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Brewer & Shipley — Witchi-Tai-To
Album: Weeds
Avg rating:
6.4

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1494









Released: 1969
Length: 6:49
Plays (last 30 days): 0
What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

Singin' what a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Ah....Ah....

[Begin Singing Round]
What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead
[End Singing Round]

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Ah....Ah....Ah....

What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

Singin' what a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Witchi Tai Tai, kimarah
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Whoa Ron-nee Ka
Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah

Ah....Ah....Ah....
Comments (284)add comment
 chinaski wrote:

Thanks RP!  Big smile! 



Yeah...its was the 70s. 
repeat stuff
Repeat stuff
Repeat stuff
Crowded House =)
Thanks RP!  Big smile! 
 jukes1 wrote:
I love this song. I don’t have any idea why.




 
This one seems to drag - from about the 0:20 mark.


I've never written this on RP, but.... I hate this song and it's stupid lyrics. Who isn't happy to be alive these days? 
Well, Good Morning to you too
 ice-9 wrote:


...and by "different chord progression" did you mean exactly the same?  I mean like exactly?   Just wondering. 


A lot of songs use a 1-5-4-5 progression like this song does.  "Baba O'Riley" is one example.  But "Sweet Jane" has a minor 6 (1-5-4-6-5) in the progression, while this song does not.  So not exactly the same, not like exactly the same.  "Somewhat similar" would be much more accurate.  But since most songs just use the 1, 4 and 5 chords, there are a lot of them that are somewhat similar to one another.
remakes are lazy, general rule
 Proclivities wrote:

"Sweet Jane" has a different chord progression.  It is from the same year, though, but somehow I don't imagine Lou Reed would have ever listened to this, or at least not for very long.


...and by "different chord progression" did you mean exactly the same?  I mean like exactly?   Just wondering. 
...teenage wasteland...it's only teenage wasteland
ohhhh Sweet Jane
 jambo wrote:

i think we should embrace the fact that they gave us one toke over the line. one of those songs you won't admit you like. 


I admit it!
Branford Marsalis' soprano sax break in the first verse 
Bumped to 9  .. it's just that kind of morning..

is this album any good?
Awesome song!
Dissenters, as with many good and great songs played here (usually the older stuff),  need to find a different  music feed to listen to because you don't really appreciate or like eclectic music.
If you spent time in NW Missouri (home to Jesse James), near Tarkio, MO. (their starting place)...this song will make infinite sense. 

If not...then it may only make finite sense. 

You gotta go to Tarkio. 


 
These guys played my junior high school back in the day. I still remember making goo-goo eyes at one of them. 
quite nice song but I would prefer to hear the Orginal from Jim Pepper or even better the Version of Oregon with Collin Walcott and Ralph Towner.
 Rockit9 wrote:

3 minutes tooooo long.



Correction, 6:48 too long... 
did the Velvets sue? Should they have sued? Should they have been sued?
SWEET JANE.................i just don't know
This is great. Makes me think of a Hawaïan/Indian (as in India Indian) version of Wild Thing at times :) 
 jukes1 wrote:
I love this song. I don’t have any idea why.


maybe because itch-a-happi-hey-ha-song-ah-hey-ah
The original
Loved this album and this band!
One of the rare covers I like better than the original. By quite a bit too. But then the original is a jazz fusion, and I'm not a huge fan of that type of jazz. It's a lot more unique than this version though. Made me stop what I was doing and look up Jim Pepper.
Makes me want to buy the world a Coke and sing in perfect harmony!
Does anyone else hear the ghost of Baba O'Reilly singing in the background?
One Toke Over the Line by....Lawrence Welk! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8tdmaEhMHE
This is the actual album cover.

For some reason, this is not the version of the record I remember from the 1960s....
Agree jukes1 wrote:
I love this song. I don’t have any idea why.

 Agree!  Hear it and immediately smile...neat :) 
Part of my comin' up.  Owned the album.  Played it endlessly.  Still great today.
 Isabeau wrote:
Witchi-Tai-To with a 'Sweet Jane' riff. 

I'm takin a trip around pluto. Ya'll talk amongst y'selves...
 

Am I too late to ask you to take some photos while you're out there?


 eyeball wrote:
10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and More! ... The Bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score!
 
HA!  Too funny
The original, Jim Pepper.
your introduction should be a permanent part of this song
 Tjerome wrote:
Wonderful to hear this joyous song again!
 
Agreed, there's something neat about this one, so I'll go +1 to 8...LLRP!!
Sweet Jane!?
We should  all visit Tarkio, Missouri...the  birth place of the band.  Land of Jesse James!
 Isabeau wrote:
Witchi-Tai-To with a 'Sweet Jane' riff. 

I'm takin a trip around pluto. Ya'll talk amongst y'selves...
 

Uh… from what I can tell these were released at about the same time? Maybe Sweet Jane has a Witchi-Tai-To riff?
Wonderful to hear this joyous song again!
Witchi-Tai-To with a 'Sweet Jane' riff. 

I'm takin a trip around pluto. Ya'll talk amongst y'selves...
fascinating track!  thanks for introducing me to something i would never (typically) listen to.  will check out the everything is everything version as well.

read this about the song:
Songwriter and saxophonist Jim Pepper adapted the song "Witchi Tai To" from an ancient peyote chant that he learned from his Native American grandfather.  "Witchi Tai To" was first recorded by Pepper's group, the short lived, Everything Is Everything.  The group's producers encouraged Pepper to express his Native American heritage in his music, and helped him work out the arrangement and English translation.  To this day "Witchi Tai To" is the only hit in the history of the Billboard pop charts (reaching #69 in 1969) to feature an authentic Native American chant. 

source: http://www.brewerandshipley.com/misc/WitchiTaiTo2.htm
Inferior version of Everything Is Everything original, which I recommend.
 cely wrote:
This kind of obscurity is the biggest reason I enjoy RP. 
 
Absolutely. Stuff like this always makes my colleagues frown.  I love it, though, and can't see any problem with this track at all.
 jukes1 wrote:
I love this song. I don’t have any idea why.

 

Same. 
"secret" sacred song emergency depression times.
I love this song. I don’t have any idea why.

Ahhh, the band from Tarkio, MO. In NW Missouri.
 
We should all visit that place. Its in the land where Jesse James grew up.
3 minutes tooooo long.
Catchy... way TOO repetetive
i think we should embrace the fact that they gave us one toke over the line. one of those songs you won't admit you like. 
Man, you've got that right (i.e. strange area)!  Went to Centralia, MO one time and I kept expecting Rod Serling to step out and announce I'd entered the Twilight Zone.

idiot_wind wrote:
Ah...the band from NW Missouri. The town  of Tarkio, MO.    Strange area...
 

 Proclivities wrote:
 haresfur wrote:

"Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah" is a pretty negative message.

But it's catchy and you can dance to it => 6 


This album also contained a horrendous cover of "All Along The Watchtower".  Caution: You have been warned.
 
How would you translate it?
10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and More! ... The Bloody Red Baron was rollin’ up the score!
Ah...the band from NW Missouri. The town  of Tarkio, MO.    Strange area...
 haresfur wrote:
"Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah" is a pretty negative message.

But it's catchy and you can dance to it => 6 


This album also contained an unpleasant cover of "All Along The Watchtower".  Caution: You have been warned.
These guys were a great duo "back in the day" and they still sound great. Love that acoustic sound. Long live the vocal round!
Awesome... Bought a backpack from Mr. Shipley when I was a freshman at University of Missouri at Rolla, where he still lives. Groovy!
Holy Sweet Jane Batman...

"Hey-ney, hey-ney, no-wah" is a pretty negative message.

But it's catchy and you can dance to it => 6


This kind of obscurity is the biggest reason I enjoy RP. 
 Proclivities wrote:

"Sweet Jane" has a different chord progression.  It is from the same year, though, but somehow I don't imagine Lou Reed would have ever listened to this, or at least not for very long.

 

Jim Pepper - Witchi Tia To is muccccchh bettter
...to have heard this written and sung by Buddy Holly.
Ah....the band from northwest Missouri. Near Tarkio,
Shades of Pat Boone singing 'Tutti Frutti'!
Seems to me that if one wanted to hear some Native American music they could find a better source than Brewer & Shipley(?).
As I recall this was a cover.  The first airplayed version  a more Indian flavor. Sorry, can't remember them
Ah, i have long loved this. someone recently played me some of the original native music this is derived from.
Never heared this before!!
nope, no, na-na
 kctomato wrote:
May I borrow your chord changes for "Sweet Jane"?

 
"Sweet Jane" has a different chord progression.  It is from the same year, though, but somehow I don't imagine Lou Reed would have ever listened to this, or at least not for very long.
May I borrow your chord changes for "Sweet Jane"?
Love this. Great fun and very spirited. Love the jangling guitars.
As one who is fighting cancer this song is truly inspiring.
Indeed a beautiful and blessed thing to be alive.

Go in peace and share your love - we only go around once. 
 owchita wrote:
Never heard this (or them) before. Lovely.

 
I'm convinced that if you listen to RP long enough, you will hear every song ever recorded at least once.

As far as I'm concerned, Bill can play this one as much as he likes.
 Proclivities wrote:
The "Best" of Brewer & Shipley?  I'd have to keep that next to the "Best of Mouth & MacNeal" or "Jigsaw's Greatest Hits".  I guess I've heard worse, but this is generously unpleasant, in a almost amusing way.
vw

 
"generously unpleasant"....  {#Roflol}

I don't agree with you but I love the phrase. 

As I'm listening to this I'm finishing up Joan Didion's "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" (have never read it before) and the song fits the drug-filled innocent rebellion and escape of the essay's take on '67 San Francisco. The pic of the tripped-out Bug works too.  
Love this song!!!!
Mwah. Is this a Kids song?
Smile is permanently attached to my face.
Can t stop dancing!
The boys from Tarkio MO...up in NW Missouri.

Check that out on a map. 
this beautiful song changed me when I first heard it as a kid, good strong spirit to it imo  : )  peace 
Beautiful harmony, voices and guitar...nicely upbeat.
What a lovely song!  I would never have found this one without RP, that's for sure!   THANKS!
               {#Bananapiano}......good times !
Memories of dancing around a fire, high, with good friends, bright stars overhead... aaahhhh...
 heathenchild wrote:
 hagz21 wrote:
Maybe it's just because I'm Canadian, but I hear "sweet jane" is this song.
 
 Me too....

 
Me three, and not Canadian...
 hagz21 wrote:
Maybe it's just because I'm Canadian, but I hear "sweet jane" is this song.
 
 Me too....


Never heard this (or them) before. Lovely.
Maybe it's just because I'm Canadian, but I hear "sweet jane" is this song.
This, followed immediately by Paul Simon's "Proof" was a nice juxtaposition this morning.
 treatment_bound wrote:

Except this came out a year before the Velvets "Loaded" (which included Sweet Jane) was released.  

You don't think Lou Reed was a Brewer and Shipley fan, do you?
 
It's a different chord progression and a different key.  "Sweet Jane" has a four-chord progression, featuring a minor chord (Bm); this song has a three-chord progression (I - IV - I - V -with no minor chord).  Also, a live version of "Sweet Jane" was recorded 1969, but not released until 1974.  I wonder is he was a fan of Brewer & Shipley - doesn't seem likely but ya' never know.
Thanks for playing my Missouri boys, gave me a big smile!
I loved this back then ->->
 LeftShoe wrote:
The guitar sounds like Lou Reed Sweet Jane
 
Except this came out a year before the Velvets "Loaded" (which included Sweet Jane) was released.  

You don't think Lou Reed was a Brewer and Shipley fan, do you?
It s been raining here all week, enough already.
It s hard to cook breakfast and rain dance at the same time. Rating 8.
 
What a spirit spring is bringing round my head
Makes me feel glad that I'm not dead

big smile
The original was bad. This is terrible. {#Ass}

Where's the PSD button?
The guitar sounds like Lou Reed Sweet Jane
wow flash-back tune!  WLIR late night had played some engrossing musicians through those trippy days  : )
Sheer joy.
I think the 1971 version "Everything is Everything," by Donny Hathaway is better. It has more hint of authenticity in the sound. Although it is still not a Native American version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAMKL2KKumo

There' springs in my head.
OMG!!! HAPPY SONG!!!! WHEEEEEEEEEE{#Dancingbanana}
 ThePoose wrote:
Did they write any of their own material? Or were they like Elvis: an interpreter of other's creations?

 
If I'm not mistaken, they wrote quite a bit of their stuff.

dorky ass song
 aarrgho wrote:
say what you will, but this song (and several others from Brewer and Shipley) had a pretty big impact on me in the late 60's early 70's as I was struggeling to be a good hippie in the midwest usa.

they did a bunch of good songs......one of which, "Brain Damage", my band pertormed years later.
"Oh Mommy" is another that never gets played but is still relevant today....
 
I'd love to hear Oh Mommy or Fly, fly fly.  And you're right...as I look over their discography, I'm reminded that they were a prolific and well-liked band in their day.


Great, thanks!
off the wall   
WOW never heard this one before - LOVE it!!

{#Hearteyes}
far out man ... love that tabla ...
This song makes me feel glad that I'm not dead! This is a great singalong around the campfire song...segues nicely into almost any hippie/rainbow chant you can think of, too...
 baltimorelovejoy wrote:
I think it would sound much better (and rate better to) if it were live, possibly around the aforementioned campfire, instead of in a studio.

Do these guys do "That's Amore"?
 
Only when the moon hits your eye like a big-a pizza pie.
Did they write any of their own material? Or were they like Elvis: an interpreter of other's creations?

The "Best" of Brewer & Shipley?  I'd have to keep that next to the "Best of Mouth & MacNeal" or "Jigsaw's Greatest Hits".  I guess I've heard worse, but this is generously unpleasant, in an almost amusing way.
dance
It is an irritating little song, isn't it? {#Lol}