Sugar Babe
 
Lyrics

Sugar Babe

Kate and I were hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia on our honeymoon when we ran across a ranger station with a small cache of goodies for sale. One item was a "back-packers" song book with a bunch of good old-time songs including this old favourite. As usual, my childhood memories of this tune influenced the arrangement.

Some old rounder came along
Took my sugar babe and gone
And I ain't got no sugar baby now
And I ain't got no sugar baby now

Gave her every dime I made
Then I laid her in the shade
And I ain't got no sugar baby now
And I ain't got no sugar baby now

Well it's all I can do
It's all I can say
And I can't make a livin' this away
No I can't make a livin' this away

It's who'll call you honey
And who'll sing this song
and who'll rock the cradle when I'm gone
who'll rock the cradle when I'm gone

I ain't got no use
For your red rocking chair
and I ain't got no sugar baby now
And I ain't got no sugar baby now
No I ain't got no sugar baby now

Freedom Road

Most of us as young adults had experienced the "leaving the nest urge". This song protrays this time of life when my "itchie feet" and restless nature swept me away from my small, home town memories onto the road of future adventures and freedoms.

Rollin down this highway to freedom
Cool wind in my hair
Feel the sun melt away my cares
Got strength in my soul

Gonna fly…gonna find new dreams again
Rollin down this freedom road
I don't need, no back seat driver babe
Gotta find it on my own
Rollin down this freedom road

Dead end road, back streets and heartache
Just weakened my soul
Gave away everything I made
Gotta get back what was stole.

Gonna fly…gonna find new dreams again
Rollin down this freedom road
I don't need, no navigator babe
I don't need that extra load
Rollin down this freedom road

Gonna fly…gonna find new dreams again
Rollin down this freedom road
I don't need, no taxi driver
Got it all under control
Rollin down this freedom road

Emily

The families of Alzheimer's patients are often more burdened than the patients themselves. This song comes from observations I made while tuning pianos for ten years in Ottawa nursing homes. I sang it for a friend recently who then loaned me "The Notebook"...a moving film that echoes the same story of steadfast devotion.

Do you remember the first dance you had with me
It was September nineteen forty three
You wore your green dress, a floral print you made that year
No, I don't think we still have it here

Have a look at this old photograph fading away
It seems it was just yesterday
That's your green dress, the floral print you made that year
Yes, we'll look for it later, my dear

Your name is Emily. Yes, I know. It's silly to forget
No, I won't leave. We’re not ready yet.
It's almost dinner time; Yes, I’ll stay. They've set a place for two.
Let me brush out your hair for you.

What's that your singing now? I can't believe you still recall
The waltz we danced to that fall.
I think it's dinner time; Let's go down. They've set a place for two.
You look lovely, you always do.

My name is William. I'm your husband. We've been married forty years.
Hold my hand. It will calm your fear.
After dinner we'll find your green dress, the one you made that year.
Yes I'm sure it's around some where.

Just Like My Son

What can I say. All parents have a little voice at the bottom of their heart reminding them of every parenting mistake they ever made. No matter how well our kids turn out, we all think we should have done a better job!! Parenting is the ultimate "learning on the job" career.

Got a call the other day
From my son ninety miles away
He did not have much to say
But I'm sure glad he phoned me anyway

He has a family of his own
Calls a small town his home
Owns a tiny bungalow with a big bank loan
Has a wife, two kids and no cell phone

When I grow up I want to be just like my son
And keep it all together when it tries to come undone
Every-body needs a hero and I have one
When I grow up I want to be just like my sonv

He was twelve when I left home
I left him with his mother and I roamed
And though I traveled much
He always found a way to keep in touch

But he learned from other men
What I should have taught him then
To honour, love and to defend
His values, family and his friends

When I'm clear, I'm mystified
Why I wasn't at his side
He overcame a great divide
Of stubbornness, carelessness and pride

He never asked for more
Than the love I could afford
But when my old demons knock me to the floor
He's the first by my side and the last out the door

Walk Away

Ah yes...the good old "break up" song. Like most folk I had experienced the hurt involved with the break up of relationsips. Writing a song that emphasised the stronger, more possitive side of the hurt made more sense to me than to wallow in self pity. This did help the healing process evolve quickly and helped me to move on with a possitive attitude that carried into my eventual marriage and happy life with Hollis.

You say that you’re on your way honey
Like so many times before
Cause In the line of fire you tend, to walk away.

Well I’ve seen all this before, honey
With you walkin' right out my door
Cause In the line of fire you tend to walk away

How high will you fly this time?
Takin' a chance on the wind.
You can't tell me you’re gonna be all right
Cause you know you’re only here to win
Yes you know you’re only here to win.

So find a path that's straight and true honey
And leave behind this growing fear
That brings you down. Don't stick around

And if your dreams come crashing down honey
I hope you stick to higher ground
Cause I've seen it all before. Don't slam the door.

Jennie Wore White

This story came from Kate who woke me at five in the morning to describe a dream she had. Her dream didn't have a clear location so I put it in Virginia, one of my favourite places.

They met aboard a Greyhound, not a year before
She was off to college, he was off to war
Every chance thereafter they would plan a rendezvous
He never let her down but was often overdue

Each week he flew a C-5 from Langley to Iraq
A day or two to off-load and then he'd fly it back
Every other weekend he would drive to Charlottesville
For two days every fortnight, made her world stand still

Jenny wore white on her wedding day
With a black lace veil that her mother made
On her breast a blood red rose
As a sign her love still grows

Her family church in Rockingham was small but quite a sight
High up on a hill where it caught the morning light
She planned every detail with her mother's guiding hand
He barely had the time to help her pick the wedding bands

He left the base that morning driving fast before the dawn
High into the Blue Ridge where the cloud caressed the ground
Too fast, too sharp, too short of time, she'll never really know
They took the gold ring from his hand; the Good Lord took his soul.

As Jenny waited at the church a troopers car arrived
But the only one that mattered was not the one inside
She felt his spirit fill her as the tragedy was told
Then putting on her wedding band said, "Let this day unfold"

Kur Plop

"Kur" is a dressage event where horse and rider perform in rhythm to selected music. I tried to get the feeling of an extended trot in this piece. I'm sure you can figure out what "Plop" means.

Child Child

I have a black and white photo of my Dad, 87 years old then, sitting and holding his great grandson, 7 days old, while my son and I stand behind. It's a great photo capturing in my Dad's eyes the wistful memories of youth while his arms hold the promise of the future.

Child, child, sing to me a song
Sing me back to golden days when I was young

Lend to me your hands; mine have lost their touch
Help me to feel tenderness; my own are cracked and rough
Tell me what you see, I see only grey
Child I have lost my way

Lend me your heart; mine is hard and frozen
Make my blood run hot again, my pulse to quicken
Tell me what you dream; mine have lost their lustre
Child… fill me with your laughter

Lend to me your voice; mine is but a whisper
Pray with me this final night closing in like winter
Tell me what you hear; I hear ghostly sounds
Child… Am I heaven bound?

Child, child, sing to me a song
Sing of golden days before I'm gone

Pippa’s Refrain

Being a fan of Appalachian ballads I wrote this song to reflect what I felt might be a courtship held between a young grain farmer and the maiden he had his eye on. His fields would have to yield enough crop to support a family and as the song progresses we realize that not only did his seeds prove fruitful but so did hers.

When your field is cleared and harrowed
Harrowed darker than the night
When the seed is cast and watered
Come to me by evening light

When the new grain finds the sun
With their heads turned heaven bound
When your field has become golden
Lay me gently upon the ground

I will not seal my fortune
To a promise unfulfilled
Prove to me your true intention
Is a measure of God's will

Now the meadow calls for scything
And your blades are honed and true
And the sheaves are bound for drying
Our seed is grown and nearly due

Now the flailing dust has settled
And the chaff shines in the wind
All your bins are overflowing
Take us home to rest within

A Soldier’s Fall

I wrote this on Remembrance Day. I came from the U.S.A. to Canada during a time of American aggression abroad. It seems we have returned to those times again. This song is about the defining battle of the War of 1812 that allowed Canada to persist as an independent nation and to continue forging a path quite different from our American friends.

As autumn leaves are falling down
The earth receives her golden crown
I left my home so long ago before a soldier’s life I’d known
Before a soldier’s life I’d known . I left my home so long ago

We crossed Niagara at the bend where the eddy let us in
And in the dead of night, climbed the path to Queenston Heights
From behind at sunrise we took the British by surprise

We had them six to one at least. Our hands dripped with their defeat
But as the sun set in our eyes We heard the Iroquois arise
With our backs to the abyss their musket fire could not miss
They took more of us that day, than they had soldiers in their pay
One third of all who came were captured, killed or maimed
Three hundred New York men will not see home again

The sunlight breaks the canopy
Where leaves have cracked & lost their sway
Like the flash of bayonets finds the bone beneath the flesh
That finds the bone beneath the flesh like the flash of bayonets

The Wagoner’s Lad

This is an old ballad told mostly from the viewpoint of a poor, young maiden. But half of verses four and five are in the voice of her young man. This courtship tale reflects the tones of the modern "women's liberation movement" as she is shown to be very strong and independent.

Oh, hard is the fortune of all woman kind
They’re always mistreated; they’re always confined
Controlled by their parents until they are wives
Then slaves to their husbands the rest of their lives

Oh, I am a poor girl my fortune is sad
I have always been courted by the wagoner’s lad
He courted me daily, by night and by day
And now he is loaded and going away

Your parents don’t like me because I am poor
They say I’m not worthy of ent’rin' your door
I work for my living; my money’s my own
And if they don’t like me they can leave me alone

Your horses are hungry go feed them some hay
Come sit down beside me as long as you may
My horses aren’t hungry; they won’t eat your hay
So fare thee well darling I’ll be on my way

Your wagon needs greasing; your whip is to mend
Come lay down beside me as long as you can
My wagon is greasy; my whip’s in my hand
So fare thee well darling, no longer to stand.

The Hill

Inspired by a friend, who believed he was an incarnate of "Viking" stock, this song is about a warrior who will be entering the heat of battle. His fear is over ridden by the voice of bravery inspiring him to go on since it is not his time to die. Yet Hollis firmly believes it is a song about marriage...hmmmmm.

High on the hill
I saw you standing so still
When I called out your name
You just turned away, afraid

Your sword I will carry
To battles not always your own
Your shield I'll hold steady
To ensure you get back home

No need to fear my friend
I'm older than life
You're one of a few
I know.....will survive...will survive

If you might fall
I will help you to stand tall
When I call out your name
You will come to me so brave

Skinny Legs

This was written for Kate's neice in honour of her 18th birthday. Upon many visits to the family's home we were never quite sure what colour her hair would be that day or if she'd grown another inch or two. She's quite a gal. I'm pretty sure she likes this song...I know her brother does!!

Skinny legs, barefoot girl
Biggest smile in the whole wide world
That tall girl, turn me inside out
Skinny legs, what 'chou all about?
Pearly whites, purple hair
Know her just about anywhere
That tall girl, turn me upside down
Skinny legs, where you goin' now?

Sleep at dawn, sleep at noon
Sleep all through the afternoon
That tall girl, stay out all night long
Skinny legs, what 'chou doin' wrong?
Eighteen years ain't enough
Get me over this puppy love
That tall girl, see her everywhere
Skinny legs, don't cha know I care?

Feets, ankles, knees, thighs. What a treat for a rovin' eye
Tall girl show me what you dare
Leg bone, shin bone, All the way to the toe bone... (hmmm)
Tall girl, Tall girl

Lookin' here, lookin' there
Cain't find her anywhere
That tall girl, moved from Kingston Town
Skinny legs, where you goin' now?
Skinny leg's a memory
Time to change my scenery
That tall girl, knows what she done done
Skinny legs, got me on the run
Skinny legs, got me on the run whoooo

Copyright 2004-2007 Kate & Hollis