Lyr Add: Wild Geese (Ian Tyson)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wild Geese (Ian Tyson)
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 07 May 20 - 10:29 PM

There is a wonderful version of this great song by American folk singer,
Anne Hills. Absolutely love her cover!!
Have you ever heard her sing it?

---

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

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wild Geese (Ian Tyson)
From: GUEST
Date: 07 May 20 - 12:25 AM

Charley 22 July 2009, is that really Tom Lehrer? I've never come across it in his works. https://www.kellybennett.com/fishbowlblog/tag/Passengers+Will+Please+Refrain attributes it to William O Douglas and Thurman Arnold. It comes up in a previous thread, https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=143752 but with no attribution. It was recorded by Oscar Brand.

Subject: ADD: Wild Geese (Ian Tyson)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 May 20 - 10:42 PM

WILD GEESE
(Ian Tyson)

Wild geese flying by, calling on the downwind as they go,
No answers they send, and springtime has too many miles to flow;
The lone black pine, hillsides all covered in snow.
Why does the wind say you ain't coming back any more?

Was there a time when my dreams were not always of you?
The days ain't so mad, but each night takes so long passing through.
Down by the stream, fresh otter tracks in the snow,
Why does the wind say you ain't coming back any more?

I've got a mind just to ramble this whole country round,
With the fields turning green and the frost boiling out from the ground;
Drive through the miles of country I've never seen before,
Now that the wind says you ain't coming back any more.

https://www.bluegrassnet.com/lyrics/wild-geese#.XrN1OKhKiUk (corrected)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8hiK6zsF20

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wild Geese (Ian Tyson)
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 12 - 10:40 AM

"Tyson and Witmark, the composers"

The composer was Ian Tyson, Witmark was a song publishing company.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Wild Geese (Ian Tyson)
From: GUEST,sb
Date: 30 Mar 12 - 04:27 AM

This was also recorded by Bonnie Dobson on her self titled album ... Remember Bonnie?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Jul 09 - 08:33 AM

Q-

Excellent research!

Then there's Tom Lehrer's "Wild Goose" song:

As we go strolling through the park,
Goosing statues in the dark,
If Sherman's horse can take it,
Why can't you?

Not to mention "The Wild Goose Shanty" which runs:

Have you ever seen a wild goose flying o'er the ocean,
Ranzo, Ranzo, way, hey!
They's just like them young girls when they takes a notion,
Ranzo, Ranzo, way, hey!

But I do hope we have identified the song that Guest Peter wanted the lyrics of, if he ever checks back.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 11:07 PM

oldhippie, a good song. I'll have to look up her cd.

Subject: Lyr Add: WILD GEESE (Mary McGinniss)
From: oldhippie
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 10:27 PM

Another "Wild Geese" song

LYR ADD:

WILD GEESE
Mary McGinniss
(from "Places In Between",2005)

I was young then, I didn't know,
I kept running down this road.
When the nights came falling, I'd get close
I would remember, then I'd forget.
Cool water, the clearest blue
the wild geese in the west,
and the sound from their throats
and the look on your face
gives you a moment, a moment of grace

Have you heard the sound of their wings
above the water?
I am so sorry that I was gone
I am so sorry that you were alone
Where are we going?
What do we do?
I will always go
toward this love for you
And the sound of their wings
and the look on your face
gives you a moment a moment of grace

Wild Geese fly in the middle of the night
stars and rivers are their guides.
We toss and turn in our beds,
dreams and passions in our heads.
In the heart of this storm,
you sleep better with snow on the ground
and the sound of their wings
and the look on your face
gives you a moment a moment of grace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYD-2hdPPXs

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 09:27 PM

Looking at the lists on allmusic.com, "Wild Geese" has 58, of which only four are the Tyson composition; two by Ian & Sylvia, one by Catherine McKinnon and one by the Hearnes.

The remaining 54 are the Irish songs, the ones by Jacob and by Simpson,the fiddle tune and the rest by various authors.
Also listed are more than 25 others with somewhat variant names (just two listed by Charley).
The Chinese have several, especially "Wild Geese Alighting on Sandy Beach," a classic trad of theirs.

As Charley says, the search is complicated, and there is no guarantee that the poster or the DT has given it the correct title; the clone would have to be omnipotent.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 08:11 PM

Peace-

I think that Q and I were simply agreeing that this song is not that easy to find in a simple search of the Forum threads. It gets all mixed up with "Wild Geese Fly" and even "Wild Geese Fry."

And I'm generally happy to search out a song or point someone to Frequently Asked Questions so they may learn how to do the search themselves.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: Peace
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 04:32 PM

Gents, I wasn't even suggesting that the original poster should have checked. (I WAS hoping a clone or more knowledgeable person would. I have NO idea how to find old threads/posts on Mudcat.)

Y'all have a good day.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 04:06 PM

Tyson and Witmark, the composers, called it "Wild Geese," which, as Charley says, gets it lumped with other compositions of the same name. Even Chinese.

Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: WILD GEESE (Ian Tyson)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 21 Jul 09 - 08:14 AM

Peace, you're correct but it takes a bit of searching to separate out the various wild geese songs from "Wild Geese Flying By": click here!

The version I have is slightly different and has chords which might be helpful (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line 'em up):

Ian Tyson © 1967
As recorded on SO MUCH FOR DREAMING
Key F (5/C)

Wild Geese Flying By



F------------------Am
Wild geese flying by;
----------------Bb ------------------F
Calling on the downwind as they go;
C--F--------------Am
No answers they bring,
------Bb-----------------------------------C
And springtime has too many miles to flow;
Am---------F
Lone black pines,
Am----------------------Gm
Hillsides all covered in snow,
F---------------Am
Why does the wind
----------Bb-----------------------F
Say you ain't coming back any more?


Was there a time,
When my dreams were not always of you?
The days ain't so bad,
But each night takes so long passing through;
Down by the stream,
Fresh otter tracks in the snow;
Why does the wind
Say you ain't coming back any more?

I've got a mind,
Just to ramble this whole country 'round,
With the leaves turning green,
And the frost boiling out of the ground;
Drive through the miles,
A country I've never seen before;
Now that the wind
Says you ain't coming back any more.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: Peace
Date: 20 Jul 09 - 10:13 PM

There was a thread on this a few years back, I think.

Subject: Lyr Req: 'Wild Geese', Ian Tyson
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 20 Jul 09 - 10:05 PM

Would appreciate the lyrics to this Ian and Sylvia song recorded in the 1960's and covered by Catherine McKinnon ("Something Old, Something New") and others. McKinnon's rendition can be heard on JD Hay's Crooner website. Peter