“The E-ri-e”

Description

About a "terrible storm" on the Erie Canal. "Oh, the E-ri-e was a-rising And the gin was a-getting low, And I scarcely think we'll get a little drink Till we get to Buffalo." Humorous anecdotes of a highly hazardous voyage

Notes

The Erie Canal, as originally constructed, was a completely flat, shallow waterway. The barges were drawn along by mules. Thus, apart from getting wet, storms posed little danger, and the only way one could run aground was to run into trash that had fallen into the canal.

As for needing a distress signal ("We h'isted (the cook) upon the pole

As a signal of distress"), one could always step off onto dry land....

The Lomaxes, in _American Ballad and Folk Songs_, thoroughly mingled many texts of the Erie Canal songs (in fairness, some of this may have been the work of their informants -- but in any case the Lomaxes did not help the problem). One should check all the Erie Canal songs for related stanzas. - RBW

Historical references

• 1825 - Erie Canal opens (construction began in 1817)

Cross references

• cf. "The Raging Canal (I)" (plot)
• cf. "A Trip on the Erie (Haul in Your Bowline)" (plot)
• cf. "The Erie Canal"
• cf. "The Calabar" (theme)
• cf. "Stormy Weather Boys" (subject)
• cf. "The Farmington Canal Song" (theme)
• cf. ""The Wreck of the Mary Jane"" (theme)
• cf. "The Wreck of the Varty" (theme)
• cf. "On Board the Bugaboo" (theme)
• cf. "Changing Berth" (theme)
• cf. "The Wreck of the Gwendoline" (theme)
• cf. "The Fish and Chip Ship" (theme)
• cf. "The Shipwreck on the Lagan Canal" (theme)

Recordings

• Pete Seeger, "Erie Canal" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a)

References

1. Creighton-Maritime, p. 144, "It's Let Go Your Bowline" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Sandburg, p. 180, "The E-ri-e" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. Lomax-FSUSA 45, "The E-ri-e" (1 text, 1 tune)
4. Lomax-ABFS, pp. 470-471, "The E-ri-e" (1 text, 1 tune); see also pp. 455-457, "Ballad of the Erie Canal" (1 text, composite and probably containing stanzaswhich belong here); pp. 459-463, "The Erie Canal Ballad" (8 texts, some fragmentary, the fourth of which appears to belong here)
5. Darling-NAS, pp. 333-335, "The Erie Canal" (1 text)
6. Arnett, p. 56, "The Erie Canal" (1 text, 1 tune)
7. PSeeger-AFB, p. 87, "Erie Canal" (1 text, 1 tune)
8. Silber-FSWB, p. 43, "E-ri-e" (1 text)
9. DT, ERICANL1 ERIECNL3*
10. Roud #6599
11. BI, LxU045