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Rough Cuts

by Great Blue

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Immediate download of 6-track album in high-quality MP3.

    Tracks:

    1. This Old Earth
    (by Bob Zentz © 1974 Folk Legacy Records, BMI, 3:42)
    2. Give Yourself to Love
    (by Kate Wolf © 1982 Another Sundown Publishing Co.; 3:56)
    3. Hudson River Breeze
    (© 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan; 4:23)
    4. The Lilac and the Apple
    (by Kate Wolf © 1977-82 Another Sundown Publishing Co.; 2:58)
    5. Shoulder to Shoulder
    (© 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan; 4:39)
    6. Living Planet
    (© 1990 by Jay Mankita; 3:17)
    7. Bonus track: That Old Banjo
    (© 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan; 3:37)
    ... more
    Purchasable with gift card

      $5 USD  or more

     

1.
This Old Earth By Bob Zentz ©1974 Folk Legacy Records, BMI) Fragments of another sunset, Ashes of another dawn, Drowned in time’s immortal ocean, All too soon it could be gone This old earth has seen a lot of living, This old earth, the stories she could tell, This old earth is finished with the giving This old earth we’ve used so well Now the playground stands deserted, In the yellow afternoon And the cotton-candy children, Have all gone home too soon And the tree of knowledge trembles, For the fruit was ours before Will we be like Eden’s lovers, Driven from the garden door. What will it take from Nature, And what must it take from Man, For the future generations To save the sky, the sea, the land, This old earth has seen a lot of living, This old earth, the stories she could tell, This old earth is finished with the giving This old earth we’ve used so well So ask your child what really matters, Ask your friends what they will do, Ask the leaders you’ve elected (ask them!) But the answer lies with you, This old earth has seen a lot of living, This old earth, we’ve used from end to end, This old earth is finished with the giving This old earth could use a friend.
2.
Give Yourself to Love By Kate Wolf © 1982 Another Sundown Publishing co. BMI (Last verse by Shirl Lawrence) Kind friends all gathered 'round, there's something I would say: That what brings us together here has blessed us all today. Love has made a circle that holds us all inside. Where strangers are as family, loneliness can't hide. So give yourself to love if love is what you're after; Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter And give yourself to love, give yourself to love. I've walked these mountains in the rain and learned to love the wind; I've been up before the sunrise to watch the day begin. I've always knew I'd find you, though I never did know how; Like sunshine on a cloudy day stand before me now. So give yourself to love if love is what you're after; Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter And give yourself to love, give yourself to love. Love is born in fire; it's planted like a seed. Love can't give you everything, but it gives you what you need. And love comes when you're ready, love comes when you're afraid; It'll be your greatest teacher, the best friend you have made. So give yourself to love if love is what you're after; Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter And give yourself to love, give yourself to love. Two can start a chain of love together, hand in hand Peace and understanding will reign throughout the land Joy will come to others who take the time to care And the love will grow collectively with more for us to share So give yourself to love if love is what you're after; Open up your hearts to the tears and laughter And give yourself to love, give yourself to love.
3.
Hudson River Breeze © 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan I worked all the day, looking out the window, Watching how the wind was blowing wildly through the trees As I sang to myself, I knew that I must go And sail tonight on that Hudson River breeze Chorus: Being on this river always makes my spirits rise Sailing on the Woody Guthrie cuts my troubles down to size Thanks to the captain, and my hat's off to the crew Who came to volunteer tonight to sail this boat for you We come from many walks of life: a housewife and a plumber, Teenaged students, engineers, and token “yuppies”, too We work and argue winter long, readying for summer The sailing season tends to smooth our different points of view First we raise the mains’l up, then we have to sweat it When it's good and tight, we haul up and back the jib Then the wind turns the boat around, the captain yells “Let's set it!” And the jib gets kicked across into that Hudson River breeze Spoken: “Ready about!?! Helms a’lee! Slack that starboard topping lift! Anyone want to take a turn at the helm?” It wasn't many years ago, a potter and a plumber Built this old-time wooden sloop and named it for a friend They saw the river running foul, it really couldn't get much sicker Now it's running clearer, and we're sailing 'round the bend It could be fifty years from now, many sloops will sail this river Each one based upon a sloop club, nestled in the trees It could be we can do the jobs of really cleaning up this river And bringing out the public to that Hudson River breeze
4.
The Lilac and the Apple by Kate Wolf © 1977-82 Another Sundown Publishing Co. A Lilac bush and an Apple tree Were standing in the woods, Out on the hill above the town, Where once a farmhouse stood. In the winter the leaves are bare And no one sees the signs Of a house that stood and a garden that grew And life in another time. One Spring when the buds can bursting forth And grass grew on the land, The Lilac spoke to the Apple tree As only a good friend can. Do you think, said the Lilac, this might be the year When someone will build here once more? Here by the cellar, still open and deep, There's room for new walls and a floor. Oh, no, said the Apple, there are so few Who come here on the mountain this way, And when they do, they don't often see Why we're growing here, so far away. A long time ago we were planted by hands That worked in the mines and the mills, When the country was young and the people who came Built their homes in the hills. But now there are cities, the roads have come, And no one lives here today. And the only signs of the farms in the hills Are the things not carried away. Broken dishes, piles of boards, A tin plate, an old leather shoe. And an Apple tree still bending down, And a Lilac where a garden once grew.
5.
Shoulder to Shoulder © 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan It's corporation policy Not to care too much 'bout you and me, They keep their eyes trained on that bottom line They can dump their poisons without fear, Just as long as profits rise this year And then pretend that everything is fine Chorus: Shoulder to shoulder, if we stand together We can make a difference in this world Shoulder to shoulder, we must act together Working for the future of this world The Generous Electric Company Filled the mighty Hudson with PCBs, Should they be allowed to get away? New York State just let them walk Now the E.P.A. is about to balk We have to raise our voices up today --> Chorus Waste from this society Is dumped with impropriety Or burned to belch forth smoking from some stack Despite the fact that there are many ways Better methods that have gained high praise They choose to dump where poor folks can't fight back --> Chorus This system thrives on our division While we fight, they make decisions This fighting helps to keep us all in chains We have to show respect for each other Work together, sister, brother With our hands our hearts and with our brains --> Chorus I see people building parks On cleaned-up dumps and vacant lots Cleaning up their valleys and their streams Environmental action troops Made of every available ethnic group Folks who're not afraid to live their dreams --> Chorus
6.
If all the world were peaceful now, and forever more Peaceful at the surface, and peaceful at the core All the joy within my heart would be so free to soar And we're living on a living planet, circling a living star I don't know where we're going, but I know we're going far We can change the universe by being who we are And we're living on a living planet, circling a living star... If all the world knew justice now, and forever more Justice at the surface, and justice at the core All the joy within my heart would be so free to soar And we're living on a living planet, circling a living star... I don't know where we're going, but I know we're going far We can change the universe by being who we are And we're living on a living planet, circling a living star... If all the world knew freedom now, and forever more Freedom at the surface, and freedom at the core All the joy within my heart would be so free to soar And we're living on a living planet, circling a living star... I don't know where we're going, but I know we're going far We can change the universe by being who we are And we're living on a living planet
7.
That Old Banjo © 2003 by Steve B. Kaplan That old banjo’s slim and long It can play a breakdown, back up a song It’s fought for rights, seen many a wrong That banjo’s stood its ground That old banjo travels well Its owner rings it just like a bell It sings for freedom’s truth to tell You can’t mistake its sound Chorus: This machine … surrounds hate And forces it to surrender It sings right out its not too late To play just one more song Come and sing together! That old banjo stands up tall It can hurl an idea over a wall It can reach those who can’t see at all Where others fear to tread That old banjo’s magic sound Has lifted hearts the whole world ’round Its message can be clearly found In the words etched ’round its head --> Chorus That old banjo boldly leads It spreads its notes like apple seeds They flower tall among the weeds Shining brightly in the sun That old banjo’s led a crowd Of joyful people singing out loud This banjo can be awfully proud Of the good work it has done --> Chorus

about

This is Great Blue's first flight; after many years of playing out, we've recorded a few of our tunes. If we're able to interest you in these baker's half dozen, we'll go back to the recording studio and put out a full CD.

credits

released April 3, 2013

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Great Blue Estes Park, Colorado

Shirl Lawrence & Steve Kaplan (a/k/a Great Blue) have been making music for more than 3 decades. Their beautifully crafted harmonies have been heard at coffeehouses in the Hudson Valley. They now reside on the Front Range in Colorado, where they deliver songs to warm the heart and feed the soul. They named themselves “Great Blue” after the observant heron they often find during their kayak trips. ... more

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