Jersey cow completing her leap from “Farm Ruckus” painted by Dahlov Ipcar in 2013,
used by permission from Dahlov Ipcar Arts Collection, LCC.
List of Songs ~ Charlie Ipcar Home Page
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Jersey cow completing her leap from “Farm Ruckus” painted by Dahlov Ipcar in 2013,
used by permission from Dahlov Ipcar Arts Collection, LCC.
Chorus:
The cows are out! The cows are out!
Hear the neighbors scream and shout!
Old May, and Jean, and Valerie,
Red Wing, Princess, and Little Cin-dy.
The cows are out! The cows are out!
The cows are out and on a spree!
Wintertime has passed and fled,
The cows have left their shin-gled shed;
In the old Barn Field they're grazing there;
May lifts her head and sniffs the air.
A gleam returns to Old May's eyes,
As she nears the gate the brown dust flies;
She clears the bars as she makes her break;
The rest of the herd follows in her wake. (CHO)
Down Stone Bridge Lane to Robinhood Road,
One sharp right to the Village abodes,
Cows munching flowers left and right:
Tulips, Crocus, and Poppies bright.
The neighbors awake to what's about;
Run in circles, scream and shout;
One steps inside to raise alarm,
Dials up the folks at Robinhood Farm. (CHO)
Come Bob and Charlie in great haste,
You know they have no time to waste;
They'll loop a rope 'round Old May's neck,
And lead her back up the road, I 'spect.
The cows are back in the old Barn Field;
The Village folks survive their ordeal;
May chews her cud, thinks with a grin,
Next spring we'll do it all ag'in! (CHO)
Charlie's description of the song from his post on Facebook, June 21, 2024: "This morning I awoke to a chorus ringing in my head. Most times I can't remember a dream song but this one didn't evaporate. The story is one that I'm very familiar with, having grown up on a small dairy farm and every spring like clockwork the leader of our Jersey herd would break down the fence and the cows would pillage the fresh flowers in the Village gardens. They would only do that once a year, just to prove that they could and would!"
Jersey cow May at Robinhood Farm, 1958, from Ipcar Family archives.