From the Archives: The Family of Woman and Man

During the March 16, 2022 online song circle, we played the first minute of this recording of Three Strong Winds (Jim Edmondson, Christina Ray, and Ellen van der Hoeven) singing The Family of Woman and Man, recorded at a VFSS Retreat in 1991. Here’s the full recording:

Here are the lyrics:

THE FAMILY OF WOMAN AND MAN
(George Fouke)

1. Some of us were born near the North and South poles
Where the low temperatures are mean:
Most of us appeared in more moderate zones,
Somewhere in between.
Wherever we happened to squeeze out,
Whatever the name of that land,
All of us are members of the family
Of woman and man.

CHORUS
All of us are members, all of us are members,
All of us are members of the family.
And I bid you to remember as you carry out your plan
That all of us are members of the family of woman and man.

2. Some are the colour of peaches and cream,
Some of pumpkin pie,
Some are the colour of banana nut bread,
Some of Russian rye.
Whatever colours we happen to be,
It's plain as the back of my hand,
All of us are members of the family
Of woman and man.

3. Some of us are shaped like cucumbers,
Some of us are shaped like pears,
Some are smooth, like dolphins and eels,
Some are hairy like bears.
Whatever our shape or texture,
Whatever our cosmetic plan,
All of us are members of the family
Of woman and man.

4. We are living on this planet
In a mysterious universe;
Our lives are bound together
For better or for worse.
The years ahead seem dark indeed,
But they'll be bright when we understand
That all of us are members of the family
Of woman and man.

    - from the singing of Larry Hanks