Johnette Downing & Richard “Dickie” Knickerbocker

2020 marks the 30th anniversary of Johnette Downing’s first album for children with then musical partner Richard “Dickie” Knickerbocker titled “New Moon, Tunes for Little Folks,” (1990). Recorded at Zymondo Studios in Metairie, Louisiana on reel to reel analog (with plenty of chorus reverb that was popular at that time), this “country for kids” album was never released publicly. Only 100 cassettes were printed, most of which were given to friends and family as gifts.

In 2010, for the 20th anniversary, the album was digitized and remastered from cassette tape by David Farrell of Ultrasonic Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana for preservation, but still not publicly released. For the first time ever, we publicity release this sweet little historical record of twelve original and traditional songs, with a country twang, for children. We hope you enjoy it.

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Written by Johnette Downing and Richard Knickerbocker
© 1990 Johnette Downing and Richard Knickerbocker

I love to eat potatoes. I love them in a pan.
I love mashed potatoes. I squash them with my hand.
Potatoes, potatoes, I love to eat potatoes
Potatoes, potatoes, I love to eat potatoes
Better than tomatoes or green beans, I love to eat potatoes
I run out to my potato patch outside in my backfield
I love to eat potatoes at each and every meal
I eat French fried potatoes in a basket or a cup
Or curly-Q potatoes, they curl when you hold them up
My mother likes baked potatoes filled with icky stuff
She even eats potatoes skins if it isn’t too touch

Written by Richard Knickerbocker
© 1990 Richard Knickerbocker

Big fish, little fish, watch them grow
Look through the glass and watch them go
Red fish, white fish, blue fish, hmmm
You can learn all about it at the aquarium
Big fish swimming in the dark, looks like it may be a shark
You can see it all down at the aquarium
Well it’s a big ol’ tank where the fishes stay
Floating around swimming all day
You can see it all down at the aquarium
Well it looks like a big ol’ ocean behind glass
Where all the creatures of the sea are in school, but don’t go to class
Red fish, sail fish, trout fish and electric eel
Stingray, catfish, blowfish and a big old turtle

Written by Johnette Downing
© 1990 Johnette Downing

Another day is come around
Get out of bed and touch the ground
And see the world, oh you have to see the world
Turn on the light in your life
Open eyes and go in stride
And feel the world oh you have to feel the world
Make your life worth to live
Give all you have to give
Maybe you’ll help someone else live
If you will only love the world (3x)
Live in peace throughout your life
Be kind to others you know it’s right
And love the world, oh you have to love the world
Another day is coming down
Close your eyes and sleep sound
Because you’ve touch the world, oh yes you’ve touched the world

Written by Richard Knickerbocker
© 1990 Richard Knickerbocker

I like that farm fresh cookin’
For it is the best in the land
I like that farm fresh cookin’
Eat it every chance that I can
Sweet corn, squash, purple hull butter beans
Love that farm fresh cookin’
Fried chicken right out of the pan
Eat it every chance I can
Well I like those yeast rolls stacked two and three high
Apple, pecan, fresh cherry pie

Written by Johnette Downing
© 1990 Johnette Downing

When it’s raining outside all day
And no one can go out to play
I don’t feel sad or gray
For happiness will come my way
If I clap, clap, clap my hands
Snap, snap, snap my fingers
Stomp, stomp, stomp my feet
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle my body
And make, make, make a happy sound, Hurray
Make, make, make a happy sound. Hurray
I am feeling better hurray, hurray!
If I am sick in be, a fever or an achy head,
Or I ate a ton of bread. I am not unhappy instead, I....

Written by Johnette Downing and Richard Knickerbocker
© 1990 Johnette Downing and Richard Knickerbocker

Well it’s a full moon waiting outside my window
It’s a full moon waiting outside for me
Just as happy as it can be
Just smiling down on the leaves and the trees and the bumble bees and me
It lights up the dark night smiling down on me
It brightens up the blue skies, helps the stars to see
So look outside your window before you go to bed
And if you see a full moon floating above your head
Smile and bid it goodnight and into bed you creep
For the moon will be up all night shinning while you sleep.

Traditional

Tingalayo come little donkey come (2x)
Me donkey fast we donkey slow
Me donkey come and me donkey go
Me donkey hee, me donkey haw
Me donkey sleeps in a bed of straw
Me donkey dance me donkey sing
Me donkey wearing a diamond ring
Me donkey swim me donkey ski
Me donkey dresses elegantly

Written by Johnette Downing and Richard Knickerbocker
© 1990 Johnette Downing and Richard Knickerbocker

Little Cajun baby sitting on a log
One toe in the swamp, one hand on a frog
Little Cajun baby hiding from a gator
Crawling in the green marsh. The danger he’ll learn later.
Little Cajun baby and his dog named Armadillo
Playing hide and seek. He’s a clever little fellow
Little Cajun baby happy as he can be
Lives in an Acadian house under a live oak tree
Little Cajun baby gets sent off to sleep
With happy Cajun dreams and his dog named Armadillo at his feet (2x)
Little Cajun baby’s papa takes him for a ride
In a narrow pirogue boat across the bayou they glide
Little Cajun baby catches a many fish
Brings them home for dinner for a spicy Cajun dish

Traditional

I have a dear old daddy for whom I nightly pray
He has a set of whiskers; they’re always in the way
They’re always in the way the cows eat them for hay
They hide the dirt on Daddy’s shirt. They’re always in the way.
Father had a strong back now it’s all caved in
He stepped upon his whiskers and walked up to his chin
Father has a daughter. Her name is Ellie May
She climbs on Father’s whiskers and braids them all the way.
I have a dear old Mother; she likes the whiskers too
She uses them for dusting and cleaning out the flew.

Traditional

Boom, boom...
A horse and a flea and three blind mice
Sat on a curbstone shooting dice
The horse he slipped and fell on the flea
Oops said the flea there’s a horse on me
Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy (2x)
Giddy and foolish the whole day through
Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy
Way down south were bananas grow
A flea stepped on an elephants toe
The elephant cried with tears in his eyes
Why don’t you pick on someone your size
Way up north where there’s ice and snow
There lived a penguin his name was Joe
He got so tired of black and white
He wore pink slacks to the dance that night

By Richard Knickerbocker
© 1990 Richard Knickerbocker

I’m sorry, but it’s time to go
For it’s the end of the show
We’ve sure had a good time
Everyone’s been fine to us you sure were so kind
We’ve said so many hellos to all the girls and fellows
But there are so many ways that one can say goodbye in other places
Like adios in South America, au revoir in France
Cheerio over in London town, so long down in Texas
Sayonara in ol’ Japan, aloha across in Hawaii
Arrivederce over in Italy, G’day down in Australia
But there’s still a way everyone knows
How to say goodbye when it’s time to go
Just hold up your hand, shake it if you can
Say goodbye with a wave
So you can say goodbye with a wave, with a wave
Say goodbye with a wave
Just hold up your hand, shake it if you can
Say goodbye with a wave.