Colonial Life And Crafts (1966)

[Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] when the autumn leaves are bright and the harvest crops are ripe then the farmer and his wife the wagon load to bring the food down the road for you and for me [Music] the blacksmith keeps his fire bright the bellows blows his hammer strikes the blacksmith rocks with all his might to bend the iron to make the shoe to show the horse for you and for me [Music] silas pit worked hard mighty hard as a blacksmith ought and like a blacksmith for the most part he was self-taught now silas there could hammer a red hot iron and shape it up until it was wrought the way he wanted that's a hook he's making and silas could chew a horse i'll say along with the best of them now some might not consider this a gentle art but horses know whether a man is smart or not and country folks aren't fooled much by a lot of talk come on there [Music] miller busy keeps flowing down the miller works the whole day round to grind the wheat to make the flower to bake the bread for you and for me tom that's what folks called the miller there tom always saw to it that you got more than good measure to him that was just about the main part of his pleasure sure a good living was what one expected out of things but folks had more to live for then than what they just piled up or collected [Music] seems like men worked longer hours then without one eye set on the clock you take those honorable gents known as the press newspaper fellows why there's never been a time or place i reckon where people didn't hanker for a way of knowing what was going on around them from his nibs king george iii to the fellow right next door but getting out the news in those days meant hand setting of the type working the presses smoothing out of the ink and turning out each and every sheet one at a time well at least this process gave the editor a lot more time to [Music] the think may work from sun to sun the woman work is never done she tends and cares for everyone she spins the yarn she weaves the glove she makes the clothes for you and for me [Music] she spins the yarn she weaves the cloth she makes the clothes for you and for me [Music] i'll make your bed of feathers light i'll spread your bed with covers bright to comfort you throughout the night the bed is warm so rest from harm until the morn comes tender and bright the man may work from son to son the woman's work is never done she keeps the house for everyone she weaves and spins she scours and mends she cooks and cleans for you and for me in those days it took an apprentice seven full years of labor before he could claim to have mastered his trade he needed to know not just to part but how the whole darned thing was made for seven long years i apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade i studied hard from master and did each thing he bade i served my apprenticeship with master william d and there's no better carpenter than master dee and me those forefathers of ours you may have heard were overstrict in many ways but to them no man was better than his word and excellence was more to be valued than having money in the bank for integrity requires no vaults or bookkeeping it's deposited in the heart and as the years roll by it compounds in interest from the very start i will give you riches rare gifts of crystal treasures fair costly gifts from the sea if you say you'll marry me give me presents from your heart and we never more shall fart a present fire handmade makes all other treasures fake all day long i work at my trade i do my best teach passing day not with coins [Music] no machine as yet had been invented that could give an artisan that same sense of pride he got from doing a job well himself smoothing out a delicate edge or line giving extra strength to the place where it was needed most why sure it took a lot more time what of it if it did the job right that was something every worker worth his salt felt he owed to himself each passing day [Music] when my bones [Music] for my own integrity all aboard come on get up there here we go back then a man found pleasure just making a hall along a shady road sure why not give him time to see things time to hear life going on all around life clean and clear easy there now take your time see you later as america grew and its villages prospered there came into being the country store and folks began going to town more and more some to post a letter some for wool to darn a sock or mend a skirt or sweater most farmers had to be frugal and their women land alive women then were downright thrifty people didn't up and buy things right off in a huff or jiffy a length of material was measured with care checked for it seems gauged for its flare what's that thing it looks like a shrimp trap it's what they called a hope skirt you see it was fashioned to hold the dress out and the lady in [Music] petty coats of red [Music] of green golden shoes on my feet i'll wear and over [Music] who is so rare even the children who came into the store to buy a penny's worth of candy seldom bought more don't it make your mouth water just to think about it lemon drops licorice peppermint sticks yeah [Music] and taffy yes sir good things golden sun is in the west the autumn leaves now fall to rest remember that they gave their best to plant and plow to wreak and sow to build and grow for you and for me