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18 May 97 - 06:57 PM (#5348) Subject: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: Joe Offer Somebody at our song circle came up with a fragment of what he thinks is a camp song, and he wonders if anyone can find the rest of the lyrics. What he remembers is something like:
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead Whitcheee tie, tie. tie...... Thanks. -Joe Offer- |
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19 May 97 - 10:23 AM (#5371) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: Mountain Dog The tune is "Wich-i-tai-tai" (spelling's probably a bit off) by Brewer and Shipley (of "One Toke Over the Line" fame). The album came out right after the "Tarkio Road" album, has a brown cover and I'm *^#$! if I can remember the name of it right now. (I'll post again when it swims back into my ken...) The song alternates verses in a Native American language - I would a guess a Plains tribal language - with English: "Water spirits, springin, springin, round my head... etc." Great harmonies and certainly a fine tune to sing around any campfire! Thanks for bringing it back to mind. |
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26 May 97 - 07:48 PM (#5771) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: Darcy The album was Weeds. I also heard the Native American part by itself (not a cut from the Brewer and Shipley album) on the local Native American radio program, but don't know who did that one. |
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25 Oct 97 - 03:44 AM (#15181) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: Joe Offer Somebody asked about this song again at our song circle this evening. Can anybody come up with better lyrics? -Joe Offer- |
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29 Oct 97 - 10:30 AM (#15481) Subject: Lyr Add: WATER SPIRITS (from Brewer & Shipley) From: Mountain Dog Dear Joe, The lyrics are pretty simple. Here's my best shot at 'em, with phonetic approximation of the Native American part. Hope this helps!
WATER SPIRITS
Part 2: Repeat Parts 1 & 2 in order, after which you can break it up into a round. |
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27 Jan 07 - 04:41 PM (#1949918) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: GUEST,Mult Wichi tai tai, timurai, Hura-nika, Hura-nika Hey-ney, Hey-ney, Noh-wah Wichi tai tai, timurai, Hura-nika, Hura-nika Hey-ney, Hey-ney, Noh-wah |
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28 Jan 07 - 03:25 PM (#1950624) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: CapriUni I also learned it at a summer camp in the late 1970's, but with different words, and no information from our counselors other than it was "an ancient Indian Rain song." (Is there really much difference between plaigerism and "the folk process"?). The version I learned was: He-mo, tai, tai, He-mo lai, ("tai" rhymes with "lie") Oh-wah nika, oh-wah nika Hey-ney, Hey-ney oh-wan-nah Water spirit, spirit, spirit Spinning 'round my head Makes me feel glad That I'm not dead! (repeat "He-mo, tai... etc." several times, singing slightly faster with each repetition). Note #1: Before long, after a few rounds of this song, we came to expect the rumble of thunder... Note #2: This was a camp for disabled children, and there were several deaf and hard of hearing kids. So maybe the lyrics were changed for the clarity of lip-reading. But that's just a spur of the moment guess, on my part. |
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28 Jan 07 - 04:47 PM (#1950671) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: M.Ted "Witchi Tai Tai" was written and performed by Jim Pepper, who, playing with his group, "Everything is Everything", had a hit single of the song, back in 1969--he was a jazz saxophonist and one of the pioneers of jazz/rock fusion, and was a Native American, of Creek and Kaw background. He learned a lot of Peyote chants and other tradtional songs from his father and grandfather, and created music based on that material. Witchi Tai Tai came from a chant he learned from his grandfather-- |
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22 Sep 07 - 09:11 AM (#2154868) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: GUEST jim pepper is the artist |
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28 Sep 07 - 04:40 PM (#2159539) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: GUEST,visitor I learned this in 1976 during Outward Bound trip and still sing it hiking. |
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29 Sep 07 - 12:51 AM (#2159741) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: Barry Finn More on Jim Pepper the great international Jazz/roots musican Died 1992 Barry |
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18 Apr 08 - 12:11 PM (#2319368) Subject: RE: Water Spirit Swingin' Round My Head???? From: GUEST,cherokeeheart There is also a recording by Peter "Wyoming" Bender, alternately titled Wichi Tai To or Wichi Tai Tai. The best version of the lyrics I've come up by listening to it (plus a version I found on line) goes like this: Wichi tai-tai, Nee-mo-wah Wo-rah-neeka, wo-rah-neeka Hey-nay, hey-nay, no-way Wichi tai-to, Nee-mo-wah Wo-rah-neeka, wo-rah-neeka Hey-nay, hey-nay, no-way Water spirits feelin', springin' round my head Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead |
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27 Nov 08 - 02:47 AM (#2502648) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Jerusha I learned this version at a summer camp up in Oregon: What a spirit, spring is ringin' round my head Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead (repeat 2x) (wrote this phonetically) Witchie tai tai kee-moh-rye Oh wa nicka oh wa nicka Hey nay hey nay no-ah (repeat 2x) Three other verses: What a spirit, summer's hummin' round my head Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead (2x) What a spirit, fall is callin' round my head etc What a spirit, winter's whisperin' round my head etc |
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21 Dec 08 - 05:58 PM (#2521732) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,M.A. Ebert I have been trying to find this song since hearing it just one time back in 1969 when I was 13. A friend and I heard it one night on a distant radio station with our transistor radio, and the lyrics and tune have stuck in my head all these years. I began to believe I just imagined it all until I googled and found this. I never foget it, and now I have it. |
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21 Dec 08 - 08:29 PM (#2521838) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: Suegorgeous Learnt this at UK summer dance/music camps years ago too - but just the Native American words, never heard the English ones. |
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21 Dec 08 - 11:14 PM (#2521920) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST Performed during Paul Winter's winter solstice concert at St. Johns in New YOrk City, Dec 18 2008, by John Carlos Perea, a native american of Apachee ancestory. Broadcast by NPR, there is supposed to be a freedown load on shop.npr.org |
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04 Feb 09 - 06:41 AM (#2556896) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pe From: GUEST,Ross This got a lot of airplay on KPPC in the 70's and it made a big impression on me. The cadence showed up in other songs, like Rod Stewart's Maggie and Rainbow Song by Shawn Colvin. Sweet and powerful. |
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04 Feb 09 - 06:54 AM (#2556905) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Bob Coltman I remember a "witchy-tai-tai" chant among maybe a dozen chants sung at a Medicine Wheel ceremony led by Sun Bear in the 1970s. That doesn't necessarily make it any more authentic Native American (Sun Bear drew on sources both in and outside his own tradition), but the catchy phrase does seem to have gotten around. Does anyone know if it means anything in any Native American language, or whether it's just nonsense syllables on the order of "fol dol derido?" Bob |
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04 Feb 09 - 03:10 PM (#2557267) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: Suegorgeous Bob I think there are several different chants which contain the phrase "witchy-tai-tai". I know of at least two. |
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09 Aug 09 - 03:53 PM (#2696496) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Jean I heard this on a Daytona Top 40 station around '66-'67. The only part of the artists name was "... Family" It sounded like "What a spirit feeling swinging 'round my head" "Makes me feel glad I'm not dead" "Witchy Tai Tai Ten go rah (Te mo ra?)" "wo ron neeka wo ron neeka" "Hey Hey ye nay no ah" After a long search I found Brewer and Shipley "WEEDS" which was NOT the version I'd heard and am still looking for. |
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08 Nov 09 - 02:13 PM (#2762237) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pe From: GUEST The lyrics to this song, as best as I can determine, are as follows: Wichi Tai to Gimm-eh rah Ho rah neeko ho rah neeko Hey neh hey ney no ah (repeated twice, followed by:) Water spirit's feeling running round my head Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead (repeat above chorus twice) |
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05 Apr 10 - 11:23 PM (#2880408) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,jrhammersmith The song is from the Jim Pepper album,"Peppers Pow-Wow'. |
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18 Oct 11 - 04:07 PM (#3240936) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST The song title is "Whitchi-tai-to". The original version is from the group EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING (album name is the same), and the song was written by the group's sax player, Jim Pepper. He was part Creek and part Kaw, and the chanted lyrics come from a Peyote Chant of the Native American Church; the chant is about water. Jim Pepper later recorded a somewhat different version of the song on his own album "JIM PEPPER'S POW-WOW". The song was covered by Brewer and Shipley, who used slightly different lyrics in the English part. English lyrics (Jim Pepper's original version): Water spirit feelings springin' round my head Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead The Indian lyrics, I can't be sure of. I don't speak the language, so I'd be trasncribing it phonetically. Most of what's been posted here is pretty close to what I hear: Witchi tai tai himi ra hora niko hora niko he ne he ne no wa |
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30 Dec 11 - 11:44 AM (#3281985) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST Jim Pepper Lyrics Song Title:Witchi Tai To Artist / Band:Jim Pepper Album:Unknown Send "Witchi Tai To" as a Ringtone to Your Cell Witchi Tai To Lyrics Witchi-Tie-To, Gimee Rah whoa Rah Neeko, Whoa Rah Neeko hey Ney, Hey Ney, No Way witchi-Tie-To, Gimee Rah whoa Rah Neeko, Whoa Rah Neeko hey Ney, Hey Ney, No Way http://www.6lyrics.com/witchi_tai_to-lyrics-jim_pepper.aspx water Spirit Feelin' springin' Round My Head makes Me Feel Glad that I'm Not Dead witchi-Tie-Tie, Gimee Rah whoa Rah Neeko, Whoa Rah Neeko hey Ney, Hey Ney, No Way witchi-Tie-Tie, Gimee Rah whoa Rah Neeko, Whoa Rah Neeko hey Ney, Hey Ney, No Way |
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15 Feb 12 - 10:40 PM (#3309255) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Three Owls My Choctaw brother gave me these lyrics: Witchi-tai-to, shur-reh-rohn shur-a-nick-a, shur-a-nick-a Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-yah, [repeat,] Water Spirit moving spinning 'round my head makes me feel glad that I'm not dead, [and repeat] |
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17 Jun 12 - 11:06 AM (#3364543) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Becka Can anyone translate the indian words to english? |
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29 Apr 13 - 08:56 AM (#3510215) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST Is there any online version of the song to listen too? I heard it on my local radio station and would love to hear it again, or share it on my fb page. Thanks ... |
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14 Jun 13 - 11:44 AM (#3526388) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST I found the song using my iPhone app "Spotify" which may be available for any computer/device... There is soooo much music available with that apps and others like it. Incredibly useful, and finding lost treasures...like this one. I'm combining it with Kum Ba Yah for a church concert...it works, believe it or not, with Kum ba Yah sung normally and double time, at the same time, coming in when Mr. Pepper's chanting begins. |
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14 Jun 13 - 11:16 PM (#3526589) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,BigDaddy This from Tom Grant http://tomgrant.com/witchi-tai-to-part-i (Witchi Tai-to (Part I) Filed under: Uncategorized — Tom @ 10:38 pm on November 22, 2010 This is the most popular song I never wrote. It was written by the late Jim Pepper. Jim was a Native American who was born in Oklahoma but grew up in Portland, attending Madison and Parkrose high schools. He played the saxophone. While in high school, he and my brother Mike ( a piano player) met and started a friendship based on their mutual interest in jazz music. They went their separate ways after high school. My brother eventually burned out on music and was one of the founding members of the Hare Krishna movement. Pepper ended up in New York in a jazz fusion band called "Everything is Everything." It was that band that had the original hit recording of Witchi Tai-to in around 1967. It made it to #69 in Billboard. I recorded it in New York with Pepper in about 1970 for a record called "Pepper's Pow-Wow." It featured Jim's dad Gilbert, Larry Coryell on guitar, Billy Cobham (was at the sessions, but I'm not sure if it was him on the WTT track or the other drummer at these sessions named Spider Rice). You can go onto YouTube and hear the original chant version on the "Pepper's Pow Wow" album, along with version II of the song. I started playing with Jim in the early 70's at a place in NE Portland called Ray's Helm. The song Witchi Tai-to was a huge hit with the Pepper fans. So we would sometimes end up playing it several times a night. People would be writhing, all tranced-out on the dance floor. Sometimes highly altered Helm patrons would come up out of the audience to get on stage and sing it with us. People would fall into the front row tables, get back up and on stage to continue the chant. Witchi Tai-to became a kind of cult classic. Kids sang it around campfires. It was recorded by other prominent artists: Brewer and Shipley, Jazz saxophonist Jan Garbarek, the group Oregon, many others including me. And Pepper recorded it several times more himself over the years. Many of my fans think I wrote the song. Wrong. I loved the song and I think always played it in a way that reflected that. I never get tired of it. It has a truly transcendent quality. It was based on a ritual peyote chant that Pepper learned from his family. Although Jim (nor his parents who taught him the chant) never knew what the words meant, the song weaves a kind of spell based on it's pure simplicity. But there's one wrinkle in that simplicity: the whole song is based on a 6 bar chord progression. This is unusual since most pop…(and jazz tunes for that matter), use 8 bar progressions. So when the first verse of the native lyrics finish, the singer is in the midst of the chord progression. So get out your guitars, pianos, mouth organs etc. and here's how it works. This is my best attempt at a phonetic treatment of the native (Comanche) lyrics. Dmaj Dmaj/C Bmin Gmaj Witchi tai tai gimerah wo-rah-nee-ko wo-rah-nee-ko hey ney hey ney no ah Emin A7 Dmaj Dmaj/C Witchi tai tai gimerah wo-rah-nee-ko wo-rah-nee-ko hey ney hey ney no ah Bm Gmaj Water spirit feelin' springin' round my head Em A7 Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead… Witchi Dmaj Dmaj/C Bmin Gmaj Tai tai gimerah wo-rah-nee-ko wo-rah-nee-ko hey ney hey ney no ah Witchi Emin A7 Dmaj Dmaj/C tai tai gimerah wo-rah-nee-ko wo-rah-nee-ko hey ney hey ney no ah *************************************************** Every chord change starts a new bar (measure). Notice that the English verse starts at the 3rd bar of the chord progression but ends at the end of the progression, thereby kind of righting the ship. For a moment anyway. So, this may be too "inside baseball" for many of you, but at least you get a look at the Comanche lyrics the way Jim intended them. If you listen to the Brewer and Shipley version of the song, they don't get the Native OR the English lyrics right. |
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27 Jun 13 - 01:47 PM (#3531023) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST In the 70s i used to watch Jim Pepper sitting in with Tom Grant all the time. at the Helm, and they regularly performed that song. It was a great jazz club, which sadly is a Subway shop now. I also had a recording of Tom Grant's song Workers of the World, with lyrics, which I gave him a copy of years later, since I heard he did not have (it was part of a 3 song demo he sent off to LA.) |
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29 Jun 13 - 02:19 AM (#3531568) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,dan i do still perform one of Jim's songs - it is just a really lite swingning that he would always start with do WOO be OPP do Da dah - but his solo on the live germany CD - he sounds just like an eagle soaring - he is so out there soaring above - then he makes whole chords on the sax - i cant play it like that - i can play the head tho!! The last time i saw Jim he lost $50 to Richard Burdell on a Nerfball basketbell shot when we were all too drunk after a gig. lol Burdell really had the shot down - two walls and a ceiling, no one else could verify it, no one else could verify it except Glen Holstrom - another awesome keyboard player that was there. |
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28 Jul 13 - 05:15 PM (#3542856) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Ally you can hear the song here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkVjd1fJMM Witcha-tai-to |
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28 Jul 13 - 05:25 PM (#3542862) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,BigDaddy It does my heart good to think of kids sitting around a campfire singing a peyote song. |
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29 Jul 13 - 01:10 PM (#3543201) Subject: RE: ADD: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: Joe Offer I agree, BigDaddy. But my heart trembles at the thought of some Prudish Parent stopping kids from singing a damn good song. -Joe, who has been impeded by Prudish Parents many times- Impeded, But Never Defeated |
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30 Jul 13 - 08:04 AM (#3543509) Subject: RE: ADD: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Whistle Stop The acoustic jazz-fusion (for want of a better term) group Oregon used to do a wonderful instrumental version of this song. It's on their album Out Of The Woods, and a couple of their other releases as well. |
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01 Jul 14 - 06:53 PM (#3638186) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Water Spirits / Witchi Tai To (Jim Pepper From: GUEST,Pete the Kiwi I listen to & sing along to this constanly at work, in the car. Timeless & spiritual. I found it after wanting to know what the song was on the soundtrack of Sleepers as it had so much power & meaning with the scene with Ron Eldard (John Reilly in the 1996 film Sleepers)when he saw the man who had tormented & abused him as a child. After having a few beverages I found the original (I welled up with emotion at this song, it over time it purged me somehow) & now it's like an old friend. Every other version I've heard seems like a pale imitation of this... Everything Is Everything Witchi Tai To lyrics (CHORUS) Witchi tai tai, hemorah Hora nika, hora nika Hey nay, hey nay, noah Witchi tai tai, hemorah Hora nika, hora nika Hey nay, hey nay, noah Water spirit feeling Springing round my head Makes me feel glad That I'm not dead (CHORUS) 2X Water spirit feeling Springing round my head Makes me feel glad That I'm not dead (CHORUS) 2X Water spirit feeling Springing round my head Makes me feel glad That I'm not dead (CHORUS) Youtube (Original version Vanguard Apostolic. Produced by Danny Weiss for 10th Street productions)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg9LT4qR_Dw&list=RDSg9LT4qR_Dw#t=0 Witchi Tai To playing in scene R.I.P Jim Pepper. |