Malvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and Poems  

Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1965 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1993.

The Little Red Hen found a grain of wheat,
Said "This looks good enough to eat,
But I'll plant it instead, make me some bread,"
Said to the other guys down the street,
"Who will help me plant this wheat?"

Chorus:
"Not I!" said the dog and the cat.
"Not I!" said the mouse and the rat.
"I will then," said the Little Red Hen,
And she did.

Well the sun shone bright, the rain it blew,
The grain of wheat it grew and grew,
It began to sprout, headed out,
Till it was ripe enough.
Said, "Who will help me harvest this stuff?"

(Chorus)

She lugged it to the miller to grind to flour,
Cause the others would furnish her no manpower,
And at baking time they all declined
To help her with the job;
They were a dog gone no-good mob.

(Chorus)

The bread looked good and smelled so fine
The gang came running and fell in line;
"We'll do our part with all our heart
To help you eat this chow!"
She said, "I do not need you now."

"I planted and hoed this grain of wheat,
Them that works not, shall not eat,
That's my credo," the little bird said,
And that's why they called her Red.

Malvina Reynolds songbook(s) in which the music to this song appears:
---- The Muse of Parker Street
---- The Malvina Reynolds Songbook

Other place(s) where the music to this song appears:
---- Broadside No. 60 (15 July 1965)
---- Broadside: Songs of Our Times..., Vol. 2 (New York: Oak Publications, 1968), p. 58
---- Sing Out!, Volume 17(2) (1967), p. 3

Malvina Reynolds recording(s) on which this song is performed:
---- The Ultimate Pollution
---- Malvina
---- Ear to the Ground
---- listen to youtube.com video

Recordings by other artists on which this song is performed:
---- Sara Melton Keller: Harvesting the Wild Rice (S. M. Keller, 1985)
---- Utah Phillips, Faith Petric et al.: Rebel Voices: Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World (Flying Fish 484, 1987)
---- Simmons Rose and Friends: Listen to the Women for a Change (WILPF, 1991)
---- Wally Whyton: Leave Them a Flower Minus One/It's Me Mum (Bear Family 16158, 1998)
---- listen to youtube.com video
---- listen to youtube.com video