Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)

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Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)

26 Dec 00 - 09:55 PM (#363783)
Subject: Heard the peach pit say to th apple core
From: Cool Beans

In the 1950s there was a delightful series of public service ads on TV that promoted tolerance and diversity through catchy songs, songs that could have been written by Tom Paxton except he was a little kid then. There was one about a trapeze artist named Joe who kept falling because he refused to be caught by a person who was of the wrong race or religion. The song went:

Don't be a schmo, Joe.
Be in the know, Joe.
Religion and race
Just don't count in this place,
So be in the know, Joe,
Wherever you go, Joe.
Remember that, Joe,
You won't fall on your face.

Tom Glazer sang it.

But the most indelible song had these verses:

Heard the choo-choo say
To the railroad track,
"Don't care if the passengers
Are white or black."
Ho-ho-ho, ain't it plain?
You can learn lots of things
From a railroad train.

and

Heard the peach pit say
To the apple core,
"The color of your skin
Doesn't matter any more."
Ho-ho-ho, can't you see
That the color of your skin
Doesn't matter to me?

Does anyone know additional verses? And who wrote these songs? I believe the (then) National Conference of Christians and Jews was behind it, a motley bunch of conspirators as ever there was.

26 Dec 00 - 10:25 PM (#363802)
Subject: ADD: The Brown-Skin Cow
From: Bud Savoie

Thought I was the only person in the world who remembered those.

The name of the song in question is

THE BROWN-SKIN COW

You can get good milk from a brown-skin cow;
The color of the skin doesn't matter anyhow.
Oh, ho, ho, Haw, Haw, Haw,
You can learn common sense from a grocery store.

Heard the peach pit say to the applecore,
The color of our skin doesn't matter anymore.
Oh,ho, ho, can't you see,
The color of your skin doesn't matter to me.

Heard a choo-choo train say to its track,
"Don't care if my passengers are white or black,"
Oh, ho, ho, use your brain,
You can learn common sense from a railroad train.

Then there was "Commodore Gray had a cat and a dog, with a big bowwow and a little meow." The commodore told his men that if his cat and dog could get along, so could they.

And "What Makes a Good American." The principles were "I don't care where you're from; I go by what you are; I stand up for my rights; but do I stand up for yours?" (I know; it doesn't rhyme). What makes a good American? What do you have to do? Am I a good American? and by the way, are you?

Then they had cartoons of a great jazz band: Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton. A real mixed bag, but together they make great music.

What am I forgetting?

Well, Bud, did you forget Line Breaks <br>? (grin)

-Joe Offer-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMLD8lHxwcg

27 Dec 00 - 07:42 AM (#363913)
Subject: RE: Heard the peach pit say to th apple core
From: Bud Savoie

Joe, after one year of trying to work this machine, there is still a great deal I don't know how to do. Thanks to you, I learned the coveted Blue Clicky skill, but I'm still way at the tail end of the pack.

Line breaks are probably ABC to you, but I'm advancing one baby step at a time, and I haven't gotten there yet.

27 Dec 00 - 10:33 AM (#363965)
Subject: RE: Heard the peach pit say to th apple core
From: Bill in Alabama

That's a fine song. If any of you folks find it, let me know.

Bill Foster

28 Jul 08 - 11:18 AM (#2399452)
Subject: RE: Heard the peach pit say to th apple core
From: GUEST,pk

The collection of songs you are speaking of were called "Little songs on Big subjects" You might still be able to find it since all the songs were recorded on a 33 by that name.
Paul

28 Jul 08 - 04:17 PM (#2399735)
Subject: RE: ADD: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Joe Offer

Could the album be:

It Could Be A Wonderful World

Little Songs On Big Subjects

here (click)

28 Aug 08 - 04:56 PM (#2424780)
Subject: RE: ADD: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

I have it!!! Got it from Peter Muldavin, the Kiddie Rekord King, who copies old children's records onto CDs. Turns out there were three different recordings of "Little Songs About Big Subjects." I got the one by Ronnie Gilbert and Leon Bibb, their orchestra and chorus. It has "The Brown-Skinned Cow," "Am I a Good American," "Commodore Gray," and a bunch of others. "Don't Be Schmo, Joe" isn't on it but "I Want to Live in a Friendly World" is, along with "Columbus said Si, Si, Signor" (sample lyirc: George Washington loved good roast beef/ Haym Solomon liked fish/ But when Uncle Sam served liberty/ They both enjoyed the dish."
www.kiddierekordking.com

28 Aug 08 - 06:22 PM (#2424884)
Subject: RE: ADD: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Susan of DT

I remember the Brown Cow from elementary school in the 1950s.

Along with something I have fragments of. I must be missing the beginning verse:

Like the cauliflower
There are children big and children small
Who you'd imagine they could think,
But they never use their heads at all.

Like the small potato
There are children big and children small
Who you'd imagine then could see
But never use their eyes at all.

Also:

Let the ball roll
Let the ball roll
...
(something like) you can always get a new ball
But you never can get a new head.

28 Aug 08 - 08:30 PM (#2425004)
Subject: RE: ADD: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

Susan,
I've just recorded "Let the Ball Roll" in a medley of those old safety songs. PM me your email address and I'll zap it to you.
Marty

28 Aug 08 - 08:44 PM (#2425016)
Subject: RE: ADD: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Joe_F

I remember "Little Songs on Big Subjects" as a 78, ca. 1947. Much more recently, I acquired an old LP with more songs on it -- but I've forgotten how I filed it, and I can't find it.

From the same era, the Superman radio program (15 min every weekday afternoon) was sponsored by some public-service organization that gave propaganda against racial & religious prejudice for its ads.

12 Oct 08 - 04:49 PM (#2463882)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST

There were also some in those same set of PSAs written by Irving Caesar, who wrote "Tea for Two" and lots of other pop songs. I've seen a song book called "Songs of Friendship" which includes "Thomas Jefferski", about how Thomas Jefferson could have had a different name depending on where he came from. There's another one about how God is called by different names in different cultures but it's the same God.

The one I remember but can't find lyrics for went something like

I may not know a lot of things
But one thing I can say
Both native born and foreign born
Have made our country great.

I don't know if this is Irving Caesar or not, I always thought "The Brown Cow" was, but apparently not.

12 Oct 08 - 05:18 PM (#2463901)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

Guest, that would be the chorus of "Columbus Said Si Si, Signor." I believe Hy Zaret ("Unchained Melody," "One Meat Ball") wrote the songs of brotherhood and patriotism in "Little Songs about Big Subjects." Irving Caesar and Gerald Marks ("All of Me") wrote "Let the Ball Roll" and other safety songs.

22 Mar 09 - 02:55 PM (#2594653)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,BrigidE

We sang these songs from the book of sheet music. My mother, who had Alzheimers, could still sing along with us (she could still speak french, too) It isn't available from Amazon now, but another edition sells for $99! I can't find the Ronnie Gilbert and Leon Bibb recordings on Kiddie Rekord King. It seems getting the music by The Jesters, which was probably the ones used as public service announcements which we heard in Rochester, N.Y., in the 50s, would cost over $28 ($7 per side for 2 records).

22 Mar 09 - 05:26 PM (#2594786)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

Brigid E,
If you call or email Peter Muldavin, the Kiddie Rekord King, he'll tell you about the Ronnie Gilbert/Leon Bibb recording. I don't think it's listed on the Kiddie Rekord King home page. It may cost the same as the Jesters' recording, which I agree was the version used on TV.

01 May 09 - 06:45 AM (#2622473)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST

I love the Internet! I remember sitting in front of the TV as a kid and hearing that "peach pit to apple core" lyric over and over with a cartoon of an apple core and peach pit walking hand in hand. Does anyone else remember the cartoon? I can still see it as clear as day.

25 Sep 09 - 05:11 PM (#2731393)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,queensgirl46

The only one I remember was Peach Pit Apple Core and I can see them walking hand in hand like it was yesterday. No one I've ever asked has said they remember this song.

22 Oct 09 - 11:23 AM (#2750262)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,Hotshot

I've had this song running through my head periodically for years, like probably since I learned it from the TV as a kid. I wasn't for sure I had the words right(which is what brought me to this page). I do remember the cartoon for the peach pit but only remember the words to the train one. Does anyone remember the singing coffee cans in the Folgers Coffee commercial?

28 Nov 09 - 11:53 AM (#2775569)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,Vivian

I remember those songs too. Also

I also remember "Traveling Broadens One"

28 Nov 09 - 04:18 PM (#2775739)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

Vivian, both those songs are on the Ronnie Gilbert/Leon Bibb recording cited previously in this thread.

13 Feb 10 - 08:37 AM (#2838030)
Subject:
From: GUEST,Guest, Jim

Isn't the internet great? Just type the first few words of a subject or question you have in mind into the search engine and lo and behold you discover that someone on the other side of the planet not only had the same thought, on the very same subject, but has researched it - and maybe even written a book about it. It is the same with these jingles from the 1950s that promoted racial tolerance and safety. They suddenly started dancing in my head the other day. But I couldn't think of the words to the "Choo-Choo" jingle - you know, "... you can learn common sense from a railroad train.. " That's all I could remember. So I typed it in the search engine, and this site came up. Thank you for being here. I didn't see the lyrics to the "Commodore Gray" jingle as I browsed through the site but that one I remember fairly well. It went something like this:

Some of those ads would have felt right at home on "Sesame Street". I would pick Kermit to play lead guitar, with maybe Big Bird doing the narration, and, of course, Bert and Ernie playing the leads.

18 Sep 10 - 01:28 AM (#2989087)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST

Thank you! Thank you! Thank You!
I to, have yet to find a person my age, (60's) or any age for that matter, that seems to recall these songs! I don't know how you could not remember them, they were all over TV in Kansas in the mid to late 50's. I guess that goes to show you that maybe they didn't do the task they were intended to do! To bad! They were sure cute, and I enjoyed the heck out of them!

Thanks again!

08 Dec 10 - 06:14 AM (#3048653)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,Bud

Well, Guest, I think they may have done the task they were intended to do, which was not to have us remember the songs, but to believe and practice what they preached. I believe that many of us today could sing the songs with conviction if we remembered the words.

I raised my children on traditional folk songs and the principles in those old tunes, and I'm proud of the result.

09 Dec 10 - 03:00 PM (#3049843)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

I've done a "Let the Ball Roll" medley --"Let the Ball Roll," "Ice Skating is Nice Skating," "Water That's Hot/Water That's Cold" and "Remember Your Name and Address"--available for download here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=Marty+Kohn&x=14&y=16

13 Dec 10 - 11:16 PM (#3052990)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,michael

they're all online at:
http://tbmod.bandcamp.com/album/little-songs-on-big-subjects

03 Jul 14 - 08:15 PM (#3638824)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,Guest

I have sung the brown cow song to myself for a good many years, I'm in my 60s. It always ran on TV during cartoons on Saturday here in Oregon. It had a profound impact on me. My parents weren't prejudice per say but they still had a touch of separate is the way things are left. They were much older than my friends parents. The power these jingles had over my thinking is pretty amazing. The scarey part is this kind of thing could be used for both good and evil. Thank you all for sharing. It's a blast from the past.

04 Dec 15 - 10:24 AM (#3755650)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,argosymusiccorp

The original recording of "Little Song on Big Subjects" was by the Bachelors in 1947. The Jesters also recorded an album. In 1967, Argosy published an LP called "It Could Be a Wonderful World" with new recordings of these songs plus several from "Little Songs About UN", featuring Ronnie Gilbert and Leon Bibb. I am proud and pleased to announce that a CD of the album is now available. For more information about the history of "Little Songs", please see
http://www.argosymusiccorp.com/LittleSongs/LittleSongs.html

04 Dec 15 - 03:17 PM (#3755733)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST,#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SabXAnVnAoc

Brown Skin Cow on YouTube.

11 Dec 17 - 10:32 AM (#3893353)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

Technology at last delivers the original, as heard on TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SabXAnVnAoc

23 Jul 20 - 09:52 PM (#4065628)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST

Does anyone know the 3rd line of "Am I a good American?"

01 Jul 22 - 11:22 PM (#4146132)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST

That's what I remember 1950s from TV in NY. A number of these jingles taught us about being a good neighbor.

03 Jul 22 - 04:46 PM (#4146175)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: Cool Beans

I can't make out the third line of "What Makes a Good American" either. Here's a link to the Leon Bibb/Ronnie Gilbert and Chorus version. Maybe you can make out the third line (of the first verse).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etu86dEKM_E&list=OLAK5uy_k_jjiNCUHu_9VSkAHjXxOrhU7ACd7E2Y8&index=9

08 Jul 22 - 07:44 PM (#4146778)
Subject: Lyr Add: What Makes A Good American
From: FreddyHeadey

What Makes A Good American

What makes a good American – what do you have to be?
Am I a good American?
Let’s take a look and see.

I like Democracy.
I’m for Equality.
I say, “be neighborly.”
Do I practice what I preach?

What makes a good American – what do you have to be?
Am I a good American?
Let’s look again and see.

I don’t care where you’re from.
I go by what you are.
I stand up for my rights.
But do I stand up for yours?

What makes a good American – what do you have to do?
Am I a good American?
And by the way,,, are you!?

What makes a good American – what do you have to be?
Am I a good American?
Let’s take a look and see.

I like Democracy.
I’m for Equality.
I say, “be neighborly.”
Do I practice what I preach?

What makes a good American – what do you have to do?
Am I a good American?
And by the way,,, are you!?

Text from
https://ihcindy.org/freedom-isnt-free/

The Sentinel, v.167 no. 12, 1949
http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/p16614coll14/id/49020/

as sung on this Spotify track
Leon Bibb, Ronnie Gilbert
https://open.spotify.com/track/3N0pExkjOLng5oVgMZwtZe?si=E4KBPj44S-qKbGD04EI_zQ&utm_source=copy-link

another YouTube link, (same track)
https://youtu.be/KCqKgW2uPs8

11 Oct 23 - 12:25 PM (#4183434)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST

George Washington like to good roast beef
Hyam Solomon liked fish
But when Uncle Sam served Liberty
They both enjoyed the dish.
Oh, I may not know of a lot of things
But one thing I can state:
Both native born, and foreign born
Have made our nation great.

11 Oct 23 - 12:25 PM (#4187121)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Brown-Skin Cow (peachpit/applecore)
From: GUEST

George Washington like to good roast beef
Hyam Solomon liked fish
But when Uncle Sam served Liberty
They both enjoyed the dish.
Oh, I may not know of a lot of things
But one thing I can state:
Both native born, and foreign born
Have made our nation great.