Songs

In a World Gone Mad

© 2007 Hali Hammer

 In a World Gone Mad
In a world gone mad, in a world gone mad,
In a world gone mad, I'm glad ,
I'm glad that there are people like you.

There is global warming, mass pollution
Governmental prostitution
Defilement of our constitution
Soul and body destitution
But there are those who will aid anyone
Who undo ills that have been done
Who make the time for helping one-on-one
Who can change the world and still have fun!
Who feel empathy is an attribution
And love should be shared without dilution
Those who make a contribution
And are not the problem, but the solution.

There are homophobics and racism,
Unjust laws and crowded prisons,
Fundamentalist religions,
Selfishness and egotism,
But there's the humble genius, the honest seeker,
The ones that cheer you when life gets bleaker,
The demonstrator, the peacekeeper,
The optimist and the thought-leaper,
And there are those who will share anything
Whose winters look a lot like spring,
Who take the needy beneath their wing
And those who sit with friends and sing.

This song, Hali notes, lists twice as many good things as bad things. She plays a lot with the melody when she sings this, so don't be afraid to sing the tune a little differently on the second stanza. She keeps a steady calypso rhythm on the guitar and lets the voice dance on top. This song hasn't been recorded yet, but you can find more of Hali's songs on her website, www.halihammer.com.
Click here for a printable copy of this song.

Who Built This House

©2000 Carol Denney

 Who Built This House


who built this house of wood and stone
whose was the blood whose was the bone
whose was the sweat that brought to bear
this house so fine that's standing here
who built this house

CHORUS:
who built this house who carved this stone
who built this house no hand alone
who built this house you're living in
who built this house

who built this house of wood so fine
from forests far away from mine
who mined the silver and the gold
whose was the back that bore this load
who built this house
(chorus)

who built this house upon this land
where all these well-dressed people stand
who built this house who labored long
where does this wealth in truth belong
who built this house
(chorus)

For a MIDI sound file, click here.

Carol wrote this on the last day of the 2000 August Music Heritage Festival in West Virginia. It appears on her CD The Cruel Lullaby., where it contrasts with rocking satires like "PG&E Song, or Write the Check and Shut Up." This is a fairly close transcription, though she omits the optional harmony on the first stanza. She accompanies it with sustained notes from the concertina and bass guitar for an effect that is stark and hymn-like; but once you get to know the song, other treatments come to mind – a capella, or even country; I can imagine Johnny Cash in one of his serious moods doing a great job with it. For more "honest tunes and politics served friendly as breakfast" visit her website, www.caroldenney.com.

Click here for a printable copy of this song.

Correction

Apologies to Greg McKenzie: in the May/June issue we garbled the lyrics for his song “Worker's Blessing.” Here are the correct lyrics:

Bless the hands that built this house and bless the hearts that moved them.
Bless the foods that gave them strength and bless the hands that grew them.
Bless the Earth that gave us birth and the Sun that gives us light.
And, bless the hands of all the souls that are gathered here tonight.

The folknik song pages are lovingly produced by Barbara Millikan, Kay Eskenazi and John Kelly. John Kelly produced the song pages for this issue.

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Copyright for all songs published on this page remains with the authors.