Lyrics/Chords: Sometime Lovin' (Gary Shearston)

Subject: Sometime Lovin'
From: Allan C.
Date: 01 Apr 01 - 09:44 AM

"Sometime Lovin'" appeared on Peter, Paul & Mary's Album. It captured my imagination immediately. The love described in those lines is most certainly the kind I would want to have bestowed upon me. Long ago I printed out the lyrics from the PP&M website with the hope of learning the song. But there was one line of the song that really troubled me. Because of that I set the lyrics aside until a few days ago. Again I tried to make sense of them and again I found problem with the wording. I decided to do something about it. The results may be of interest to you.

Here are copies of some recent correspondence I had with the webmaster of the Peter Paul & Mary website:

____________________________

I have to wonder if there might be some kind of error in the lyrics for "Sometime Lovin'". While the line that includes "on Witches Lane" may possibly be correct in the way it is displayed, it has always looked strange to me. I would believe it if someone were to tell me that it ought to have been written: "Through the pines on which it's lain". To me, that is more in keeping with the sense of the lyric. Am I completely wrong?

____________________________

Hi Allan,
Actually, there's a very good chance that there's an error in the lyrics since as I recall, most of the lyrics were done 'by ear' so to speak. I've sent your question off to the guy who wrote the song- we'll see if we can get an *official* answer for you. Thanks for asking the question, it certainly would make more sense you're way.

-Sally Farr
webmom
www.peterpaulandmary.com

__________________________________

Hi Allan,
You were right, the lyrics were wrong. I got the following answer:

>Sally,
>Apologies for the delay. The Rev Gary Shearston still lives in the
>pre-electronic age and doesn't have e-mail so your request took a
>while to get back and forth.
>
>I've filled in the missing words-
>
>When you've wandered through the snowfall,
>Through the pines on which she's lain,
>When you've seen the way she holds them,
>Come and hold me once again.
>
>
>BTW - Gary says that some lyrics in the PPM version aren't his -
>apparently they picked up the song off a 45 and couldn't quite figure out
>some of the words in Gary's very Australian voice - so made do with what
>they thought would fit nicely. Gary doesn't complain, mind, but tells the
>story with a smile. Which bits have been PPM'd I haven't yet figured out.
>Something for a trivial spot on our website sometime.

I've run into some of the other songs with "misheard lyrics" but this one was new to me. Thanks for taking the time to ask the question.

-Sally Farr

The corrected lyrics are here: Sometime Lovin'

Here is a link to the Gary Shearston website: click here.

---

SOMETIME LOVIN'
Gary Shearston-Blackwood Music, Inc. BMI

I don't want your sometime lovin',
That falls like summer's rain.
For I've slept through two long winters,
And love's been where my head has lain.

When you've wandered through the snowfall,
Through the pines on which she's lain,
When you've seen the way she holds them,
Come and hold me once again.

And when you've heard a river laughing,
As she bends the rocks and sand.
Seen a wave crossing an ocean,
Come and take me by the hand.

When you've seen a hungry grassland,
Reach out to kiss the rain.
When you've seen how strong her kiss is,
Come and kiss me once again.

And when the earth has turned her season,
And her love has brought the grain.
If you find that love inside you,
Come and live with me again.

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: Peg
Date: 01 Apr 01 - 09:48 AM

wow; just think of the implications here! an interesting opportunity for sleuthing awaits...

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Apr 01 - 05:14 AM

Very interesting, Allan. I just listened to the recording, and I'd swear Peter Yarrow sings "on Witches' Lane" - so the Mondegreen is on the PP&M recording.
I believe peterpaulandmary.com started out as a fan site, and then became an "official" site. It was once located in Seattle, or someplace like that. Then it moved to downeast.net in Maine, which is/was partly owned by Noel "Paul" Stookey. Now it's got its own URL, and I don't know where it's located.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: Allan C.
Date: 30 May 01 - 02:01 PM

You were right, Peg. There may be other errors.

I found one other flaw in the lyrics for this song. I haven't contacted anyone about it. I will, soon. The verse as currently displayed is:

And when you've heard a river laughing, As she bends the rocks and sand, Seen a wave crossing an ocean, Come and take me by the hand.

I believe the second line should probably read:

As she bends through rocks and sand...

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: RichM
Date: 30 May 01 - 02:15 PM

Ah...fresh mondegreens...yum!

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: GUEST,Diane
Date: 11 Jul 08 - 10:15 PM

Can someone give me the guitar chords to "Sometime Lovin'?" Thank you very very much.

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: Melissa
Date: 12 Jul 08 - 02:05 AM

GuestDiane:
here's a place to find it:
http://spikesmusic-folk.spike-jamie.com/ppm/SOMETIME-LOVING.pdf

or find it from:
http://spikesmusic-folk.spike-jamie.com/Peter-Paul-Mary.html

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: ednaelk
Date: 12 Jul 08 - 11:29 AM

I've got the chords and lyrics:


       G
I don't want your sometime loving
      AM
That falls like summer's rain,
         D7
For I've slept through two long winters,
          C             BM       EM
And love's been where my head has lain.


When you've wandered through the sonwfall,
Through the pines on which she's lain,
When you've seen the way she holds them,
Come and hold me once again.


And when you've heard a river laughing,
As she bends the rocks and sand,
Seen a wave crossing an ocean,
Coem and take me by the hand.


When you've seen a hungry grassland,
Reach out to kiss the rain,
When you've seen how strong her kiss is,
Come and kiss me once again.


And when the earth has turned her season,
And her love has brought the grain,
If you find that love inside you,
Come and live with me again.


Yahoo Answers (answers.yahoo.com) is sometimes a good resource for chords and lyrics. Put in "chords, song name" and see what comes up. Thank you all! Diane

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: GUEST,Alison
Date: 07 Nov 15 - 11:34 PM

re   Sometime Loving - amazing story!

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: GUEST,Eden Wilds
Date: 25 Aug 21 - 07:59 PM

Another error, and I don't even care Gary himself wrote it otherwise, is the word bends when 'mends' is more suitable in every which way.

And when you've heard a river laughing,
As she *mends* the rocks and sand,
Seen a wave crossing an ocean,
Come and take me by the hand.

Makes the already perfect song even more powerful.

Subject: RE: Sometime Lovin'
From: GerryM
Date: 26 Aug 21 - 02:35 AM

I've just listened to three Australian recordings (on the web), by Gary Shearston, by Penny Davies and Roger Ilott, and by Phyl Lobl, and none of them have the verse with the "laughing river". But they all have this, between the first verse and the "snowfall" verse:

When you've traveled with the North wind
Blowin' on your windowpane;
When you've found the warmth she brings you,
Come and find me once again.

As Phyl Lobl remarks, the warmth of the North wind sets the song squarely in the Southern Hemisphere.

---

Gary Shearston recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnLohR7ugjE

Subject: RE: Lyrics/Chords: Sometime Lovin' (Gary Shearston)
From: GerryM
Date: 26 Aug 21 - 09:11 AM

On more diligent inspection, I find that Gary Shearston recorded the song on LP (at least) twice. The first recording is the one I wrote about in the previous post, five verses, no "laughing river". The second, a year later, was much longer, due mostly to lengthy instrumental intro and outro (with harpsichord!), but in part due to the inclusion of the "laughing river" verse.

Subject: RE: Lyrics/Chords: Sometime Lovin' (Gary Shearston)
From: Allan C.
Date: 01 Nov 21 - 09:44 AM

Whatever the case against the "laughing river" verse may be, I have always heard the line as, "As she bends *through* rocks and sand". That makes more sense to me. That said, I like the "North wind" verse and agree that it places the song geographically.