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Lyr Req: Stone by Stone (John McCutcheon)

29 Aug 03 - 05:11 AM (#1010109)
Subject: Lyr Req: We will make the great walls crumble
From: Wiseowl

I'm off to Wareham Wail today, but would like to trace the lyrics for a song which begins with a verse about a plumber plying his trade beneath the streets of Prague and the chorus contains 'there's no turning back this time' ends with words 'till we make the great walls crumble and the borders fade away.

Anyone who's going know the words?

Anne

29 Aug 03 - 07:49 AM (#1010141)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We will make the great walls crumble
From: Noreen

It's Stone by Stone- just looking at Mike Nicholson's CD I see it's written by John McCutcheon (I always thought Mike wrote it.)

No lyrics on CD, but I'll see if I can find them.

29 Aug 03 - 07:50 AM (#1010142)
Subject: Lyr Add: STONE BY STONE (John McCutcheon)
From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca

From http://letssingit.com/john-mccutcheon-stone-by-stone-lfgznf7.html

Stone By Stone
Artist: John McCutcheon
Album: What Its Like

I am just a plumber,
And I take pride in my job
I know every inch of piping,
Underneath the streets of Grob
Now overhead I hear a dread one hundred thousand strong,
Like the water's will, they cannot still this power that moves us on.
 
One by one,
Side by side,
We will stand and face the fire, there's no turning back this time.
Stone by stone,
Day by day,
We will make the great walls crumble,
And the boarders fade away.
 
And I am just a mother,
Two children six and four,
And I grew up in the shadow of the wall, and of the war.
From our mothers to our daughters we'll pass this torch one day.
We praise the names who fanned the flames,
and in one voice we say
 
One by one,
Side by side,
We will stand and face the fire, there's no turning back this time
Stone by stone,
Day by day,
We will make the great walls crumble and the borders fade away.
 
I am just a student,
And like students everywhere,
We dreamed great dreams together,
We gathered in the square.
And though their tanks may break our bodies,
we'll one day break these chains.
The streets of blood like freedom's flood,
now surges through our veins.
 
One by one,
Side by side,
We will stand and face the fire, there's no turning back this time.
Stone by stone,
Day by day,
We will make the great walls crumble,
and the borders fade away.
 
And I hear the distant thunder
as it rages o'er the sea
and I watch with awe and wonder
what's this got to do with me
as we hear the cries for freedom
rise from cities far and near
from great to least in west and east,
we join their voiced here
 
One by one,
Side by side,
We will stand and face the fire,
there's no turning back this time.
Stone by stone,
Day by day,
We will make the great walls crumble,
and the borders fade away.
One by one,
Side by side,
We will stand and face the fire, there's no turning back this time.
Stone by stone,
Day by day,
We will make the great walls crumble,
and the boarders fade away

29 Aug 03 - 08:03 AM (#1010146)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We will make the great walls crumble
From: Noreen

Please DON'T anybody click on the link George has given above- I did and have had the worst pop-up attack I've ever had, with several things trying to download themselves onto my computer.

29 Aug 03 - 08:07 AM (#1010148)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We will make the great walls crumble
From: Noreen

Thanks for getting the words George- hope you don't mind me changing some of them to the ones I've heard: for example it's Prague, not Grob (wherever that is!) Back soon...

29 Aug 03 - 08:23 AM (#1010153)
Subject: Lyr Add: STONE BY STONE (John McCutcheon)
From: Noreen

STONE BY STONE
(John McCutcheon)

I am just a plumber
And I take pride in my job
I know every inch of piping
Underneath the streets of Prague
Now overhead I hear the tread one hundred thousand strong,
Like the water's will, they cannot still this power that moves us on.

Refrain:
One by one, side by side,
We will stand and face the fire, there's no turning back this tide.
Stone by stone, day by day,
We will make the great walls crumble,
And the borders fade away.

She is just a mother,
Two children six and four,
And she grew up in the shadow
Of the wall and of the war
From our mothers to our daughters we'll pass this torch one day
We praise the names who fanned the flames,
and in one voice we say:

I am just a student
And like students everywhere
We dreamed great dreams together
As we gathered in the square.
Though your tanks might break our bodies, we'll one day break these chains.
The streets of blood like freedom's flood now surges through our veins:

I hear the distant thunder
As it rages o'er the sea
And I watch with awe and wonder
What's this got to do with me?
Then I hear the cries for freedom rise from cities far and near
From great to least from west to east we join their voices here:

(as sung by Mike Nicholson on his CD Stone by Stone)
NMK

29 Aug 03 - 08:39 AM (#1010160)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We will make the great walls crumble
From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca

It is a weird site for graphic browsers. Luckily on a text browser I didn't get the weird stuff. After your message I downloaded it and tried it on the Internet Explorer here, and yeah! It's WEIRD!

No, I don't mind, Noreen.

29 Aug 03 - 02:36 PM (#1010375)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We will make the great walls crumble
From: rodentred

Mike introduces this song as one that he has changed somewhat from the original John McCutcheon version. I have tried unsuccessfully to get hold of the original recording to compare - does anyone know if it is just the words or is there a change of feel etc.?

Also it is not easy to hear on Mike's recording if he sings there's not turning back this tide (or time). Like Noreen I think it is tide.

30 Aug 03 - 07:20 AM (#1010715)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We will make the great walls crumble
From: Noreen

tide makes more sense, and rhymes, but as you say it's not easy to tell which is being sung on the CD- I'm pretty sure though that in singarounds 'tide' is sung.

I think the adaptation could be something to do with the 'call & response' one by one (one by one) side by side (side by side) from the 'chorus', which adds to the 'wholeness' of the song.

Or I could be talking out of my hat as I've not heard the original either :0)