THE BORNING DAY
(Fred Hellerman / Fran Minkoff)

Harry Belafonte - 1963
The Brothers Four - 1966


Mary and the baby hungry
Yes, we know what hungry be
So we bring them peas and rice
And a little ginger tea
Only pigeon peas and rice
A little ginger tea
Mary thank us with her eyes
She poor the same as we
She poor the same as we

Mary and the baby lonely
Lonely is not good to be
So we sit awhile and chat awhile
To keep them company
Stay awhile makes the baby smile
Pass the time of day
When we see how pleased they be
It make us glad we stay
So glad that we could stay

Mary and the baby weary
Oh, we know what weary be
So we make a bed and pillow for their head
With down from the muhow tree
Only down from the muhow tree
To rest them soft and good
We feel bad this was all we had
We do the best we could
We do the best we could

Mary and the baby rest easy
We go away and let them be
On hush tip toe and voice kept low
We look up and see
Stars of hope shine in the sky
To mark the baby's birth
Seemed to say it's borning day
Of better times on earth
Of better times on earth