Malvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and Poems  



I Live in a City

Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1960 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1988. a.k.a. "I Live in the City."


Chorus:
I live in a city, yes I do,
I live in a city, yes I do,
I live in a city, yes I do,
Made by human hands.

Black hands, white hands, yellow and brown,
All together built this town,
Black hands, white hands, yellow and brown,
All together makes the wheels go 'round.

(Chorus)

Brown hands, yellow hands, white and black,
Mined the coal and built the stack,
Brown hands, yellow hands, white and black,
Built the engine and laid the track.

(Chorus)

Black hands, brown hands, yellow and white,
Built the buildings tall and bright,
Black hands, brown hands, yellow and white,
Filled them all with shining light.

(Chorus)

Black hands, white hands, brown and tan,
Milled the flour and clean the pan,
Black hands, white hands, brown and tan,
The working woman and the working man.

(Chorus)


Malvina Reynolds songbook(s) in which the music to this song appears:
---- Tweedles and Foodles for Young Noodles: Children's Songs
---- Little Boxes and Other Handmade Songs
---- There's Music in the Air: Songs for the Middle-Young

Other place(s) where the music to this song appears:
---- Peter Blood and Annie Patterson: Rise Up Singing: The Group-Singing Song Book [lyrics & guitar chords only] (Bethlehem, PA: Sing Out Corp., 1992)
---- Peter and Annie Blood-Patterson: Winds of the People [lyrics & guitar chords only] (Sing Out, 1980?)
---- Peter Blood-Patterson: Rise Up Singing: The Group-Singing Song Book [lyrics & guitar chords only] (Bethlehem, PA: Sing Out Corp., 1988), p. 19
---- Sing Out!, Volume 5(4) (1955), p. 11

Malvina Reynolds recording(s) on which this song is performed:
---- Another County Heard From
---- Artichokes, Griddle Cakes, and Other Good Things

Recordings by other artists on which this song is performed:
---- Marcia Berman: Sings Malvina Reynolds' Rabbits Dance and Other Songs for Children (B/B Records B/B 112, 1985)
---- Gene Bluestein and Children of the Mount Zion Hebrew Congregation: Songs of the Holidays & Other Songs [as "I Live in the City"] (Folkways Records FC 7554, 1958)
---- Jack Davidson and the Little Singers of Mt. Roskill: You Can't Make a Turtle Come Out (45 r.p.m. e.p., Kiwi Records EA-113)
---- Jack Davidson and the Little Singers of Mt. Roskill: You Can't Make a Turtle Come Out (45 r.p.m. single, Cassandra Records CS-10, 1968)
---- Viki Ann Diamond: Songs About Our Neighborhood (Classroom Materials Co. CM 1155, 1971)
---- Robyn Helzner: I Live in the City [as "I Live in the City"] (RAH Productions)
---- Nancy Raven: Singing, Prancing & Dancing (Pacific Cascade Records LPL 7038, 1984)
---- Tony Saletan: Let's All Sing (Western Records WV-1102, 1976)
---- Sun Swingers: Glad Songs [as "I Live in the City"] (UA Recording UAS-533-48780, 1970)
---- Cathy Winter and Betsy Rose: As Strong as Anyone Can Be [as "I Live in the City"] (Gentle Wind GW 1010, 1982)
---- listen to youtube.com video


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This page copyright 2006 by Charles H. Smith and Nancy Schimmel. All rights reserved.

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