Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree

Subject: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: GUEST,Catlin
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 09:57 AM

Well, Prairie Home Companion has done it again...I need the lyrics and chords for "Shotgun Shells on the Christmas Tree". Thanks a bunch!

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 10:30 AM

Catlin,

PHC archives all of their shows. It takes about a week for a show to make it into the archives. Then you can get the lyrics to the song.
Try prairiehome.publicradio.org


Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: Hollowfox
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 10:48 AM

It's also on Robin and Linda's fine cd "The First Christmas Gift". Information is on their website, if no where else. It's my current favorite cd.

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 10:49 AM

'Doh! Shoulda' figured that one out myself. This head cold must be stopping up my sinused AND my brain!

Thanks a bunch, Roger in Baltimore!

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 10:50 AM

And my ability to spell/type:)

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 11:10 AM

http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/20031220/index.shtml

From 2003, second segment

Subject: Lyr Add: SHOTGUN SHELLS ON A CHRISTMAS TREE
From: open mike
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 04:59 PM

SHOTGUN SHELLS ON A CHRISTMAS TREE
Linda Williams

Thinking back on my best Christmas day
I see snow-covered fields of red Georgia clay,
And my grandmother there was hardened and gruff
'Cause she never had more than just enough.
I remember hearing her say,
"There's work to be done even on Christmas day.
There's no time or money for ribbons and wreaths
Or trimming a house with a Christmas tree."

Chorus:
    We hung shotgun shells on a little scrub pine,
    Red and green and brass that would shine.
    They still decorate my memory,
    Shotgun shells on the Christmas tree.

My dad just ignored my grandma's decree.
He took me hunting for a Christmas tree.
There in the field with the rabbits and squirrels,
Were more shotgun shells than I'd seen in the world.
We crunched through the snow to a place he knew well.
While he picked out a tree I was picking up shells.
I already see them there in my mind,
Tied to the tree with pieces of twine.

Chorus

That house had a tree for the very first time
A Christmas red-clay north-Georgia pine,
And even my grandmother came in to help
When we strung it with four-ten and twelve-gauge shells
I'd never seen such a smile on her face
As she laughed as we set out the table places
About what a sight it was to see,
Shotgun shells on a Christmas tree.

Chorus

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: open mike
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 05:12 PM

they did it in Bb which i have often heard referred to as the people's key.

should this be a "lyric add"?
Garrison Kiellor said it was by Linda Williams

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: open mike
Date: 12 Dec 05 - 05:32 PM

this reminds me of a time when i went to elderly relatives'
house for christmas and rustled up a tumble weed to decorate
with paper ring chains to make the place festive. this was
in a very small town in western nebraska and i was a child.

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 09:38 AM

And "four-ten" is correct for the smallest bore shotgun gauge.

Thanks for the words.

Cheeily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 10:06 AM

I remember experiencing a moment of intellectual curiosity upon hearing the name of the song when I was listening to the program. Sign/signifier kind of stuff. The song certainly did a good job of taking a utilitarian object that serves as a powerful symbol of survival (hunting) and/or violence and turning it to a thing of beauty. We can all use some of that!

SRS

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: open mike
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 11:30 AM

peace time conversion

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 12:05 PM

The military used to be very good at using things like strings of grenade pin rings and brass cartridge cases as Christmas tree ornaments. I've seen some very nice ones.

Subject: RE: Shotgun shells on the christmas tree
From: GUEST,Joe_F
Date: 13 Dec 05 - 10:31 PM

When I was little, it was during the war, and you couldn't buy ornaments except on the black market. But we had a family friend who was an engineer in an aircraft factory, and he brought us helical aluminum chips (lathe turnings, I suppose). By-products before rather than after the fact, I guess you could say.

--- Joe Fineman    [e-mail]

||: Every number is very small: almost all other numbers are very much larger. :||

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Dec 05 - 06:29 PM

You can buy them ready-made:

Fish and shotgun-shell lights

More shotgun-shell lights

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: CapriUni
Date: 21 Dec 05 - 10:55 AM

Okay... I finally found this thread. Thanks for pointing me to it, OM!

Jim Dixon: Yes, but doesn't bying them ready-made rather defeat the whole point? ;-) I certainly don't think Linda's grandmother would approve...

This is what gets me about all the sour-pusses that complain that "Christmas has become too pressured and commercial!"

The desire to bring some brightness into the house isn't commericial. The desire to give isn't commercial. The desire to make someone smile isn't commercial. It's only too pressured if you allow yourself to give into the hype that says there's only one way to do these things.

It's a wonderful feeling to go into the Mall, see the Christmas decorations, smile and wave at the Santa, and realize that you don't want any of the stuff.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: Kent Davis
Date: 05 Aug 07 - 10:35 PM

One year I put a single used shell on a leafless tree. You know, like in the song, a cartridge in a bare tree.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: GUEST,Amy
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 02:03 PM

It's not four ? Ten? Twelve? Four-ten and twelve are two different gauges of shotguns.
I love this song it is my favorite Christmas song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: open mike
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 04:38 PM

I have got to find this for my december radio show!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Nov 12 - 05:17 PM

Speaking of odd Christmas decorations--

I knew a guy who bought a building that had formerly been used as a police station. The police didn't completely clean it out when they vacated. One of the things left behind was an artificial Christmas tree decorated with mug shots and various things the cops had confiscated from people, such as illegal fireworks and hypodermic syringes!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Nov 18 - 09:01 PM

410 bore, .410 inch. Others 12 gauge is 12 balls make a pound. They found two sizes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: GUEST,paperback
Date: 01 Dec 18 - 09:50 PM

"The Four-ten is also known as the 36 gauge ( and 12 mm ).
A simple calculation of the number of lead balls of a certain diameter that can be made from one pound of lead (the usual calculation of shotgun bore sizes) shows us that about 68 balls of 0.410" diameter can be made from 1 pound of lead, hence a four-ten should be a 68 bore/gauge" http://www.fourten.org.uk/36gauge.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Dec 23 - 11:34 AM

Chord and lyric request that should have started here. So bringing the thread to the top for easy location.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: GUEST,open mike
Date: 09 Dec 23 - 06:11 PM

thanks...my search was not working... i have been thru 2 major fires since i posted this and my copies, recordings and computer files were all up in smoke...thankfully it still exists on the good ole 'cat!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: GUEST,open mike
Date: 09 Dec 23 - 07:18 PM

Shot Gun Shells on a Christmas Tree

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'shot gun shells' by Robin/Linda Williams
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Dec 23 - 11:19 AM

This result comes up most easily using a Google Advanced search. Be sure to point to the whole domain address http://mudcat.org (If you use just mudcat.org the search adds a "www" in there and won't land on the site.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shotgun Shells on a Christmas Tree
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Dec 23 - 03:36 PM

refresh