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Singing Mama's Songs

by Ginny McAfee

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1.
The Garden 03:24
I used to walk with Grandpa up across a hill each morning To the garden growing on the other side A river nestled gently flowing through a lowland valley From the hilltop we could see for miles and miles Off in the distance were the smokestacks from the factory Where my grandpa he had worked since WWII And up along the mountainside the sun reflects machinery Where my brothers helped to put the Parkway through Satisfied by progress this ever-changing world was changing fast And Grandpa always said: "man must pay for each mistake of his past" I'm not talkin' 'bout the good ol' days like they are gone forever But there is a time our kids may never know In the crisp clean air of morning The sun would shine so brightly On Gramps and me when I was ten years old It's been nigh on twenty years now since I walked across that hilltop But this time I held my own child's hand I knew things would look much different from the garden of my childhood I saw man's inhumanity to man There were no cattle grazing, no corn was growing tall Ten years ago the interstate came through A constant flow of traffic an abandoned shopping mall And that old factory provided us our view Instead of hearing birds sing We heard planes and trains and traffic coming through What could I do? And the mountains were no longer in view (Repeat first two verses)
2.
Daddy when you're ready the coffee's done It'll be a little while before they come So while your waiting for the others Won't you please tell me another Of the tales about the many things you've done Tell the one about old Mike again How old hunting dogs can be your closest friend Oh dad I love the way You bring back your yesterday's Tell the one about old Mike again chorus Silver hair and smiling clear blue eye's Nobody else I know is half as wise One day I know you'll be gone but your memory will live on When we tell our kids the things that grandpa did Mama cried when you went off to war So afraid you'd die alone on foreign soil From the stories that you tell War was like a living hell Old vets don't get a hero's welcome anymore You nurtured seven children with your wisdom Its because of you I think we'll do just fine But now that we're all grown raising families of our own We sure miss the way you took us back in time
3.
I saw them hungry eyes look at me With a fierce and wild eyed stare He's busted down the gate And now he's coming after me I got to get on away from here I bet my feet didn't even touch the ground I was pursued by the hounds from hell At the forests edge I got the nerve to turn around It was just Mrs. Johnson's cow It was just Mrs. Johnson's cow Chorus Mama always said don't go in them woods After evening shadows fall There's animal that are hungry and they'll eat you if the could And they will catch you if you fall They will catch you if you fall Now we'd been told not to play in that old barn Or we might meet the boogey man He's hiding in the shadows with teeth as long as nails And he will get you if he can So we took up bets on a dee double dare To see who'd be the first to run Well the boogey man was gone And some polecats were at home And that is one bet nobody won That is one bet nobody won
4.
She'd been tempted before To walk out the door without looking back But her conscience wouldn't let her She carried the weight There's no way to re-pay her for her sacrifice She gave all her life And she never complained She was there at the end of every day Washin', cookin', cleanin' for us all As I recall Grandma, oh Grandma did it all Chorus No sooner was a task complete 'Til it was faced to be done once again, and again She'd sing in a voice so sweet Old gospel hymns that sweetly teach The promise of beginning at the end Where true reward begins Disabled by war Grandpa was Grandma's biggest chore But she never once resented The love that she gave But oh how she craved a better way If she'd had the chance to live it Now with grandkids to raise She'll be there at the end of every day Washin', cookin', cleanin' for us all As I recall Grandma, oh Grandma did it all Chorus
5.
Left a lot of tracks and traces Been inspired by the sights I've been shown But the longer I'm away Convinces me I'll never stray Far away, from my Carolina home Chorus Let me live in my homeland of Western Carolina On the summit of a mountain so high Let the valleys surround me Let the full moon spellbound me Let me hear the call of the pines In a special place I've got Each time I'm there I thank God For the beauty and the freedom I have known I may never be wealthy But my sanity is healthy Living's easy in my Carolina home Repeat Chorus Look at that old moon Through the pine trees on the hill And off in the distance you can hear a whip-or-will This kind of being lonesome Is the best you'll ever feel Look at that old moon Through the pine trees on the hill
6.
He knows the name of every bird and tree And he harvest's what he planted in the spring With the woman at his side he knows the joy that life can bring For over fifty years now they have planted a many seed They raised eleven children who all still live close by They often come to visit or just to seek advice And with each passing year they know their days are numbered now With faith and love and God above they still get along somehow Chorus Hey old timer, where are you-going Its been nice-a-knowing you were there Hey old timer you're the end of an era That I think I live better than the one we're living now They live by modest means and never took to modern ways The first in line to lend a hand they work hard every day Of the highest moral fiber, Sunday's found them at their best Taking time for one another on this Holy day of rest Now many may not think, that they'd be gratified And they act like folks who live this way don't set their goals to high Its not for fame and luxury that money can buy A man's worth is not weighed by his purse But by how he lives his life
7.
I'm good to my dog and I'm there for my neighbor Meet all my own needs and stay true to my labor I tend to my own business put simply I try to excel at the things that I love And I try to keep faith and make the most of All who bear false witness against me Chorus I'm walkin' this earth a little contender Aware of my worth and proud of my gender The mirror sees me at peace within my own skin So if my lot in life is to be a have not I'm grateful, I'm blessed with the little I've got While walking this pathway of struggle For women and men We learn early on that life holds no promise The way to behave is to live your life honest For the virtue of patience I have waited This era of time is a world of extremes With a modern day pill that will cure anything Will that make life a little less complicated For every addiction a side effect reigns How long will this ghost in your closet remain The strongest of human's have faults they could claim
8.
If you want to make me happy Just take the time to notice All the little things (all the little things) I'm not into expensive or materialistic just the joy having your love Should bring to me (and all the little things) Chorus So when we're kissin' I need to feel the thrill right from the start and when you're holding me I need to know you feel love in your heart and with the words love brings My mind must be content with All of the little things (little things you say to me) Honey you could bring me flowers But I’d rather take a walk out in the woods (one of the little things) We can pick some daisies And laugh and talk the way young lovers should (I love the little things) Chorus All the lovely little things you do that make me feel so close to you the looks you give the words you say the little things blow me away
9.
Well I've had about enough of the attitude About wives who stay home, the kind of work they do About how they ought to be out working earning money Well I think I've more than paid my dues I'd like to fill y'all in on a fact or two I've got those fed up, guilt ridden, tired of mopping housewife blues So I went and filled out some applications That asked me to list my qualifications And all the places that I had worked before Then after some careful examination Personnel would do some investigation To decide what I might best be suited for, so I wrote I'm a wife, I'm a mother, I'm a friend Employed by my husband and my kids age twelve and ten You've ask me what I'm qualified to do Here is a list I have compiled for you I can bake and roast and fry and stew Clean everything from commodes to tennis shoes I wash and wax and keep the garden hoed I keep a budget write checks pay bills When somebody's sick I pass out the pills and in the summertime "guess who" gets to keep the yard mowed When someone needs a good deed do-er There's no-one any tried and true-er Than the lowly housewife with nothing better to do I never miss a school event and worry about every penny that's spent I've got those fed up guilt ridden tired of mopping housewife blues Now I'm a somewhat happily employed woman My bankroll's growing and the job is humming Fact is now I have more time to rest But nothing sparkles and nothing shines The house is a mess and the grass is high And my husband's convinced that I'm not doing my best So I'm working my notice to quit my job So I can stay home and work like a dog Without pay or recognition for what I do Now I don't like to gripe and complain But this lack of respect could drive a woman insane I've got those fed up, guilt ridden, tired of mopping housewife blues
10.
11.
He was known far and wide All who knew, knew he took pride In a gallon quart or pint of 180 proof moonshine He'd say some was made for fightin', some was made for lovin' Some was just the banjo pickin' kind For over thirty years folks would come from far and near For what they'd been told was mountain gold with a lightning bite The nicest man you ever met, he's even on the internet Making gallons quarts and pints of 180 proof moonshine Chorus They drank moonshine in the moonshine Played bluegrass underneath the pines From early Saturday morning 'til Sunday's break of dawn Way down deep in a backwoods holler That's where Popcorn made his dollar And as far as we could tell he wasn't doing nothing wrong He'd just made his last run After this one he'd be done When the boys from ATF come knocking at his door Maybe someone tipped them off This was the last time he could be caught With the hundreds of gallons he had stored March sixteenth 2009 He cranked his three jug Ford one last time Then closed the door on the fumes that would slowly end his life I'd be willing to bet he drank a toast to the ATF With 180 proof Popcorn Sutton moonshine Got to work the mash about a week and a half Light the burner, cap the stack Lay the paste to all connections Look for leaks in all directions Those cold copper coils would hold the truth When the beads leave in a flash its 180 proof

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Includes bonus track "Ode to Popcorn Sutton" free of charge.

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released July 18, 2013

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Ginny McAfee North Carolina

To any in the many who have heard the powerful voice of Ginny McAfee, you will be pleased to hear that she will be in the studio in 2013 focusing on original material!

Given the fact Ginny has been surrounded by music since the womb and several of the songs to be released were written during her stay there, she feels it is less coincidence and more like fate.
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