“John Gilbert is de Boat”

Description

"John Gilbert is de boat, di-de-o... Runnin' in the Cincinnati trade." Description of the boat's travels, her cargo, the crew. "You see dat boat a-comin', she's comin' round de bend, An' when she gits in, She'll be loaded down again"

Notes

Botkin reports (following Wheeler), "The _John Gilbert_ ran from Cincinnati to Florence, Alabama. She was built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1881, and was named for Captain John Gilbert, of Evansville, Indiana, president of the Ohio and Tennessee River Packet Company." - RBW

References

1. Lomax-FSNA 276, "John Gilbert is de Boat" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. MWheeler, p. 43-46, "John Gilbert" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 574, "John Gilbert" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Roud #10012
5. BI, LoF276