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Ponderosa Bunchgrass and the Golden Rule

by The Oot n' Oots

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    "Ponderosa Bunchgrass and the Golden Rule" was made to be listened to on vinyl. The album unfolds over two thematic sides. Titled "The Golden Rule" and "Ponderosa Bunchgrass" respectively. The original artwork by oil painter Jolene Mackie depicts a fantastical vision of our dear home, the Okanagan Valley.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ponderosa Bunchgrass and the Golden Rule via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 330 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $30 CAD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Do you still have a CD player in your car? So do we! That's why we printed these, especially for you.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ponderosa Bunchgrass and the Golden Rule via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $15 CAD or more 

     

1.
PJs All Day 02:52
If I want to be comfy and I’m staying at home I don’t put on no jeans, nah, ‘cause that would be wrong I’m wearing PJs all day, baby PJs all day, baby Lunchtime came around But no food in the kitchen’s found I had to go to the grocery store I did not change the clothes I wore I push my cart down the aisle in my flannel long johns Neighbours ask ‘bout my fashion and I sing them this song I’m wearing PJs all day, baby PJs all day, baby Sunset came days end I called up all my friends Watch ‘em struttin’ down the road To a party with a strict dress code Said wear your slippers and robes and your button bum onesie Turn the music on let’s have a pyjama party PJs all day, baby PJs all day, baby
2.
I like ice cream and video games Chocolate chip cookies and remote control planes But my joy can come only from inside True happiness is gratitude to be alive 
Thank you universe for letting me be me Thank you universe for letting me be free Some days I may suffer Some days I may feel pain Some days my head spins like a top inside my brain On days like these when I need a lift On days like these I remember life’s a gift Thank you universe for letting me be me Thank you universe for letting me be free Thank you universe
3.
Jim and Jerry Johnson liked to collect bugs Caterpillars beetles earthworms pill bugs slugs They’d pull their legs and clip their wings Until their mother told them to respect all things Hey, it doesn’t matter if they’re green or blue They weren’t doing any harm to you Treat others the way you’d want to be treated, too Follow the golden rule I went to my sister asked her for a simple favour She said “I’m very busy, we’ll take about it later” I said “But it’s important, it cannot wait” She was fiddling with her phone and playing video games! Hey, I’m a person that you’re talking to And this will only take a minute or two Treat others the way you want to be treated, too Follow the golden rule Buddha said it Zoroaster said it Confucius said it Jesus said it The Talmud said it The Vedas said it Muhammad said it, peace be upon him Your momma said it Hey, it’s not opinion or a point of view It’s a simple universal truth Treat others the way you want to be treated, too Follow the golden rule
4.
It may seem weird That there’s a little birdie nest in my bird But the songs that she sings are so clear In my ear Sometimes it brings me to tears It may seem bizarre That there’s a monkey living in my car But he likes to go fast and go far He plays electric guitar Like a star And when we jam We make a sound like nobody can The bird the monkey and me are a band And we’re in demand The bird the monkey and me We are the animal three, oh The furry feathery trio, oh oh oh The bird the monkey and me It may seem crazy That we play absolutely free That we never know the song or the key We find the melody Intuitively And when we jam We make a sound like nobody can The bird the monkey and me are a band Now let’s jam The bird the monkey and me We are the animal three, oh The furry feathery trio, oh oh oh The bird the monkey and me We needed a drummer and a bass player, too We held auditions at the local zoo The two toed sloth held the low end groove We gave the sticks to the kangaroo The bird the monkey and me We are the animal three, oh The furry feathery trio, oh oh oh The bird the monkey and me The bird the monkey and me The bird the monkey and me The bird the monkey and me, oh oh oh oh The bird the monkey and me The sloth and kangaroo are in, too The bird the monkey and me
5.
Pets 04:11
My kitty is a sweetheart He’s sweeter than an ice cream bean Sweeter than a tangerine My kitty is a sweetheart He looks like a black and white penguin As chubby as you’ve ever seen Eyes of emerald green He looks like a penguin, and When he wants to go out he Scratches at the screen door And someone has to get up At least a dozen times a day But we love our little buddy I have a pet turtle I like to watch her swim around Making splishy splashy sounds I have a pet turtle Her name is Rowena She’s the grandmother of the house She’s little bigger than a mouse We call her Abuelita, and We got to change her water Or else it starts to stink She climbs up on her rock It’s where she goes to think We love our Abuelita We’ve got a lot of funny friends around And every single time I turn around There’s a new friend coming through the door But I always say the more the merrier I just got a puppy Boston terrier The one thing about friends is you can always have more I have a chinchilla HIs name is Albert E Most clever little dude I’ve seen His actions speak volumes I can feel him talking to me From very far away It’s like he’s in my brain He’s saying “don’t forget to feed me”, and Anytime I go out I see his little face It makes me want to turn around And go back to my place To be with all my little babies We’ve got a lot of funny friends around And every single time I turn around There’s a new friend coming through the door But I gotta say I’m such a sucker now I just adopted a Shnauzer and a Greyhound And a big old floppy eared Bouvier I have six hamsters And three bearded dragons, too It’s like I’m in a zoo And I never stop cleaning
6.
I want a horsey the size of a kitty The size of a kitty’s what my horsey will be For if I had a horsey the size of a kitty The pride of the city’s what my horsey would be I really want to hear that little mini-whinny On that teeny tiny horsey galloping on the lawn I really want to feed it those little baby carrots Sing my teeny tiny horsey all my favourite songs Hurray for my teeny tiny horsey A dream is where I first dreamed of you Come away with me teeny tiny horsey How I wish that my dream would come true I would fashion an itty bitty saddle For my baby to straddle and ride through the park There’d be no need for us to push along a stroller For my teeny tiny horsey knows its way in the dark Then me and my baby, my horsey and my lady Would canter through the market people watching us play “Hey where’d you get that horsey the size of a kitty “So spirited and pretty,” the people would say Hurray for my teeny tiny horsey A dream is where I first dreamed of you Come away with me teeny tiny horsey How I wish that my dream would come true I want a horsey the size of a kitty The size of a kitty’s what my horsey will be For if I had a horsey the size of a kitty The pride of the city’s what my horsey would be Hee-yaw
7.
A little girl born into the world Three raccoons outside the door Around the newborn child her family gathered round The babe let loose a happy sound They named her Ponderosa Bunchgrass When she let loose that first laugh A baby born with such sass That Ponderosa Bunchgrass On her first day of school she won some fame Stood and told the class how she got her name “It’s the climax vegetation of our ecology “In our northern home the Okanagan Valley “And if we’re kind to this land it is what we’ll see “So I couldn’t be prouder what my parents named me” Ponderosa Bunchgrass Always made the class laugh Walked along her own path That Ponderosa Bunchgrass One day a shy little boy called Ponderosa near Asked her how she lived so free from fear Ponderosa didn’t have an answer waiting at the ready So she held the boys hands and she breathed real steady When she finally spoke this is what she said And her words to him were like chocolate bread She said “Brother in a way you are just like me “Born like a snowflake so unique “And if you have the courage to be true “You’ll be different but at least you will be you “And one more bright sun to light the way “Will help turn hard work to child’s play” Thus spoke Ponderosa Bunchgrass
8.
I think you’re special because of all the things that you do I think you’re special because you’ve got a good attitude You’ve got a wit that’s quicker than a whip crack A very funny sense of humour yeah you make me laugh On this you’ve never given me any reason to pause I think you’re special because Anytime my back is itching you give me a scratch I ripped a hole in my jeans and you sewed me a patch I never ask you it’s just something that you want to do I’m trying to keep up, making sure I’m helping you Let’s bring it in for a very big round of applause I think you’re special because Anytime that I’m with you I can’t help but smile Just want to hold you and collapse into a snuggle pile Your laugh’s infectious, your smile warms me to the bone I hope you know it’s true when I’m with you I feel at home The way I see you see the world fills me with awe I think you’re special because I think you’re special because I think you’re special because I think you’re special because
9.
Once upon a dream a family lived a life of trial They built a house beside a stream to carry wood and fish for a while Up in the mountains far away where not many families tend to go The city’s games they would not play The city’s rules they did not know Up in the mountains far away where not many families tend to go They built a house where they could stay to hear the stream and feel the wind blow Once upon a dream Once upon a dream And in the night they built a fire Laid on the ground, looked up at the stars Sang songs of longing and desire Pondered the Pleiades and Mars Where are we going? Where have we been? What are we doing here at all? Once upon a dream Once upon a dream Once upon a dream
10.
Life is good, life is one I was born in the morn with the rising sun Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day I was born in the morn with the rising sun Life is good, life is grand Grew up on a farm where the soil was sand Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day Grew up on a farm where the soil was sand Life is good, up and down Rode to school on a mule through the middle of town Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day Rode to school on a mule through the middle of town At the turn of the day life is yours to play You can diddle you can daddle you can do your thing You can sing your song you can dance your way You can give what you have to bring Life is good, from up above Got married to a fairy was a winged love Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day Got married to a fairy was a winged love Life is good, but sometimes tragic Our kids were full of mischief and they knew fairy magic Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day Our kids were full of mischief and they knew fairy magic At the turn of the day life is yours to play You can diddle you can daddle you can do your thing You can sing your song you can dance your way You can give what you have to bring Life is good, life is thrilling Bought a house from a mouse for a copper shilling Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day Bought a house from a mouse for a copper shilling Life is good, and life does flow Grew old in that house and our kids did grow Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day Grew old in that house and our kids did grow Life is good, and life is just When I died people cried and I turned to dust Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day When I died people cried and I turned to dust At the turn of the day life is yours to play You can diddle you can daddle you can do your thing You can sing your song you can dance your way You can give what you have to bring Life is good, life is one I was born in the morn with the rising sun Oh diddle-eye-diddle-eye-diddle-eye day I was born in the morn with the rising sun
11.
Waffles 02:44
Well I wake up in the morning I put on my slippers I walk to the kitchen I open the fridge I’m making waffles I’m making waffles I pull out the butter The cream and the milk I mix it with eggs and flour Make a batter that’s smooth as silk For waffles I’m making waffles I’m making waffles, yeah And now I’m chopping the berries I put on the griddle I’m whipping the cream Until I hear the iron sizzle For waffles I’m making waffles And then my brothers and sisters Jump out of their beds They stumble into the kitchen Then somebody says “It smells like waffles” I’m making waffles I’m making waffles, yeah
12.
We 04:20
Hey sister, we’re in this together Nobody knows me like you do Hey brother, we’re in this together And I’ll always stand by you When you came around I loved you right away A tiny wrinkled red faced crying diaper wearing baby Too small to even play I asked mom to hold you Told her I’d protect you You didn’t cry when she passed you to me and I held you carefully Hey sister, we’re in this together Nobody knows me like you do Hey brother, we’re in this together And I’ll always stand by you First thing I remember was my elder brother Push me on the swing in the schoolyard Now that we are older he is on my shoulder And I will comfort him when life feels hard Hey sister, we’re in this together Nobody knows me like you do Hey brother, we’re in this together And I’ll always stand by you Everything that’s living Thank you for giving Everything you have and need All of my relations All across the nations All across the nature and the sea We We We We

credits

released October 15, 2021

Produced & Performed by The Oot n’ Oots

Ruthie | voice, ukulele
Ari | voice, guitar, keys
Ez | voice, guitar, keys
Gabe | voice, bass guitar
Matthew | voice, drums

with special guests
Nathan Barrett - trumpet
Tim Sars - baritone saxophone
Christine Moore - silver flute (2)
Daniel Krakauer - conga, cabasa (2)
Rome Donati - foot stomps & hand claps (track 2)
Yoro Noukoussi - balafon, talking drum, shaker, additional recording (3)
Sarah Anderson - violin (5)
Ashley Kroecher - violin (5)
Chris Carlson - bells, programming (11)
Bradley Florent - electric guitar (11)
Eleorah Cipes - voice (11)
Matt Kelly - pedal steel, additional recording (12)
Corinne Derickson - voice & drum (12)
Elijah Swan-Hall - voice & drum (12)

Recorded by Ezra Cipes @ Ootnoot Stoodio
Mixed by Jamie Sitar & Ezra Cipes
Mastered by Jamie Sitar @ Outta Town Sound

All songs by The Oot n’ Oots
Except “Teeny Tiny Horsey” by The Oot n’ Oots, Marlise Fischer, Rio Branner & Sarah Cipes “Waffles” by The Oot n’ Oots & Dustin Cromarty and
“We” by The Oot n’ Oots, Will Stroet, Luna Moonsprout Coutts MacArthur, Corinne Derickson & Elijah Swan-Hall
(SOCAN)

Cover artwork by Jolene Mackie
Artwork Digitization by Heather Hollingdale
Design, layout, and collage by Jorden & David Doody
Photography by Rome Donati and family archive
PR by Mavis Harris @ Nice Marmot PR

Thank you universe! Thank you to all of the amazing musical and artistic collaborators that helped us make this album! Thank you to all of our friends from the Kindie scene and from the Canadian music industry for encouraging us and creating community with us. A special thank you to Jamie Sitar for his mentorship. An extra special thank you to our children and family!

This album is dedicated to the loving memory of our mom and bubbie Wendy Weiss. Thank you for everything, mom!

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The Oot n' Oots Kelowna, British Columbia

All-ages / Rock / Alternative band from Kelowna, BC, Canada

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