The Notables

Big River medley (words)

• Waitin' for the Light to Shine
• Do You Wanna Go to Heaven
• The Boys
• I, Huckleberry, Me
• Worlds Apart
• Hand for the Hog
• River in the Rain
• When the Sun Goes Down in the South
• Muddy Water
• Free at Last

The story behind the songs

Waitin' for the Light to Shine

I have lived in the darkness for so long,
I'm waitin' for the light to shine,
Far beyond horizons I have seen, beyond the things I've been,
(beyond the) dreams I've dreamed are the things I've done;
in fact, each and ev'ry one
are the way that I was taught to run.

I am waitin' for the light to shine,
I am waitin' for the light to shine,
I have lived in the darkness for so long,
I am waitin' for the light to shine.

I have lived an undirected life;
a cloudy way I know the only way I knew,
so the things I've done
In fact, each and ev'ry one
are the way that I was taught to run, to run.

All:
I have lived in the darkness for so long,
I am waitin' for the light to shine.

oh, I'm waitin', waitin' waitin', waitin', for the light to shine

Shine the light on me!

Do You Wanna Go to Heaven

Sopranos:
Looka here, Huck,
Do you wanna go to heaven,
Do you wanna go to heaven,
Well I'll tell you right now,
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you won't know how.

Women (men counter):
Looka here Huck, do you wanna be a feller
Like a feller really ought to be
I'll tell you right now
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
Or you'll never get to heaven 'cause you won't know how.

Men (women counter):
Hey, hey, ain't the situation concernin' education aggravatin' and how
Do you wanna get to heaven
Well you better get your lessons or you won't know how.

Unison:
Looka here, Huck,
Do you wanna go to heaven,
Do you wanna go to heaven,
Well I'll tell you right now,
You better learn to read and you better learn your writin'
And you better learn to do it or you won't know how.

Fugal:
You may think that the whole thing is silly
But it ain't silly really and I'll tell you right now,
If you don't learn to read then you can't read your Bible
And you'll never get to heaven 'cause you won't know how.

The Boys

Well, if the bunch of us all stick together
And we all go down as one
We could be highway robbers
We could be killers just out to have fun.

And if the bunch of us all form a circle
And surround all the ladies of the town
I said, hey, hey, hey, we'll take them to the cave,
And dance until they all fall down.

All together now, we are the boys,
All together, forever and always,
All together now, we are the boys,
We're together, forever and always.

We are the boys, all together forever and always.
All together now, we are the boys,
We're together, forever and always.

I, Huckleberry, Me

Solo: I, Huckleberry, me,
somewhere sittin' underneath some tree
somewhere maybe fishin', maybe someplace sittin'
wishin' I was fishin', oh, 

All men: I, Huckleberry, me,
do hereby declare myself to be
nothin' ever other than
exactly what I am.

Solo: And I'll never change for no one
no matter what they say.
If I want to smoke in church I'll smoke,
If I want to pray, I'll pray

All men: Oh, I, Huckleberry, me,
do hereby declare myself to be
nothin' ever other than
exactly what I am.

Solo: Nothin' ever other than
exactly what I am.

Worlds Apart

Solo:
I see the same stars through my window you see through yours,
but we're worlds apart, worlds apart.
And I see the same sky through brown eyes that you see through blue,
but we're worlds apart, worlds apart.

Sopranos (others on "oo"):
Just like the earth, just like the sun,
two worlds together are better than one;
I see the sunrise in your eyes that you see in mine,
but we're worlds apart, worlds apart.

Chorus:
Just like the earth, just like the sun,
two worlds together are better than one;
I see the friendship in your eyes that you see in mine,
but we're worlds apart, worlds apart, together,

Solo: but worlds apart.

Hand for the Hog

Solo:  Well, I've always heard, &c, 
how 'bout a hand for the hog.

Chorus: If you took a notion, I bet

Tenor solo 1: A good hog would make a heck of a pet.

Bass solo: You could clean him up and let him sit up front.

Tenors: Doo doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo, doo.

Solo: In the scheme of things, &c,
(snort, snort)
how 'bout a hand for the hog.

Chorus: If you took a notion, I bet

Tenor solo 2: You could teach a hog to smoke a cigarette.

Chorus: Well, it might take a little bit of time.

Spoken solo: But heck, what's time to a hog?

Women:  Soo, ee!

Solo: Well, the way I see it, &c
how 'bout a hand for the hog.

Men: Doodle doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo,doo, doo, doo.
Dit dit  Dit, dit dit--

Solo: (snort) Thank you!

River in the Rain

River in the rain,
sometimes at night you look like a long white train,
winding your way away somewhere.
River, I love you, don't you care?
But sometimes in a time of trouble
when you're out of hand and your muddy bubbles
roll across the floor.
And carryin' 'way the things I treasure,
well, there ain't no way to measure
why I love you more than I did the day before.

River in the rain,
sometimes at night you look like a long white train,
winding your way away from me.
River, I've never seen the sea.

When the Sun Goes Down in the South

Women:
When the sun goes down in the south,
and the moon comes up in the East,
Well, step right up and see the wonder of the ages
it's a guaranteed virtual feast.

Men:
When the darkness falls on the town,
and the North Star's startin' to rise,
Both:
you can't imagine the menagerie air
created by a couple of guys.

Men: Well, anybody wonderin' what they're gonna see
Women: is gonna have to ante up a dollar for the ticket.
Men: Anybody wonderin' what's goin' on
Women: is gonna find out when they chase us thru the thicket,

All:
when the darkness falls on the town
and the North Star's startin' to rise,
you can't imagine the menagerie air
created by a couple of guys.

Muddy Water

Look out for me
oh, muddy water.
Your mysteries
are deep and wide,
and I got a need
for goin' someplace,
and I got a need to climb upon your back and ride.

You can look for me
when you see me comin'
I may be running, I don't know.
I may be tired and runnin' fever,
but I'll be headed south to the mouth of the Ohio.

So look out for me
(Look out for me),
oh, muddy water.
Your mysteries
are deep and wide,
and I got a need
for goin' someplace,
and I got a need to climb upon your back and ride.

Look out for me
(Look out for me),
oh, muddy water.
Your mysteries
are deep and wide,
and I got a need
for goin' someplace,
and I got a need to climb upon your back and
ride.

Free at Last

Solo:
I wish by golly I
could spread my wings and fly
and let my grounded soul
be free for just a little while.
To be like eagles when
they ride upon the wind
and taste the sweetest taste
of freedom for my soul.

Great God Almighty I'd be free, &c

I'd be free at las'.