Daddy’s Songs
Gus Burton
I remember as a little girl around my Daddy’s knee
And those old songs he’d sing to me
He’d sing songs of happiness of people doing wrong
His favourite tunes of all were those good old gospel songs
I’d sit and listen quietly to each and every word
Watch him play the guitar as his fingers made the chords
He’d look into my smiling face and these words he’d say
Someday you’ll sing your Daddy’s songs and his guitar you will play
Oh with my Daddy’s old guitar his songs I love to play
They’re locked up in my memory forever more to stay
Oh he’d sing songs of happiness and of people doing wrong
His favourite tunes of all were those good old gospel songs
When I grew older got a guitar of my own
And Daddy taught me how to play songs he did know
Then in the evening when his work was through
We’d sit and pick and sing the songs that my Daddy knew
Well Daddy he is old now his fingers can’t make the chords
He cannot play the guitar or sing all the words
So now I play his guitar and I sing all his songs
And when he’s feeling up to it sometimes he sings along
Amazing Grace, Dust on the Bible, Take My Hand Precious Lord
Old Time Religion, Old Family Bible, Old Gospel Ship and Why Me Lord
Church in the Wildwood, Old Rugged Cross, Where Could I Go But to the Lord
Precious Memories, In the Sweet by and By, Walkin’ and Talkin’ with the Lord
Charity
Susan Lawrence
I went into your room last night, and watched you while you slept
Your blankets were kicked off, upon your pillow your hair was swept
Your hair fanned out around your face, slightly curling at the tips
You looked so peaceful like an angel, with your rosy cheeks and pouty lips
The baby stirred inside of me, as I sat in the rocker beside your bed
You smiled just then, and I wished that I , could see inside your little head
I thought of how this baby, would cause your world to change
It seems to me the life you know, is sure to rearrange
The people they will come to see, the baby that is new
It will seem that they will have, very little time for you
They may try to push you aside, and tell you to go play
But this baby is your too, so don’t let them push you away
They did not hear you tell your Mom, your list of things to do
You seem to think the responsibility, is all going to fall on you
The diapers you will have to change, the clothes you’ll have to buy
And what to name the little child, whether it’s a girl or a boy
The food and milk the baby will need, if she hopes to grow
And how you’re going to teach her, everything she needs to know
But what I love above the rest, much more than any other
Is while you are around no one, will hurt your sister or brother
With pride I bent to give you, one more little good night kiss
For Charity is a name for love, and I know you are full of this
(Hum until the end)
Windy
Susan Lawrence
Windy was a little girl that lived in a house by the water
She was a precious child her mother’s only daughter
Her mother called her Windy cuz she was born on a stormy night
She raised her daughter as best she could and taught her wrong from right
But Windy needed something that her mother could not see
And while she had lots of love she was still lonely
For Windy she was heaven’s child and there she soon returned
But in her short life there was a lesson to be learned
Keep a treasure hidden well and you are sure to lose
The one and only precious thing that means the most to you
And a flower cannot live if it’s sheltered from the sun
And a child cannot live if she’s kept from everyone
Windy lived a sheltered life her mother’s pride and shame
And when she died at ten years old she still had no last name
Her mother tried to keep her from the scorn of people in town
She vowed to protect her child and she never let her down
Her mother realised too late a captured flower won’t bloom
And forty long years later she sees visions in her room
She hears a voice upon the wind sees her daughter on the stairs
And as she lays awake at night this is what she hears
Keep a treasure hidden well and you are sure to lose
The one and only precious thing that means the most to you
And a flower cannot live if it’s sheltered from the sun
And a child cannot live if she’s kept from everyone
Lost Ties
Susan Lawrence
Gone are the railroads, our link to the past,
Here come the truckloads, they're moving so fast;
Our children must ride on a boat or a plane,
To go to the mainland just to see a train.
No leisurely walks on the tracks before bed,
The tracks that we see will be tracks in our heads;
As we look at the scars on the face of our land,
Left by the train tracks that once crossed Newfoundland.
We wonder just where the old Bullet went,
And think of the waste and the sweat that was spent;
For the back breaking labour of men laid to rest,
They stripped all the tracks in the name of progress.
And progress is pushing us on right ahead,
But who'll hold the key to the past when we're dead?
They're stripping away the dear and the old,
How long before all of our heritage is sold?
Gone are the railroads, our link to the past,
And the back breaking labour of men laid to rest;
They're stripping the ties from the railway bed,
Who'll hold the key to the past when we're dead?
Yes, who'll hold the key to the past when we're dead?
Oh So Many Years
Frankie Bailes
All these many years I've loved you no one has ever known
No one has ever known but you alone
I've kept it locked inside my heart and smiled though all my tears
My darling I have loved you oh so many years
Each night within my lonely room I cried dear over you
And prayed to God the things will turn out right
But when the dawn of day appears I brush away my tears
My darling I have loved you oh so many years
Maybe faith will lead us down a path where we will meet again
And then we'll both be free to love anew
Then one sweet kiss from your dear lips will vanish all my fear
My darling I have loved you oh so many years
Dear Charley
Susan Lawrence
Does your ring hurt my finger, when I go out at night
When I wanted part time work dear, you said it was alright
Now I’m working at the theatre, and something is not right
Yes your ring hurts my finger, when I go out at night
Oh yes I know that you don’t mind it when I go
There’s a woman waiting somewhere this I know
They say the wife is always the last one to know
But why do you always bring them to our home
Yes your ring hurts my finger, when I’m away from you
It was fine till I found out, that I have been a fool
Between the lying and the women, I’m just too tired to fight
Yes your ring hurts my finger, when I go out at night
But it’s the last time you’ll hurt me, I’m leaving you tonight
Galway Shawl
Traditional
Near Oranmore in the County Galway,
One pleasant evening in the month of May,
He spied a colleen, she looked so pretty
She nearly stole his heart away.
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
They kept on walking, she kept on talking,
'Till her father's cottage, it came into view.
She said, "Come in, and meet my father,
And play for him a tune or two
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
He played The Blackbird , The Stack of Barley
The Old Bog Road, and The Boggy Dew
She sang each note like an Irish linnet.
And the tears filled up her eyes of blue.
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
Early next mornings, as he was leaving
To take the road, to old Donnegal
Sure his heart was breaking, at the thought of leaving
So he stayed with Eileen, and her Galway shawl
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint or powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
Liquor Continues to Flow
Gus Burton
Don’t you know sweetheart
You’re going to lose me
And my love for you is fading fast,
And the life we now have together
Will soon be a thing of the past
And you know, you should have seen it coming
But you were too blind to see
All those nights that you left me lonely
That another would take your place with me
Oh the liquor has washed away our love dear
Like a flood it’s wrecked our happy home
And I thought that I could change your ways dear
But the liquor it continues to flow
All these years I’ve put up with your drinking
For the sake of family and kids
But I can no longer live this way dear
And the time has come for me to leave
And as I pack my bags to leave you
I know you’ll never understand
That the liquor has killed my love for you dear
And drove me to the arms of another man
Oh the liquor has washed away our love dear
Like a flood it’s wrecked our happy home
And I thought that I could change your ways dear
But the liquor it continues to flow
Yes the liquor continues to flow
Butcher Boy
Traditional
In London town, where I did dwell
Lived a butcher boy, I loved quite well
He courted me, my life away
And now with me he will not stay
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
I wish I were a child again
A maid again I ne'er will be
While cherries grow on an ivy tree
She went upstairs to go to bed
And calling to her mother said
"Give me a chair till I sit down
And a pen and ink till I write down"
With every word she shed a tear
And every line cried "Willie dear -
Oh, what a foolish girl was I
To fall in love with a butcher boy"
He went upstairs and the door he broke
He found her hanging from a rope
He took his knife and he cut her down
And in her pocket, these words he found
Oh, make my grave large, wide and deep
Place a marble stone at my head and feet
And in the middle, place a turtle dove
To show the world, that I died for love
Gus Burton
I remember as a little girl around my Daddy’s knee
And those old songs he’d sing to me
He’d sing songs of happiness of people doing wrong
His favourite tunes of all were those good old gospel songs
I’d sit and listen quietly to each and every word
Watch him play the guitar as his fingers made the chords
He’d look into my smiling face and these words he’d say
Someday you’ll sing your Daddy’s songs and his guitar you will play
Oh with my Daddy’s old guitar his songs I love to play
They’re locked up in my memory forever more to stay
Oh he’d sing songs of happiness and of people doing wrong
His favourite tunes of all were those good old gospel songs
When I grew older got a guitar of my own
And Daddy taught me how to play songs he did know
Then in the evening when his work was through
We’d sit and pick and sing the songs that my Daddy knew
Well Daddy he is old now his fingers can’t make the chords
He cannot play the guitar or sing all the words
So now I play his guitar and I sing all his songs
And when he’s feeling up to it sometimes he sings along
Amazing Grace, Dust on the Bible, Take My Hand Precious Lord
Old Time Religion, Old Family Bible, Old Gospel Ship and Why Me Lord
Church in the Wildwood, Old Rugged Cross, Where Could I Go But to the Lord
Precious Memories, In the Sweet by and By, Walkin’ and Talkin’ with the Lord
Charity
Susan Lawrence
I went into your room last night, and watched you while you slept
Your blankets were kicked off, upon your pillow your hair was swept
Your hair fanned out around your face, slightly curling at the tips
You looked so peaceful like an angel, with your rosy cheeks and pouty lips
The baby stirred inside of me, as I sat in the rocker beside your bed
You smiled just then, and I wished that I , could see inside your little head
I thought of how this baby, would cause your world to change
It seems to me the life you know, is sure to rearrange
The people they will come to see, the baby that is new
It will seem that they will have, very little time for you
They may try to push you aside, and tell you to go play
But this baby is your too, so don’t let them push you away
They did not hear you tell your Mom, your list of things to do
You seem to think the responsibility, is all going to fall on you
The diapers you will have to change, the clothes you’ll have to buy
And what to name the little child, whether it’s a girl or a boy
The food and milk the baby will need, if she hopes to grow
And how you’re going to teach her, everything she needs to know
But what I love above the rest, much more than any other
Is while you are around no one, will hurt your sister or brother
With pride I bent to give you, one more little good night kiss
For Charity is a name for love, and I know you are full of this
(Hum until the end)
Windy
Susan Lawrence
Windy was a little girl that lived in a house by the water
She was a precious child her mother’s only daughter
Her mother called her Windy cuz she was born on a stormy night
She raised her daughter as best she could and taught her wrong from right
But Windy needed something that her mother could not see
And while she had lots of love she was still lonely
For Windy she was heaven’s child and there she soon returned
But in her short life there was a lesson to be learned
Keep a treasure hidden well and you are sure to lose
The one and only precious thing that means the most to you
And a flower cannot live if it’s sheltered from the sun
And a child cannot live if she’s kept from everyone
Windy lived a sheltered life her mother’s pride and shame
And when she died at ten years old she still had no last name
Her mother tried to keep her from the scorn of people in town
She vowed to protect her child and she never let her down
Her mother realised too late a captured flower won’t bloom
And forty long years later she sees visions in her room
She hears a voice upon the wind sees her daughter on the stairs
And as she lays awake at night this is what she hears
Keep a treasure hidden well and you are sure to lose
The one and only precious thing that means the most to you
And a flower cannot live if it’s sheltered from the sun
And a child cannot live if she’s kept from everyone
Lost Ties
Susan Lawrence
Gone are the railroads, our link to the past,
Here come the truckloads, they're moving so fast;
Our children must ride on a boat or a plane,
To go to the mainland just to see a train.
No leisurely walks on the tracks before bed,
The tracks that we see will be tracks in our heads;
As we look at the scars on the face of our land,
Left by the train tracks that once crossed Newfoundland.
We wonder just where the old Bullet went,
And think of the waste and the sweat that was spent;
For the back breaking labour of men laid to rest,
They stripped all the tracks in the name of progress.
And progress is pushing us on right ahead,
But who'll hold the key to the past when we're dead?
They're stripping away the dear and the old,
How long before all of our heritage is sold?
Gone are the railroads, our link to the past,
And the back breaking labour of men laid to rest;
They're stripping the ties from the railway bed,
Who'll hold the key to the past when we're dead?
Yes, who'll hold the key to the past when we're dead?
Oh So Many Years
Frankie Bailes
All these many years I've loved you no one has ever known
No one has ever known but you alone
I've kept it locked inside my heart and smiled though all my tears
My darling I have loved you oh so many years
Each night within my lonely room I cried dear over you
And prayed to God the things will turn out right
But when the dawn of day appears I brush away my tears
My darling I have loved you oh so many years
Maybe faith will lead us down a path where we will meet again
And then we'll both be free to love anew
Then one sweet kiss from your dear lips will vanish all my fear
My darling I have loved you oh so many years
Dear Charley
Susan Lawrence
Does your ring hurt my finger, when I go out at night
When I wanted part time work dear, you said it was alright
Now I’m working at the theatre, and something is not right
Yes your ring hurts my finger, when I go out at night
Oh yes I know that you don’t mind it when I go
There’s a woman waiting somewhere this I know
They say the wife is always the last one to know
But why do you always bring them to our home
Yes your ring hurts my finger, when I’m away from you
It was fine till I found out, that I have been a fool
Between the lying and the women, I’m just too tired to fight
Yes your ring hurts my finger, when I go out at night
But it’s the last time you’ll hurt me, I’m leaving you tonight
Galway Shawl
Traditional
Near Oranmore in the County Galway,
One pleasant evening in the month of May,
He spied a colleen, she looked so pretty
She nearly stole his heart away.
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
They kept on walking, she kept on talking,
'Till her father's cottage, it came into view.
She said, "Come in, and meet my father,
And play for him a tune or two
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
He played The Blackbird , The Stack of Barley
The Old Bog Road, and The Boggy Dew
She sang each note like an Irish linnet.
And the tears filled up her eyes of blue.
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint nor powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
Early next mornings, as he was leaving
To take the road, to old Donnegal
Sure his heart was breaking, at the thought of leaving
So he stayed with Eileen, and her Galway shawl
She wore no jewels, nor costly diamonds,
No paint or powder, no, none at all.
She wore a bonnet with ribbons on it
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
And round her shoulders was the Galway Shawl.
Liquor Continues to Flow
Gus Burton
Don’t you know sweetheart
You’re going to lose me
And my love for you is fading fast,
And the life we now have together
Will soon be a thing of the past
And you know, you should have seen it coming
But you were too blind to see
All those nights that you left me lonely
That another would take your place with me
Oh the liquor has washed away our love dear
Like a flood it’s wrecked our happy home
And I thought that I could change your ways dear
But the liquor it continues to flow
All these years I’ve put up with your drinking
For the sake of family and kids
But I can no longer live this way dear
And the time has come for me to leave
And as I pack my bags to leave you
I know you’ll never understand
That the liquor has killed my love for you dear
And drove me to the arms of another man
Oh the liquor has washed away our love dear
Like a flood it’s wrecked our happy home
And I thought that I could change your ways dear
But the liquor it continues to flow
Yes the liquor continues to flow
Butcher Boy
Traditional
In London town, where I did dwell
Lived a butcher boy, I loved quite well
He courted me, my life away
And now with me he will not stay
I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
I wish I were a child again
A maid again I ne'er will be
While cherries grow on an ivy tree
She went upstairs to go to bed
And calling to her mother said
"Give me a chair till I sit down
And a pen and ink till I write down"
With every word she shed a tear
And every line cried "Willie dear -
Oh, what a foolish girl was I
To fall in love with a butcher boy"
He went upstairs and the door he broke
He found her hanging from a rope
He took his knife and he cut her down
And in her pocket, these words he found
Oh, make my grave large, wide and deep
Place a marble stone at my head and feet
And in the middle, place a turtle dove
To show the world, that I died for love