Malvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and Poems  

Johnny Built a House

Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1961 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1989. According to Malvina's Notes to her songbook Little Boxes and Other Handmade Songs, "This song is a favorite of Bud's, who is a carpenter by trade."

Johnny built a house that was just so high,
Johnny built a house with a window and a door,
Johnny built a house that was pretty as a pie,
But it didn't have walls and it didn't have a floor.
"Hy," said Johnny, "What care I!
I can see the willow tree and I can see the sky.
The sky is blue and the wind blows through,
And the grass grows green where the floor might have been."

Johnny built a house that was just so high,
Johnny built a house with a gate and a yard,
The yard was immense 'cause it didn't have a fence,
And he didn't build a fence cause he was just too tired.
"Hy," said Johnny, "What care I!
The wild flowers grow just as blue as the sky,
The red bird sits on my little corn bin,
And I'll move over when the bears move in."

Malvina Reynolds songbook(s) in which the music to this song appears:
---- Little Boxes and Other Handmade Songs
---- Cheerful Tunes for Lutes and Spoons: Youngish Songs
---- There's Music in the Air: Songs for the Middle-Young

Malvina Reynolds recording(s) on which this song is performed:
---- Artichokes, Griddle Cakes, and Other Good Things

Recordings by other artists on which this song is performed:
---- Marcia Berman: Sings Malvina Reynolds' Rabbits Dance and Other Songs for Children (B/B Records B/B 112, 1985)