Henry My Son
Pete Seeger

You know it may seem hard to imagine
But once upon a time people didn't have
Any such thing as television, didn't have any radios
And if you wanted to have any music
You just had to make it yourself

It was only the kings and queens
That could afford to have somebody else make music for them
And you might not think it would be very good music
Everybody making their own music

But you'd be surprised, in almost every family
It seemed like there'd be somebody who could sing a song
Or tell a story or tell a joke or something
And in the evening they'd crowd around the fire
May be so keep warm

One man told me he learned how to play the fiddle
Because he noticed the fiddler always got to stand nearest to the fire
So he decided that if he wants to stay warm
He better learn how to play the fiddle
And they'd sing these old ballads you know, like

Where have you been all the day, Randall my son?
Where have you been all the day, my pretty one?
I've been to my sweetheart, mother
I've been to my sweetheart, mother
Mother, make my bed soon, for I'm sick to my heart
And I fain would lie down

That's an old old song, very sad one
But I met a fellow last November over in England
And he said he knew it a different way
Everybody knows these songs different ways it seems
He says, when he was a kid, all the, all the kids used to sing it

Where have you been all the day, Henry my boy?
Where have you been all the day, my pride and joy?
In the woods, dear mother
In the woods, dear mother
Mother be quick, I got to be sick and lay me down to die

What did you do in the woods all day, Henry my son?
What did you do in the woods all day, my pretty one?
Ate, dear mother
Ate, dear mother
Mother be quick, I got to be sick and lay me down to die

What did you eat in the woods all day, Henry my boy?
What did you eat in the woods all day, my saveloy?
Eels, dear mother
Eels, dear mother
Mother be quick, I got to be sick and lay me down to die

What color was those eels, Henry my boy?
What color was those eels, my pride and joy?
Green and yeller
Green and yeller
Mother be quick, I got to be sick and lay me down to die

Those eels were snakes, Henry my boy
Those eels were snakes, my saveloy
Urgh, dear mother
Urgh, dear mother
Mother be quick, I got to be sick and lay me down to die

What color flowers would you like, Henry my son?
What color flowers would you like, my currant bun?
Green and yeller
Green and yeller
Mother be quick, I got to be sick and lay me down to die


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Lyrics by Pete Seeger

  Abiyoyo [#]   Adam The Inventor   All My Children Of The Sun   All My Trials   Alleluya   America, The Beautiful   Arrange And Re-Arrange   Ballad Of The Fort Hood Three   Banks Of Marble   Banks of the Ohio   Barbara Allen [Live]   Battle Of New Orleans   Be Kind to Your Parents   Belle Starr   Billy Barlow   Blow The Man Down   Both Sides Now   Bring Them Home   Bring Them Home (If You Love Your Uncle Sam)   Business   Camptown Races   Camptown Races [Gwine to Run All Night]   Cement Octopus   De Colores   Die Gedanken Sind Frei   Down By The River   Down by the Riverside [African American Spiritual]   Draft Dodger Rag   English Is Cuh-ray-zee   False From True   Foggy Dew   From Way Up Here   Go Tell Aunt Rhodie   God Bless The Grass   Goodnight, Irene [Irene, Goodnight]   Guantanamera (Live)   Hobo's Lullaby   Hobo's Lullaby   House Of The Rising Sun   How Can I Keep From Singing   I Ride An Old Paint   I've Been Working On The Railroad   I’ve Been Working On The Railroad   If I Had A Hammer (Album Version)   If This World Survives   It Really Isn't Garbage   Jackaro   Jacob's Ladder   Jarama Valley   John Brown's Body   John Henry   John Riley   John Riley [Pretty Fair Maid] [the Broken Token] [...   King Henry   Last Train To Nuremberg   Letter To Eve   Little Boxes   Little Fat Baby   Living In The Country   Mastinchele Wachipi Olewan   Michael Row The Boat Ashore   Michael Row The Boat Ashore (Live)   Michael, Row the Boat Ashore   Molly Malone   My Dentist Has Tattooed Legs   My Father's Mansion's Many Rooms   My Name Is Liza Kalvelage   My Rainbow Race   No Irish Need Apply   Now We Sit Us Down   Ode To A Composer Bach At Treblinka   Oh Susanna [#]   Oh What A Beautiful City   Oh, I Had A Golden Thread   Oh, What a Beautiful City!   Old Devil Time   Old Joe Clark [#]   One Grain Of Sand   Or Else   Our Generation   Peg And Awl   Preicious Friend   Queen Anne Front   Quite Early Morning   Quite Early Morning [*]   River   River Song   Roll On, Columbia   Shenandoah   Skip to My Lou   Snow Snow   Solartopia   Song Of The World's Last Whale   Summertime   Take It From DrKing   Talking Ben Tre   Talking Union   Teacher Uncle Ho   The Ballad of Ira Hayes   The Bells of Rhymney   The Bells of Rhymney [#]   The Dying Miner   The Fox   The House of the Rising Sun   The River That Flows Both Ways   The Torn Flag   The Water Is Wide   The Wreck of the Old 97   The Wreck of the Old 97   There'll Come A Day   Throw Away That Shad Net   Throw Away That Shad Net (How Are We Gonna Save To...   Tomorrow's Children   Turn, Turn, Turn   Tzena Tzena Tzena   Tzena, Tzena, Tzena   Uncle Ho   Union Maid   Waist Deep In The Big Muddy   Walking Down Death Row   Walking Down Death Row [*]   Water Is Wide (O Waly Waly)   We Shall Not Be Moved   We Shall Overcome   We Will Love Or We Will Perish   When Johnny Comes Marching Home   Where Have All The Flowers Gone   Where Have All The Flowers Gone?   Which Side Are You On?   Wimoweh (Mbube)   Wimoweh (Mbube) [Live]   Wonderful Friends   Words Words Words

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