Johnny Appleseed

Words & Music:

Traditional American

 

"Johnny Appleseed" was, of course, one John Chapman, a native of Leominster, MA who was born in 1774.  From 1797 until his death in 1845, he traveled on foot through what was then the "Western Frontier" of the United States (western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois & Indiana).  As he went, he passed along apple seeds and seedlings to the settlers he found so that the residents of these areas could enjoy the fruit that Massachusetts residents had already savored for over 150 years.  Leominster, MA recently stopped the sale of the last orchard within its boundaries for condo development and, instead, purchased the land as conservation land for its city's residents to enjoy and to honor its most famous son.

 

        C

Oh, the Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord

    F      C      F        C

For giving me the things I need.

    F           C            F

The sun and the rain and the appleseed.

    F    C  F    G  C

The Lord is good to me.

 

And every seed I sow will grow into a tree,

And someday there'll be apples there

For everyone in the world to share

The Lord is good to me.