“Crow Wing Drive”
Description
"Says White Pine Tom to Arkansaw, 'There's one more drive I'd like to strike.' Says Arkansaw, 'What can it be?' "It's the Crow Wing River for the old Pine Tree." The loggers leave Bemidji for Brainerd, where they "make some noise."
Supplemental text
Crow Wing Drive
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
From Franz Rickaby, Ballads and Songs of the Shanty-Boy
(1926), #24, pp. 99-100. From Ed Springstad, Bemidji,
Minnesota.
Says White Pine Tom to Arkansaw,
"There's one more drive that I'd like to strike."
Says Arkansaw, "What can it be?"
"It's the Crow Wing River for the old Pine Tree."
(3 additional stanzas)
Notes
The relationship between this and the "Casey Jones"/"Joseph Mica (Mikel) (The Wreck of the Six-Wheel Driver) (Been on the Choly So Long)" [Laws I16] families will be obvious. Rickaby's informant said it was built out of those elements by White Pine Tom, the singer mentioned in the first line.
Whether White Pine Tom is the actual author or not, the piece clearly was composed by someone familiar with northern Minnesota. Given that the informant, Ed Springstad, was known as Arkansaw, it may have been a local joke.
I have this feeling that there may have been a few more verses than Rickaby printed. - RBW
References
- Rickaby 24, "The Crow Wing Drive" (1 text, 1 tune)
- ST Rick099 (Partial)
- BI, Rick099