My Baby Drinks Water

by The Mammals

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about

"I've always been inspired by the defiant and plaintive imagery of Jean Richie's Kentucky strip mining tale 'Black Waters' and the way that music tugs at your heart. This song just came to me one day when we were on tour with our little boy and baby girl and I was doing a lot of singing and nursing.

"For a few years I only sang "My Baby Drinks Water" in our home (or van) as a lullaby, but the bravery of the Standing Rock water protectors inspired me to film myself singing it on the banks of the Ashokan Reservoir where we live and share it with folks (youtu.be/vqnvvSBx3G8). The fast and warm response to that video prompted us to make this studio recording with my family. Lyn Hardy (my Mom) sings harmony and Jay Ungar & Molly Mason (my Dad & Step-Mom) support the mood with drones on the fiddle and bowed bass. We did our best to recreate the private feeling of this song in front of microphones. Big thanks to producer Adam Armstrong for capturing it.

We dedicate this song to families and water protectors everywhere. The more we preserve the more there is to share. Money is artificial. Water is life." - Ruth Ungar

lyrics

My Baby Drinks Water

My baby drinks water my baby drinks tea
My baby eats an apple from the old apple tree
My baby drinks milk Mother Nature gave me
So please spare the water for my little one and me

Now money buys houses and clothing and more
And money buys food at the big grocery store
And money buys trinkets and money buys toys
But it won’t buy the health back of our little girls and boys

Do you measure your wealth by the size of your purse
What size is your coffin what size is your hearse?
What size is your heart if you put money first
High over the children and their hunger and thirst

My baby drinks water my baby drinks tea
My baby eats an apple from the old apple tree
My baby drinks milk Mother Nature gave me
Now please spare the water for my little ones and me

credits

released May 1, 2017
Ruth Ungar - vocal
Lyn Hardy - vocal
Jay Ungar - violin
Molly Mason - bass

recorded, mixed and mastered by Adam Armstrong at Humble Abode Music, West Hurley, NY

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The Mammals West Hurley, New York

"Some of the best folk-rock music you will ever hear.” - TapeOp

“The Mammals tell stories that are at once topical and timeless, bearing a message of hope and empowerment with a modern string-band sound.” - FreshGrass Festival ... more

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