I Got My Axe    Karl and Al Simmons    

My son Karl helped me gather firewood around our property from a very early age. One day, when we were very tired, but still had lots to do, we made up this work song to help make the labor seem easier. I added an environmentally friendly line just before the recording session. "For every tree that we cut down, we plant a seed in the ground." We have planted hundreds of spruce trees on our property where the poplars grow and fall so fast our wood stove can hardly keep up. The music video featuring this song and our poplar trees is on my “I Collect Rocks” DVD

In the studio Producer Ken Whiteley decided that I should do the song with no musical accompaniment.  For the rhythm I actually brought a shovel, a tub full of sand, a poplar log and an axe into the studio.  What fun! What a mess!

OPEN G CHORD (G+D)

I got my axe (audience echoes each line)

My chain saw too

There ain't no work

That I can't do

Yo-oh-oh

Yo-oh-oh

For every tree

That we cut down

We plant a seed

In the ground.

Yo-oh-oh etc

We work hard

All daylong

And as we work

We sing this song

Yo..

The wind may blow

And it may snow

But we just sing

Yo-oh-oh

I may be cold

I may be hot

But am I quitting

No I’m not!

Yo-oh-oh etc.