THE ERIE CANAL

(G)We were forty miles from Albany and
(C)Forget it I (D)never (G)shall
What a (C)terrible (D)storm we (G)had that (C)night
On the (G)Er-i(D)-e (G)Canal
On The Er-i(D)-e (G)Canal

Our Captain he came up on deck
With a spyglass in his hand
And the fog it was so tarnald thick
That he could not spy the land
That he could not spy the land

chorus
(G)Oh the Erie was a risin' and the
(C)Gin was a (D)gettin' (G)low
And I (C) did not (D)think we'd (G)get a (C)drink
Till we (G)got to (D)Buffa(G)lo ho ho
Till we got to (D)Buffa(G)lo

We were loaded down with Barley
We were chock up full of Rye
And the Captain he looked down at me
With his dirty wicked eye
With his dirty wicked eye

Two days out of Syracuse
Our vessel struck a shoal
And we all like to been foundered
On a chunk of Lackawanna Coal
On a chunk of Lackawanna coal

Chorus

We hollared to the Captain
On the towpath treadin dirt
He jumped on board and stopped that leak
With his old red flannel shirt
With his old red flannel shirt

Our cook she was a grand old gal
She wore a ragged dress
We hoisted her upon a pole
As a signal of distress
As a signal of distress

chorus

When we got to Syracuse
The off mule he was dead
The nigh mule had blind staggers
So we cracked him on the head
And we cracked him on the head

Oh the girls are in the Police Gazette
And the crew is all in jail
And I'm the only Sea Cook's son
That is left to tell the tale
That's left to tell the tale

chorus

I play it quite briskly but have only my own imagination as to the credibility of the Key and chord progression. I know I heard it somewhere 30+ years ago so the tune is valid. Enjoy :-) Steve