Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver

Subject: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Aug 21 - 03:49 AM

Bev Praver and her late husband Jerry were two of the most beloved members of the San Francisco Folk Music Club. They were famous for their close harmony, their efforts as town criers, and for the songs they wrote. They were mentors to so many of us, and showed us in so many ways that they loved us. Their home is 300 miles from the church where I got married, but they showed up in their legendary camper and sang a couple songs at the reception. I love Bev and Jerry. I think we need a thread with their legendary songs.
Casey has agreed to post what I think is their greatest hit, "Velcro," but I'll post another one that I really like. Hope you enjoy them.

-Joe-

Subject: ADD: ACME (Bev and Jerry Praver)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Aug 21 - 03:51 AM

Thread #63105   Message #3853045
Posted By: Bev and Jerry
29-Apr-17 - 04:33 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: songs about hot dogs
Subject: ADD: ACME (Bev & Jerry Praver)

Here's one we wrote way back in 1979:

ACME
by Bev and Jerry Praver

CHORUS

Who puts the ham in the hamburger and the dog in the old hot dogs?
Who serves genuine beef by products from the finest Iowa hogs?
Who uses only pure bred horses of the finest pedigree?
It's the A-C-M-E Acme Fast Food Factory


1. I was rollin' down the interstate when I saw that neon light
It was an Acme Fast Food Factory so I just pulled in for a bite
I got me a hot dog on a bun - it was the worst 'thing I ever ate
So I called the manager over to me and we commenced a big debate

2. The manager said to me, "Look here, boy I don't wanna hear you whine
Right out there in front of the place I put a great big warning sign"
So I went outside to read that sign, ending our dialogue
And there it was just as plain as day, it said, "Boy, beware of the dog"

3. The next thing I knew I was laid out flat and the doctor had just arrived
He said to me, "Boy, you had a close call, it's lucky that you survived"
I thought to myself, "I'm poisoned for sure" as I contemplated my last meal
But I was hurt runnin' down the road chasin' an automobile

4. So when you're drivin' down the road and you hanker for a bite to eat
Fall into an Acme and get yourself a ptomaine treat
From Canada to Mexico, from New York to 'Frisco Bay
Ilt's the A-C-M-E Acme, endorsed by the AMA

Bev and Jerry

---

Click to play (joeweb)

Vocal Recording: click here

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: GUEST,diplocase
Date: 28 Aug 21 - 02:47 PM

Some jokes just get funnier each time you hear them.

VELCRO
words Bev and Jerry Praver
tune based on "Sweet Hour of Prayer" by William B. Bradbury

Tarzan, man of jungle fame
had little clothing to his name
Sometimes while swinging through the trees
his garment wound up round his knees.

But Velcro banished all his woes
Easy open easy close
Velcro came and saved the day
For Velcro now we shout Hooray!

In Rome, a sheet draped on your form
was the day’s sartorial norm
but it often was a Roman’s plight:
how to keep one’s toga tight?

But Velcro banished all their woes
Easy open easy close
Velcro came and saved the day
For Velcro now we shout Hooray!

Sister Mary felt the call
but when she went into the stall
Her habit was so cumbersome,
undressing was so bothersome

But Velcro banished all her woes
Easy open easy close
Velcro came and saved the day
For Velcro now we shout Hooray!

Eve and Adam they did sin,
they left the garden in their skin.
from nakedness they sought relief,
but how to fasten that small fig leaf?

But Velcro banished all their woes
Easy open easy close
Velcro came and saved the day
For Velcro now we shout Hooray!

The Dali Lama wears a robe,
dressed in just that he roams the globe.
He travels here, he travels there,
to keep it closed he says a prayer

But Velcro banished all his woes
Easy open easy close
Velcro came and saved the day
For Velcro now we shout Hooray!

Sir Lancelot in days of yore,
his armor made it hard to score.
It took an hour to get undressed:
by then, the maidens had lost their zest.

But Velcro banished all his woes
Easy open easy close
Velcro came and saved the day
For Velcro now we shout Hooray!

Mahatma Gandhi, holy man,
had trouble when he first began.
His loincloth didn’t have a belt,
it showed his manhood when he knelt.

But Velcro banished all his woes
Easy open easy close
Velcro came and saved the day
For Velcro now we shout Hooray!

V-e-e-l-cro !

Bev & Jerry sing "Velcro"

---

Click to play mp3 (joeweb)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: pattyClink
Date: 16 Apr 22 - 11:39 AM

Could we possibly pull in some words and links so people could learn Jerry's song "Sing With Me" and Bev's song "Sea Glass"?

Subject: ADD: Sea Glass (Bev Praver)
From: GUEST,Bev Praver
Date: 13 Jun 22 - 10:31 PM

SEA GLASS
© Bev Praver 2020

CHORUS

I am weathered, I am worn, like the sea glass on the shore
Tossed there by the tides, where the waves have gone before
I will rest upon the rocks, until my strength it is restored
Then I’ll ride upon the next wave to the sea

1. My sharp edges will be smooth, like sea glass I will age
The currents of my life will turn each and every page
Some won’t look within me, they’ll see only broken glass
And they’ll miss the softened edges of my soul
CHORUS

2. If they look beneath the surface, through the colors they will find
The things that made me what I am, the story will unwind
They will see the love and laughter, they will see the loss and tears
They will see that I have made it through the storm.
CHORUS

3. Someday someone will find me, as I rest upon the sand
They’ll pick me up and marvel as they hold me in their hand
They’ll see the things that shaped me and embrace me as I am
And they’ll treasure me for who I have become.
CHORUS

---

Click to play (joeweb)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: GUEST,Bev Praver
Date: 13 Jun 22 - 10:37 PM

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL SONGS IN THIS THREAD ARE UNDER COPYRIGHT. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU WANT TO RECORD ANY OF THEM.

Subject: ADD: A Bench By The Sea (She Sings) (Bev Praver)
From: GUEST,Bev Praver
Date: 13 Jun 22 - 10:47 PM

A BENCH BY THE SEA (SHE SINGS)
© Bev Praver March 5, 2021


Chorus:
She sits and she sings on a bench by the sea, wishing her love was still by her side
He could not stay so he left her his song, to remind her of days when he sang along

      
1. They first sang together when they were quite young, He played his
   guitar and she sang along
   They had no idea what the future might bring, They only knew that
    they loved to sing.        

Chorus

2. They sang all the old songs and some of the new,
    They sang of true lovers, of love false and true
    Together they sang in sweet harmony, that ebbed and flowed like
    the tides in the sea        

Chorus

3. And then they were nearing the end of their days,
    His voice went silent no more could be heard
    But she still remembers just how it would sound,
    When their voices were blended in notes pure and round.

Du, Du, Du, Du, Du, etc............

Chorus


A capella: Come sit you down and sing a song with me
                                                                        
          We’ll be united in harmony
                                                                        
          I’ll sing low, you sing the high part
                                                                        
          Let your heart reach out to my heart
                                                                        
          I don’t care as long as it’s with you

---

Click to play (joeweb)

Subject: ADD: Sing With Me (Bev Praver)
From: GUEST,Bev Praver
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 12:46 AM

SING WITH ME
(Jerry Praver, 2016)

Chorus: Come sit you down and sing a song with me
         We'll be united in harmony
         I'll sing low, you sing the high part
         Let your heart reach out to my heart

1. Sing something playful or heavy-hearted         
   Concerning lovers who must be parted
   An ancient ballad or one that's new            
   I don't care as long as it's with you

Chorus

2.   A song relating a romance starting
    That ends too soon in a tearful parting
    Perhaps a love song arranged for two
    I don't care as long as it's with you

Chorus

3. A song of travel, or work or play
    A hero vanished and gone astray
    A tale remembered and told anew
    I don't care as long as it's with you

Chorus

4. Whatever song you want to decide on
    We'll sing together, be unified on
    There is a new one we could debut
    I don't care as long as it's with you

Chorus

Tag: As long as it's with you.

Here's a link for Sing With Me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNPrGbtMGLI

---

Click to play mp3 (joeweb)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Jun 22 - 08:14 PM

Great stuff!
So glad you did this, Joe.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: pattyClink
Date: 19 Jun 22 - 08:25 PM

Ahem, let us thank BEV!!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Jun 22 - 06:21 PM

Bev sent me recordings of these songs. I've added links at the bottom of the lyrics for each song.
Thanks, Bev.

-Joe-

Thread #79368   Message #3195475
Posted By: Bev and Jerry
25-Jul-11 - 11:38 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Paddy on the Railway
Subject: ADD: Pat Gets on an Airplane (Jerry Praver)

And here's a somewhat more modern version:

PAT GETS ON AN AIRPLANE
(Jerry Praver)

1. In twenty hundred and forty one
My trip to Houston had just begun
I went through hell before I was done
To get upon an airplane

cho:

Pat me on my derriere
Touch me almost everywhere
Take a picture of me bare
To get upon an airplane

2. In twenty hundred and forty two
I bade my family a sad adieu
I got into the security queue
To get upon an airplane

3. In twenty hundred and forty three
They studied my anatomy
I gave up all my dignity
To get upon an airplane

4. In twenty hundred and forty four
My private parts they did explore
They fondled my posterior
To get upon an airplane

5. In twenty hundred and forty five
I thought myself more dead than alive
But still I thought I might survive
To get upon an airplane

6. It's Pat do this and Pat do that
Take off your shoes take off your hat
Remove your belt and your cravat
To get upon an airplane

7. In twenty hundred and forty seven
I wished that I was up in heaven
If they checked one place they checked eleven
To get upon an airplane

8.In twenty hundred and forty eight
I thought we were going to copulate
Until I told him that I was straight
To get upon an airplane

Bev and Jerry

Subject: ADD: Watts Happening (Bev and Jerry Praver)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Oct 22 - 02:42 AM

James G. Watt (born 1983) was the Secretary of the Interior for two years under President Ronald Reagan. Wikipedia says he has been described as "anti-environmentalist", and was one of Ronald Reagan's most controversial cabinet appointments. In his short two years in office, he "gave away the store."

So, of course, Bev and Jerry Praver had to write a song about him.


WATTS HAPPENING?
(Bev and Jerry Praver 1983)

Oh give me land lots of land under starry skies above, I’ll fence it in
Let me ruin all the wide open spaces that you love, I’ll fence it in
Let me be by myself in the evening breeze
Listen to the murder of the redwood trees
Nothing lasts forever but atrocities, I’ll fence it in.

Just turn me loose, let me scamper in my camper underneath the western sky
The fir and spruce better hide out when I ride out, you can kiss your ash goodbye.
I want to build my roads where the west commences
Wander in my Winnie ‘til I lose my senses
Can’t see the truth or the consequences, I’ll fence it in!



Based on “Don’t Fence Me In” written by Cole Porter in 1944 for the movie “Here Come The Waves”

James Gaius Watt (born January 31, 1938) served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1981 t0 1983. He was one of Ronald Reagan’s most controversial cabinet appointments.

We sang this song at the San Diego Folk Festival in April of 1983 and the next morning James Watt resigned!!! Coincidence?????

Bev

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: pattyClink
Date: 20 Oct 22 - 10:23 AM

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing the words.

Subject: ADD: Farewell (Bev Praver)
From: GUEST,Bev Praver
Date: 14 Nov 22 - 08:10 PM

FAREWELL
(© Bev Praver 2021)

1. How can I put you on board of a train?
It may mean that I’ll never see you again.
You can’t understand why I sent you away,
The gift that I gave you to live one more day.

Chorus: Here in this place the danger’s too great
They said they would take you but I’ll have to wait,
For only the children are welcome to come.
Safety and shelter are only for some.

2. My heart will go with you though it’s broken in two.
My tears I will hide, show my smile to you.
When you are older I hope you will know
How I held back the tears as I watched you go.


From Wikipedia:

On 15 November 1938, five days after the devastation of Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass", in Germany and Austria, a delegation of British, Jewish, and Quaker leaders appealed, in person, to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Neville Chamberlain. Among other measures, they requested that the British government permit the temporary admission of unaccompanied Jewish children, without their parents.
The British Cabinet debated the issue the next day and subsequently prepared a bill to present to Parliament. That bill stated that the government would waive certain immigration requirements so as to allow the entry into Great Britain of unaccompanied children ranging from infants up to the age of 17. No limit upon the permitted number of refugees was ever publicly announced. Initially, the Jewish refugee agencies considered 5,000 as a realistic target goal. However, after the British Colonial Office turned down the Jewish agencies' separate request to allow the admission of 10,000 children to British-controlled Mandatory Palestine, the Jewish agencies then increased their planned target number to 15,000 unaccompanied children to enter Great Britain in this way

Click to Play

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: GerryM
Date: 15 Nov 22 - 03:50 AM

I appreciate all these songs. Can we have El Camino is a Hard Road to Travel?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: pattyClink
Date: 21 Nov 22 - 11:01 PM

And "Avant Garden Song"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Songs of Bev and Jerry Praver
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Dec 22 - 08:40 PM

We now have recordings of "ACME," one of Bev & Jerry's Greatest Hits:

Click to play (joeweb)
Vocal Recording: click here

Subject: ADD: How Women Got Even With Man (Jerry Praver)
From: GUEST,email from Bev Praver
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 07:10 PM

HOW WOMAN GOT EVEN WITH MAN
(by Jerry Praver circa 1980)

1. In Eden’s garden they did dwell, the woman and the man,
Each one equal in their strength according to God’s plan;
But man got restless discontent, said God give me a boost
He said give to me more strength than she so I can rule the roost.

2. Said God to man I’ll grant your wish, you’ve got more strength than she,
So man went home and trashed his wife to show supremacy;
Now woman was unhappy and God she did entreat
Give to me more strength than he so man I can defeat.

3. But God said No for what I’ve changed I cannot restore,
No matter how much strength you have man will still have more;
Now woman was indignant and she instantly withdrew
Then down she strode to the devil’s abode and asked him what to do.

4. When you talked to God did you observe that keyring by his throne?
Well you go back and tell him that you want it for your own;
When you get those keys just bring ‘em back and I’ll tell you what they’re for,
So off she went that woman meant to even up the score.

5. She got those keys and brought ‘em back and Satan says there’s three,
For kitchen and the bedroom and for the nursery;
Now you go home and lock those doors and see how man reacts,
He’ll be upset but don’t you fret - explain to him the facts.

6. You’re cut off from the kitchen and your cut off from the bed,
You’re cut off from your children, just get that through your head;
Woman where’d you get those keys, who told you what they’re for?
God gave me these but if you please the devil gave me more.

7. Well, man still brags about his strength all day and half the night,
His exploits and his conquests he’ll endlessly recite;
But woman with the devil’s help has got the upper hand,
And since that day she’s had her way, just like God had planned.



This song is based on a black folk tale collected in Eatonville, Florida by Zora Neale Hurston. It was published in her book “Mules and Men” (Lippincot, 1935) under the title “Why Women Always Take Advantage of Men”

Click to play

Subject: ADD: Mister Taxman (Bev Praver)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 17 Apr 23 - 08:57 PM

On Thu, Apr 28, 2022, 3:21 PM Bev Praver wrote:
Mr. Taxman (Parody of Mr.Sandman)
© Bev Praver 1992

1. Mr. Taxman, give me a break
   There's nothing left here for you to take.
   You've looked at my bank book and under the bedpost
   And in the backyard all you found was compost.
   Mr. Taxman, leave me alone
   There is no money stashed in my home
   So please admit it's your mistake
   Mr. Taxman, give me a break.

2. Mr. Taxman, my earnings aren't high
   My last paying gig was the fourth of July.
   I play at marches, rallies and protests
   They don't pay much but my words get noticed.
   Mr. Taxman, what can I say?
   Nobody gives us folkies much pay.
   So please just open up your eyes
   Mr. Taxman, I'm telling no lies

3. Mr. Taxman, if you're looking for cash
   Why don't look in the kitchen trash?
   Try the attic, the cellar, the water closet
   When last I was there I made a deposit.
   Mr. Taxman, you're trying so hard.
   There's nothing but weeds out there in my yard.
   So please stop looking for a buck
   Mr. Taxman, you're just out of luck!

Please give me credit when you sing it.

Bev