“The Badger Drive”

Description

A song of praise to logdrivers. It mentions the hardships of the job. It praises manager Bill Dorothy, and points out that drivers supply the pulpwood for paper. The drive on Badger is described. The singer hopes that the company will continue to succeed

Supplemental text

Badger Drive, The
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

From Edith Fulton Fowke, editor, and Richard Johnston, music editor,
Folk Songs of Canada (first edition), pp. 84-86. No source listed.

There is one class of men in this country
That never is mentioned in song,
And now, since their trade is advancing,
They'll come out on top before long.
They say that our sailors have danger,
And likewise our warriors bold,
But there's none know the life of a driver,
What he suffers in hardship and cold.

Refrain:
With their pike-poles and peavies and bateaus and all,
And they're sure to drive out in the spring, that's the time,
With the caulks in their boots as they get on the logs,
And it's hard to get over their time.

(4 additional stanzas)

Cross references

• cf. "The Drive" (theme)

Recordings

• Omar Blondahl, "The Badger Drive" (on NFOBlondahl01)

References

1. Fowke/Johnston, pp. 84-86, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Greenleaf/Mansfield 160, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Doyle2, p. 29, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Doyle3, p. 13, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
5. Blondahl, pp. 49-50, "The Badger Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
6. ST FJ084 (Partial)
7. Roud #4542
8. BI, FJ084