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.

Whenever two boats, whether they were sailing sloops or side-wheel steamers, were heading in the same direction on the Hudson River they challenged each other to a race. These races were not always sport alone. Since the sloops carried farm products from one town landing to the next along the river, there were commercial advantages in being the first to dock and start selling their cargo. Some of the races were establish a reputation for being a fast sailor – such as the race between the “Sally B.” and the “Ben Franklin” as they sailed upriver one summer day.
​https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/folkways/FW05257.pdf
​

​The sloop “Sally B”. sailing up the Tappan Zee,
As fast a little sloop as you’d ever want to see.
She was ninety feet tall and had a boom to match
The little “Sally B.” was always pretty hard to catch.

The old “Ben Franklin” was a mighty fast one too,
The mainsail and the jib they were both brand new,
And the captain Mike Payne, he swore a mighty oath
That he’d beat the “Sally B.” or sink them both.

Then the old “Ben Franklin” and the saucy “Sally B.”
Started racing up the river from the Tappan Zee.
“Sally” led the race every bit of the way
From the beginning to the end of the Haverstraw Bay.

Then they turned into the river where it wasn’t very wide,
At much closer quarters they were side by side,
And the skippers both agreed that the race would end
At the very next point around the very next bend.

Now lying dead ahead and looming very large,
Loaded with stone was an up-state barge.
The tide had turned her broadside and there she lay
They couldn’t sail around her there wasn’t any way.

Oh, the old ”Ben Franklin” and the saucy ” Sally B.”
As fast a pair of sloops as you’d ever want to see,
They hit the barge together and they both sank fast
But the old “Ben Franklin” hit the bottom last!

​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!​

History of the Delaware & Hudson Canal - Supplying coal to the 19th century industrial era.
 
From its opening in 1828 till its closing in 1899, the barges of the D&H canal carried anthracite coal from the mines of Northeastern Pennsylvania to the Hudson River at Kingston where it was transshipped to market in New York City.

William Wurts was the first to explore the anthracite coal fields of North East Pennsylvania. He believed anthracite, sometimes known as “hard coal” could be burnt for heating and fueling of steam boilers.   He brought samples back to Philadelphia for successful testing.  When restrictions were placed on the import of British coal and inspired by the success of the newly opened Erie Canal , Wurts wanted to build a canal of his own from Pennsylvania to New York, through the narrow valley between the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountains ending at the Hudson River near Kingston.

William convinced his brothers Charles and Maurice to join him in creating the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company.  In 1823 they successfully obtained charters from the States of New York and Pennsylvania to establish the canal company.  Unlike the Champlain and Erie Canals the D&H company was to be privately financed. To attract investment, the brothers arranged for a demonstration of burning of anthracite in New York City in January of 1825. The reaction was enthusiastic, and the stock oversubscribed within hours raising 1.3 million dollars.

D&H canal construction started in May 1825 and was completed October 1828 with the labor of 2500 men.  The engineering challenges were significant as the canal had to climb 600 feet from the Hudson River at Rondout to reach the Delaware River and then proceed to Honesdale Pennsylvania. Overall 108 locks were required to travel the 108 miles. Fifteen miles of gravity railroad brought the coal over mountains, which were too steep for a canal, from the mines near Carbondale to be loaded on barges at Honesdale. The canal had to cross the Delaware River and did so using a slack water dam allowing barges to float across relatively still water of the Delaware.  In 1847 a suspension bridge aqueduct designed by the now famous engineer John A. Roebling, increased traffic capacity and reduced conflict with log rafters bringing timber down river.

The canal was quite successful and by 1832 carried 90,000 tons of coal and three million board-feet of lumber.   Also shipped down the canal was Rosendale cement, bluestone, and agricultural products.  With the canal’s success the communities along the canal grew into vibrant villages and towns. High Falls, Ellenville, Wurtsboro, and Port Jervis are present day reminders of the canal’s economic impact.

During the later part of the 19th century, the canal faced increasing competition from railroads which ultimately benefited from a more direct route across New Jersey and the ability to operate for much of the winter, while the canal boats were wintering over, iced in at Rondout and New York. The canal ceased operation in 1899.Unlike many other canals of the 19th century the D&H canal remained a profitable private operation for most of its existence.

Roy Justice is a singing historian known as a Time Travelling Minstrel. He presents programs on different aspects and topics of American History, combining music of the time period with the historical landscape within which the music was a part. ​https://royhjustice.com/home

THE D & H CANAL - LYRICS

Around and round the Wurtsboro Bend
The big boat chased the squeezer
Ed Lax’s  boat had passed them both
Slicker than the weasel

In eighteen hundred and seventy-eight the canal was hit by a freshet
The embankment broke and flooded the vly
The damage was terrific.

A load of cement went through the break
Houses and barns were uprooted
To try and save whatever they could
To the river the big boat scooted

There was a girl named Sarah Jane
And a youth named Samuel
They courted long and happily
On the D&H Canal

They loved each other tenderly
And the Rosendale folks all said
That before the boating season was o’er
These lovers would be wed. These lovers would be wed.
​
But they never did, for he succumbed to hard times.
And his lifeless body was buried six feet beneath the sod
Along the Twelve Mile level.

And e’re her lover was dead one week
She started keeping company
With a junk dealer that did live up back in Rondout.
Up back in Rondout.
From “Of Canals and Coal”. Roy Justice Time Travelling Minstrel. 2007. 

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 has been many things to many people. During the Revolutionary War, the Americans regarded it as their lifeline. To the British, it was not only an invasion route from Canada, but the dividing line that could cut the American colonies in two. In the summer of 1776, the British under General Burgoyne came down from Canada to seize the upper Hudson while a great British naval force entered New York harbor with the intention of seizing the lower Hudson.

Two small British frigates were sent up into the Hudson to test the strength of the American defenses. The 44-gun Phoenix, under Captain Hyde Parker, and the 20-gun Rose, under Captain James Wallace, along with three escort vessels forced their way through a tremendous bombardment from the American forts on the Manhattan and Jersey shores. They reached the Tappan Sea virtually unharmed and spent the entire summer terrorizing the towns and villages along the River as far north as Peekskill. The British made many attempts to land, seizing cattle and other previsions wherever they could. They were not always successful, as we hear in this ballad describing an attempted attack on Peekskill."  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.​ https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/folkways/FW05257.pdf
​

​"THE PHOENIX AND THE ROSE" LYRICS

Upon the lordly Hudson
On a pleasant summer's day,
His Majesty's ships Phoenix
and the Rose at Anchor lay.
They had spent the day in shooting up
The towns along the shore,
A sport the gunners much enjoyed
But the captains found a bore.

It was tea time on the Phoenix,
So the Captain rang his bell
And he asked the Captain's Steward
“Now then where's my tea, pray tell?”
The Steward was embarrassed
And he said, “Well, Sir, you see,
There's not a blinking thing aboard
To serve you with your tea.”

“Not a thing aboard the Phoenix
With her four-and-forty guns!

Not a thing aboard the Phoenix
In her gross two-hundred tons?
Not a blinking thing aboard the ship
To serve me with my tea?
What sort of nonsense, Steward,
Is this you're telling me!”

“It's been quite a busy day, Sir,
What with all the shelling.
And the raiding and the burning
And the general raise-helling.
What's more the natives are unhappy, Sir,
And we've aroused their ire,
And some have them , by God, Sir,
Have dared return our fire!”

The Steward then went on to say
That in view of all the shooting,
There'd been precious little time to spare
For foraging and looting.
Because of which, aboard the ship
Of some four-and-forty guns,
There was not a single thing to eat
But some carrots and stale buns.

“Now blast me eyes and damme too!”
Cried Captain Sir Hyde Parker,
“Bestir yourself and bestir the crew
Before it gets much darker!
Lower a boat or two or four
And pull for that damn rebellious shore
And capture and seize a well-stocked store
Or I'll give the lot of you what for!”

Meanwhile aboard the frigate Rose
There was scarcely a bite or nibble,
And Captain Wallace sent his boats ashore
With orders not to quibble,
But to take whatever they came upon,
Whatever was to their taste,
“Now hurry, me lads”, the Captain said,
“There's little time to waste!”

The crew of the gallant Phoenix now
Had stormed the Peekskill shore,
And joined by the crew of the gallant Rose
They marched on the Peekskill store.
Not a rebel at all did they meet in town,
Not a single shot was fired,
The Peekskill folk had taken their wives
And prudently retired.

Into the empty town they went,
As bold as they could be,
Into the vacant stores they stormed
In search of things for tea.
Alas, they found but empty shelves,
Not a single thing remained,
At which the sailors cursed the town
In language unrestrained.

Not a scrap of food in all the town,
Not a single bite to eat,
And the bugler scarcely had the strength
To sound the sad retreat.
Back to their ships they slowly rowed,
In anger and in sorrow,
For they had no tea on that summer's day
And they had none for tomorrow.
​
Upon the lordly Hudson,
On a pleasant summer's night,
The villagers of Peekskill
Beheld a pleasant sight.
The British ships had sailed away,
Hungry from head to toes,
And Peekskill won the battle
With the Phoenix and the Rose.

​An original song by Melissa Holland, performed by Ms Holland (keyboard and vocals) with photography by Paul Hewitt. Melissa and Paul live in Beacon, NY located in Dutchess County on the Hudson River. Beacon was Pete Seeger's hometown, and he was dedicated to revitalizing the Hudson after it had been badly contaminated by pollution. Melissa Holland performed regularly with Pete Seeger, and this was his favorite song of hers. She's an active member and regular performer at the Hudson Valley Folk Guild and the Hyde Park Free Library.

I'M SO LUCKY I LIVE BY THE RIVER (HUDSON RIVER)" LYRICS

​I’m so lucky I live by the river
I’m so lucky I can hear the sound
Of the waves against the rocks
And the rustling of the trees
See the skies reflection change from blue to bright green
I’m so lucky I live by the river
I’m so lucky I live by the river
I’m so lucky the mountains reach its shores
Towering above me, like giant palace walls
These ancient granite statues make me feel so safe and small

I’m so lucky I live by the river
I can swim or climb, I can sit and stare
I can slow down time or immerse myself in prayer
I’m so lucky I live by the river
I’m so lucky to walk out on the dock
And watch the colored kayaks race on by
The graceful sailboats lean
The fishermen so quiet cast their lines and cast their dreams
I’m so lucky I live by the river​

​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!​

A Sailor's Prayer is presented here by Mosaic Whispers. In a time of uncertainty and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, members of Mosaic Whispers from throughout the years unite to sing their alumni song Sailor's Prayer virtually. 85 voices, 29 years. Sailor's Prayer is written by Rod MacDonald, arranged by Jon Krivitzky, and sung by past and current members of Mosaic Whispers, the oldest all-gender a cappella group at Washington University in St. Louis. Sound mixing by P. Daniel Newman, video editing by Reynolds Whalen.

A Sailor's Prayer Lyrics

Though my sails be torn and tattered
And my mast be torned about
Let the night wind chill me to my very soul
Though the spray might sting my eye
And the stars no light provide
Give me just another morning light to hold

I will not lie me down, this rain a-ragin'
I will not lie me down, in such a storm
And if this night be unblessed, I shall not take my rest
Until I reach another shore

If the only water left
Is but salt to wound my thirst
I will drink the rain that falls so steady down
And though night's blindness be my gift
And there be thieves upon my drift
I will thank the fog that shelters me along

I will not lie me down, this rain a-ragin'
I will not lie me down, in such a storm
And if this night be unblessed, I shall not take my rest
Until I reach another shore

Though my mates be drained and weary
And believe all hopes are lost
There's no need for their bones
On that blackened bottom
Though death waits just off the bough
We'll not answer to him now
He shall stand to greet the morning light without us

I will not lie me down, this rain a-ragin'
I will not lie me down, in such a storm
And if this night be unblessed, I shall not take my rest
Until I reach another shore

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.

"Fifty Sail on Newburgh Bay," the album's title track, recounts the life of sailing sloops and Schooners coming in and out of Newburgh Bay, at the north end of the Hudson Highlands. The song references "Worragut," also known as "Weygat," which is Dutch for "wind gate," meaning the northern entrance to the Hudson Highlands, bound on one side by Storm King Mountain and Breakneck Ridge on the other. The stretch of river between Newburgh and Stony Point is bound on both sides by high mountains, and the river twists sharply. A difficult passage for sailors and known to contain tricky winds which required much tacking, the Hudson Highlands were best approached with caution. 

From the album liner notes, written by William Gekle, "And so it very often happened that sailing sloops, sometimes fifty or a hundred of them, anchored in Newburgh Bay just outside the passage, waiting for the right wind or the right tide - or both." 

"Fifty Sail on Newburgh Bay" Lyrics
Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
Waitin' for the wind and tide,
Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
With the anchors over the side.

The skippers all sit on the rail to yarn,
Same as farmers out by the old red barn,
​The boys in skiffs have gone ashore
To ruckus outside the village store.

Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
Waitin' for the wind and tide,
Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
With the anchors over the side.

Now the wind comes up with a mighty roar,
Whitecaps roll from shore to shore
So it's anchors up and sail away
Down the Worragut from Newburgh Bay.

Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
Waitin' for the wind and tide,
Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
With the anchors over the side.

Now the sails are full and the sloops run free,
Beatin' through the Gate to the open sea,
There's Breakneck Hill on the looward side
And Storm King Mountain makin' up the tide.

Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
Waitin' for the wind and tide,
Fifty sail on Newburgh Bay
With the anchors over the side.

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!​

"The Erie Canal Song," also known as "Low Bridge, Everybody Down," was first published in 1905 by Thomas Allen. Reacting to the changeover from mule power to powered barges and tugboats, Allen captured the nostalgia of 80 years of mule power on the canal, as well as some of its dangers - including low bridges!

Construction on the New York State Barge Canal began in 1905 and was completed in 1918, an expansion of the original Erie and Lake Champlain Canals, widening the channel and charting new courses around cities like Rochester. This signaled an end to mule-powered canals in New York State, as the D&H Canal had closed several years earlier, in 1899 (although cement was still transported by canal from Rosendale to Rondout on the D&H until 1917). 

This particular version was recorded by Bruce Springsteen for the album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006). 

Erie Canal Lyrics
I've got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal

We hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
We know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo

[Chorus]
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, yeah we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal

[Verse 2]
We'd better look around for a job, old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
You can bet your life I'll never part with Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal

Get up mule, here comes a lock
We'll make Rome about six o'clock
One more trip and back we'll go
Right back home to Buffalo

[Chorus]
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, yeah we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal

[Verse 3]
Where would I be if I lost my pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I'd like to see a mule good as my Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal

A friend of mine once got her sore
Now he's got a broken jaw
Because she let fly with an iron toe
And kicked him back to Buffalo

[Chorus]
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, yeah we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, yeah we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, yeah we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you ever navigated on the Erie Canal

​
Did you grow up singing this song in school? Have you ever visited the Erie Canal? Tell us your memories in the comments!

​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!​

Released in on September 25, 2012 on Appleseed Records, A More Perfect Union was one of Pete Seeger's last albums (Pete Remembers Woody​ was released simultaneously). A collaboration with longtime friend and fellow songwriter Lorre Wyatt, the album features other musicians including Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Dar Williams, among others. Pete was 93 when the album was recorded and passed away on January 27, 2014 at the age of 94. 

"Bountiful River" is the last song on the album. 

​​"Bountiful River" Lyrics 
by Pete Seeger and Lorre Wyatt

Deep love like a bountiful river
Fills the soul renews the heart
My love is always and ever
We will never part
Sailing sailing together
Fills the soul renews the heart
Flowing flowing forever
We will never part
Chorus Oh, bountiful river3x
We will never part
Reviving this river
Fills the soul renews the heart
Embarked on an endless endeavor
We will never part

Blending one voice with another
Fills the soul renews the heart
Weaving our lives with these waters
We will never part
Each swimmer that crosses the river
Fills the soul renews the heart
Singing we're in this together
We will never part
Shadfish surging up river
Fills the soul renews the heart
Singing we're in this together
We will never part
An eagle circling in heaven
Fills the soul renews the heart
An eagle and river repeating
We will never part

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!​

Released on the 2002 album, Relax Your Mind, "That River's Taking Care of Me" is one of Molly Mason's favorite songs. Written by R.S. Adams & J. Greer, Molly learned from Connie Boswell's 1933 recording which has a different introduction. When performing it in the Hudson Valley, Molly will often change the lyrics to indicate that her river is the Hudson River.

​Jay Ungar and Molly Mason played this song as part of their awards speech for receiving the Roger Mabie Award from the Hudson River Maritime Museum at the 2014 Pilot Gala. 

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason are founders of the Ashokan Center, which teaches environmental education as well as music and dance. Jay Ungar wrote the song "Ashokan Farewell," named after the camp, which was famously featured in Ken Burns' documentary "The Civil War." The Ashokan Center has recently been publishing a series of virtual music programs on their YouTube channel. 

That River's Taking Care of Me Lyrics
By R. S. Adams / J. Greer, Interpreted by Molly Mason

I love that river,
That friendly river,
He gives me everything free!
So I love that river,
That river's takin' care of me!

I catch my breakfast,
I catch my supper,
He gives me everything free!
So I love that river,
He's takin' care of me!

He never stops to ask the reason I'm here,
Just fills my empty bowl.
All he has he's willin' to share,
I guess that river has a soul!

When I've got troubles,
He takes my trouble
And he carries them out to sea!
So I love the river,
The river's takin' care of me!

I get that river,
That friendly river,
He gives me everything free, oh-oh!
I love that river,
The river's takin' care of me!

Well he never stops to ask me the reason I'm here,
Just fills my empty bowl.
All he has he's willin' to share,
I guess that river has a soul!

When I've got troubles,
He takes my troubles
And carries them out to sea!
I love the river,
That river's takin' care of me!

Care of me! 
Yes I love that river,
That river's takin' care of me!

​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 newly songs, with lyrics largely composed by William Gekle. 

"The Burning of Kingston," lyrics by William Gekle and music by Pete Seeger, recounts a true event, the burning of Kingston, NY by British forces on October 16, 1777. To learn more about the Burning of Kingston, check out "Terror on the Hudson: The Burning of Kingston," from the New York Almanack. 

"Burning of Kingston" Lyrics
(Words by Bill Gekle, music by Pete Seeger)

Autumn burned in the Ulster Hills,
Before the British came,
The elms and maples smoldered there
The oaks were yellow flame.

The fields were empty, barns were full,
Wrapped in October haze,
While British ships up-river sailed,
All through the golden days.

As in a dream, the white-sailed ships
Past the lowlands glide,
All quiet now, as if in peace,
Northward on the tide.

Two thousand men aboard the ships
Gaze at the golden shore,
They dream of making homes and farms
Instead of making war.

This was a land they could have loved
And shared its homes and farms,
This was a land they could have had
Without resource to arms.

But Kingston was burned in the Ulster Hills,
Every house but one,
And it burned in the hearts of Ulster men,
Until the war was won.

​​​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!​