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Touch The Sky

by John Farrell

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1.
Step By Step 04:11
Words and music copyright, John Farrell, 1998 Step by step (Echo) One at a time " You don't have to run " There's plenty of time " If you fall down " Rise up and then " Step by step " Start movin'again " Life is a circle, the earth is a ball Seeds that are tiny grow so tall Seeds need the rain, seeds need the sun After the storm the rainbow will come Day by day (Echo) Follow the light " Riding the waves " Learning to fly " Feel how it feels " Reach for your dreams " Day by day " Let your heart sing " Step by step……………Day by day One at a time…………..Follow the light You don't have to run…Riding the waves There's plenty of time…Learning to fly If you fall down………. Feel how it feels Rise up and then……….Reach for your dreams Step by step……………Day by day Start movin' again……..Let you heart sing
2.
Rachel 03:37
Words and Music copyright Bob Blue, 1990 I used to be best friends with Rachel And Rachel was best friends with me We always dressed just like each other And watched the same shows on TV On weekends sometimes she'd sleep over We'd whisper till we fell asleep She's a friend that made me feel important She's a friend that I wanted to keep Oh Rachel, where are you now? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you somehow? Oh Rachel you once were my friend Will you ever like me again? A girl moved in next door to Rachel Her name was Melinda MacNeil The two of them struck up a friendship With no thought to how I might feel Melinda and Rachel went skating I didn't know Rachel had skates Now Melinda's the one that she plays with And I am the one that she hates Should I try and forget about Rachel? Should I hope that she'll come back to me? Should I try and make friends with Melinda? Can a friendship include three? Should I pack up and move to Alberta? If I did would she miss me at all? I hope she hears my song We can fix what went wrong Rachel, please hear my call
3.
Copyright John Farrell, 1995 Sometimes I feel like an eagle I can see the whole world as I glide Sometimes I feel like a rabbit on the run Just looking for a place to hide Sometimes I feel like a lion Everybody listens when I speak Sometimes I feel like the cat has got my tongue My voice is small and weak Sometimes I'm up Sometimes I'm down Sometimes I spin around and round Sometimes I'm happy Sometimes I'm sad Feeling the feelings that I have Sometimes I feel like an oak tree My branches reach to the sky Sometimes I feel like a jellyfish Just riding the waves as they go by Sometimes I feel like a beaver I can change if I keep working on But sometimes I feel like a snowman in the sun I'm here now but soon I'll be gone Sometimes I feel like a sunrise Everything I touch is warm and bright But sometimes I feel like a dark and cloudy day I can't get anything right Sometimes I feel like a song that fills the air I'm a melody, a harmony, a verse But sometimes I feel like a worm on a hook This ain't much fun but it could be worse
4.
Words and music copyright Peter Jones, 1983 Kilkelly Ireland1860 My dear and loving son John Your good friend the schoolmaster Pat Mac Namara's So good as to write these words down Your brothers have all gone to find work in England The house is so empty and sad The crop of potatoes is sorely infected with A third to a half of them bad Your sister Brigid and Patrick O' Donnell are going to be married in June Your mother says not to work on the railroad And be sure to come on home soon. Kilkelly Ireland 1870 My dear and loving son John Hello to your Mrs. and to your four children May they grow healthy and strong Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble I suppose that he never will learn Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of And now there is nothing to burn Brigid is happy you named a child for her Although she's got six of her own You say you found work but you don't say what kind Or when you'll be coming home Killy Ireland 1880 Dear Michael and John my sons I'm sorry to give you the sad news But your dear old mother passed on We buried her down at the church in Kilkelly Your brothers and Brigid were there You don't have to worry she died very quickly Remember her in your prayers And it's so good to hear that Michael's returning With money he's sure to buy land For the crop has been poor and the people are selling At any price that they can Kilkelly Ireland 1890 My dear and loving son John I suppose that I must be close on 80 It's 30 years since you've gone Because of all of the money you sent me I'm still living out on my own Michael has built himself a fine house And Brigid's daughters have grown. Thank you for sending your family's picture They're lovely young women and men You say that you might even come for a visit What joy to see you again Kilkelly Ireland 1892 My dear brother John I'm sorry I didn't write sooner to tell you But Father passed on. He was living with Brigid she says he was cheerful And healthy right down to the end Ah you should've seen him playin' with the grandchildren Of Pat MacNamara your friend We buried him alongside of Mother Down at the Kilkelly church yard He was a strong and a feisty old man Considering his life was so hard And it's funny the way he kept talkin'about you He called for you at the end Why don't you think about coming to visit. We'd all love to see you again
5.
Traditional I'll tell me ma when I go home The boys won't leave the girls alone They pull my hair and they stole my comb But that's all right till I go home She is handsome, she is pretty, She is the belle of Belfast city She is courting 1, 2, 3 Please won't you tell me who is she? Albert Mooney says he loves her All the boys are fighting for her They knock on the door and they ring the bell Saying oh my true love are you well? Out she comes as white as snow With rings on her finger and bells on her toes Ol' Jenny Murray says she'll die If she doesn't get the lad with the roving eye Let the wind and the rain and the hail blow high And the snow come tumblin' from the sky She's as nice as apple pie, She'll get her own lad by and by When she gets a lad of her own She won't tell her ma when she comes home Let them all come as they will For it's Albert Mooney she loves still
6.
Words and Music copyright Willie Welch Saturday summers when I was a kid We'd run to the school yard and here's what we did We'd pick out the captains, we'd choose up the teams It was always a measure of my self-esteem 'Cause the strongest the fastest played shortstop and first The ones they picked last were the worst I never needed to ask it was sealed I just took up my place in right field Playing right field is easy you know You can be awkward, you can be slow That's why I'm here in right field Watching the dandelions grow Playing right field is lonely and dull Little leagues never have lefties that pull I'd dream of the day they'd hit one my way They never did but still I would pray That I'd make a fantastic catch on the run And not lose the ball in the sun Then I'd awake from this long reverie And pray that the ball never came out to me here in… Off in the distance the game's dragging on There're strikes on the batter, some runners are on I don't know the inning, I've forgotten the score The whole team is yelling and I don't know what for Suddenly everyone's looking at me My mind has been wandering. What could it be? They point to the sky and I look up above And a baseball falls into my glove Playing right field, it's important you know You gotta know how to catch You gotta know how to throw That's why I'm here in right field Watching the dandelions grow
7.
Words and Music copyright John Farrell, 1998 Who? What? Where? How? Why? and When? Who? What? Where? How? Why? and When? It's your story, it's my story, it's our story, It's History! Who? What? Where? How? Why? and When? Who were the first to settle on this land? Why did they choose to make their homes right here? When did they arrive? How did they survive? What can we see today that tells us they were here? Who were the ones that helped to build this town? What were the hopes and dreams that brought them here? Where did they work and play? How did they celebrate? What can we see today that tells us they were here? Who were the ones who found fortune or fame? Why is it that we still recall their names? How did they serve and lead? What are their legacies? What can we see today that tells us they were here? What was it like to be alive back then? What brought joy and sadness to their lives? Let's see what we can find as we hold the hands of time And drift back through the years to yesterday
8.
Arrangement and Music copyright John Farrell, 1998 States were already named. Wyoming, Wisconsin, West Virginia Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio, North Dakota, North Carolina, New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, and New Hampshire Nevada, Nebraska, Montana, Missouri, Mississippi, Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine and Louisiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Iowa, and Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Hawaii, and Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Connecticut, Colorado, California, Arkansas, Arizona, Alaska, and Alabama!
9.
Words and Music copyright, John Farrell 1998 The sun was shinning bright and the grass Was oh so green We were laughin', we were singin', it felt good to be a team. We had new shorts and socks - on our shirts they wrote our names Everything was goin' great until they said, "Let's start the game!" Then the other team appeared, they came like soldiers to a war They were big and they were fast and they looked mean. Their coach was yellin' at 'em, he even called us names. I couldn't help but wonder, "Does he know it's just a game?" It's just a game! It's just a game! We're only kids. We're not the pros. We joined the team to learn and play and have some fun. We'll try our best to win but if we don't there is no shame. Please remember this: "We're only kids - It's just a game!" Then the game began. We were nervous, we were scared Cause they were big and they were fast but they weren't mean. They did play well together. They scored time and time again. We made some good plays too and we tried hard until the end But then the game was over. We went and said "nice game!" Quickly thoughts of ice cream filled our brains. Till we heard a grown-up shouting, "It's your fault, you're to blame!" I wish someone would tell him, "It's okay, it's just a game!" As our season went along we lost every game but one But we got better and we learned stuff that was new Our coach says we're amazing. And our teamwork and our friendships grew and grew. But when the last game ended another team finished first They played well. They played hard. They were the best. And though the medals went to them we feel like winners just the same We never quit and we know "It's just a game!"
10.
Word and Music copyright John Farrell , 1998 Twenty- four bug bite, freckles by the score Baseball, soccer, ice cream galore Old friends, new friends, strawberry pie Summer's here, another year, reach up and touch the sky Swimming in the ocean, fishing in the pond Riding bikes, playing cards, making up a song Shooting stars, bumper cars, lemon butterflies Summer's here, another year, reach up and touch the sky Reach up and touch the sky, reach up and touch the sky Summer's here, another year, reach up and touch the sky Swinging in the hammock, climbing up a tree Picking wildflowers, running on the beach Marshmallow chin, raspberry grins, catching fireflies Summer's here, another year reach up and touch the sky Reading to each other, reading all alone Teasing, fighting, talking on the phone Hummingbirds, jellyfish, asking how and why Summer's here another year reach up and touch the sky The barbecue is sizzling, the sun is sizzling too Running barefoot through the grass, trying to find my shoes Chocolate chips, melon pits Cygnus shinning bright Summer's here, another year, reach up and touch the sky Supper's on the table, there's always room for more Sleeping in the bunk room, playing sibling war Writing letters, playing life,watching clouds drift by Summer's here another year reach up and touch the sky Jumping from the hayloft, bonfires neath the moon Company's a coming , let's sing a welcome tune Acorn , sweet corn, birds begin to fly Summer's here, another year, reach up and touch the sky Rain falls on the garden, green fields turn to gold Rainbows decorate the sky, the young renew the old Everyone is crying, it's hard to say good-bye Summer's here, another year, reach up and touch the sky
11.
Words and Music copyright, 1998 Mistakes are our teachers Our teachers are mistakes We have a chance to learn something From each mistake we make Thomas Alva Edison Made the light bulb shine But before he got it right He was wrong 500 times Wilber and Orville Wright Believed that they could fly It took years of falling down Before they reached the sky Rosa parks was right When she said " I will not move" The law was a mistake As Rosa's courage proved The great Henry Aaron The all time home run king For every homer Henry hit He took a thousand swings
12.
Traditional, Melody is "Mary Widow Waltz" by Franz Lehar Happy birthday, happy birthday we love you Happy birthday and may all your dreams come true When you blow out the candles one light stays aglow That's the love light in your eyes where e'er you go
13.
14.

about

This wonderful release lifts the spirits with thought-provoking songs about growing up viewed from a child's perspective. Topics include friendship, feelings, keeping the play in sports, the joys of summer, celebrating birthdays and families, learning from our mistakes, appreciating our ancestors and local histories, singing 50 states backwards, and more. This release was recorded on Prince Edward Island, Canada and at Painted Lady Studio in Brewster, New York. It features some outstanding Celtic musicians along with award-winning members of The Jon Bates Band and all of the Farrell family.

Songs include:
Playing Right Field; It's Just a Game; Kilkelly, Ireland; Step By Step; Feelings That I Have; Backwards States; Mistakes Are Our Teachers; It's History; Rachel; and more.

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released January 19, 2013

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John Farrell New York, New York

John Farrell is a 21st century minstrel and an internationally acclaimed, award winning singer,
songwriter, author, and peace educator.

John has received the Parents Choice Award and Dove Foundation Award for his work with children.

He has presented teacher workshops and family concerts at over 1500 schools, conferences, and community events in 20 countries around the world.
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