the floor,
Show me the drunkard as he stumbles out the door,
And I'll show you a young man with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you or I, mmmm.
Show me the country where the bombs had to fall,
Show me the ruins of the buildings once so tall,
And I'll show you a young land with so many reasons why
There but for fortune, go you and I. You and I.
►Yesterday, written by Lennon and McCartney, sung by Michael Bolton (61 words)
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday
Why she had to go I don't know she wouldn't say
I said, I must have said something wrong, now I long for yesterday
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
I believe in yesterday
I believe in yesterday
I believe in yesterday
►A Winter's Tale, 1991, written and sung by Freddie Mercury, of the British band Queen (72 words)
Note: e'en is a contraction of even
It's Winter-fall
Red skies are gleaming - oh -
Sea-gulls are flyin' over
Swans are floatin' by
Smoking chimney-tops
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
The nights draw in
There's a silky moon up in the sky - yeah -
Children are fantasising
Grown-ups are standin' by
What a super feeling
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
woh-woh-woh-woh
(dreaming)
So quiet and peaceful
Tranquil and blissful
There's a kind of magic in the air
What a truly magnificent view
A breathtaking scene
(With the dreams of the world
In the palm of your hand)
A cosy fireside chat
A little this, a little that
Sound of merry laughter skippin' by
Gentle rain beatin' on my face
What an extraordinary place!
(And the dream of the child
Is the hope of the hope of the man)
It's all so beautiful
Like a landscape painting in the sky - yeah -
Mountains are zoomin' higher - mm -
Little girls scream an' cry
My world is spinnin' and spinnin' and spinnin'
It's unbelievable
Sends me reeling
Am I dreaming...
Am I dreaming...?
Oooh - it's bliss.
►That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine, 1932, written and sung by Gene Autry and Jimmy Long (75 words)
In a vine covered shack in the mountains
Bravely fighting the battle of time
Is a dear one who's weathered my sorrows
'Tis that silver haired daddy of mine
If I could recall all the heartaches
Dear old daddy, I've caused you to bear
If I could erase those lines from your face
And bring back the gold to your hair
If God would but grant me the power
Just to turn back the pages of time
I'd give all I own if I could but atone
To that silver haired daddy of mine
Oh, I know it's too late, dear old daddy
To repay all those sorrows and cares
Though dear mother is waiting in heaven
Just to comfort and solace you there
If I could recall all the heartaches
Dear old daddy, I've caused you to bear
If I could erase those lines from your face
And bring back the gold to your hair
If God would but grant me the power
Just to turn back the pages of time
I'd give all I own if I could but atone
To that silver haired daddy of mine
I'd give all I own if I could but atone
To that silver haired daddy of mine.
►Country Roads, 1970, by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver, (77 words)
Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.
Life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze.
CHORUS:
Country roads, take me home to the place I belong.
West Virginia, mountain mamma, take me home, country roads.
All my memories gather round her, miner's lady, stranger to blue water.
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye. CHORUS
I hear her voice in the morning hour, she calls me, the radio reminds me of my home far away.
And driving down the road I get a feeling that I should have been home yesterday, yesterday. CHORUS 2x
Take me home now, country roads,
Take me home now, country roads.
►You Are My Sunshine, 1939, unclear authorship (82 words)
The other night dear as I lay sleeping I dreamed I held you in my arms
When I awoke dear I was mistaken and I hung my head and cried
You are my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know dear how much I love you please don't take my sunshine away
I'll always love you and make you happy if you will only say the same
But if you leave me and love another you'll regret it all some day
You are my sunshine...
You told me once dear you really loved me and no one else could come between
But now you've left me and you love another and you have shattered all of my dreams
You are my sunshine...
In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me, When I awake my poor heart pains
So won't you come back and make me happy, I'll forgive dear, I'll take all the blame
You are my sunshine...
►Clementine, 1884, written by Percy Montrose, sung by Verna "Esmereldy" Boersma (87 words)
Note: Miners in the 1849 California gold rush were called forty-niners. Topses is an incorrect plural of top; the correct plural is tops. Doth is an archaic version of does.
In a cavern, In a canyon,
Excavating for a mine,
Dwelled a miner, forty-niner
And his daughter Clementine
CHORUS:
Oh my Darling,
Oh my Darling,
Oh my Darling Clementine.
You are lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry, Clementine.
Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine
Herring boxes without topses
Sandals were for Clementine. CHORUS
Drove she ducklings to the water
Every morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter
Fell into the foaming brine. CHORUS
Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles
Soft and fine,
Alas for me I was no swimmer,
So I lost my Clementine. CHORUS
In a church yard near the canyon
Where the myrtle doth entwine
There grow roses, other posies
Fertilized by Clementine. CHORUS
Goodbye forever
Goodbye forever
Goodbye my darling Clementine
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