” Raindrops and Red Berries”” photographed by Sanford Ross Bender in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on November 22, 2025.“Tiny Drops of Rain” (verses sung from the traditional ballad, “Green Grave, or the Restless Dead”, arranged and performed with vocals, guitar, and banjo by Sanford Ross Bender on November 21, 2025.
The Green Grave, or The Restless Dead*
The wind across the graveyard blew
With tiny drops of rain,
“I never had but one true love,
And she in the grave, one year hath lain,
And she in the grave hath lain.”
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He sat and grieved upon her grave
As many lovers may,
He sat and grieved and made a moan
A twelvemonth and a day,
A twelvemonth and a day.
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And when the grieving time was past,
The maiden’s ghost did say,
“Who sits a-weeping on my grave
A twelvemonth and a day,
A twelvemonth and a day?”
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“My lips are cold as coldest clay,
My breath is earthy strong,
Now you have kissed me once again,
Your days will not be long,
Your days will not be long.”
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*Traditional ballad compiled by John Jacob Niles (Niles No. 32 C).
“Leaning toward the river” photographed by Sandy Ross Bender at Washington Crossing State Park, Pennsylvania on November 15, 2025.Lovers’ Farewell” music composed, arranged,* and performed with vocals, guitar, and concertina by Sandy Ross Bender on November 15, 2025.
My lover did come ere evensong,
And he give me farewell,
But the wars that took him to the Low Country
He never a war did tell,
But the wars that took him to the Low Country
He never a war did tell.
Oh, he did go to the bloody wars,
His lance and his shield a-glisten,
While his lady did weep in her bowing-room,
And none was there to listen.
While his lady did weep in her bowing-room,
And none was there to listen.
Down fell he there, and there to die,
In the wet of the Low Country,
And no man knows that he lies there
But his horse and his hound and his lady Mary.
And no man knows that he lies there
But his horse and his hound and his lady Mary,
Oh, he may sleep in an open grave,
Where raven fly and flutter,
But I will wake on my pallet of grief,
And many a cry will utter.
But I will wake on my pallet of grief,
And many a cry will utter.
*Note: Ballad lyrics documented by John Jacob Niles (No. 17 A -traditional form of “The Three Ravens” (Francis James Child No. 26},
“Witching Creek” painted with watercolors by Sanford Ross Bender in May, 1982.
“Sir Gaunie and the Witch” (Niles No. 18) after The Marraiage of Sir Gawain” (Child No. 31) arranged, performed, and recorded by Sanford Ross Bender for vocals and guitar on July 21, 2023.
“Three times ’round went our gallant ship” drawn with colored pencils on paper by Sanford Ross Bender.“The Mermaid” composed, performed, and recorded with vocals, guitar, and concertina by Sanford Ross Bender on May 26, 2023. Traditional ballad lyrics documented by J.J. Niles No. 62A after F.J. Child No. 289.
One Saturday night as we set sail,
Not very far from land,
We there did spy a pretty mermaid,
With a comb and a glass in her hand,
With a comb and a glass in her pretty, pretty hand,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.
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This pretty mermaid sprung into the sea,
The storm it began to roar.
The snow and rain came thick and fast:
“We’ll never see land any more,
We’ll never see land any more, more, more, more,
We’ll never see land any more.”
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The first one on deck was the captain of our ship,
With a plumb and a line in his hand,
He plumbed and he plumbed and he plumbed for to see,
How far it was to the sand,
How far it was from the sea to the sand,
How far it was to the sand.
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The next one on deck was the mate of our ship,
And a well-looking man was he,
“My wife and my child are in Merry England,
And tonight a widow she’ll be,
And tonight, a widow she’ll surely, surely be,
And tonight, a widow she’ll be.”
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The next one on deck was our little cabin boy,
And a very pretty boy was he,
“Oh what, oh what will my mother say,
When she knows I’m drowned in the sea,
When she knows I’m drowned in the salt, salt sea,
When she knows, I’m drowned in the sea?”
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Oh three times ’round went our gallant ship,
And three times more went she,
And as the storm did rage and roar,
She sank to the bottom of the sea,
She sank to the bottom of the deep blue sea,
She sank to the bottom of the sea.
“Deep Blue Sea” painted and drawn wuithy gouache, watercolors band colored pencils by Sanford Ross Bender
“Cherry tomatoes on the vine” photographed by Sandy Ross Bender.“Generosity” composed, performed, and recorded by Sandy Ross Bender with vocals (from a poem of the same title) accompanied with guitar on December 24, 2015.
I was in deep despair
For a thousand reasons
But I went anyway
To a community garden,
In a peaceful pasture
Outstretched to the treeline
Far below the the towering steeples.
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Led by Sister Ana
Who cut me a bouquet
Of brightly colored zinnias
Speckled red and white,
Magenta and yellow
Flaymboyant
Like living paper mache.
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Here, take these purple tomatoes
And these bundles of chard
From this verdant bounty
Of peppers and squash,
Melons, pumpkins, carrots, and dill
Make them into your dinner
To sustain you through the night.
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“Generosity” written by Sandy Ross Bender on August 13, 2010.
“Memory of a Drowned Town” composed, performed, and recorded with vocals, guitar, banjo, and clarinet by Sanford Ross Bender on December 30, 2015.“A natural occurence” painted with gouache by Sanford Ross Bender
