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Butter Bean
Patricia Baker, BMI©2007

I can't close my eyes when they say “Grace”
I just want to gaze at you lying there on my plate
My stomach gets all happy and I do too
I just want to take a big bite of you

Butter bean
You taste so good to me
Butter bean
That’s why my plate is clean
So delicate and sweet
It’s hard to believe
That you’re a vegetable
I don’t even mind that you are green
Butter bean

I don’t mind washing dirty dinner dishes
When my belly is full of something so delicious
Use crumbled cornbread to sop up all the juice
I love it as much as I love you

Repeat Chorus

Hi Tricia,

I think this is soooo cute. Conversations with your food! Ha!

Now for the tough part. I'm not fond of hearing someone even in a fun song, say they don't want to "waste" time saying grace. Maybe say it another way?? "can't wait to say grace" or something that still gets the enthusiasm across?

Also, I hope the butter beans don't get jealous of the cornbread when they hear the singer loves them just as much. Maybe "almost" as much?

Look forward to hearing your vegetable CD now.


rd

Great suggestions, V. I have MORE lyrics about food than any other JP F'er. There should be an award for that.

I fixed the issues in the first verse. Thanks, V. I really appreciate the extra pair of eyes. My butter beans really WERE delicious today. I guess I was hungry.

Hi Tricia

first two lines contradict each other, not sure how you don't have enough time to say grace, but have the time to sit and gaze...

other than that cute song

though as per the award, at last count I have 70 lyrics involving food. "Marmalade", and "Love Is On The Menu Tonight", being two of my favorites

btw there's success in food songs, "Little Green Apples", "Apples Peaches Pumpkin Pie", etc. etc.

oh and I forgot my "Popeye Lied, as one of my favs...

I've never heard Popeye Lied, Ritt. Cute. You've never bowed your head and pretended to be saying grace? I have lots of times when I was a kid. No, I'll never catch up with you on the food lyrics. I remember Love Is On The Menu Tonight.

Well Tricia, wasn't exactly brought up on religion, so hard to relate

here a link to Popeye Lied, a Joyce and Rittman duet...warning it may be the longest three minutes of your life...lol
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=26932&songID=2233229

Tricia...


Yep, real cute alright...just like you! I, too, LOVE butter beans. Last week Helen made me a big ole pot of them. I ate every bit of them over a 3-day time frame. She won't touch 'em, though. But dang...they were great!

The only thing about talking to your butter beans is that sometimes they'll talk back to ya a little later!

Nice fun song, as only you can do them!

Alan

You sound almost like John Lennon on the intro of Yellow Submarine. I wish V would get her guitar out and get to picking and singing Butter Bean.

ALAN, there's always room for a bridge. I made Leek soup the other day. Talk about it!

Hi Tricia,

Butter Bean sings!!!! I got a melody. and I love it. It's a catchy tune but it's jazz! Hope it doesn't already exist. But so far, when I've feared that----hasn't turned out to be necessary. (it's recorded but I'll see if I remember it tomorrow without listening) pretty sure I will though. Can't stop singing it.

Hey do you know if the 5-a-day or vegetable grower association or butter bean assoc. might be looking for a new jingle???

Picking ??? you must be talking about another "V". I'm still strumming.


rd

Hi Tricia,

Nice one, real cool.

Calvin


http://www.soundclick.com/bands/0/calvinstewart

Flipped some lines in second verse; keep or sweep

Use crumbled cornbread to sop up all the juice
I love it as much as I love you
When my belly is full of something so delicious
I don’t mind washing dirty dinner dishes

Hey, Calvin. Thanks! We had a whole day of sunshine and no wind. Can you believe it?

Hey, Vanessa. I meant YOU! Record it, girl. Record it!

Hi, Shayne. I like that. The only thing is that way, it'll mess with my rhyme scheme. I had the "u" rhyming in the last
two lines of the verses. I don't suppose it's a biggie, though.

I'm reading this and it's making me hungrier than I am already. Cute and short. Could almost be a kid's song and encourage them to eat their veggies. Nutritionists and Moms of America would love that! Only nit is for the last line of your chorus I really feel it would sing and sound nicer if you say

I don't even mind that you are green,
I really love you butter bean!

OR:

I don't even mind that you are green,
Your my delicious butter bean!

Best,
Lynn
You could do one for "Pickled Beets" being a tasty treat. Do a bunch of songs, get some pictures and then you can have a children's book w/an accompanying CD that encourages good eating. I'll help if you want.

Oh I really like this by the way!

Tricia (and Lynn)...

I think Lynn has a great idea here about doing a kids' book with CD. Tricia, you are gifted with plenty of talent to do that. Greta call, Lynn!

Alan

Yeah, Lynn. That would work. I wasn't really sure about the meter. Yeah, one of these days, I'll get in the mood to do another children's cd and when I do it'll be nice to have people willing to help. I'm serious. I'll have to think on pickled beets. I don't eat beets but I think they're pretty.

This is how crazy I am. I'm not Martha Stewart or anything, but I think of how to decorate with veggies when I have dinner parties. Like the root end of the stalk of celery makes pretty flowers. If you look at beets, they have not only a pretty color but they even have a "grain" about them-like wood.

I told you I was crazy.

I just started eating them about a year ago and I love them. I always ate them separate but a co-worker who I eat at the salad bar with puts them on her salad and I tried it and it's great. It adds color and flavor (I'm sounding like a commercial), I think I better go eat now since I've been hungry for awhile now and I might keep talking about food. No your not crazy I love the pretty color and grain in them too!

Best,
Lynn

Ok Tricia. I recorded it but it's a capella. I'll wait and see what you think before I strain my fingers on the chords. Ha!

Do you wanna wait and hear it after I clean it up or the series of variations as it evolved? Doesn't matter to me.


rd

Whatever you want to do, Vanessa! Just send it when you're ready.

Hi Trcia.

Sorry, I'm one of very few that doesn't care for butter beans.
Songs about food, I think Mickey Gilley had a song 'full of butter beans' in the 70's.
I liked 'Burgers and Fries' by Charlie Pride.

Hey what about "She's Craving Pickles Again' oh oh, know what that means.

Hey, Dennis. Yeah, not everyone cares from them but I do. They looked so good cooking up in that pot that way yesterday. I was flat out overcome. Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Tricia
Sounds like it could be a good summer camp song, though I'm not familiar with butter beans at all. Seems I remember a few camp songs from my youth. Anyway, best of luck. jm

Beets now that's another subject. Here's a recipe I recommend that you try. You won't think of beets in the same way after.

4-5 large beets boil to tender and cut to small chunks
the juice of 4-5 fresh lemons (suit to taste)
2-3 big root chunks of grated fresh ginger (suit to taste)
mix it up well
I like it at room temperature, but you can serve it warm in winter and cold in summer. Goes great with roasted pork or just about any vegetarian dish. Love it also as a side with spicy peanut sauce pasta.

Joice, if you came down here and cooked them for me, I'd be more inclined to eat beets. One of my best friend eats them every time they're on the salad bar in the hospital cafeteria. I'm like YUCK! I don't care for vinegar that much.

yeah, but this is lemon and ginger!!!!!

I'm afraid I've never eaten butter beans. I'm not sure what they are.

But I like the lyric, Tricia!

Linda

Hi Tricia,

Just wanted to stop by again to say that I sang this for my Mom earlier today and she really likes the lyric. She said my melody is original (and she likes it) but what makes the song is the lyric! I told you all that my Mom doesn't give out praise very easily! She is a voice, piano and/or elementary school teacher for over 30 years. And she's done a lot of musicals and drama for schools with great success I'll add. So I do put a lot of stock in her opinion.

I didn't know butter beans were so obscure. I suppose a lot of folks call them Lima beans? We always called the green ones Lima beans and the dried white ones butter beans. Incidentally I can't stand the flavor of the white ones (butter beans) but I LOVE Lima beans (many in my family have always called all of them Butter Beans). Some how "Lima Beans" just doesn't have the same ring to it


rd

Cutre One, Mz Trish!

"Can't wait to take a big bite of you" would add a bitta variety to V1`, where the "I just want" gets doubled, currently.

"Butter BeanS" seems more true-to-da-subject, JMO.

"When I am filled with something..so delicious" would eliminate havin' to sing "stomache"..

"Love it NEAR-as-Much as I Love You" would keep the Focus on Your Hook...

Seems a bit Short...maybe a Bridge about How They Are Grown..(With MORE descriotion What-They-Look-Like) would help. Then Chorus-Out!

Good Luck with a Good'n'!
Big Hugs,
Stan

Hi Mr. Stan,

I hadn't mentioned it to Ms. Tricia but I had been singing "Tummy". I'll see what she wants to do.

There's a couple other little edits I'd made too Tricia. But, of course I'll see what you think from the work tape.


rd

Howdy Ms Tricia,

LOL You got me hungry and I don't even know what butter beans are! LOL The only issue I had with this is using the singular form of bean. That seems awkward since you obviously were eating more than one bean.

Thank you anyway for posting such a cute song. Think I'll go have lunch now.

Hugs,
Bobbie

Vanessa, you're right.....Lima Beans just don't sound as sweet and Southern as Butter Beans.

Hey, Bobbie. I can't believe you haven't had butter beans and cornbread or butter beans and a biscuit. Lord, that's a whole meal in itself.

Joice Marie, you'll never have to worry about me hogging the beets. I'll try to think about how I can work pickled beets into a lyric, though. Ritt'll probably "beet" me to it.

Hey, Stan. Yeah. I'll look your suggestions over later. They look good. Thanks!

Tummy's fine, Vanessa. Tell your Mom she has good "taste". Seriously, tell her thank you very much!!

Oh.......... we're talking about Lima Beans?!

Oh dear. I can't eat them. I have tried, and tried.
I'm sorry, Tricia! I'm glad SOMEONE in the world loves them.
It's a very, very cute song. It's coming along nicely!
Linda

Me too. I hate them. My dad made me eat them and I used to swallow them like pills. Sometimes it would take 3 glasses of milk to wash those beans down.

It's a cute little song though. Are you planning to make a 4 food groups album? That would be great to use in schools.

Now, that's a thought, Jean. Think I should? I'm willing to try.

Think about it. You never will run out of topics. A song about the different kinds of cheeses alone would be a blast to write. Veggies too.

Ms. Jean, when I was in Kroger just now I walked over just to gaze at the beets, trying to find some inspiration. But, guess what? The artichokes made me look at them instead. They were setting real pretty in the jars. I'm telling you, I seriously need a vacation. I almost bought some.

A lump jumps in my throat
when I see an artichoke
sitting on my plate
Oh, my taste buds cannot wait.

Ummm beets. I love 'em pickled with onions. Yum.

Fresh green beans - gimme

And you think YOU need a vacation, LOL.

Hi Tricia,

Your song reminded me it's almost lunchtime...
I owed you some feedback, thank you.

I love your first verse. I would rearrange the lines in the chorus like this for the plate to be clean last:
Butter bean
You taste so good to me
Butter bean
It's hard to believe
that you're a vegetable
I don't even mind that you are green
So delicate and sweet
That's why my plate is clean
Butter bean.

I would flip the two couplets in the second v. for the same reason and put the line about the dirty dishes last.

Those first two lines tell us so wonderfully about feeling hungry at dinnertime...

Vondelle

Evening, Linda. Thanks and don't feel bad. Unless you love em and eat em a person might not understand they are the same thing. However, there are actually a couple of varietys-speckled which are darker and mottled brown in color and the baby limas which are green and smaller in size. The speckled butter beans are flatter in width relatively speaking than the green.

Taa DAAA! Now, I sound like I'm the butter bean expert and that SCARES me! I will say I've picked and put up a many a butter bean in the summer time. Trust me on that.

Mrs. Jean, when I get over my Friday afternoon brain fade, maybe I'll get back to the veggies. What a week it's been!!

Mrs. Vondelle, those are wonderful suggestions. I thank you for taking the time to sort me out on this one. I really like it and I know Vanessa will do it justice. She sings so pretty.

no matter how you slice it....

Thanks, John. I made Jambalaya today. It didn't inspire me, unfortunately.

Hi Tricia,

Cute song, but I hate lima beans too! Just wanted to give it
a bump and say hi.

Diane

Hi Tricia
This is delightful. I did not see it before the edit, but as it is; it is a delicious read.

I must admit, tho, i wasn't sure what to expect from the title. I was pleasantly surprised.

Howdy to you both, Diane and Bill! I've been in the kitchen today cooking up rosemary brisket, cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans and some rosemary potatoes. Rosemary. Now, there's a topic. I need to get off this food kick. It's become my new addiction. As Little Richard says on the Geico commercial "SOMEBODY HELP ME!!"

Hi Tricia,

It seems that your Butter Bean song got me into the food topic as well. It can be addicting. You are so sweet to say such nice things about me on your thread while I've been a bit sidetracked. I am practicing the chords on the guitar and building up the callouses again. Seems I'd let them almost totally disappear. Hopefully, my muse will leave me alone long enough to spend some quality time on your adorable Butter Bean song. (She brought me a lullaby with melody this weekend). But, It's out of my system now and I'll get back to Butter Bean, Ok?


rd