TENNESSEE, USA! Fanpage
CONTENTS
TENNESSEE, USA! Songbook
Paul Crabtree's TENNESSEE, USA! by CGO
TENNESSEE, USA!: 28 Years Later by CGO
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1. TENNESSEE, USA! Songbook
TENNESSEE, USA!
A Play By Paul Crabtree
Featuring songs by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, Rose Stewart, and Bob Gunton.
All lyrics written by Paul Crabtree, 1965.
MY TENNESSEE
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Chorale)
This is my home!
This is my home!
This is my heritage!
This is my Tennessee!
My Tennessee!
Blessed land of God's Creation
Carved in restless history
Plankstone of a mighty nation
This is my home!
My Tennessee!
Mountains roll in undulation
Nature's blessed scenery
Rivulets forged its destination
This is my home!
My Tennessee!
Long may the flame
Burn in the glory of thy name!
Rugged sons of tribulation
Monuments of gallantry
Gave their lives in dedication
This is my home!
This is my blessed land
Called Tennessee!
RAISE THE STATUS SYMBOL
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Willoby Family & Chorale)
CHORALE: Once upon a time
In a magical land called America
Somewhere in the enchanted State of Tennessee
There lives a family named Willoby
The paternal head of this family
The sturdy and stalwart breadwinner
Is Henry Horatio Willoby IV
And, at this very moment,
Henry Horatio Willoby IV
Is busy winning bread
HENRY: Be aggressive, with persistence,
Circumvent the sales resistance!
Keep the pace and never grumble
That's how the cookie crumbles!
Happiness is a Dow Jones average!
Common market is demanding
Forward, loan, and keep expanding!
Dealing with a little wheeling
Isn't classified as stealing!
Happiness is a cornered market!
Eliminate the human races!
Give a number to the faces!
Even though a girl is cuter
Use an IBM computer!
CHORALE: Behind every man is a woman
The maternal head of the Willoby household
Is Evelyn Willoby
Whose work is never done
Simply because she never does it
EVELYN: In our exclusive neighborhood
Restricted paradise
We live just like our neighbors would
If they could pay the price
In our expensive little nest
Distinctive domecile
We only tolerate the best
And use the latest style
In a house that's automatic
Mr. Clean is autocratic
Ivory Snow in foamy swishes
Lovely hands but dirty dishes!
Happiness is the Jolly Green Giant in my washing machine!
Family get a TV dinner
Metrocal will keep me thinner
If I'm fatter from indulgin'
Maidenform will hide the bulgin'!
Happiness is a free green stamp!
Sex appeal's a woman's duty
Buy a jar of instant beauty
Charm is how you do your hair
Mine's a wig I wash and wear!
Happiness is a hairdresser
Who doesn't know for sure!
CHORUS (Sung by both Willobys and Chorale): Raise the status symbol
To the mast on high!
Climb the social ladder
To the sky, yi-yi!
Publicize your bank account
Advertize the gross amount
And blow your horn
As only you can blow!
And crow your crow
As only you can crow!
Build the greatest mansion
In a private zone!
It isn't what you are that counts
It's what you own!
When all the neighbors envy you
The happiness that you pursue
May be your loan!
CHORALE: And, to make the Willoby family complete,
We add their eighteen-year-old daughter, Jody,
And we add their adventurous young son, Buster.
Put them all together
And we have the Willobys!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Raise the status symbol to the
HENRY: Keep the pace and never grumble!
That's how the cookie crumbles!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Climb the social ladder to the
EVELYN: Maxwell House and Arid spray
Oxidol and Special K!
WILLOBYS & CHORAL: Publicize your bank account
HENRY: Dealing with a little wheeling
Isn't classified as atealing!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Advertize the gross amount
EVELYN: Reynolds Wrap and Rinse-So-White
Vaseline and Oven-Brite!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: And blow your horn
As only you can
HENRY: Eliminate the human races!
Give a number to the faces!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: And crow your crow
As only you can
EVELYN: Sani-Flush and Chevrolet
Minute Maid and new Camay!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Build the greatest mansion in a
HENRY: Even though a girl is cuter
Use an IBM computer!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: It isn't what you are that counts, it's
EVELYN: Anacin and Green Shampoo
Chesterfield and Carter's Glue!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: When all the neighbors envy you
The happiness that you pursue
May be your loan!
SOMEWHERE
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Jody Willoby)
Somewhere
The world is turning
Somewhere else
Not here
Somewhere
The fire is burning
Somewhere else
Not here
CHORUS: Longing for someone
Oh, come take me away!
Strange-sounding places
New faces
New day
REPEAT FIRST VERSE, CHORUS, & FIRST VERSE AGAIN
Somewhere else
Not here
PLINCKETTY-PLANK
by Paul Crabtree & Bob Gunton
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake)
CHORUS #1: Plincketty-plank!
Pick on a string!
That's the tune
To the song I sing!
Where'd I come from?
Well, don't ask me!
I didn't look around
So I didn't see!
Thought somethin' might be a-gainin' on me!
Can't say if'n I was borned or hatched
Among this wooly wild
A ring-tailed coon's my next of kin
I'm Mama Nature's Child!
REPEAT CHORUS #1
Don't know who larnt me all I know
Can't say who tanned my hide
But I've got proof that says they did
Right on my bottom side!
REPEAT CHORUS #1
Now I never seen no womenfolk
Til I was 21
But I found out from a grizzly bear
That huggin' sure is fun!
CHORUS #2: Plincketty-plank!
Pick on a string!
That's the tune
To the song I sing!
Where'd I come from?
Well, don't ask me!
I didn't look around
I didn't turn back
I didn't look around
\ So I didn't see!
Yeah!
JOHNNY'S CREATION
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Spoken by Johnny Timberlake, with snippet of "My Tennessee" sung by Chorale)
Folks, when the Good Lord plunked me down
In the middle of this wilderness
He said to me: "Johnny Timberlake,
"You are home, boy!"
And that was the first time
Anybody ever called me by my name
He said it in a voice
That didn't sound like no ordinary man a-talkin'
Fact is, He didn't use no words at all
He just spoke to me in sounds
That made me feel what He wanted me to know
But, just as sure as you and me are here,
He talked to me
His big, fine Voice came a-ridin' in
On a pine-smellin' wind
From over to Carolina way
'Course it weren't called Carolina then
In fact, it weren't called nothin'
Cause there was nobody there to call it
Well, anyways, He said to me: "Johnny Timberlake,
"I want to show you this big, fine home I give you!"
"I want you to look at it with your eyes and ears
And nose and mouth."
"But, mostly, I want you to look at it with your heart."
"Because that's the only way to really see
What you're lookin' at."
Well, I looked, my friends!
I looked!
I stretched out my arms
I throwed back my head
And I looked!
And I saw velvet green mountains
Soft as a summer fog
And I said: "Lord, who made them purty things?"
But He didn't answer
Cause He don't brag
But, just then, an ol' loblolly pine nodded
Ever so gently
And I knew He did
And then I knelt down
By a crisp little sliver of a stream
And an old wall-eyed pike watched me
As I cupped my hands
And touched my lips with the sterling sip
So cool and so pure
And I knew He made that, too
And, just then, the new smell of yellow jasmine
Mixed up with the breath of dragon root
Popclover and spring beauty danced by
A wild hog grunted
And a speckle-nosed buck
Pricked up his ears
And then dashed like a whisper
Into the thicket
Well, I just stood there
And shook my head at the wonder of it all
And I said: "Lord, you sure are somethin',
You ere!"
But He didn't brag nary a bit
He just said: "That's good!" "That's good!"
And then He pointed that strong, straight Finger of His
Right at my nose
And said: "I'm a-countin' on you, Johnny Timberlake,
"To be My representative and take care
"Of that big, fine home I give you
And make sure nothing bad ever happens to it!"
"And that you make it into something I'd be proud of!"
Well, I said: "I thank you kindly, Sir!"
"I give my solemn word I'll do my best!"
And do you know what He said then?
He said: "You had better, Johnny Timberlake!"
"Cause if anything bad ever happens
"To that big, green territory down there,
"I'm gonna shoot down My Wrath
And burn the whole thing up!"
And, right then, just to show me He could,
He shot down a great, hot bolt of lightning!
Scared the daylights out of me!
Well, I looked around
To see if'n I was still there,
And that ol' loblolly pine
Was split right down the middle
And burnt to a crisp!
Well, from that moment on,
I knowed I had a job to do!
CHORALE: This is my home!
This is my blessed land
Called Tennessee!
TWO SIDES
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake, Big Rip & Chorale)
There are two sides
To every question
And two views from every bridge
Two signs
Which point in opposite directions
At every intersection
The question is selection
There are two ends
In each beginning
And two means to every end
Two ways
In which to play the game of winning
Or losing or preventing
The problems neverending
There's a head for every tail
And a white for every black
There's a male for every female
And a front in front of every single back
There are two facts
In every faction
And two ways
To skin a cat
Two plans
In every plan of action
Two ways
To get your satisfaction
CHORALE: There are two sides
To every puzzling question
And two confusing views
From which you have to choose
Two confusing views
From every bridge
MOVE ON
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Chorale)
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Restless hands and searching eyes
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Frosty Appalachians rise
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Promised land of greenest gold
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Hidden stories yet untold
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Newer grasses
Bluer skies
Frosty Appalachians rise
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
And on!
REPEAT LAST TWO VERSES
SHE PASSED MY WAY
by Paul Crabtree & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake)
She passed my way
In a garden
Soft as the drifting dew
She passed my way
In the Valley Of Dreams
But she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
I kissed her lips in the moonlight
Soft as the drifting dew
I kissed her lips
In the Valley Of Dreams
And she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
I talked of love and marriage
Soft as the drifting dew
I talked of love
In the Valley Of Dreams
And she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
But she passed my way
Like a shadow
Soft as the drifting dew
She passed my way
In the Valley Of Dreams
Yes, she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
BATTLE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Performed by Cast & Chorale)
Intro: Orchestral Horn Section, Injun War Whoops & Battle Music
CHORALE: Who are these rugged men
Who love their freedom so?
THINGS ARE GONNA BE A RIGHT SMART DIFFERENT
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Chorale)
CHORALE: Things are gonna be a right smart different
Up in Washington, D.C.
There's a new breed of man
A-headin' for the White House
And he comes from Tennessee!
He's a tall drink of water
Like a Tennessee timber
And as tough as a Tennessee tree
He'll skin your hide
Quicker than a rabbit
And his name's Old Hickory!
And his name's Old Hickory!
JAMES K. POLK
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by James K. Polk & Chorale)
JAMES K. POLK (Spoken): Nobody ever knows my name!
I served seven terms
In the United States House of Representatives
I was Speaker of the House
Governor of the State of Tennessee
President of the United States!
"Who is he?" indeed!
(Sung): I'm the name that is stuck
On everybody's tongue
James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
I'm the words to a song
That is never, ever sung
James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
I'm the people's choice for obscurity
I'm the silent voice
The mystery of history
I'm the slip of the mind
Or the thought that breaks the train
I'm the "it" or the "him"
Or the "What's his name again?"
I am James K.
James K. Polk!
On the day I took the Oath
And swore to guard the nation
I set the pattern and the goal
For my administration
I swore that I would take an axe
To end the tariff and the tax
I swore to end the hanky-pankying
With independent national banking
I swore the flag of USA
Would fly in Californiay
I even swore to take a gun
To England's claim in Oregon
And, in the back of my mind,
I had a nasty little scheme
To end the drawn-out Texas wo'
By taking it from Mexico!
I said what I would do
And I've done it
I fought the war with Mexico
And won it!
I lowered all the taxes
I stole the State of Texas
And Britain didn't walk the land
She ran it!
(Spoken): What more can a President do to be remembered?
CHORALE: Well, from now on
You're the name on the tip
Of everybody's tongue!
James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
POLK: No, I'm the words to a song
That is never, ever sung!
CHORALE: James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
You're the people's choice for posterity!
POLK: I'm the silent voice!
CHORALE: You're JKP of Tennessee!
POLK: I'm the slip of the mind
Or the thought that breaks the train
CHORALE: You're the blip!
You're the hit!
Born to everlasting fame!
You are James K.!
James K.!
The leader with the master stroke!
POLK: The laughter of a pointless joke!
CHORALE: Like a mighty pine
Or a sturdy oak!
POLK: Like an empty bag
I'm just a "Polk"!
CHORALE: You are James K.!
James K.!
POLK: What's that name again?
CHORALE: It's James K.!
James K. Polk!
CIVIL WAR BALLET
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Performed by Orchestra & Chorale)
Intro: Background Music of "Dixie" and "Yankee Doodle" played by Orchestra
CHORALE: A house divided!
A house divided!
Forget this day!
Forget this day!
(Background music of "Dixie" repeated, followed by slow, menacing lead-in by Orchestra)
(Spoken): A proud nation
Divided by pride
Tantalized by pride
A people moblilized against each other
Protecting ideas
Both believed to be right
The unbowed pride of the living
The silent pride of the dead
The hushed-quiet shame
That scorched and scarred our nation
And left it black from the flames of hatred
Red with the blood of its sons
(Sung): A house divided!
A house divided!
Forget this day!
Forget this day!
(Orchestra builds to a climax, as Big Rip cackles diabolically.)
DOUGHBOYS
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Performed by Orchestra & Chorale)
Intro: Revellie bugle call.
CHORALE: Oh, how I hate to get up in the morning!
Oh, it's a long way over there!
And a long way back to the Navy!
I found my love in Avalon!
But Yankee Doodle went to London
Riding on a pony
And we are those Yankee Doodle boys!
CHORUS: You never know, boys
When you are Doughboys
You'll see the world on Uncle Sam's dough
From Picadilly to Tipperary
It's a whale of a show
Wherever you go
When Uncle Sam is handing out the do-re-mi
So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
You're in the know, boys
When you are Doughboys
And say so long to Mary
So long, Mary!
We'll see the world on Uncle Sam's dough!
(Spoken): Bye, you all!
Bye, Bye!
We're fighting the war
To end all wars
To end all wars
To end all wars
We're fighting the war
To make the world
Safe for democracy!
Safe for democracy!
REPEAT CHORUS
WALK SOFTLY
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Jody Willoby)
Walk softly
Don't tread on my dreams
Speak low
As though a prayer
Walk softly
So I'm not awake
Speak low
My love is there
A dream of love's a whispered song
For those in love to share
A dream of love
Is poet's gold
Melted into air
Walk softly
Don't tread on my dreams
Speak low
Speak low
My love is there
A FEW WORDS ON HERITAGE
by Paul Crabtree & Johnny Duke
(Spoken by Henry Willoby)
Fred, do you realize
That we're riding the crest
Of a big, rich heritage?
A richness worth more
Than all your papers
Or all the gold in the world
A richness that beats through your heart
And makes you proud
If you take the time
To take a close, hard look
At the Robertsons, the Seviers, the Shelbys,
The Crocketts, the Jacksons, the Polks, the Johnsons,
And the Yorks, the Hulls, and the Kefauvers
You know, the heartening thing you'll find
Is they weren't superhuman individuals
They weren't born of nobility
With a destiny of fame and glory
Anymore than we were
They were simple folks
Their feet hurt
And their backs ached
They were molded by the necessity of their times
And driven by the power of ideas
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
It was their job and their destiny
To leave their thumbprints
On the sturdy form of our state and nation
And they did their job
They didn't finish it
They couldn't finish it!
Liberty, like life, is so temporary
And the pursuit of happiness is ever constant
Just as sure as spring
There are new fields to plow
New rows to hoe
New seeds to plant
New crops to gather
And we're the ones of our time
The only ones to reap the harvest
And prepare the soil for tomorrow
A tick of the clock
And we're the heritage
Of a newer spring
I wonder what words will tell our deeds?
We write them now
What statues will we deserve?
We can carve them now
What hopes will we bequeath?
We dream them now
WANTED
by Paul Crabtree & Bob Gunton
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake & Big Rip)
Those city lights were bright
But they were lonesome
How I longed to walk that Smoky Mountain trail
I could see my Mother's smile
As I pushed and pulled the file
Through the window of a New York City jail
CHORUS #1: Wanted dead or alive
That's me!
Wanted dead or alive
And the one who makes the kill
Gets a thousand dollar bill
Oh, I'm worth a great deal more
Dead than alive!
Through the shadows of the night
I had to travel
Through the wind and rain
And icy winter storm
As I trudged each painful mile
I could see my Mother's smile
And the cabin on the hill
So nice and warm
REPEAT CHORUS #1
Then, at last, I saw the candle in the window
And my Mother standing in the open door
"Welcome home, my son!" she said
As she shot me full of lead
And sang as I lay bleedin' on the floor
CHORUS #2: He's wanted dead or alive
That's my boy!
Wanted dead or alive
I'm the one who made the kill
For a thousand dollar bill
He's worth a great deal more
Lying dead there on the floor
Yes, he's worth a great deal more
Dead than alive!
TENNESSEE, USA!
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Entire Cast)
Sing, Tennessee, USA!
Do-re-mi your part!
Sing, Tennessee, sing, sing, sing!
Harmonize your heart!
Sing, Tennessee, USA!
Sing it loud and clear!
(With a cheer!)
What other states are looking for
We've got it all right here!
REPEAT THREE TIMES
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CONTENTS
TENNESSEE, USA! Songbook
Paul Crabtree's TENNESSEE, USA! by CGO
TENNESSEE, USA!: 28 Years Later by CGO
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. TENNESSEE, USA! Songbook
TENNESSEE, USA!
A Play By Paul Crabtree
Featuring songs by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, Rose Stewart, and Bob Gunton.
All lyrics written by Paul Crabtree, 1965.
MY TENNESSEE
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Chorale)
This is my home!
This is my home!
This is my heritage!
This is my Tennessee!
My Tennessee!
Blessed land of God's Creation
Carved in restless history
Plankstone of a mighty nation
This is my home!
My Tennessee!
Mountains roll in undulation
Nature's blessed scenery
Rivulets forged its destination
This is my home!
My Tennessee!
Long may the flame
Burn in the glory of thy name!
Rugged sons of tribulation
Monuments of gallantry
Gave their lives in dedication
This is my home!
This is my blessed land
Called Tennessee!
RAISE THE STATUS SYMBOL
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Willoby Family & Chorale)
CHORALE: Once upon a time
In a magical land called America
Somewhere in the enchanted State of Tennessee
There lives a family named Willoby
The paternal head of this family
The sturdy and stalwart breadwinner
Is Henry Horatio Willoby IV
And, at this very moment,
Henry Horatio Willoby IV
Is busy winning bread
HENRY: Be aggressive, with persistence,
Circumvent the sales resistance!
Keep the pace and never grumble
That's how the cookie crumbles!
Happiness is a Dow Jones average!
Common market is demanding
Forward, loan, and keep expanding!
Dealing with a little wheeling
Isn't classified as stealing!
Happiness is a cornered market!
Eliminate the human races!
Give a number to the faces!
Even though a girl is cuter
Use an IBM computer!
CHORALE: Behind every man is a woman
The maternal head of the Willoby household
Is Evelyn Willoby
Whose work is never done
Simply because she never does it
EVELYN: In our exclusive neighborhood
Restricted paradise
We live just like our neighbors would
If they could pay the price
In our expensive little nest
Distinctive domecile
We only tolerate the best
And use the latest style
In a house that's automatic
Mr. Clean is autocratic
Ivory Snow in foamy swishes
Lovely hands but dirty dishes!
Happiness is the Jolly Green Giant in my washing machine!
Family get a TV dinner
Metrocal will keep me thinner
If I'm fatter from indulgin'
Maidenform will hide the bulgin'!
Happiness is a free green stamp!
Sex appeal's a woman's duty
Buy a jar of instant beauty
Charm is how you do your hair
Mine's a wig I wash and wear!
Happiness is a hairdresser
Who doesn't know for sure!
CHORUS (Sung by both Willobys and Chorale): Raise the status symbol
To the mast on high!
Climb the social ladder
To the sky, yi-yi!
Publicize your bank account
Advertize the gross amount
And blow your horn
As only you can blow!
And crow your crow
As only you can crow!
Build the greatest mansion
In a private zone!
It isn't what you are that counts
It's what you own!
When all the neighbors envy you
The happiness that you pursue
May be your loan!
CHORALE: And, to make the Willoby family complete,
We add their eighteen-year-old daughter, Jody,
And we add their adventurous young son, Buster.
Put them all together
And we have the Willobys!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Raise the status symbol to the
HENRY: Keep the pace and never grumble!
That's how the cookie crumbles!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Climb the social ladder to the
EVELYN: Maxwell House and Arid spray
Oxidol and Special K!
WILLOBYS & CHORAL: Publicize your bank account
HENRY: Dealing with a little wheeling
Isn't classified as atealing!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Advertize the gross amount
EVELYN: Reynolds Wrap and Rinse-So-White
Vaseline and Oven-Brite!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: And blow your horn
As only you can
HENRY: Eliminate the human races!
Give a number to the faces!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: And crow your crow
As only you can
EVELYN: Sani-Flush and Chevrolet
Minute Maid and new Camay!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: Build the greatest mansion in a
HENRY: Even though a girl is cuter
Use an IBM computer!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: It isn't what you are that counts, it's
EVELYN: Anacin and Green Shampoo
Chesterfield and Carter's Glue!
WILLOBYS & CHORALE: When all the neighbors envy you
The happiness that you pursue
May be your loan!
SOMEWHERE
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Jody Willoby)
Somewhere
The world is turning
Somewhere else
Not here
Somewhere
The fire is burning
Somewhere else
Not here
CHORUS: Longing for someone
Oh, come take me away!
Strange-sounding places
New faces
New day
REPEAT FIRST VERSE, CHORUS, & FIRST VERSE AGAIN
Somewhere else
Not here
PLINCKETTY-PLANK
by Paul Crabtree & Bob Gunton
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake)
CHORUS #1: Plincketty-plank!
Pick on a string!
That's the tune
To the song I sing!
Where'd I come from?
Well, don't ask me!
I didn't look around
So I didn't see!
Thought somethin' might be a-gainin' on me!
Can't say if'n I was borned or hatched
Among this wooly wild
A ring-tailed coon's my next of kin
I'm Mama Nature's Child!
REPEAT CHORUS #1
Don't know who larnt me all I know
Can't say who tanned my hide
But I've got proof that says they did
Right on my bottom side!
REPEAT CHORUS #1
Now I never seen no womenfolk
Til I was 21
But I found out from a grizzly bear
That huggin' sure is fun!
CHORUS #2: Plincketty-plank!
Pick on a string!
That's the tune
To the song I sing!
Where'd I come from?
Well, don't ask me!
I didn't look around
I didn't turn back
I didn't look around
\ So I didn't see!
Yeah!
JOHNNY'S CREATION
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Spoken by Johnny Timberlake, with snippet of "My Tennessee" sung by Chorale)
Folks, when the Good Lord plunked me down
In the middle of this wilderness
He said to me: "Johnny Timberlake,
"You are home, boy!"
And that was the first time
Anybody ever called me by my name
He said it in a voice
That didn't sound like no ordinary man a-talkin'
Fact is, He didn't use no words at all
He just spoke to me in sounds
That made me feel what He wanted me to know
But, just as sure as you and me are here,
He talked to me
His big, fine Voice came a-ridin' in
On a pine-smellin' wind
From over to Carolina way
'Course it weren't called Carolina then
In fact, it weren't called nothin'
Cause there was nobody there to call it
Well, anyways, He said to me: "Johnny Timberlake,
"I want to show you this big, fine home I give you!"
"I want you to look at it with your eyes and ears
And nose and mouth."
"But, mostly, I want you to look at it with your heart."
"Because that's the only way to really see
What you're lookin' at."
Well, I looked, my friends!
I looked!
I stretched out my arms
I throwed back my head
And I looked!
And I saw velvet green mountains
Soft as a summer fog
And I said: "Lord, who made them purty things?"
But He didn't answer
Cause He don't brag
But, just then, an ol' loblolly pine nodded
Ever so gently
And I knew He did
And then I knelt down
By a crisp little sliver of a stream
And an old wall-eyed pike watched me
As I cupped my hands
And touched my lips with the sterling sip
So cool and so pure
And I knew He made that, too
And, just then, the new smell of yellow jasmine
Mixed up with the breath of dragon root
Popclover and spring beauty danced by
A wild hog grunted
And a speckle-nosed buck
Pricked up his ears
And then dashed like a whisper
Into the thicket
Well, I just stood there
And shook my head at the wonder of it all
And I said: "Lord, you sure are somethin',
You ere!"
But He didn't brag nary a bit
He just said: "That's good!" "That's good!"
And then He pointed that strong, straight Finger of His
Right at my nose
And said: "I'm a-countin' on you, Johnny Timberlake,
"To be My representative and take care
"Of that big, fine home I give you
And make sure nothing bad ever happens to it!"
"And that you make it into something I'd be proud of!"
Well, I said: "I thank you kindly, Sir!"
"I give my solemn word I'll do my best!"
And do you know what He said then?
He said: "You had better, Johnny Timberlake!"
"Cause if anything bad ever happens
"To that big, green territory down there,
"I'm gonna shoot down My Wrath
And burn the whole thing up!"
And, right then, just to show me He could,
He shot down a great, hot bolt of lightning!
Scared the daylights out of me!
Well, I looked around
To see if'n I was still there,
And that ol' loblolly pine
Was split right down the middle
And burnt to a crisp!
Well, from that moment on,
I knowed I had a job to do!
CHORALE: This is my home!
This is my blessed land
Called Tennessee!
TWO SIDES
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake, Big Rip & Chorale)
There are two sides
To every question
And two views from every bridge
Two signs
Which point in opposite directions
At every intersection
The question is selection
There are two ends
In each beginning
And two means to every end
Two ways
In which to play the game of winning
Or losing or preventing
The problems neverending
There's a head for every tail
And a white for every black
There's a male for every female
And a front in front of every single back
There are two facts
In every faction
And two ways
To skin a cat
Two plans
In every plan of action
Two ways
To get your satisfaction
CHORALE: There are two sides
To every puzzling question
And two confusing views
From which you have to choose
Two confusing views
From every bridge
MOVE ON
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Chorale)
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Restless hands and searching eyes
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Frosty Appalachians rise
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Promised land of greenest gold
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Hidden stories yet untold
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
Newer grasses
Bluer skies
Frosty Appalachians rise
Move on! (Move on!)
Move on! (Move on!)
And on!
REPEAT LAST TWO VERSES
SHE PASSED MY WAY
by Paul Crabtree & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake)
She passed my way
In a garden
Soft as the drifting dew
She passed my way
In the Valley Of Dreams
But she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
I kissed her lips in the moonlight
Soft as the drifting dew
I kissed her lips
In the Valley Of Dreams
And she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
I talked of love and marriage
Soft as the drifting dew
I talked of love
In the Valley Of Dreams
And she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
But she passed my way
Like a shadow
Soft as the drifting dew
She passed my way
In the Valley Of Dreams
Yes, she passed my way
She passed my way
She passed my way
Like you
BATTLE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Performed by Cast & Chorale)
Intro: Orchestral Horn Section, Injun War Whoops & Battle Music
CHORALE: Who are these rugged men
Who love their freedom so?
THINGS ARE GONNA BE A RIGHT SMART DIFFERENT
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Chorale)
CHORALE: Things are gonna be a right smart different
Up in Washington, D.C.
There's a new breed of man
A-headin' for the White House
And he comes from Tennessee!
He's a tall drink of water
Like a Tennessee timber
And as tough as a Tennessee tree
He'll skin your hide
Quicker than a rabbit
And his name's Old Hickory!
And his name's Old Hickory!
JAMES K. POLK
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by James K. Polk & Chorale)
JAMES K. POLK (Spoken): Nobody ever knows my name!
I served seven terms
In the United States House of Representatives
I was Speaker of the House
Governor of the State of Tennessee
President of the United States!
"Who is he?" indeed!
(Sung): I'm the name that is stuck
On everybody's tongue
James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
I'm the words to a song
That is never, ever sung
James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
I'm the people's choice for obscurity
I'm the silent voice
The mystery of history
I'm the slip of the mind
Or the thought that breaks the train
I'm the "it" or the "him"
Or the "What's his name again?"
I am James K.
James K. Polk!
On the day I took the Oath
And swore to guard the nation
I set the pattern and the goal
For my administration
I swore that I would take an axe
To end the tariff and the tax
I swore to end the hanky-pankying
With independent national banking
I swore the flag of USA
Would fly in Californiay
I even swore to take a gun
To England's claim in Oregon
And, in the back of my mind,
I had a nasty little scheme
To end the drawn-out Texas wo'
By taking it from Mexico!
I said what I would do
And I've done it
I fought the war with Mexico
And won it!
I lowered all the taxes
I stole the State of Texas
And Britain didn't walk the land
She ran it!
(Spoken): What more can a President do to be remembered?
CHORALE: Well, from now on
You're the name on the tip
Of everybody's tongue!
James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
POLK: No, I'm the words to a song
That is never, ever sung!
CHORALE: James K. Polk!
James K. Polk!
You're the people's choice for posterity!
POLK: I'm the silent voice!
CHORALE: You're JKP of Tennessee!
POLK: I'm the slip of the mind
Or the thought that breaks the train
CHORALE: You're the blip!
You're the hit!
Born to everlasting fame!
You are James K.!
James K.!
The leader with the master stroke!
POLK: The laughter of a pointless joke!
CHORALE: Like a mighty pine
Or a sturdy oak!
POLK: Like an empty bag
I'm just a "Polk"!
CHORALE: You are James K.!
James K.!
POLK: What's that name again?
CHORALE: It's James K.!
James K. Polk!
CIVIL WAR BALLET
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Performed by Orchestra & Chorale)
Intro: Background Music of "Dixie" and "Yankee Doodle" played by Orchestra
CHORALE: A house divided!
A house divided!
Forget this day!
Forget this day!
(Background music of "Dixie" repeated, followed by slow, menacing lead-in by Orchestra)
(Spoken): A proud nation
Divided by pride
Tantalized by pride
A people moblilized against each other
Protecting ideas
Both believed to be right
The unbowed pride of the living
The silent pride of the dead
The hushed-quiet shame
That scorched and scarred our nation
And left it black from the flames of hatred
Red with the blood of its sons
(Sung): A house divided!
A house divided!
Forget this day!
Forget this day!
(Orchestra builds to a climax, as Big Rip cackles diabolically.)
DOUGHBOYS
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Performed by Orchestra & Chorale)
Intro: Revellie bugle call.
CHORALE: Oh, how I hate to get up in the morning!
Oh, it's a long way over there!
And a long way back to the Navy!
I found my love in Avalon!
But Yankee Doodle went to London
Riding on a pony
And we are those Yankee Doodle boys!
CHORUS: You never know, boys
When you are Doughboys
You'll see the world on Uncle Sam's dough
From Picadilly to Tipperary
It's a whale of a show
Wherever you go
When Uncle Sam is handing out the do-re-mi
So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
You're in the know, boys
When you are Doughboys
And say so long to Mary
So long, Mary!
We'll see the world on Uncle Sam's dough!
(Spoken): Bye, you all!
Bye, Bye!
We're fighting the war
To end all wars
To end all wars
To end all wars
We're fighting the war
To make the world
Safe for democracy!
Safe for democracy!
REPEAT CHORUS
WALK SOFTLY
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Jody Willoby)
Walk softly
Don't tread on my dreams
Speak low
As though a prayer
Walk softly
So I'm not awake
Speak low
My love is there
A dream of love's a whispered song
For those in love to share
A dream of love
Is poet's gold
Melted into air
Walk softly
Don't tread on my dreams
Speak low
Speak low
My love is there
A FEW WORDS ON HERITAGE
by Paul Crabtree & Johnny Duke
(Spoken by Henry Willoby)
Fred, do you realize
That we're riding the crest
Of a big, rich heritage?
A richness worth more
Than all your papers
Or all the gold in the world
A richness that beats through your heart
And makes you proud
If you take the time
To take a close, hard look
At the Robertsons, the Seviers, the Shelbys,
The Crocketts, the Jacksons, the Polks, the Johnsons,
And the Yorks, the Hulls, and the Kefauvers
You know, the heartening thing you'll find
Is they weren't superhuman individuals
They weren't born of nobility
With a destiny of fame and glory
Anymore than we were
They were simple folks
Their feet hurt
And their backs ached
They were molded by the necessity of their times
And driven by the power of ideas
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
It was their job and their destiny
To leave their thumbprints
On the sturdy form of our state and nation
And they did their job
They didn't finish it
They couldn't finish it!
Liberty, like life, is so temporary
And the pursuit of happiness is ever constant
Just as sure as spring
There are new fields to plow
New rows to hoe
New seeds to plant
New crops to gather
And we're the ones of our time
The only ones to reap the harvest
And prepare the soil for tomorrow
A tick of the clock
And we're the heritage
Of a newer spring
I wonder what words will tell our deeds?
We write them now
What statues will we deserve?
We can carve them now
What hopes will we bequeath?
We dream them now
WANTED
by Paul Crabtree & Bob Gunton
(Sung by Johnny Timberlake & Big Rip)
Those city lights were bright
But they were lonesome
How I longed to walk that Smoky Mountain trail
I could see my Mother's smile
As I pushed and pulled the file
Through the window of a New York City jail
CHORUS #1: Wanted dead or alive
That's me!
Wanted dead or alive
And the one who makes the kill
Gets a thousand dollar bill
Oh, I'm worth a great deal more
Dead than alive!
Through the shadows of the night
I had to travel
Through the wind and rain
And icy winter storm
As I trudged each painful mile
I could see my Mother's smile
And the cabin on the hill
So nice and warm
REPEAT CHORUS #1
Then, at last, I saw the candle in the window
And my Mother standing in the open door
"Welcome home, my son!" she said
As she shot me full of lead
And sang as I lay bleedin' on the floor
CHORUS #2: He's wanted dead or alive
That's my boy!
Wanted dead or alive
I'm the one who made the kill
For a thousand dollar bill
He's worth a great deal more
Lying dead there on the floor
Yes, he's worth a great deal more
Dead than alive!
TENNESSEE, USA!
by Paul Crabtree, Johnny Duke, & Rose Stewart
(Sung by Entire Cast)
Sing, Tennessee, USA!
Do-re-mi your part!
Sing, Tennessee, sing, sing, sing!
Harmonize your heart!
Sing, Tennessee, USA!
Sing it loud and clear!
(With a cheer!)
What other states are looking for
We've got it all right here!
REPEAT THREE TIMES
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