Lyr Add: Rock and the Egg (Faith Petric)

Subject: LYR ADD: Rock and the Egg
From: Barbara
Date: 04 Jun 98 - 01:50 PM

As far as I know, this song was written by a west coast folkie named Ed Bronstein, who wrote under the nom d'plume of Biggs Tinker.
His chorus tune is similar to Aura Lee (as it is attributed in the Spring 98 update, but it also has verses.
This song is also on Faith Petric's 1979 Album (along with Take Your Time You Lovely Old Man).
Ed's first verse is:

There is an old saying
It is very wise
You can see the truth of it
Right before your eyes

Chorus:
If a rock falls on an egg,
Too bad, too bad for the egg
If an egg falls on a rock
Too bad for the egg.

Ill have to play it or find my song book for the rest of the lyrics. Will post them later.
Barbara

Subject: RE: LYR ADD: Rock and the Egg
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 03:20 PM

Refreshing a very old thread here.

Looks like Barbara never made it back to finish the song.

Anyway, I think I've heard a recording of Malvina Reynolds singing this song. The tune she used didn't sound like Aura Lee, though. I assumed Malvina wrote it, but I can't find any confirmation of that. Maybe these are two different songs based on the same proverb? Anybody know?

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ROCK AND THE EGG (Faith Petric)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 04:04 PM

I was mistaken about Malvina Reynolds. Maybe Faith Petric's voice just sounded like Malvina Reynolds' to me.

I've heard this song several times on Minnesota Public Radio, and I transcribed the lyrics below from one of their archived programs, from Dec. 6, 2004. You can see the playlist and play the sound file here. The song begins 1 hour, 14 minutes and 50 seconds from the beginning of the file.

THE ROCK AND THE EGG
Faith Petric

1. There is an old saying. It is very wise.
You can see the truth of it right before your eyes:

CHORUS: If a rock falls on an egg,
Too bad, too bad for the egg.
If an egg falls on a rock,
Too bad for the egg.

2. People they are different. Various paths they walk.
Some are fragile like an egg. Some are hard like rock. CHORUS.

3. The rock it is not broken, and is most insolent.
Must be nice to be a rock for it is evident
That ... CHORUS.

4. But the rock can never triumph. The egg it dare not mock.
For if the egg is shattered, then splattered is the rock.
Oh, ... CHORUS.

[The tune still doesn't sound like AURA LEE to me, though.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rock and the Egg (Faith Petric)
From: GUEST,The Egg MN
Date: 04 Jul 26 - 07:52 PM

I am so thankful to the person who wrote about hearing this on MPR, I literally just told the story to a friend of mine because when this exact moment happened, I have just learned ended a marriage and I was in a coffee drive-through and I heard the whole bit on the radio, and I realized that I was the egg in the story… and that’s been my mantra ever since basically too bad your screwed either way, but just move on… so happy to see us and hear the replay of the broadcast. Thank you so much.

-glo