Pete Seeger also recorded the song, and I learned the verses from him.<\/p>\n
As Bessie Jones explains, this song was originally a game played by children. \u00a0One child would hide their eyes while other children passed around a ring, (or bobbin). \u00a0When the song stopped, the children had to guess who had the ring.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Bessie-Jones-014.jpg\")
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For those who follow my blog, this is another great example of music coming from every day life, as opposed to being intended for formal performance.<\/p>\n
It might be a little hard to make out the words, since we shot this video outside. \u00a0So here they are:<\/p>\n
Hey Bob a needle
\nBob a needle
\nBob a needle bob a \u00a0etc…<\/p>\n
Mary mack
\nAll dressed in black
\nWith silver buttons
\nUp and down her back<\/p>\n
Went to the river
\nTried to get across
\nSpent five dollars
\nOn an old grey horse<\/p>\n
Hey Bob a needle\u2026<\/p>\n
Horse wouldn\u2019t pull
\nSo I swapped it for a bull
\nBull wouldn\u2019t holler
\nSwapped it for a dollar<\/p>\n
Dollar wouldn\u2019t spend
\nSo I threw it in the grass
\nThe grass wouldn\u2019t grow
\nSo I chopped it with a hoe<\/p>\n
Hey Bob a needle\u2026<\/p>\n
Hoe wouldn\u2019t chop
\nSo I took it to the shop
\nThe shop made money
\nLike the bees made honey<\/p>\n
Way down yonder
\nIn the jay bird town
\nWhere the women all work
\nWhile the sun goes down<\/p>\n
Hey Bob a needle\u2026<\/p>\n
This song is a little taste of what\u2019s coming in our Meadowlark Music Class summer session, which starts June 14th at Natural Resources, and June 30th, outdoors at the SF Botanical Garden.<\/p>\n
Enjoy!<\/p>\n
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