Home » To Willie and Mary
To Willie and Mary
A folk song about a couple
Approximate reading time: 2 minutes
Liner Notes
Me and a bunch of musicians rented an awesome house for the weekend to celebrate FAWM and make music together. Someone found a framed poem telling the story of the house and the couple that built it, so we decided to turn it into song by adding a chorus.
Credits go to:
- @natenol
- @littlespiral
- @phylo
- @gabrielmarcondes
- @cnote
- @elesimo
Lyrics
Two generations back, before forty-eight, Wilfred asked Mary Hall out on a date. Little did she know, and nobody guessed From that moment on their union was blessed. They plighted their troth, (an old-fashioned phrase) And swore to be faithful the rest of their days. Willie solemnly promised, in front of the preacher, What Mary needed to know, of the dairy, he'd teach her. We're here at Granny's Singing with old friends and new Raising our glasses in honor of you And the house will remember this too "I can't promise to keep you in ermine and silk, But I do guarantee we won't run out of milk. And high on that hill a new home I'll be built in I'll make it a big one, in case we have children. The years started passing, along came son Randy, And Will began his daily habit of candy. Then Rick came, and Jan, Scott, Dedee and Kim, Hopes of them stopping production seemed slim Until Mary remembered, to the Bible she went And adapted a phrase from the Old Testament "Six times shalt thou labor, and then take a rest" She quotes to Willie, "I've given by best." We're here at Granny's Singing with old friends and new We raise our glasses in honor of you And the house will remember this too Their kids went to school, half a mile down the road. So Willie decided to shoulder the load And run for trustee, a responsible Dad, He's been there 35 years, (dedicated or mad?) For several years things were quiet, then darn it They hired a teacher whose first name was Garnet. The board had a hearing, where Willie presided And on national T.V., the trustees decided To hire a replacement. To come to the point, They fired Ms. Brennan for smoking a joint. We're here at Granny's Being silly with friends old and new Raising our glasses in honor of you And the house will remember this too Willie still sprays the thistles, they make him so sick it, Led to him getting a one hundred buck ticket. And they still have their poker, and New Year's Eve parties, And family feasts, for that's where their heart is. Plus trips to Will's cousins, way up in Seattle, Where he can forget all about those damned cattle. Look at them now, amid family and friends The couple upon whom our community depends. So I raise up my glass, and I drink me a toast, To the couple with class, we love you the most. We're here at Granny's Being silly with old friends and new We raise our glasses in honor of you And the house will remember this too
Comments
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sounds like you all had a really special weekend, what a lovely thing to do. 😀 sweet to take the poem of the house to celebrate your own time there.
I'm jealous....sounds like a beautiful weekend nothing quite as beautiful as creative people creating for the sake of creation lots of good stuff, especially loved the nod to the house remembering it too Found Poetry is also one of the finer things in life awesome song guys!
What a charming story and idea to create this song! I like how the chorus gives a nod and a toast to Willie and Mary! Well-delivered and entertaining!
epic story given a grand town hall drinking song remdition that even has a touch of the beatles folded in.
Wow, wonderful voice! This song gives me a nice wistful vibe, kinda nostalgic. I hear a violin, I think? It rules that a group of you can get together and create - nothing beats musical companionship. Thanks for sharing!
A bit of a Magnetic Fields feel to this one. Awesome backstory to the tune and I love the fiddle counterpoint. Poor Ms Brennan!
That's a fun song. Found poetry can be so inspiring! I need to do a live FAWM-together with folks, hearing this song.
I love these recordings, really captures the vibe of a bunch of folks making music together. It's joyous. Especially with the "alright!" at the end. 😀 I love a good tune in 3 or 6. Has The Pogues vibes. Also very cool to write a song about that house.
Really nice combo of melody and chords. Got a lot of energy to it!
Really nice combo of melody and chords. Got a lot of energy to it!
Sweet and fun! Fantastic story line and how wonderful memories of old meet new memories of new. Sounds like the weekend songwriting retreat at the rental was a success!
A fawmscursion. Sounds amazing. The positive vibes come sounding through.
what a fortuitous find! and a brilliant idea, to bring the classic song form up to date with a chorus as refrain. very fun, and quite informative.
Just a super nice and positive song. The chorus filled me with good vibes. Very nice one
This sounds like a super fun idea. Bunch of musicians in a house? Love the story behind this.
I love the story behind this song. The lyrics paint such a lovely picture and the performance feels so warm.
Fantastic!! What a fun idea
Great idea to get together for a collaborative effort. I like the classic story telling and instrumentation.
Aw man I got a tear in my eye 😀 great song, great thoughts, great production!
Super cool idea for a song, and how lucky are you all to be able to spend February together, like literally? Almost sounds like an old Irish song you'd hear the whole pub singing as you walked through the door. You should share this with the owners, I bet they'd find it heartwarming.
This is a great way to come together. Classic folk story-telling at its best. Great job to everyone! CTS
Great idea and the results are great too! Such a warm bit of folky storytelling, with a charismatic lead vocal and a lovely full sound.
What a fantastic idea to start off FAWM. I just came home from a songwriter's retreat with a bunch of my favourite people last weekend, and this is making me all nostalgic. You sound great, and the chorus is a great framing for the story. Love the poem, whoever wrote that had a healthy sense of humour.
Sounds like a great weekend... and like it was productive for all of you! This song is so sweet; what a lovely homage to the original tenants. This is what art (and FAWM) is all about for me. The sources of inspiration for music and art are everywhere, all the time. Sometimes you just gotta get up and take them and use them, and you will be transported to another world... and hopefully take us with you! Thanks for the inspiration!