Well well... I've been singing Shawneetown for a while now, but I've never been quite convinced by all of the verses. And now, having discovered this thread and read the various posts on it over the past few days, not only have I learnt a lot, but I'm also fascinated, intrigued, and even more keen than before to get a / the definitive version of the whole song together to perform (in my case, re-learn)!
So, gleaned from all the above thread discussion, I've set down the various important differences/discrepancies (below); what's the consensus?.......
1. The chorus: I'm convinced now that it's "beach oar" (not beach shore"), but should it be "to slow" or "too slow"? Either might be correct, but which makes "most" sense? 2. First verse: Is it:- (a) "Some rows up… and we float down" or (b) "The sun rose up… but we float down" or (c) "The sun rolls up… as/but we roll down" or (d) "Some poles up… and we float down" ? Myself, I'd be inclined to favour (b)… 3. Second verse: Wheat or corn? Don't matter – corn's probably easier to sing! But is the next line: "Go on down…" or "We'll float her down…"? 4. Third verse (re the current): Should it go here, or after the "water" verse? And is it: "Now the current's got her (boys)" or "now the current's gone around"? with the next line: "we'll take in" or "so take in"? and the next: "Run it down" or "We'll float her down"? 5. Fourth verse: Is it: "a wife in Louisville and another in New Orleans", or "a gal in Louisville and a wife in New Orleans"? 6. The "long-untranscribed" verse: I'm convinced that "hoop-pole" boys is the right interpretation! But TOM has a point - is this verse attributable to Dillon Bustin, or did it come from elsewhere? 7. The "fog" verse: Should we have: "The weather's mighty warm, boys, the water is thick and dank" or "The water's mighty warm, boys, but the air it's cold and dank" ?