The Surrey With the Fringe on Top
Blossom Dearie Lyrics

Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry
Small animals should move out of my way as I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top.

When I take you out in the surrey
When I take you out for a ride in the surrey with the fringe on top.

Watch that fringe and see how it flutters
Observe the movement of the fringe as I drive the high-stepping horses.

Nosey pokes'll peek thru their shutters
Curious individuals will peek out from their windows to see us passing by.

And their eyes will pop
The sight of us in the fancy surrey will surprise them.

The wheels are yellow, the upholstery's brown
The wheels of the surrey are yellow and the seats are upholstered in brown.

The dashboard's genuine leather
The dashboard of the surrey is made of real leather.

With isinglass curtains y' can roll right down
We can easily roll down the isinglass curtains in case the weather changes.

In case there's a change in the weather
If the weather changes suddenly during our ride in the surrey.

Two bright sidelights winkin' and blinkin'
There are two bright sidelights on the surrey that are flashing on and off.

Ain't no finer rig I'm a thinkin'
I do not think that there is a better carriage than this.

You can keep your rig if you're thinkin'
If you think that you have a better carriage than this, you can keep it.

'At I'd care to swap
I would not be interested in swapping this carriage for a different one.

For that shiny little surrey
For this polished and attractive surrey.

Did you say the fringe was made of silk
Is the fringe on this surrey really made of silk?

Wouldn't have no other kind but silk
I would not settle for any other material for the fringe on this carriage than silk.

Has it really got a team of snow white horses
Are the horses pulling this surrey really a team of pure white color?

One's like snow, the other's more like milk
One of the horses is completely white like snow, while the other has a slight creamy color.

So y' c'n tell them apart
So that you can distinguish between the two horses by their color.

All the world 'll fly in a flurry
People all around us will be impressed and amazed when we ride in this surrey.

When we hit that road hell for leather
When we ride at full speed on the road.

Cats and dogs 'll dance in the heather
Even animals will celebrate upon seeing us in this fancy carriage.

Birds and frogs 'll sing altogether
All the birds and frogs in the area will sing a cheerful tune in response to our presence.

And the toads 'll hop
The toads will join in the celebration by hopping around.

The wind 'll whistle as we rattle along
As we ride in the carriage, the wind will whistle around us due to the speed we are traveling at.

The cow 'll moo in the clover
Even the cow grazing in the field will react to the commotion we are making.

The river 'll ripple out a whispered song
As we ride near the river, it will make a soft sound as if singing a song that only we can hear.

And whisper it over and over
The river will not stop singing this song and will continue to whisper it time and time again.

Don't you wisht it'd go on forever
Don't you wish we could keep riding in this fancy surrey forever without having to stop?

And it'd never stop
And the ride in the surrey would never come to an end.

I can see the stars gettin' blurry
As we ride back home in the surrey, the stars start to blend together and get blurry in the faraway sky.

Riding slowly home in the surrey
We are returning home at a leisurely pace in the surrey.

I can feel the day gettin' older
As we ride, I can sense that the day is slowly coming to an end and getting darker.

Feel a sleepy head near my shoulder
You are getting increasingly drowsy and resting your head on my shoulder.

Noddin', droopin' close to my shoulder
You are almost falling asleep and your head is drooping down close to my shoulder.

'Til it falls ker-plop
Finally, your head falls asleep and drops down like a sudden ker-plop sound.

The sun is swimmin' on the rim of a hill
As the sun sets, it looks like it is swimming around the edge of a hill.

The moon is takin' a header
At the same time, the moon is appearing on the horizon like it is diving into the sky.

And just as I'm thinkin' all the earth is still
As I am lost in the peacefulness of the moment, everything around me appears to be completely still.

A lark 'll wake up in the meader
Suddenly, a lark will take flight and stir up the stillness with its beautiful song.

Hush you bird my baby is sleepin'
Be quiet, so that we do not disturb the sleep of my little one.

Maybe got a dream worth a keepin'
Perhaps my baby is having a nice dream that is worth keeping.

Whoa you team, just keep a creepin'
Slow down the horses, so that we do not wake up my sleeping child.

At a slow clip-clop
Ride at a very slow, steady rhythm.

Don't you hurry with the surrey
Do not make the surrey go any faster than it is.

With the fringe on the top
In this lovely and fanciful carriage with the fringe along the top.