Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)

Subject: the little land
From: GUEST,travelingsavage
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 01:29 PM

Has anyone got the lyrics for a song on an old limeliters album called The Little Land. Sung by Glen Yarborough - it tells of getting caught by the fairies and taken to the little land. Some of the words go: When you're in the little land, there's daimonds on the wall, but when you'r back on that cold hillside, cold pebbles after all. Thanks so much

Subject: RE: the little land
From: Hollowfox
Date: 11 Jul 01 - 02:03 PM

It was written by Malvina Reynolds, and I remember seeing it in one of her songbooks. It's not in the DT. Does anybody know if there's a Malvina website?

Subject: RE: the little land
From: IanC
Date: 12 Jul 01 - 03:54 AM

Just curious, but I take it this isn't a setting of the pome by Robert Louis Stevenson?

Cheers!
Ian

Subject: RE: the little land
From: Hollowfox
Date: 12 Jul 01 - 12:19 PM

No, it's not. Malvina wrote it as a commentary on Hollywood, I'm told, but the song stands beautifully on it's own.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LITTLE LAND (Malvina Reynolds)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 10:42 AM

THE LITTLE LAND
As sung by Malvina Reynolds on "Another Country Heard From" (1960)

In our land Ireland, in our land Ireland, the leprechauns abound.
They'll draggle dazzle you and promise you and take you by the hand
Into their little land underneath the ground.

When you're in the little land, they fill your hands with gold.
You think you stay for just a day; you come out bent and old.

CHORUS: Deadlies Dead leaves in your pockets!
Oh, my enchanted, have a care!
Run, run from the little folk,
Or you'll have deadlies dead leaves in your pockets and snowflakes on your hair.

When you're in the little land, you watch the wee folk play.
You see them through a game or two; you come out old and gray. CHORUS

Lights shining in the little land from diamonds on the wall,
But when you're back on the brown hillside, it's cold pebbles after all. CHORUS

Music in the little land, it makes the heart rejoice.
It charms your ear so you cannot hear the sound of your true-love's voice. CHORUS

---

Malvina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXQOJ2AeBTo

Limeliters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YQdpvO4s_w

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: Stewart
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 04:04 PM

Deadlies??

Dead leaves in your in your pockets
and snow flakes in your hair

Little Boxes and other handmade songs
by Malvina Reynolds - Oak Publications 3002, 1964
p. 40

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 04:10 PM

Good catch!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: Stewart
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 04:14 PM

Thanks Charley

Here in Seattle we have dead leaves in our pockets
and rain drops in our hair

S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Dec 11 - 05:18 PM

Darn! I concede you're right about "dead leaves" but I'm a bit disappointed. I liked "deadlies." I had no idea what they were; I figured they were something from mythology—poison mushrooms, or poison berries maybe. I tried to look up "deadlies." I even found a book called "The Seven Deadlies"—it means seven deadly sins.

It must be one of the 3 best mondegreens I've committed. The other two were "vilesome breath" for "vows of wrath" in TRIALS, TROUBLES, TRIBULATIONS and "spinning orrery" for "spinning all around me" in THE POOREST COMPANY.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: GUEST,Michael Cooney
Date: 06 Aug 13 - 12:34 PM

Also, it's Ireland, not "our land". I think Malvina was embarrassed about this song because she did it in a fake Irish accent on her first record. I heard she asked Folkways to stop putting the record out. But I also think that it's a great song about TV, though she didn't think of it that way.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: GUEST,Nancy Schimmel (Malvina's daughter)
Date: 04 Mar 16 - 10:28 PM

The Irish accent was not entirely fake. Her father was shanghaied into the US Navy as a teen-aged Yiddish-speaking immigrant from Budapest and learned English from the New York Irish crew of the ship he served on. He had a bit of an Irish accent till the day he died. So she grew up with it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: GUEST,Nancy Schimmel (Malvina's daughter)
Date: 04 Mar 16 - 10:35 PM

Oh, and the little folk won't "draggle" you (make you wet and dirty). They will "dazzle" you because they are trying to entice you to stay.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Apr 17 - 07:23 PM

Here's my transcription from the Little Boxes Songbook from Oak Publications.

Thread #40846   Message #1284583
Posted By: Joe Offer
29-Sep-04 - 10:43 PM
Thread Name: Help: Everything Malvina!
Subject: ADD: Little Land

Little Land
(Malvina Reynolds, 1958)

When you're in the Little Land
They fill your hands with gold,
You think you stay for just a day,
You come out bent and old.

CHORUS
Dead leaves in your pockets,
Oh, my enchanted, have a care.
Run, run from the Little Folk,
Or you'll have dead leaves in your pockets,
And snowflakes in your hair.


When you're in the Little Land
You watch the wee folk play,
You see them through a game or two,
You come out old and gray.
CHORUS

Lights shine in the Little Land
From diamonds on the wall,
But when you're back on the brown hill side
It's cold pebbles after all.
CHORUS

Music in the Little Land,
It makes the heart rejoice,
It charms your ear so you cannot hear
The sound of your true love's voice.
CHORUS

source: Little Boxes and other Handmade Songs, Malvina Reynolds (Oak Publications, 1964)

---

Click to play (joeweb)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YQdpvO4s_w

---

CHORDS (Key of C):

  C                 Am
 When you're in the Little Land
       C                    Am
 They fill your hands with gold,
       C        G7   C   Dm
 You think you stay for just a day,
       G7               C
 You come out bent and old.
 
 CHORUS
  Dm                  Am
 Dead leaves in your pockets,
  E7                       Am
 Oh, my enchanted, have a care.
  E7                Am
 Run, run from the Little Folk,
                  E7
 Or you'll have dead leaves in your pockets,
                         Am
 And snowflakes in your hair.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: leeneia
Date: 18 Apr 17 - 10:13 PM

Thanks, Joe. I enjoyed the singing of the Limelighters.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 19 Apr 17 - 03:59 PM

Thank you so much, Joe!

Just unearthed my copy by the Limeliters. Pity their version isn't on YouTube. Glenn Yarbrough's vocals are hauntingly beautiful on this one.


Jay

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Little Land (Malvina Reynolds)
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 19 Apr 17 - 04:59 PM

Oops - my error! The Limeliters' version is on YouTube at the link above, but when I first clicked on it, all I got was a brief tourism ad for Canada and no song followed. Only when I returned to Mudcat then clicked the link again did it take me directly to the song. Everything seems to be okay now.

Thanks again, Joe!


Jay