“A Year in the Garden”
Kim Wallach describes the process of writing "A year in the Garden" as an alternative to the traditional song, "I've Been Working on the Railroad.”
Kim sings her song, "A Year in the Garden.”
“A Year in the Garden”
© 2020 Kim Wallach, kimwallach.com
Permission granted to use for personal and educational purposes. All other rights reserved.
(3/4 time)
The garden in winter sleeps under the snow
The seeds lie dormant, waiting to grow
Slowly the days grow longer
Slowly the sun grows stronger
Til one day a shoot starts to show
(4/4 time)
Then I work out in the garden
In the rain and in the sun
I keep working in the garden
To get the weeding and the planting done
Garden won’t you grow
Garden won’t you grow
Grow a little taller
Grow a little greener
Tiny shoots and tiny leaves show
Tiny shoots and tiny leaves show
A caterpillar crawler
Upon my string bean screener
Garden won’t you grow
Time to pick the bugs and slugs off
Time to pick the bugs and slugs
Time to pick the bugs and slugs off
Time to pick the bugs and slugs
Everything is ripe in the garden
Everything is ripe all at once
Everything is ripe in the garden
I can’t pick fast enough
Canning in the kitchen with Mama
Canning the pickles and beans
Canning tomatoes with Mama
Canning the pickles and beans
(3/4 time)
She’s singing:
tra la la la la la la la la la
tra la la la la la la la la la la
tra la la la la la la la la la la
tra la la la la la la la la la la la la
(4/4 time)
Now it’s autumn in the garden
The leaves and vines are turning brown
Now it’s autumn in the garden
The seeds sleep underneath the ground.
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Here is the way Kim plays the chords:
Play in C, capo 2 if desired:
/C - -/C - -/F - -/C - -
/C - -/Am - -/ D7 - -/G - -
/F - -/G - -/C - -/Am - -
/F - -/G - -/C - -/Am - -
/D7 - -/D7 - -/G - -/ - - -
4/4 time
/C- - -/C - - -/
/G- - -/G - - -/
/C - - -/C - - -/
C - G -/C - - -/
/G - - -/C - - -/
/F - - -/C - - -/
/G - - -/C - - -/
/F - - -/ C - - -/
/G - - - /C - - -/
faster:
/C - - - -/G - - - /
/G - - - /C - - - /
/C - - -/ F - - -/
/G - - - /C - - -/ 3x, faster each time
3/4 time
/C - -/C - -/ C - -/ C - -/
/C - - /C - -/G - -/G - -/
/C - -/C - -/C - -/ C - -/
/F - -/C - -/G - -/ C - -/
4/4 time - slow march
/C - - - /C - - -/
/G - - -/ G - - -/
/C - - - /C - - -/
/C F C G/ C - - -/