Episode 9 "Mother Necessity"
Singer: Bob Dorough, Blossom Dearie, Essra Mohawk, Jack Sheldon
Song Writer: Bob Dorough
Original Air Date: July 10, 1976
This song shows important American inventors and inventions. It was voted #20 on the 30th Anniversary DVD Top 25.
Mother Necessity
With her good intentions
Where would this country be
Without her inventions?
Oh, things were rotten in the land of cotton
Until Whitney made the cotton gin
Now old times there will soon be forgotten
For it did the work of a hundred men
Mother Necessity, where would we be?
Mother Edison worked late each night
It went well until the fading light
Little Thomas Alva Edison said, "I'll grow up to be
A great inventor and I'll make a lamp to help my mommy see,
Wowee! What an excellent application of electricity!"
He worked hard and pulled the switch
He was smart and very rich
Mother Necessity, help us to see
Now, the mother of Samuel Morse
Always sent the lad out on a horse
"Take a message to Ms. Peavy on the far side of the pike
Spread the word about the quilting bee next Saturday night!"
Little Samuel started thinking of a way to send a message
Though he never met a horse he didn't like, uh!
Mother Necessity!
Elias, can you help me with my sewing?
Mother dear, I'll fulfill your fondest wishes
Elias, how?
This machine I've made will keep your sewing really flowing
In fact, we'll keep the whole nation in stitches, ah!
Mother Necessity, where would we be?
Ring me on the Alexander Graham Bell
Thank you Alexander for the phone
I'd never get a date, I'd never get a job
Unless I had a telephone
Mother Necessity!
"Orville, Wilbur, go outside this minute
And there continue with your silly playing!
Take these plans and take those blueprints
Take that funny looking thing
Take that wheel, take that wing
I can't hear a thing that Mrs. Johnson's saying
Orville! Wilbur! Come back, boys! Orville! Wilbur!"
Mother Necessity, where would we be?
When Robert Fulton made the steamboat go
When Marconi gave us wireless radio
When Henry Ford cranked up his first automo
When Samuel Slater showed us how factories go
And all the iron and oil and coal and steel and Yankee don't you know
They made this country really grow, grow, grow, grow
With Mother Necessity and where would we be
Without the inventions of your progeny?