Lyr Req: Sing in the Spring (Utah Phillips)

Subject: Lyr Req: utah phillips, 'Sing in the Spring'
From: bluerabbit10
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 11:54 AM

I think this is from his book of song, "Starlight On the Rails"...but I cannot find the lyrics anywhere on the web.
Thanks, Verne

Subject: Lyr Add: SING IN THE SPRING (Utah Phillips)
From: autoharper
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 12:40 PM

Sing In The Spring

CHORUS:
Sing in the spring, sing in the fall,
Sing when you hear my baby bawl,
Sing all day and all night too,
If you hush your crying I'll sing for you.

I had a horse and his name was Tex,
Had a horse and his name was Tex,
He signed his name with an "X",
And he made his living forging checks.

I had a mule and his name was Jack,
Had a mule and his name was Jack,
When I climbed upon his back,
He nearly had a heart-attack.

I had a parrot all yellow and green,
I Had a parrot all yellow and green,
The stupidest bird I ever have seen,
But he could swear like a big Marine.

I had a bear and he sang the blues,
Had a bear and he sang the blues,
He hocked his pants and he hocked his shoes,
And he hocked everything but his press reviews.

I had a canary all yellow and blue,
Had a canary all yellow and blue,
I tell you what that bird could do,
He could sing and whistle and yodel, too.

Then I got me a brontosaurus,
Then I got me a brontosaurus,
A brontosaurus by the name of Horace,
And he sang high tenor in the locker room chorus.

Then I got me a tall giraffe,
Then I got me a tall giraffe,
He liked to sing and he liked to laugh,
And he lived on beer and bubble bath.


By Bruce "Utah" Phillips (except for the Brontosaurus verse)

Faith Petric told me that when Bruce and Rosalie Sorrells both lived in Salt Lake City, they were very close friends. One day when Bruce came to visit, one of Rosalie's children was feeling quite ill and was confined to a tent with a vaporizer. Bruce wrote this song to cheer the child up.

-Adam Miller

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: utah phillips, 'Sing in the Spring'
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 05:16 PM

I had a horse and his name was Tex(2X)
Signed his name with an X.
Made his living forging checks,

Sing in the spring..............

Bruce recorded this on his Prestige album NOONE KNOWS ME, recorded in 1961, produced by Kenny Goldtein.


Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: utah phillips, 'Sing in the Spring'
From: Art Thieme
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 01:53 AM

That's the album with the song named "Yuri Gagarin"---which Bruce, in later years called affectionately "Gargle Your Urine"

Fred Holstein and I taped a few days of Utah's sets at Chicago's folk club The Earl Of Old Town in 1972 I think. Saul Broudy was backing him on harmonica for those gigs back then. That was when I learned Carl Oglesby's fine song called "The Cherokee Queen" from Bruce. --- I put it on my 1998 CD called The Older I Get, The Better I Was.

Good memories from times long gone. I still listen to those sets. I do think "Sing In The Spring" is in one of those shows.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: utah phillips, 'Sing in the Spring'
From: bluerabbit10
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 10:43 AM

Thank all of you. Mr Phillips musta been quite a guy. I love his songs and style. Will check out those albums mentioned with your background remarks for sure.
Verne

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sing in the Spring (Utah Phillips)
From: GUEST,Steve Samuels
Date: 30 Jul 18 - 02:00 PM

I heard Faith Petric sing the "brontosaurus" verse at the Clearwater Festival in 2003 or 4, like this:

Then I got me a brontosaurus,
A brontosaurus by the name of Horace,
When we golfed he caddied for us
And he sang high tenor in the locker room chorus.

Subject: Lyr Add: SING IN THE SPRING (Utah Phillips)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Aug 18 - 03:55 PM

This is my transcription from an actual recording on Spotify. It has some significant differences from the version posted by Autoharper above.

SING IN THE SPRING
As sung by Utah Phillips on "Starlight on the Rails: A Songbook" (2005)

1. I had a mule and his name was Jack.
I had a mule; his name was Jack,
And when I climbed upon his back,
He damn-near died of a heart attack.

CHORUS: Sing in the spring; sing in the fall.
Sing when you hear my baby bawl.
Sing all day, all night too.
If you hush your cryin', I'll sing for you.

2. I had a canary all yeller an' green.
I had a canary all yeller an' green.
Stupidest bird you've ever seen,
It could swear like a big marine.

3. I had a horse and his name was Tex,
I had a horse; his name was Tex,
Signed his name with an X
And made his livin' forgin' checks.

4. Had a little lamb I used to keep,
Little bitty lamb I used to keep.
When I'd tell 'im to go to sleep,
Counted people instead o' sheep.

5. Oh, then I got a tall giraffe.
Then I got a tall giraffe.
Liked to sing an' he liked to laugh,
An' lived on beer an' bubble bath.

6. I had ev'rything short an' tall,
Done had ev'rything short an' tall,
Round an' fat, big or small.
Guess my baby's the best of all.