The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #28733   Message #1445135
Posted By: Judy Cook
27-Mar-05 - 06:04 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: The Alphabet Song variations
Subject: Lyr Add: THE LUMBERMAN'S ALPHABET
When I was young we used to sing nursery rhymes to the tune of McNamara's band with a chorus of the alphabet to the same tune.

Nowadays I sing the one of the Lumberman's Alphabets from Doerflinger's collection. Probably a parody of the Sailor's Alphabet above.

THE LUMBERMAN'S ALPHABET
sung by Willis Norrad of New Brunswick, Canada

A is for Ax, and that we all know,
And B is for Boy that can use it also;
C is for Chopping we first do begin,
And D is for Danger we often fall in.

So merry, so merry are we,
No mortals on earth are as happy as we.
T'me I derry O derry I derry down,
Use shanty boys well and there's nothing goes wrong.

E is for Echo that through the woods rang.
And F is for Foreman, the head of our gang;
G is for Grindstone at night we do turn,
And H is for Handle so smoothly worn.

I is for Iron which we mark our pine,
And J is for Jovial - we're always incline';
K is for Keen Edge our axes we keep,
And L is for Lice that keep us from sleep.

M is for Moss which we chink our camp,
And N is for Needle with which we mend our pants;
O is for Owl which hooted at night,
And P is for Pine which we always fall right.

Q is for Quickness we put ourselves to,
R is for River we haul the logs to;
S is for Sleds we haul the logs on,
T is the Team that pulls them along.

U is for Uses we put ourselves to,
And V is Valley we haul the logs through;
And W is for Woods we leave in the spring,
And now I have sung all I'm going to sing.

X is for Christmas when the yarding's all done,
Y is for Yonder, the set of the sun;
Zed is for Zero in the cold winter time,
And now I have brought all the letters in rhyme.

---

from Songs of the Sailor and Lumberman by William Main Doerflinger.
This is one of the oldest songs of the logger's life in camp - probably from the first half of the 1800's.    The "iron was the "stamping iron" or "branding ax" to gougue the owner's mark into a log - kinda like branding cattle.