The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #6228   Message #36093
Posted By: Joe Offer
27-Aug-98 - 05:31 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Gold Miners' Songs (American)
Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: THE NATIONAL MINER (Stone & Foster)
Here's one:

The National Miner
John A. Stone & Stephen Foster

When our gold was first discovered
At Coloma near the mill.
All the world at first endeavored to get here
And they keep a-coming still.

Chorus:
Down in the deep ravines
Hear that roaring sound.
There the miners are a-digging.
Digging in the cold, damp ground.

When our war was through with Mexico,
And we paid them for the land;
Those who fought at Palo Alto
Were driven off by the nations they had tanned.

The most popular songwriter and singer of ballads in 1864 was John A. Stone, or "Old Put" as he preferred being called. He and his Sierra Nevada Rangers went from camp to camp entertaining; singing songs he knew the miners liked to hear. Those songs live on and tell the story of another day. (from Singing Gold, a songbook published by the Sacramento Bee in 1977)

I can't quite figure out what the tune is, but it sure sounds familiar.

MIDI file: NATION~1.MID

Timebase: 192

Name: The National Miner
Text: By John A. Stone & Stephen Foster
Key: D
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Start
0000 1 69 110 0288 0 69 000 0000 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 74 110 0336 0 74 000 0048 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0160 0 66 000 0032 1 66 110 0256 0 66 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 64 110 0528 0 64 000 0240 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 74 110 0336 0 74 000 0048 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0528 0 62 000 0240 1 74 110 0336 0 74 000 0048 1 73 110 0160 0 73 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 66 110 0160 0 66 000 0224 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 66 110 0256 0 66 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 64 110 0528 0 64 000 0240 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 74 110 0336 0 74 000 0048 1 71 110 0336 0 71 000 0048 1 71 110 0094 0 71 000 0002 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 66 110 0094 0 66 000 0002 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0528 0 62 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:The National Miner
M:4/4
Q:1/4=120
K:D
A3BAFED|d4B2BB|A2F2F3D|E8|A3BAFED|d4B2B2|
BAFDFFEE|D8|d4c2B2|A3FF4|B2A2F3D|E8|A3BAFED|
d4B4|BAFDE2E2|D11/2||