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Recorded in the summer of 1976 in Woodstock, NY Fifty Sail on Newburgh Bay: Hudson Valley Songs Old & New was released in October of that year. Designed to be a booster for the replica sloop Clearwater, as well as to tap into the national interest in history thanks to the bicentennial, the album includes a mixture of traditional songs and new songs. This album is a recording to songs relating to the Hudson River, which played a major role in the commercial life and early history of New York State, including the Revolutionary War. Folk singer Ed Renehan (born 1956), who was a member of the board of the Clearwater, sings and plays guitar along with Pete Seeger. William Gekle, who wrote the lyrics for five of the songs, also wrote the liner notes, which detail the context of each song and provide the lyrics. This booklet designed and the commentary written by William Gekle who also wrote the lyrics for: Fifty Sail, Moon in the Pear Tree, The Phoenix and the Rose, Old Ben and Sally B., and The Burning of Kingston. Pete Seeger wrote a song for a friend, Ron Ingold, a shad fisherman on the Hudson River. Ingold is one of the new breed of Hudson River fishermen who is ready to fight for the environmental health of the River and, since he is on the River almost daily, he understands the importance of that delicate balance that must be maintained between Man and Nature. He understands this far better than the “half-blind scholars” who scarcely know which way the wind is blowing or which way the currents are flowing. https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/folkways/FW05257.pdf Editor's Note: Hear interviews with Ron Ingold and other Hudson River commercial fishermen here: https://nyheritage.org/collections/oral-histories-hudson-river-commercial-fishermen OF TIME AND RIVERS FLOWING - LYRICS Of time and rivers flowing The seasons make a song And we who live beside her Still try to sing along Of rivers, fish, and men, And the season’s still a’coming When she’ll run clear again. So many homeless sailors, So many winds that blow, I ask the half-blind scholars Which way the currents flow. So cast your nets below And the gods of moving waters Will tell us all they know. The circles of the planets, The circles of the moon, The circles of the atoms All play a marching tune And we who would join in Can stand aside no longer Now let us all begin! Thanks to HRMM volunteer Mark Heller for sharing his knowledge of Hudson River music history for this series. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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Northwest Passage is the title track of a 1981 album by Stan Rogers. "Northwest Passage" compares the singer's own travels across the prairie provinces to the exploratory adventures of Sir John Franklin, Alexander Mackenzie, David Thompson, and Henry Kelsey. Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter. Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes.[1] Rogers died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 on the ground at the Greater Cincinnati Airport at the age of 33. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Rogers This performance by The Longest Johns & El Pony Pisador is presented by Caraway Studios. El Pony Pisador are an incredible group of musicians from Barcelona. They play a fantastic combination of Sea Shanties and Irish music in a unique and spellbinding style. https://www.facebook.com/elponypisado... The Longest Johns are a fantastic group of folk singers from Bristol. Rooting their elaborate harmonies in strong bass tones with elegant highs, their sound is truly captivating and original. https://www.thelongestjohns.com The Northwest Passage - Lyrics Westward from the Davis Strait 'Tis there 'twas said to lie The sea route to the Orient For which so many died Seeking gold and glory, Leaving weathered, broken bones And a long-forgotten lonely cairn of stones Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage To find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the Beaufort Sea Tracing one warm line Through a land so wide and savage And make a Northwest Passage to the sea Three centuries thereafter I take passage overland In the footsteps of brave Kelsey Where his "sea of flowers" began Watching cities rise before me Then behind me sink again This tardiest explorer Driving hard across the plain Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage To find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the Beaufort Sea Tracing one warm line Through a land so wide and savage And make a Northwest Passage to the sea And through the night, behind the wheel The mileage clicking west I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the rest Who cracked the mountain ramparts And did show a path for me To race the roaring Fraser to the sea Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage To find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the Beaufort Sea Tracing one warm line Through a land so wide and savage And make a Northwest Passage to the sea How then am I so different From the first men through this way? Like them, I left a settled life I threw it all away To seek a Northwest Passage At the call of many men To find there but the road back home again Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage To find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the Beaufort Sea Tracing one warm line Through a land so wide and savage And make a Northwest Passage to the sea. Thanks to HRMM volunteer Mark Heller for sharing his knowledge of Hudson River music history for this series. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
"Down in the River to Pray" (also known as "Down to the River to Pray," "Down in the Valley to Pray," "The Good Old Way," and "Come, Let Us All Go Down") is a traditional American song variously described as a Christian folk hymn, an African-American spiritual, an Appalachian song, and a southern gospel song. The exact origin of the song is unknown. Research suggests that it was composed by an enslaved African-American.[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_in_the_River_to_Pray DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY - LYRICS As I went down in the river to pray Studying about that good old way And who shall wear the robe and crown Good lord, show me the way! O brothers let's go down, Let's go down, come on down, Come on brothers let's go down, Down in the river to pray. As I went down in the river to pray Studying about that good old way And who shall wear the robe and crown Good lord, show me the way! O mothers let's go down, Let's go down, come on down, Come on mothers let's go down, Down in the river to pray. As i went down in the river to pray Studying about that good old way And who shall wear the starry crown Good lord, show me the way! O fathers let's go down, Let's go down, come on down, Come on fathers let's go down, Down in the river to pray. Source: Musixmatch If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
"The Lighthouse's Tale" is a song by progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek, taken from their debut album, Nickel Creek, released in 2001. "The Lighthouse's Tale" was written by Adam McKenzie & Chris Thile. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lighthouse%27s_Tale The Lighthouse's Tale - Lyrics I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves. I keep my lamp lit, to warn the sailors on their way. I'll tell a story, paint you a picture from my past. I was so happy, but joy in this life seldom lasts. I had a keeper, he helped me warn the ships at sea. We had grown closer, 'till his joy meant everything to me. And he was to marry, a girl who shone with beauty and light. And they loved each other, And with me watched the sunsets into night. And the waves crashing around me, the sand slips out to sea. And the winds that blow remind me, Of what has been, and what can never be. She'd had to leave us, my keeper he prayed for a safe return. But when the night came, The weather to a raging storm had turned. He watched her ship fight, But in vain against the wild and terrible wind. In me so helpless, as dashed against the rock she met her end. And the waves crashing around me, the sand slips out to sea. And the winds that blow remind me, Of what has been, and what can never be. Then on the next day, my keeper found her washed up on the shore. He kissed her cold face, That they'd be together soon he'd swore. I saw him crying, watched as he buried her in the sand. And then he climbed my tower, and off of the edge of me he ran. And the waves crashing around me, the sand slips out to sea. And the winds that blow remind me, Of what has been, and what can never be. I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves. And though I am empty, I still warn the sailors on their way. Source: LyricFind; Songwriters: Adam Mckenzie / Chris Thile; The Lighthouse's Tale lyrics © BMG Rights Management If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
History of the Water Song: There are many women’s water songs from many different cultures, and they all have deep meaning and beauty. The Water Song in this video has a lyric that is easy to learn and does not take a long time to sing. At the 2002 Circle of All Nations Gathering, at Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Canada, Grandfather William Commanda asked Irene Wawatie Jerome, an Anshinabe/Cree whose family are the Keepers of the Wampum Belt to write a song that women attending the gathering would learn and spread it throughout the world. Grandmother Louise Wawatie taught the Water Song to Grandmother Nancy Andry so she could begin her mission of spreading this powerful practice. Recently, in 2017, although Grandfather William and Grandmother Louise have crossed over, Grandmother Nancy met with the Elders again in Canada, and they were unified in agreement that a video of the song should be made to hasten the teaching and widen the circle of women singing it because of the increasingly grave dangers our waters are facing. The Wawatie and Commanda families gave permission to record the song on this video. For more information go to: https://www.singthewatersong.com/ If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
The traditional sea chantey, "Leave Her Johnny," sung by English folk singer Johnny Collins. Johnny Collins (10 May 1938 – 6 July 2009) was an English folk singer based in London, England, specializing in traditional maritime music and sea shanties. Collins was born in Norfolk, England and adopted by a railway worker and a music teacher living in Norwich. He joined the British Army in 1956, where he learned to play the guitar in jazz and folk clubs while posted in London. He was posted to Singapore in 1959 where he began performing in bars and cabarets in his off hours, and was posted to Hong Kong in 1965 where he began performing large concerts with other folk performers in the British and U.S. military. He also performed on television and radio (including the "Voice of America in East Asia") and played venues like the Hong Kong Hilton. In 1967 he was posted again to Singapore where he began his own folk club at the Anophel Inn. Tom Lewis and Pam Ayres performed there, among others. He was demobilized ("demobbed") in 1968, and he began to perform full-time. In 1983 he and Jim Mageean, performing as a duo, won the Intervision Song Contest in Rostock, in East Germany. Later, in 1987, they were invited by the East German government to perform at a sea shanty festival in Berlin commemorating the city's founding. Collins and his business partner Joyce Squires, assisted by Bernard Peek ran The Singing Chef. This service provided a wide range of home-cooked food at smaller folk-festivals throughout the UK. On occasions Collins sang on-stage wearing his chef's toque supported by backing singers (The Cheffettes) drawn from his kitchen brigade. Although slowed down by health problems, Collins continued to tour and perform worldwide up to the time of his death. including in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland and France as well as making frequent appearances in his native country at Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races, and maritime festivals at Hull, Lancaster, Bristol, Dundee, Maldon, Portsmouth, Gosport, Greenwich and Chatham. He died on 6 July 2009 while on tour in Gdańsk, Poland, aged 71. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Collins LEAVE HER JOHNNY - LYRICS Oh the work was hard and the wages low Leave her Johnny, leave her I guess it's time for us to go And it's time for us to leave her Leave her Johnny leave her Oh leave her Johnny, leave her Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And it's time for us to leave her Oh I thought I heard the old man say Leave her Johnny, leave her Oh tomorrow you will get your pay And it's time for us to leave her Leave her Johnny, leave her Oh, leave her Johnny, leave her Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And it's time for us to leave her The winds blew foul and the seas ran high Leave her Johnny, leave her We shipped up green and none went by And it's time for us to leave her Leave her, Johnny, leave her Oh leave her Johnny, leave her Oh the voyage is done and Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And it's time for us to leave her The mate was a bucco and the old man was a Turk. Leave her Johnny, leave her. And the boatswain was a begger with a middle name of work And it's time for us to leave her. Leave her Johnny, leave her, Oh leave her Johnny, leave her. Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And it's time for us to leave her. The old man swears, and the mate swears too, Leave her Johnny, leave her. The crew all swear, and so would you And it's time for us to leave her, Leave her Johnny, leave her, Oh leave her Johnny, leave her. Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And its time for us to leave her. The starboard pump is like the crew Leave her Johnny, leave her. It's all worn out and will not do And it's time for us to leave her, Leave her Johnny, leave her, Oh leave her Johnny, leave her. Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And it's time for us to leave her. The rats have gone and we the crew Leave her Johnny, leave her. It's the time be-damned that we went too And it's time for us to leave her, Leave her Johnny, leave her, Oh leave her Johnny, leave her. Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And it's time for us to leave her. Well I pray that we shall ne're more see Leave her Johnny, leave her. A hungry ship, the likes of she And it's time for us to leave her, Leave her Johnny, leave her, Oh leave her Johnny, leave her. Oh the voyage is done and the winds don't blow And it's time for us to leave her. Thanks to HRMM volunteer Mark Heller for sharing his knowledge of Hudson River music history for this series. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Recorded in the summer of 1976 in Woodstock, NY Fifty Sail on Newburgh Bay: Hudson Valley Songs Old & New was released in October of that year. Designed to be a booster for the replica sloop Clearwater, as well as to tap into the national interest in history thanks to the bicentennial, the album includes a mixture of traditional songs and new songs. This album is a recording to songs relating to the Hudson River, which played a major role in the commercial life and early history of New York State, including the Revolutionary War. Folk singer Ed Renehan (born 1956), who was a member of the board of the Clearwater, sings and plays guitar along with Pete Seeger. William Gekle, who wrote the lyrics for five of the songs, also wrote the liner notes, which detail the context of each song and provide the lyrics. This booklet designed and the commentary written by William Gekle who also wrote the lyrics for: Fifty Sail, Moon in the Pear Tree, The Phoenix and the Rose, Old Ben and Sally B., and The Burning of Kingston. The Hudson River Valley was settled by people who came from many parts of the world. They often brought with them the songs they had known in their homeland and, in time, these songs acquired a local flavor. One of these songs originally came from Ireland in a somewhat different form. John Allison, who wrote “Hudson River Steamboat” adapted and arranged this traditional song – and called it Tarrytown. https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/folkways/FW05257.pdf TARRYTOWN - LYRICS In Tarrytown I did dwell And a lovely youth, I knew him well. He courted me, my life away, But now with me he will no longer stay. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grasses growin’ over me. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grasses growin’ over me. There is an inn, in Tarrytown, Where my loves goes and sits him down. He takes another on his knee, For she has gold and riches more than me. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grasses growin’ over me. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grasses growin’ over me. When I wore my apron low, He’d follow me through rain and snow, Now that I wear my apron high, He goes right down my street and passes by. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grass growin’ over me. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grass growin’ over me. In Tarrytown I did dwell And a lovely youth, I knew him well. He courted me, my life away, But now with me he will no longer stay. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grasses growin’ over me. Wide and deep my grave will be With the wild goose grasses growin’ over me. Thanks to HRMM volunteer Mark Heller for sharing his knowledge of Hudson River music history for this series. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
An original song by Melissa Holland. Performed by Melissa Holland (keyboard and vocals) with photography by Paul Hewitt. Melissa and Paul live in Beacon, New York on the Hudson River. Beacon was Pete Seeger's home town, and he was dedicated to revitalizing the Hudson after it had been badly contaminated by pollution. Melissa Holland performed regularly with Pete Seeger, and she performs regularly at the Hudson Valley Folk Guild. THE HUDSON RIVER FLOWS - LYRICS We know the Hudson River flows North and South, fast and slow We know the Hudson River flows She’s alive and well today Years ago, they said she was dead But people got together and they used their heads Some said the future looked grim But they dove right in We know the Hudson River flows North and South, fast and slow We know the Hudson River flows She’s alive and well today Working, planning, side by side Before too long they turned the tide But the job is never done It goes on and on We know the Hudson River flows North and South, fast and slow We know the Hudson River flows She’s alive and well today Put those big old frackers down Leave the gas underground There’s power sources we’ve ignored. That we can explore. If we want her to stay Education is the way Don’t give up Stand your ground and pass the torch on down. We know the Hudson River flows North and South, fast and slow We know the Hudson River flows She’s alive and well today She’s alive and well today She’s alive and well today Thanks to HRMM volunteer Mark Heller for sharing his knowledge of Hudson River music history for this series. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Vienna Carroll performs this version of Shallow Brown, a Caribbean sea shanty. Ms. Carroll has written a musical play about pre-Civil War Black sailors. The sea shanty Shallow Brown is a song by and about a Jamaican slave sold off to a Yankee ship owner, who is jumping ship to find a better life. Shallow Brown shares the under-told story of the critical impact of Black sailors on the antebellum maritime economy and on the lives of the Black community and it highlights their activities in the Underground Railroad. Vienna presented an excerpt (and research journey) at the 39th Mystic Sea Music Festival Symposium in 2018 and debuted a full reading at the Langston Hughes House in Harlem in the Fall. She kicked off the first Langston Hughes playwright showcase to a packed house on May 3, 2019. Vienna was scheduled to perform at the Cold Springs Whaling Museum and at the 41st Mystic Sea Music Festival this year in 2020. http://shallowbrown.com/ Vienna Carroll is a singer, playwright, actor, historian and herbalist. Vienna learned music from the Black Ladies of her youth, including her fearsome great grandmother who played guitar to country singer Minnie Pearl on Saturday night radio but only proper Pentecostal chords in church on Sunday. Vienna also sang in the choir at her family’s AME church, and attended her godmother’s Baptist church. At her Alabama grandmother’s 125 acre working farm, she listened to gospel and country on the radio and joined in the Sunday church services an hour’s drive away down a dusty road, where singing was often accompanied only by the hand clapping and shouting of its fervent members. She later formalized her study of early African American music and culture at Yale University, where she received a BA in African American Studies. http://viennacarroll.com/ SHALLOW BROWN - LYRICS Say I’m going away to leave you, Oh, Shallow Brown Yes, I’m going away to leave you, Oh, Shallow Brown Say I’m signed on to a whaler, Oh, Shallow Brown I’m signed on for a sailor, Oh, Shallow Brown Well I've got my clothes in order, Oh, Shallow Brown ‘Cause my packet leaves tomorrow, Oh, Shallow Brown Say I love you Juliana, Oh, Shallow Brown Yes I love you Juliana, Oh, Shallow Brown Say my master’s gonna sell me, Oh, Shallow Brown Says he’ll sell me to a Yankee, Oh, Shallow Brown Says he’ll sell me for a dollar, Oh, Shallow Brown A big, fat Spanish dollar, Oh, Shallow Brown Gonna climb the Chili mountain, Oh, Shallow Brown Gonna find the silver fountain, Oh, Shallow Brown Say I’m bound away for to leave you, Oh, Shallow Brown But I never will deceive you, Oh, Shallow Brown Fare you well, my Juliana, Oh, Shallow Brown Fare you well, my Juliana, Oh, Shallow Brown Thanks to HRMM volunteer Mark Heller for sharing his knowledge of Hudson River music history for this series. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Recorded in the summer of 1976 in Woodstock, NY Fifty Sail on Newburgh Bay: Hudson Valley Songs Old & New was released in October of that year. Designed to be a booster for the replica sloop Clearwater, as well as to tap into the national interest in history thanks to the bicentennial, the album includes a mixture of traditional songs and new songs. This album is a recording to songs relating to the Hudson River, which played a major role in the commercial life and early history of New York State, including the Revolutionary War. Folk singer Ed Renehan (born 1956), who was a member of the board of the Clearwater, sings and plays guitar along with Pete Seeger. William Gekle, who wrote the lyrics for five of the songs, also wrote the liner notes, which detail the context of each song and provide the lyrics. This booklet designed and the commentary written by William Gekle who also wrote the lyrics for: Fifty Sail, Moon in the Pear Tree, The Phoenix and the Rose, Old Ben and Sally B., and The Burning of Kingston. The men who sailed the sloops on the Hudson River, a hundred years or more ago, came from the farms and villages along its shores. Even long after they became experienced skippers, they spoke and thought more like farmers than sailors. They knew, or came to know, that the moon affected the tides. They knew that when the moon was in the Apogee, the tides were apt to run low and slow, and that when the moon was in the Perigee, the tides were likely to run higher and faster. Being farmers and countrymen at heart, they translated these terms into something with which they were familiar. And so they said that when the moon was in Apogee – it was in the apple tree. And when the moon was in Perigee, it was in the pear tree. https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/folkways/FW05257.pdf THE MOON IN THE PEAR TREE - LYRICS Look up, sailor, and you’ll see, The moon hangin’ up in the old pear tree, The old pear tree on the crest of the hill, While the moon draws the tide and the rivers fill. What better can a sailor hope to see Than the moon hangin’ up in the old pear tree! Look up, sailor, and you’ll see The moon hangin’ up in the apple tree, The apple tree grows in the yard out back While the moon holds the tide and the waters slack, So a sailor’s not so very glad to see The moon hangin’ up in the apple tree. Look up, sailor, and don’t be sad, The wind and the tide are bringin’ up shad, The shad and smelt and the sturgeon too, Comin’ up the River like they used to do. So look up, sailor, and pray to see The moon hangin’ up in the old pear tree. Look ahead, sailor, and you’ll see, Times a-comin’ back like they used to be, When the water’s clear and way up high Once more you see the stars in a clear blue sky. What better can a sailor hope to see Than the moon hangin’ up in the old pear tree. Thanks to HRMM volunteer Mark Heller for sharing his knowledge of Hudson River music history for this series. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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