THE PLAINS OF ILLINOIS

1. Come all you good old farmers that on your plow depend,
Come listen to a story, come listen to a friend;
Oh, leave you fields of childhood, you enterprising boys;
Come travel west and settle on the plains of Illinois.

2 Illinois, it is as fine countree as ever has been seen,
If old Adam had traveled over that, perhaps he would say the same,
"All in the garden of Eden, when I was but a boy,
There was nothing I could compare with the
plains of Illinois."

3 Perhaps you have a few acres that near your friends' adjoin,
Your family is growing large, for them you must provide,
Come, leave your fields of childhood, you enterprising boys,
Come travel west and settle on the plains of Illinois.

Source: The Abelard Folk Song Book, Norman Cazden, 1958.

In Carl Sandburg's "American Songbag," you'll find ELANOY, a much less complimentary version of this song.

@America @farmer @settler
filename[ ELANOYS2
JRO
Apr01

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tune's on its way to Mudcat MIDIs

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MIDI file: ELANOYS2.MID

Timebase: 192

Name: The Plains of Illinois
Text: By (traditional)
Key: Bb
TimeSig: 6/8 24 8
Start
0480 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 70 110 0094 0 70 000 0002 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 74 110 0352 0 74 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 70 110 0094 0 70 000 0002 1 74 110 0160 0 74 000 0032 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0448 0 67 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 67 110 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 70 110 0094 0 70 000 0002 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 74 110 0352 0 74 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 70 110 0094 0 70 000 0002 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 74 110 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0448 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 58 110 0352 0 58 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 63 110 0160 0 63 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 62 110 0094 0 62 000 0002 1 65 110 0448 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 67 110 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 74 110 0094 0 74 000 0002 1 70 110 0094 0 70 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 62 110 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 60 110 0094 0 60 000 0002 1 60 110 0448 0 60 000
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 Plains of Illinois
M:6/8
Q:1/4=120
K:Bb
F6|G2FGAB|cd4G|Bd2c2A|G5F|G2FGAB|cd4G|Bcdc2A|
G5G|F2DC2D|CB,4D|E2DF2D|F5G|Gccc2d|BG2F2G|
DCCC2C|C37/8||