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I'll Always Sing

by Betty and the Baby Boomers

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1.
The Sinking Of The Ruben James 03:25
lyrics
Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea. Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James One hundred men went down to their dark watery grave
When that good ship went down only forty-four were saved.
Was the last day of October they saved that forty-four
From the cold icy waters off that cold iceland shore. Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James It was there in the dark of that uncertain night
That they watched for the U-boat and waited for a fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion roared
And they laid that Reuben James on that cold ocean floor. Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James Well many years have passed since those brave men are gone And those cold icy waters are so still and calm. Now many years have passed and still I wonder why The worst of men must fight and the best of men must die Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
2.
Hands 06:12
lyrics
I've seen the hands of the laborers lifting all the loads Granite stuck to their fingers as they dug the canals and the roads Now they're cleared and the bridges span the river paused bay a power dam Now the hand of the laborer is reaching out to you Oh the hands hands hands that worked to build land, land, your land The labor of the woman and the man workin' with their hands And I've seen the hands of the lumberjacks; forests swaying in the breeze. And the splinters stuck to their fingers as lumber was torn from the trees. And the wood that came from your timber tall built your buildings from wall to wall. And now the hand of the lumberjack is reaching out to you. Oh the hands hands hands that worked to build land, land, your land The labor of the woman and the man workin' with their hands I've seen the hands of the miners digging out the coal. The black dust stuck to their fingers as they lived their lives down in a hole. Now that rock is still under the ground, and now their mine is closin' down. And now the hand of the miner is reaching out to you. Oh the hands hands hands that worked to build land, land, your land The labor of the woman and the man workin' with their hands And I've seen the hands of the farmers plowin' across the fields. And the topsoil stuck to their fingers as the earth was split by the steel. Just growing all they could grow, to fill your tables row after row. And now the hand of the farmer is reaching out to you. Oh the hands, hands, hands were working on the land, your land. The labor of the woman and the man working with their hands. Hands, hands, working with their hands.
3.
Soldier Of Plenty 03:50
lyrics
God is great, God is good She guards your neighborhood Though it's generally understood Not quite the way you would You try to take the slack Stay awake and watch her back But something happens every now and then And someone breaks into the promised land Ah boy boy This world is not your toy This world is long on hunger This world is short on joy A-E-I-O You speak as if you know What's good for everyone What's good in what you've done? What's good about a world in which War rages at a fever pitch And people die for the little things A little corn, a little beans Ah boy boy This world is not your toy This world is, this world is... Long on hunger Short on joy How much longer You gonna keep the world hungry, boy? You measure peace with guns Progress in mega-tons Who's left when the war is won? Soldier of misfortune Soldier of an angry call Soldier on foreign soil I'm not here to fight your war I know what you're fighting for Ah boy boy This world is not your toy This world is, this world is... Long on hunger Short on joy How much longer You gonna keep the world hungry, boy?
4.
Downwinders 03:29
5.
Caledonia 04:34
lyrics
I don't know if you can see The changes that have come over me In these last few days I've been afraid That I might drift away I've been telling old stories, singing songs That make me think about where I've come from That's the reason why I seem So far away today Let me tell you that I love you That I think about you all the time Caledonia, you're calling me, now I'm going home But if I should become a stranger You know it would make me more than sad Caledonia's been everything I've ever had I have moved and I've kept on moving Proved the points that I needed proving Lost the friends that I needed losin' Found others on the way I have kissed the fellas and left them crying Stolen dreams, yes, there's no denying I have traveled hard, sometimes with conscience flying Somewhere with the wind Let me tell you that I love you That I think about you all the time Caledonia, you're calling me, now I'm going home But if I should become a stranger You know it would make me more than sad Caledonia's been everything I've ever had Now I'm sitting here before the fire An empty room, all is quiet The flames have cooled, don't get any higher They've withered, now they've gone But I'm steady thinking, my way is clear And I know what I will do tomorrow When the hands have shaken, the kisses float Then I will disappear Let me tell you that I love you That I think about you all the time Caledonia, you're calling me, now I'm going home But if I should become a stranger You know it would make me more than sad Caledonia's been everything I've ever had
6.
Going Away 03:28
lyrics
Is that the moon I see, over there in the West, Or the head-light gleam, C&O express? I know she's gone, What ever I say, It won't be long 'til I make up my mind And go away. Is that the sun coming acros the eastern shore, Or just a coal bed gleam behind the firebox door? I know she's gone, whatever I say, And it won't be long 'til I make up my mind And go away. Did you see that man he can't hear the whistle The blind old man caught out on the trestle. Can't go up and he can't go back, Train kept coming brushed him off the track. Other storms may blow and the wind may rise, Still I long to go where the fast mail flies. I know she's gone, whatever I say, But it won't be long 'til I make up my mind And go away.
7.
Maple Syrup 02:24
lyrics
When the back of winter's broken and it starts to lose its hold when the early songs of birds begin to lift When the days begin to lengthen and begin to lose their cold its then the maple trees give us their gift Oh, the sap flows without effort when there's mud upon the ground But there's effort in the halin' and the care to boil it down And it's sweetened by our labor And we're patient at the task To make some maple sirup at the last Every drop of this years syrup holds the taste of last years sun and the magic of the root and leave combined Their's a lifting of my spirt when this season is begun when the tress awake and spring be far behind Oh, the sap flows without effort when there's mud upon the ground But there's effort in the haling and the care to boil it down And it's sweetened by our labor And we're patient at the task To make some maple sirup at the last Oh, the sap flows without effort when there's mud upon the ground But there's effort in the haling and the care to boil it down And it's sweetened by our labor And we're patient at the task To make some maple sirup at the last
8.
Bright Mohawk Valley 04:07
lyrics
From this valley they say you are going We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile For they say you are taking the sunshine That has brightened our pathways awhile Come and sit by my side if you love me Do not hasten to bid me adieu Just remember the Bright Mohawk Valley And the deer heart who loved you so true Won't you think of this valley you're leaving Oh how lonely and how sad it will be Oh think of my fond heart you're breaking And the grief you are causing to me Come and sit by my side if you love me Do not hasten to bid me adieu Just remember the Bright Mohawk Valley And the deer heart who loved you so true For a long long time I've ben waiting For those sweet words you never could say And now everybody has told me That you are going way Come and sit by my side if you love me Do not hasten to bid me adieu Just remember the Bright Mohawk Valley And the deer heart who loved you so true
9.
South Africa 02:54
10.
I Might Be The One 04:03
11.
I'll Always Sing 03:00
lyrics
Sometimes I'm so happy my voice just must be heard Joy can make you lose yourself and warble like a bird At times like that it seems as though my soul has taken wing And you can be sure of one thing - I'll always sing, I'll always sing You can be sure of one thing: I'll always sing Sometimes I get weary and barren as the sand Sometimes i'm so burdened down that I can barely stand I lie awake in bed, in dread of what tomorrow brings But you can be sure of one thing - I'll always sing, I'll always sing You can be sure of one thing: I'll always sing At times I've been surrounded by people of like mind Other times I've searched in vain a friendly face to find But whether I'm with family or alone and wandering You can be sure of one thing - I'll always sing, I'll always sing You can be sure of one thing: I'll always sing My mother says I learned to sing when I was only three Nursery rhymes and nonsense and commercials from TV I'd sit out in my back yard and keep rhythm on my swing And you can be sure of one thing - I'll always sing, I'll always sing You can be sure of one thing: I'll always sing And when I'm old and feeble and life has passed me by I may lose my hair, my hands, my legs or yet my eyes But if I have a throat left I will make the rafters ring And you can be sure of one thing - I'll always sing, I'll always sing You can be sure of one thing: I'll always sing!

credits

released January 1, 1992

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Betty and the Baby Boomers image

Betty and the Baby Boomers New Paltz, New York

An acoustic folk quintet from New York's Hudson Valley. Folk song magazine Sing Out! described the group as “a refreshing reminder of the halcyon days of American folk music” and the CD [Tumbling Through the Stream of Days] as “an enthusiastic testament to the sheer joy of singing and playing music.” ... more

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