I Wish I Was a Mole In the Ground

Hi,

On the left is my new Bluegrass Series painting,
"I Wish I was a Mole in the Ground." (Click to enlarge) This song has long been my favorite. I especially love the image of the little mole rooting down a giant mountain.

Somehow I managed to make a mountain out of a mole hill. It's not easy to do but that was my intention!

Besides our hero the mole, and his friend the lizard (salamander), we also have the girl Tempy which is the nickname for Temperance, an unusual name rarely found in the mountains anymore. Tempy will get a nine-dollar shawl and she is letting her bangs fall down. Tempy is barefoot and wearing a rather skimpy white dress but she looks engaging surrounded by a waterfall and mountain spring.

This and all my Bluegrass Series paintings are available to be purchased. Unframed 12" by 16" prints are only $25 and just $40 with foam core backing ready to be hung on the wall. You can e-mail me richiematt@aol.com or purchase them with a CC through pay pal through my ETSY store: http://www.etsy.com/your_shop.php The originals are also for sale. Don't wait until after I die and the price goes up.

"I Wish I Was A Mole" was one of Bascom Lamar Lunsford's signature songs and often appears on collections of his recordings. There are many variations of the song and many recordings; I like my friend Doc Watson's version. Next post we'll look at the history of the song. Here are the lyrics from my painting:

I WISH I WAS A MOLE IN THE GROUND

I wish I was a mole in the ground,
Yes, I wish I was a mole in the ground.
If I's a mole in the ground I'd root that mountain down,
And I wish I was a mole in the ground.

My Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl,
Little Tempy wants a nine-dollar shawl.
When I come o'er the hill with that twenty-dollar bill,
Gonna bring her that nine-dollar shawl.

I wish I was a lizard in the spring,
Yes, I wish I was a lizard in the spring.
If I's a lizard in the spring I could hear my darlin' sing,
I wish I was a lizard in the spring.

Tempy, let your hair hang down,
Tempy, let your hair hang down.
Let your hair hang down, let your bangs curl ‘round,
Tempy, let your hair hang down.

See you,

Richard