Lyr Add: Mary and the Baby Hungry? / Borning Day

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mary and the baby hungry [Jamacian]
From: raredance
Date: 13 Dec 02 - 10:01 PM

Also on the Brothers Four Christmas album

rich r

Subject: Lyr Add: BORNING DAY (Hellerman/Minkoff)
From: Stewie
Date: 13 Dec 02 - 09:00 PM

It is a fine song, but it is not Jamaican. It was written by Fred Hellerman and Fran Minkoff and its title is 'Borning Day'. I posted it to the forum long ago, but the search engine no longer finds it. Here it is again:

BORNING DAY

Mary and the baby hungry
Oh we know what hungry be
So we bring them peas and rice, a little ginger tea
Only pigeon peas and rice, a little ginger tea
Mary thank us with her eyes
She poor the same as we
She poor the same as we

Mary and the baby lonely
And lonely is not good to be
So we sit a while and chat a while, keep them company
Stay a while, make the baby smile, pass the time of day
When we see how pleased they be
It makes us glad we stay
So glad that we could stay

Mary and the baby weary
Oh we know what weary be
So we make a bed, a pillow for their head, with down from the mahoe tree
Only down from the mahoe tree to rest them soft and good
We be sad these are all we had
But we do the best we could
We do the best we could

Mary and the baby rest easy
We go away and let them be
On hushed tiptoe with voice held low – and we look up and see
Star of hope shine in the sky, to mark the baby's birth
Seem to say it's the borning day
Of better times on earth
Of better times on earth

Authors: Fred Hellerman and Fran Minkoff Copyright Appleseed Music Inc ASCAP.

Source: Ronnie Gilbert 'Alone With' Mercury LP MG 20917


--Stewie.

Subject: Lyr Add: MARY AND THE BABY HUNGRY (Jamaican?)
From:
Date: 13 Dec 02 - 08:01 PM

Mary and the baby hungry
hungry is not good to be
So we bring them peas and rice
and a little bit of English tea
only ---peas and rice
alittle english tea
Mary thank us with her eyes
She poor the same as we
she poor the same as we