Well, if you've got the gumption, then you'll know just what to do.
Grab a pair of mud boots and a fishing pole or two.
The fishing prod has come alive when you've reminded, take the time.
Step into the waters rippling blue.
So hunker down and hang on to your seat.
Cause we'll fly high to the southern gospel beat.
You clap your hands and stomp your happy feet.
Down at Gaithers Pond.
Hi friends, glad you could make it.
I was so busy singing I forgot what time it was.
It's a beautiful day here on Gaithers Pond, isn't it?
I'm Bullfrog Yance.
And I'm just one of a bunch of characters around here who like to sing and be together.
There's my good friend Vestal Gooseman coming now. Good morning, Vestal.
Well, good morning to you, Bullfrog. How you doing today?
Oh, I'm doing alright.
I'm just out running around on my way to try to find Howard and me some breakfast.
But I'll see you around.
Yeah, I'll see you at the next pond meeting. Bye now. Anyway, as I was saying...
Hey, Bullfrog!
Hey, it's Carp Lowry and Swannette Paschal. How are you kids today?
We're fine, Bullfrog. We're just on our way to a rehearsal with Ben Spearfish for the meeting.
What are you up to?
I'm just talking to my friends here, telling them about how things are around the pond.
You two better hurry. You know how Ben is about those singing rehearsals.
We're on our way, Big Bass Bill.
Um...
That's Big Bass Bill. He's the mayor here at the pond.
And Crawdad Sumner, we call him C.D. for short. He's the ugliest crawdad I've ever seen.
You ain't gonna win no beauty contest either. Are you still trying to sing bass?
There's others too. Ben Spearfish, he organizes the singing.
And Hobie Hister, and Snappy Jake Hess, and Buddy Greenfly, and Lily Swan.
We all do our best to love each other here around the pond.
And we all love to sing. In fact, if you listen, you can hear them now.
I'm on my way to heaven, and I'm so glad.
The devil can't do me no harm.
I remember the day that I found you.
I remember the day I made the start.
I remember the day I knelt at the altar.
And I changed this old boy's heart.
I'm on my way to heaven, and I'm so glad.
The devil can't do me no harm.
There's no use to tell me God is not living.
There's no use to weave that evil spell.
For I just talked this morning to the great and higher power,
and he said he is alive and well.
Well, I'm sanctified and holy, and I'm so glad.
I'm sanctified and holy, and I'm so glad.
For the devil can't do me no harm.
I'm so glad.
Well, the devil, he don't like it, and I'm so glad.
Hey, the devil, he don't like it, and I'm so glad.
Cause you know he can't do me no harm.
No, no, no, no. Hey, I'm on my way to heaven, and I'm so glad.
Oh, I love that song.
There just seems to be new talent springing up everywhere I look these days.
Why, I look around us, tadpoles and fledglings and brim,
and that reminds me of a young friend of mine here at Gaither's Pond.
You might have heard of him.
He's a real little whippersnapper of a bluegill.
We call him Guppy.
Guppy Penrod.
Yeah, he's quite a catch, that Guppy.
But he wasn't always that way.
No, he had a thing or two to learn when he first swam in.
He was just a young thing, but long, about four or five inches at least.
I was sitting by the pond one day, letting the sun warm my blood
and I joined the side of a new young crackerjack practicing his moves.
I guess no one had told him yet that it was best to lay low when there were fishermen around.
But there didn't seem to be anybody fishing that day.
And as it was a beautiful day, I just watched him, remembering my younger days as a prize hopper.
It wasn't long, though, before I heard a splash in the other direction.
I knew Guppy couldn't hear it. He was making more racket than a speedboat in a mud puddle.
I peered around a cattail to confirm my suspicions, and sure enough,
it was the sound of a brand new bass lure making a clean splash
after a perfect cast of little binges fishing rod.
I tried to get Guppy's attention.
I knew that pretty lure was below the surface, just beyond Guppy,
but he couldn't hear me, and I knew I'd be spotted if I hung out much longer.
So I took a deep breath and plunged below,
praying Guppy would get tired of flipping around like a fish out of water before it was too late.
Well, he did quit, but not because he was tired.
Something beautiful had caught his eye, but it wasn't something good.
I knew I had to do something.
Guppy! Guppy! Wait! Stop!
Oh, hey there, bullfrog. You about scared me out of my scales.
Guppy, I... Listen. Do you hear? That's the Martins.
Why don't you come with me? Let's go hear him sing.
All right.
Ladies and gentlemen, Gayther's part is proud to present the Martins.
Out of his great love he picked me up, set my feet on a sturdy rock.
Out of his great love I've learned the meaning of salvation, out of his great love.
Out of his great love he picked me up, set my feet on a sturdy rock.
Out of his great love I've learned the meaning of salvation, out of his great love.
I had gone astray, I had lost my way when I called upon his name.
Then he rescued me, now the song I sing.
What a loving God is he!
Out of his great love he picked me up, set my feet on a sturdy rock.
Out of his great love I've learned the meaning of salvation, out of his great love.
Out of his great love he picked me up, set my feet on a sturdy rock.
Out of his great love I've learned the meaning of salvation, out of his great love.
Out of his great love he picked me up, set my feet on a sturdy rock.
Out of his great love I've learned the meaning of salvation, out of his great love.
Salvation, out of his great love.
Guppy, what are you doing? I thought I told you to stay with me.
I was just having a look at this here shiny thing.
No, no, Guppy, you don't want to do that. That's what I'm trying to tell you.
Well, don't be silly, bullfrog. It's just a sparkly. I was just taking a look at it. It won't hurt me.
Yes, it will. It'll do more than hurt you. It may kill you.
What do you mean, kill me? It's so shiny and pretty. How could it hurt me?
Come here, boy. Now, I'm not like a lot of frogs. If I got anything to say, I know what it is I'm going to say.
And can get said whatever it was I was going to say without saying a lot of things that didn't need to be said.
While I was trying to say whatever it was, I was going to say if I had anything to say.
But I didn't have anything I was going to say. Like I said, if I knew what it was I was going to say,
I could have said it and not took up a lot of time saying things that didn't need to be said like a lot of frogs do when they say whatever it was they're going to say.
That's right. But I just didn't have anything I was going to say.
Well, little boy, father, what were you going to say? Well, I... I... Oh, yeah.
Now, look here. Don't touch. See behind this really hella feather on the back of the shiny metal part?
Look carefully. What do you see? What is that? That, my friend, is a hook.
What's it for? It's for catching fish. They swim along and see something shimmering in the water.
They think it's a worm or a small fish and they try to eat it once they've closed their mouth on it.
Oh, that's horrible. You mean...
I'm afraid so, Guppy. We've lost some of our best catches that way. Sometimes the temptation is just almost too much.
But, Bullfrog, if it's so dangerous, why is it so pretty?
That's the whole point, Guppy. It's a trap. Sometimes pretty things are pretty, just so you won't see how deadly they are.
We have to learn how to tell the difference between the real thing and the trap.
Well, how do I do that? Well, you just have to trust the Lord to show you. He wants to protect you.
All you've got to do is put your trust in Him, like Moses did when he was leading the Israelites out of Egypt.
Excuse me while I bust a groove.
Where the Lord said, Moses, I've got the power and I'll be with you.
I'll go tell old Pharaoh to set my children free.
But old Moses did and the Lord helped out. He sent the plague to the land about.
And old Pharaoh told him to go and let him be.
Where they started out with the clout but they never got to the ground.
And the fire of the night to lead the way to old Pharaoh suddenly decided to change his mind.
So he gathered together all his soldier bands and all the chairs throughout the land and said, I'll let those Israelites go some other time.
And the cross to the media, his children out of my bed,
He said, free them from Pharaoh's evil hand.
He said, guide them on their journey and lead them to the promised land.
Where they came to the banks of the ocean blue, they turned to Moses and said, what will we do when old Moses is down on his knees there in the sand?
Where the Lord said, Moses, trust in God, all you've got to do is raise up that rod and all those mighty waters rest forth your hand.
Well, Moses followed the Lord's command and the waters parted and down the sand.
They saw a path led to the other shore.
Well, the ground was dry and they passed on through.
So Pharaoh's army thought they would too, but the waters fell. They ain't never been seen no more.
So he crossed to the media, his children out of my bed,
He said, free them from Pharaoh's evil hand.
He said, guide them on their journey and lead them to the promised land.
The cross to the media, his children out of my bed,
He said, free them from Pharaoh's evil hand.
He said, guide them on their journey and lead them to the promised land.
Where they came to the banks of the ocean blue, they turned to Moses and said, what will we do when old Moses is down on his knees there in the sand?
And they said, guide them on their journey and lead them to the promised land.
Gee, thanks Bullfrog. I guess I could have really gotten into a mess there.
I'll be more careful next time.
I hope so, Guppy. Sure would hate for anything to happen to you.
Me too. Well, see you around.
See you, buddy.
Dear old today, I long to be, I long to be,
I dig a little deeper in this old house, I'll be loved eternally.
I want to shine, I want to shine,
With love so bright, with love so bright,
I want to dig a little deeper in this old house, I'll be loved eternally.
Deeper, deeper, deeper, deep in God's love,
I want to dig a little deeper, deep in God's love,
I want to dig a little deeper in this old house, I'll be loved eternally.
I want to talk little more like my Jesus word,
I want to walk like a Christian.
Love
Yeah!
Applause
Cheering
Yep, Guppy seemed wiser and I felt pleased with my part in it.
But it wasn't long before I got the news that Guppy was in trouble again.
And this time there wasn't no one there to help him but the Lord.
Music
This is... well, no... no, that doesn't look familiar. Oh, oh yeah, there, there, there.
No, no, that's not... I don't think I've ever been here before.
Well, no, no, that looks... maybe this is where we had that coffee convention last year.
Music
No, no, I don't think so. I think I'll turn around and go back the way I came.
Music
Boo!
Music
Maybe... maybe I should ask someone.
Wolf, frog, swan egg, carplow ring, hello, hello, oh, big bass bill, hey, hey, where am I?
Guppy, what in the world are you doing up here at this part of the pond?
You know you're not supposed to be up here. If you don't listen as a little guppy, when you grow up to be a big guppy, you're going to get in a whole lot of trouble.
I don't know how many times I'm going to have to tell you little guppies, were you... do you understand that if everybody acts like you,
I mean, breaking our laws and things, you have responsibility. Act like a responsible guppy, okay?
I don't know what this world's coming to. Young kids just don't understand responsibility.
You're going to have to learn it. Go back to the time learning it now. Learn it and get your hair cut.
Oh, excuse me, sir. Oh dear, I sound like big bass bill.
Sir, sir, could you tell me where I am?
What do I do now?
Me? You want me to follow?
Okay, okay, wait. Wait for me. I'm coming.
I hope this guy knows where he's going.
I can't see him anymore.
I hope.
Wait.
Oh, there's Bullfrog. Bullfrog, wait. Boy, am I glad to see you.
Uh, I don't know. Uh, I really should. What should I do?
I am awfully hungry and her face is so pretty.
Wait, that's it. It's just what Bullfrog said. Sometimes pretty things are a trap.
No, thank you, ma'am. I'll just stay right here.
Well, I suppose if she took a bite, maybe it's okay. Just a little bite.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh, oh, oh. Just help me.
My guppy Penrod, what are you doing out of water? Flapping around up here like a fish with butterfly wings.
I never seen anybody flap around on this boat. This is no place for you. You know I'm feeling it.
Throw me.
What? I can't hear you, guppies. Speak up.
I can't breathe. Throw me back.
Oh, how can you say so? Let's get you back in the water.
Oh, thank you, Bullfrog. Thanks so much.
What happened to you, young man? You look a little green around the gills.
Oh, Bullfrog, it was awful. I was swimming and it was so interesting and then it was dark and strange.
Then a huge muskrat scared me, but I thought he was going to help me.
Then I thought I saw you, but it was some weird fish person.
She led me to this beautiful, horrible lure. I knew I wasn't supposed to touch it, but I was so hungry.
She took a bite. Well, not really. So then I did and I got caught.
Then I prayed to God and I guess I made a big flip because I landed at your feet.
Well, you saved me again, which is a good thing because no telling what would have happened to me.
I could have ended up on someone's plate. I could have gotten filleted and frozen and shrink-wrapped into those little bitty fish squares and deep-fried.
I could have put in some brightly colored buns in the freezer section of your local supermarket. Oh, oh, oh!
Uh, yeah, well, I suppose that could have happened.
But the point is, Guppy, the Lord saved you. And don't you forget it.
I won't. Not ever. I should have listened to you, Bullfrog.
You tried to teach me, but I just went off paying more attention to how things looked and what they really were.
And then, after I knew I'd gone too far, I kept on going, thinking I could get out of it myself instead of trusting the Lord, like you said.
I really almost blew it today. I was in more trouble than a, well, than a, than a frog leg at an Arkansas diner.
Well, Guppy, you just have to learn from this and go on and pray that you'll have the wisdom to know what to do next time.
But first, you'd better ask forgiveness for what happened today.
I sure will. Will you pray with me, Bullfrog?
I would be honored.
Snappy Jake, sing for us, would you?
Oh, I would be honored.
God takes real good care of me. Every day His goodness I can see. I serve Him with gladness. I have no regrets.
For He walks beside me. Why should I worry? Why should I fret?
I'm waiting along to strengthen every day His guiding light.
Each step along the way, God can pray His goodness and His mercy every day is mine.
And I can call on Jesus anytime you see. God takes good care of me, care of me.
Every morning, noon, and night, He's taking good care of me. And I'll praise His name.
He loves eternity. He solves every problem that I ever met. So I'm gonna trust Him.
I ain't gonna worry and I ain't gonna fret. My wonderful friend. He's watching over me.
Through trouble and pain, or through whatever it'll be, He'll take care of me.
I know there's lots of problems in this world today, but He's never been too busy to hear me when I pray, you see.
God takes good care of me, care of me. God takes good care of me, care of me.
Down, down the hill where the weeping willows grope, Where the tree frogs chirp and the sleepy turtle stroke,
Where the creek gets crude, where the sun is setting low, Down at Gaither's pond.
Well, if you've got the gumption, then you'll know just what to do. Grab a pair of mud boots and a fishing pole or two.
The fishing crawdads come alive when you've a mind to take the time to step into the waters of rippling blue.
So hunker down and hang on to your seat, cause we'll fly high to the southern gospel beat.
You clap your hands and stomp your happy feet, down at Gaither's pond.
Down at Gaither's pond.