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Lyr Req: Jennifer's Rabbit (Tom Paxton)

17 Feb 00 - 12:03 PM (#180063)
Subject: Jennifer's Rabbit - 2 versions? tune?
From: Grab

Just heard a guy at the folk club last night do Jennifer's Rabbit. Lovely, haven't heard it in years (not since my dad sang it for my sister Jenny as a kid).

Anyway, I went looking, and I found it on

http://www-jcr.lmh.ox.ac.uk/~roney/kidsongs.html

Out of curiosity, I checked the Mudcat too. Now there is a version on the Mudcat, but it's different! Did Tom Paxton do 2 version of it then? Personal preference, but I like the non-MC version better - more fairytale.

And does anyone know of a site with the tune on it?

Cheers folks,

Grab.

17 Feb 00 - 02:43 PM (#180167)
Subject: RE: Jennifer's Rabbit - 2 versions? tune?
From: GUEST

Did Paxton do 2 versions? Yes,

17 Feb 00 - 02:46 PM (#180169)
Subject: RE: Jennifer's Rabbit - 2 versions? tune?
From: folk1234

A lovely song! I have never done this song, but someday I will. I have a version from the Tom Paxton song book, which is the samw as in DT. I have another version on a Tom P tape, which is, as you say, "Much more fairytale". I much prefer the later.

17 Feb 00 - 10:29 PM (#180467)
Subject: Lyr Add: JENNIFER'S RABBIT (Tom Paxton)
From: raredance

The "original" Jennifer's Rabbit was recorded by Tom Paxton on his 1968 album "Morning Again". This is the version in the DT and also in the book "Tom Paxton Anthology". He wrote it for his daughter Jenny. He revised it fairly quickly because the 1970 live concert album "The Complete Tom Paxton" had quite different lyrics and had added a line at the end of the verses. This version is included on the recent Vanguard CD "The Best of Tom Paxton - I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound". the melody was pretty m7uch the same as the original except for the added line. On his 1984 album "The Marvelous Toy and Other Gallimaufry" the song appears again, the version 2 lyrics and this time with some modification of the tune toward a more minor key with guitar accompaniment ( the first two time had been a capella). I confess to having learned the earliest version. A friend and I used to sing it as an part of an opening medley, following directly behind with Gordon Lightfoot's "Wherefore and Why". Here are the lyrics to version 2

JENNIFER'S RABBIT - 2
(by Tom Paxton)

Jennifer slept in her little bed
With dreams of her rabbit in her little head
Jennifer's rabbit brown and white
Left the house and ran away one night
Along with the turtle and a kangaroo
And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo.
And Jennifer too

They ran through the forest and they all held hands
They came to the ocean with the cookie crumb sands
Called it the sea of the very best dreams
And they all built a castle of the best moon beams
And milky way streams.

And there on the sands where the starfish play
The ship sailed in from the moon beam bay
They all went sailing on the starlight sea
Where they all had cookies with Oolong tea
And Jenny had three.

They danced on the decks of their red-sailed brig
The monkey and the sailors did a whirling jig
Turtle played the fiddle and the rabbit played kazoo
And they bowed to each other as polite folk do
And Jenny bowed too

The my said the turtle as the clock struck three
The hour is growing very late for me
Not at all said the rabbit and I'll tell you why
We still haven't counted every star in the sky
Said Jenny let's try

So they counted on the ship and they counted on the shore
They counted through the forest, through the bedroom door
They counted in bed till they could count no more
Then they all fell asleep and the final score
Was a trillion and four.

Yes the rabbit and the turtle and the kangaroo
And Jenny fell asleep as sleepy folks do
Just like you.

rich r

12 Oct 08 - 03:45 PM (#2463831)
Subject: RE: Jennifer's Rabbit - 2 versions? tune?
From: GUEST,ednaelk

Can anyone give me the guitar chords to this version? I played it years ago and would love to again. Thanks!

13 May 14 - 11:36 AM (#3625765)
Subject: Review: Jennifer's Rabbit and Ievan Polkka
From: Jason Xion Wang

Recently I found that the tune to "Jennifer's Rabbit" strongly resembles that of the old Finnish Polka song, "Ievan Polkka". May Tom have borrowed the melody of that song? Anyway, a real beautiful song indeed. As Paul Simon puts, Tom Paxton can write "children's songs that adults love".

Jason

09 Dec 14 - 06:03 AM (#3683805)
Subject: Chords ADD: Jennifer's Rabbit (Tom Paxton)
From: Jason Xion Wang

@Ednaelk - Sorry for being a little too late. Tom used to sing the song a capella, but since around 1980 he began singing it with the guitar.

I used to play it this way:

  Am
  Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white,
  Em
  Left the house and ran away one night 
  Am                          G
  Along with the turtle and a kangaroo 
      Em                              Am
  And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo,
      Em       Am
  And Jennifer too.
  
  
       C                               G
  They ran through the forest and they all held hands.
       Em                         Am
  They came to the ocean with the cookie crumb sands.
  C                        G
  Called it the sea of the very best dreams,
           Em                        Am
  And they all built a castle of the best moon beams.
      Em        Am
  And milky way streams.

However, I saw a concert video earlier this year, and discovered that Tom actually plays:

  Am
  Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white,
  G
  Left the house and ran away one night 
  Am                          G
  Along with the turtle and a kangaroo 
      E7                              Am
  And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo,
      E        Am
  And Jennifer too.
  
  
       C                               G
  They ran through the forest and they all held hands.
       E7                         Am
  They came to the ocean with the cookie crumb sands.
  C                        G
  Called it the sea of the very best dreams,
           E7                        Am
  And they all built a castle of the best moon beams.
      E         Am
  And milky way streams.

If I remember correctly, he put the capo on the 6th fret, which makes the song in D#m.

I think both would work well - of course the original is better, though...

Jason

09 Dec 14 - 06:17 AM (#3683806)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jennifer's Rabbit (Tom Paxton)
From: GUEST

And...


  Am
  Jennifer slept in her little bed
       G                           E      Am
  With dreams of her rabbit in her little head.

11 Mar 15 - 11:03 PM (#3693230)
Subject: Chords Correction: Jennifer's Rabbit (Tom Paxton)
From: Jason Xion Wang

OK, I just watched the video again and found that the chords I posted above were completely wrong. Sorry for that! I've posted the correct chords on my website here:

  Am
  Jennifer slept in her little bed
       G                         E      Am
  With dreams of a rabbit in her little head.
  
  
  Am
  Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white,
  G
  Left the house and ran away one night 
  Am                          G
  Along with the turtle and a kangaroo 
      E7                              Am
  And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo,
      E        Am
  And Jennifer too.
  
  
       Dm                              Am
  They ran through the forest and they all held hands.
       G                          Am
  They came to the ocean with the cookie crumb sands.
  Dm                       Am
  Called it the sea of the very best dreams,
                                     G         Am
  And they all built a castle of the best moon beams.
      E         Am
  And milky way streams.

Song is actually in D minor - capo on 5th fret. But that doesn't matter. Tom ends the song with a beautiful A major chord.

Jason

12 Mar 15 - 12:23 AM (#3693233)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jennifer's Rabbit (Tom Paxton)
From: GUEST

oh, so it's not a song about Jennifer's self love toy ?

15 May 16 - 08:59 AM (#3790431)
Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: JENNIFER'S RABBIT (Tom Paxton)
From: GUEST

For the early version of the song, http://ddpro.ucoz.com/tpchords/jennifer2.htm has the chords:

JENNIFER'S RABBIT
As sung by Tom Paxton on "Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records 1963-1973"


  Em
  Jennifer slept in her little bed
       D                                Em
  With dreams of a rabbit in her little head.
  
  
  Em
  Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white,
  D
  Left the house and went to town one night
   Em                       D
  Along with a turtle and a kangaroo
      Em                         D    Em
  And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo.
  
  
       Am                    Em
  They went for a ride on an old street car;
       D                          Em
  They tried to drive it but they didn't get far.
       Am                  Em
  They all got tired and decided to go
                           D       Em
  To see the people in the picture show.

Jennifer's rabbit, white and brown,
Looked in the windows of the shops downtown.
He found a dress for Jennifer to wear,
And a pretty blue ribbon for her long blonde hair.

Then the rabbit and the turtle and the kangaroo
Bowed to each other like polite folks do.
They went to a shop where the cookies are free,
And they all had cookies and oolong tea.

Then, "My!" said the turtle as the clock struck three,
"The hour is growing very late for me."
"Not at all," said the rabbit, "if you give me a chance,
I'll lead all the monkeys in a hula dance!"

So they danced all night and the moon danced too,
Then the rabbit and the turtle and the kangaroo
Jumped into bed and closed their eyes
And were fast asleep before the sun could rise.

And Jennifer slept in her little bed
With dreams of a rabbit in her little head.

15 May 16 - 07:05 PM (#3790497)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jennifer's Rabbit (Tom Paxton)
From: Dorothy Parshall

I played the album of this version of the song for a "difficult" student (7) when I was being a "guidance counselor" in an elementary school, in 1979. The boy loved it so much that I made him a 30 minute tape, repeating the same song. He could listen to it when life was getting to him. I hope it worked for a long time! (Before all these gameboy things ...) He was a bright, wonderful kid.

16 May 16 - 06:54 PM (#3790675)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Jennifer's Rabbit (Tom Paxton)
From: GUEST

Should be:

  Am
  Jennifer slept in her little bed
       G                                Am
  With dreams of a rabbit in her little head.
  
  
  Am
  Jennifer's rabbit, brown and white,
  G
  Left the house and ran away one night 
  Am                          G
  Along with the turtle and a kangaroo 
      Am                         G    Am
  And seventeen monkeys from the city zoo,
      E        Am
  And Jennifer too.
  
  
       Dm                              Am
  They ran through the forest and they all held hands.
       G                          Am
  They came to the ocean with the cookie crumb sands.
  Dm                       Am
  Called it the sea of the very best dreams,
                                     G         Am
  And they all built a castle of the best moon beams.
      E         Am
  And milky way streams.