Lyr Add: There Once Was an Owl (Ciardi/Beers)

Subject: Lyr Add: There Once Was an Owl (Ciardi/Beers)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Aug 13 - 01:47 AM

My friends Alan and Marge brought this song to our song circle yesterday. They said they learned it years ago from a recording by Betty Smith.

THERE ONCE WAS AN OWL
(poem by John Ciardi, music by Bob Beers)

There once was an owl, perched on a shed,
Fifty years later the owl was dead.
Fifty times flfty and the years ao by.
Corn keeps best when it's cool and dry.
Fifty times fifty and one by one,
Night begins when the day is done.

Some say mice are in the corn.
Some say kittens are being born.
Some say a kitten becomes a cat.
Mice are likely to know about that.
Some cats are scratchy and some are not.
Corn grows best when it's damp and hot.

Owl on the shed, cat in the clover,
Mice in the com, and it all starts over.
Fifty times fifty and one by one,
Night begins when the day is done.


Music by Robert Beers © 1977 by Evelyne Beers Burnstine
Words by John Ciardi from The Reason for the Pelican, ©1959 by John Ciardi

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There Once Was an Owl (Ciardi/Beers)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Aug 13 - 01:53 AM

I found the song on this YouTube recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m166cbg6qUA

Here are the singer's notes:

I learned this song from wonderful folk musician, Betty Smith, in her 1977 June Appal recording of For My Friends of Song. I saw her performing in Baltimore in 1980 and am so glad I bought that album.

The album is available as a cassette:

http://www.bettysmithballads.com/bettysmithballads/friendsong.html

The Website also has interesting information about Betty Smith.

-Joe-

Might someone like to volunteer to make a MIDI of the melody? Send it to me at [e-mail]







Here's the original poem by John Ciardi:

John Ciardi

There Once Was an Owl

There once was an Owl perched on a shed.
Fifty years later the Owl was dead.

Some say mice are in the corn.
Some say kittens are being born.

Some say a kitten becomes a cat.
Mice are likely to know about that.

Some cats are scratchy, some are not.
Corn grows best when it's damp and hot.

Fifty times fifty years go by.

Corn keeps best when it's cool and dry.

Fifty times fifty and one by one
Night begins when day is done.

Owl on the shed, cat in the clover,
Mice in the corn it all starts over.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: There Once Was an Owl (Ciardi/Beers)
From: maeve
Date: 12 Jan 14 - 05:49 AM

Here's a little project for someone:

"Might someone like to volunteer to make a MIDI of the melody? Send it to me at [e-mail] "