Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)

Subject: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Nov 20 - 05:24 PM

I thought I posted these lyrics years ago, but I can't find them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Nov 20 - 10:01 AM

Chickadee - (w: Stan Scott / m: Ray Andrews & Ray Frank) That info is from a P Herdman site, one of her CDs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Nov 20 - 10:03 AM

The happiest bird you're ever going to see
Is a chickadee singing in a juniper tree


Are they the first two lines, Joe?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: cnd
Date: 23 Nov 20 - 11:15 AM

There's a short (~30 sec) clip of the Priscilla Herdman et. al's rendition of the song via Allmusic.com (link) or the whole thing with Amazon music.

Since I don't have Amazon Music, the best I can do is offer a transcription of that intro. Maybe the chorus matches the lines provided above, but the intro goes:

Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee
Singing in the sleeping trees
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee
Soon they will be waking

When the snow melts away
The winter finds you on your way
Who will come unto me
Sing each day merrily

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Nov 20 - 12:19 PM

Hi, cnd. The following are a set of lyrics to a song so-named,

https://www.chuckpyle.com/lyricview.php?song=137

but I'm unsure because it has a different scansion--but we're just guessing at the moment. Perhaps more info from Joe will help clarify things.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: cnd
Date: 23 Nov 20 - 01:13 PM

I believe Joe's a west-coaster, and tends to be more active later in the night (at least, my night time) -- I'm sure he'll come along later with something to say

That song seems to be in the right vein but I'm noticing that site (and allmusic.com) both attribute it to Chuck Pyle rather than Ray Frank.

I'll keep looking to see if I can find a recording of the song by Frank online, but so far I haven't had much success. Gadfly Records, Compass Rose Records, and Anne Hills appear all appear to still be selling copies of the CDs and cassettes of the Herdman recording, though, so at worst I (or Joe, I suppose) could be in the hole $10-15

Subject: ADD: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Nov 20 - 05:58 AM

Ray Frank (DADGBE) is one of my Folk Music Mentors who helped me transition from Peter Paul and Mary and Kingston Trio to more substantial stuff. He'd often introduce a song in a singaround with, "Here's a song I think Joe will like." He came to the singaround that was my bachelor party before I got married, and he made a cake.
Ray came from the Bronx and got a start toward fame as an employee of Folk-Legacy Records, packaging records for mailing. As far as I know, Ray did only one recording of "Chickadee," on the Mudlark Nest recording by a group called Mudlark (Ray Frank, Laura Sandage, and Katie Henry). Sadly, the group is no more. They broke up before they had a chance to record a song they did called "Just Joe" that was about ME! I think the Mudlark album came out about 2007, but I first heard the song on the 1997 Voices of Winter album by Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills, and Cindy Mangsen. The Voices album says the words were by Stan Scott and music by Ray Andrews and Ray Frank. I'll have to call Ray Frank and get clarification but here is my transcription from the Mudlark album. The instrumental work on the Mudlark album is amazing. I'm wondering if Ray is playing his Frank Proffitt banjo on this.


CHICKADEE
(Words by Stan Scott and music by Ray Andrews and Ray Frank)

Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
That's the song you sing to me;
Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
On a Winter's morning.

We've got tea and clover honey,
Fresh-made bread to start the day;
Pile of wood and a roaring fire,
To help keep the cold winds at bay.

Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
Singing in the sleeping tree
Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
Soon she will be waking.

When the sun has its day,
Winter calls you on your way,
Who will come then to make (aaargh - can't figure it out!)
???? To spend each day merrily?

Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
That's the song you sing to me;
Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
On a Winter's morning.

We've got tea and clover honey,
Fresh-made bread to start the day;
Pile of wood and a roaring fire,
To help keep the cold winds at bay.

Subject: ADD: Chickadee (Scott, Andrews, Frank)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Nov 20 - 06:10 AM

Here's my transcription from the 1997 Voices of Winter album by Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills, and Cindy Mangsen.

CHICKADEE
(Words by Stan Scott and music by Ray Andrews and Ray Frank)

Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
That's the song you sing to me;
Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
On a Winter's morning.

We've got tea and clover honey,
Fresh-baked bread to warm our day;
Scent of wood and a hissing (?) fire,
To keep the cold winds at bay.

Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
Singing in the sleeping trees
Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
Soon they will be waking.

When the snow melts away,
Winter finds you on your way,
Who will come then to make
Sing each day merrily?

Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
That's the song you sing to me;
Chickadee, Chickadee, Chickadee-dee,
On a Winter's morning.

Not sure I have all the words right.

Subject: ADD (poem): Chickadee
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Nov 20 - 06:53 AM

And I found a poem titled "Chickadee" by Hanford Lennox Gordon (1836-1920):
https://internetpoem.com/hanford-lennox-gordon/chickadee-poem/

Chickadee
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee!
That was the song that he sang to me-Sang
from his perch in the willow tree-
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee.
My little brown bird,
The song that I heard
Was a happier song than the minstrels sing-
A paean of joy and a carol of spring;
And my heart leaped throbbing and sang with thee
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee.

My birdie looked wise
With his little black eyes,
As he peeked and peered from his perch at me
With a throbbing throat and a flutter of glee,
As if he would say-
Sing trouble away,
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee.

Only one note
From his silver throat;
Only one word
From my wise little bird;
But a sweeter note or a wiser word
From the tongue of mortal I never have heard,
Than my little philosopher sang to me
From his bending perch in the willow tree-
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee.

Come foul or fair,
Come trouble and care-
No-never a sigh
Or a thought of despair!
For my little bird sings in my heart to me,
As he sang from his perch in the willow tree-
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee dee:
Chickadee-dee, chickadee-dee;
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee-dee.

Hanford Lennox Gordon

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Nov 20 - 11:38 AM

Lomax collected one by a fellow from Texas in 1937. Read that in Google books.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: cnd
Date: 25 Nov 20 - 12:16 PM

Joe, the line in question from the MudLark version is:

"Who will then come to me
To sing me each day merrily"

You can hear that version here

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Chickadee (Ray Frank)
From: DADGBE
Date: 25 Nov 20 - 02:38 PM

Hi Joe,

Thanks for asking about ‘Chickadee’. In the winter of 1973-4 I was living on an old hillside farm in West Lebanon, NY. We bought seed for our bird feeders in 50 lb. bags in those days and enjoyed the happy commotion.

One day that winter, I was sitting at the kitchen table and watching the birds while noodling on my banjo and a tune started emerging using the bird call, ‘chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, de’ for inspiration. A few days later, friend and superb musician Ray Andrews visited and we completed the tune. We played it for musical maven, Stan Scott some time later and asked him to write lyrics.

Here are the lyrics Stan wrote for Ray’s and my tune which we called Chickadee.

CHICKADEE
(Words by Stan Scott and music by Ray Andrews and Ray Frank)

Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee
That’s the song you sing to me
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee
On a winter’s morning

We’ve got tea and clover honey,
Fresh baked bread to start the day
A pile of wood and a roaring fire
To help keep the cold winds at bay

Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee
Singing in the sleeping tree
Chickadee, chickadee, chickadee, dee
Soon she will be waking

When the sun has its day
And winter calls you on her way
Who will then come to me
To sing each day merrily

The Mudlark recording was made by me on lead vocal and guitar, Katie Henry - voice and banjo, and Laura Sandage – voice and bass.

Best regards to all,
Ray Frank