Origins: The Raging Canal

Subject: RE: Origins: The Raging Canal
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 07:23 PM

The DT version does not differ from the lyrics given at www.traditionalmusic.co.uk, which has the note "From the Canaller's Songbook, Hullfish"
"Note: Probably the most famous and popular canal song of the 1800s. Inspired "The Aged Pilot Man, a parody by Mark Twain. See AGEPILT"

Subject: RE: Origins: The Raging Canal
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 04:13 PM

Looks like this is another song that needs some sorting. Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:

Raging Canal (I), The

DESCRIPTION: "Come listen to my story, ye landsmen one and all, I'll sing to you the dangers of that raging canal." When the mules trip on a stormy night, the crew faces a wreck. The usual exaggerations, e.g. the cook's dress on a pole, are employed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: canal storm humorous cook
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Sandburg, pp. 178-179, "The Raging Canawl" (1 text)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 464-465, "(Erie Canal)" (2 texts, the second of which goes here; the first is "A Trip on the Erie (Haul in Your Bowline)"); pp. 471-474, "The Raging Can-all" (1 text)
DT, RAGCANAL*
Roud #6611
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The E-ri-e" (theme) and references there
Notes: The Erie Canal, as originally constructed, was a completely flat, shallow waterway. The barges were drawn along by mules. Thus, apart from getting wet, storms posed little danger. As for needing a distress signal, one could always step off onto dry land....
The Lomaxes, in American Ballad and Folk Songs, thoroughly mingled many texts of the Erie Canal songs (in fairness, some of this may have been the work of their informants -- but in any case the Lomaxes did not help the problem). One should check all the Erie Canal songs for related stanzas. - RBW
File: San178

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2007 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

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For the sake of discussion, here are the lyrics in the Digital Tradition. Can anybody verify that they are an accurate transcription of the lyrics from The Canaller's Songbook, Hullfish?

THE RAGING CANAL (DT Version)

Come listen to my story, ye landsmen one and all
I'll sing to you the dangers of that raging canal.
For I am one of many who expects a watery grave,
For I've been at the mercy of the wind and of the wave.

I left Albany harbor about the break of day,
And if I rightly remember 'twas the second day of May
We trusted to our driver, altho' he was but small
For he knew all the windings of that raging canal.

It seemed as if the Devil had his work in hand that night,
For all our oil was gone, and our lamps they gave no light,
The clouds began to gather and the rain began to fall
And I wished myself off of that raging canal.

The captain told his driver to hurry with all speed,
And his orders were obeyed, for he soon cracked up his lead;
With the fastest kind of driving, we allowed by twelve o'clock
We'd be on old Schenectady right bang against the dock.

But sad was the fate of our poor devoted bark,
For the rain kept on pouring and the night it grew dark;
The horses gave a stumble and the driver gave squall
And they tumbled head over heels into the raging canal.

The Captain came on deck, with a voice so clear and sound,
Saying, "Cut the horses loose, my boys, or else we'll all be drowned
The driver swam to shore, altho' he was but small
While the horses sank to rise no more in the raging canal.

The cook she wrung her hands, and she came upon the deck
Saying, "Alas, what will become of us, our boat it is a wreck?"
The steersman knocked her over, for he was a man of sense
And the bowsman jumped ashore and he lashed her to a fence.

The Captain came on deck with a spy glass in his hand
But the night it was so dark he could not discover land;
He said to us with a faltering voice, while tears began to fall
Prepare to meet your death this night on the raging canal.

The sky was rent asunder, the lighting it did flash
The thunder rattled up above, just like eternal smash
The clouds were all upsot, and the rigging it did fall
And we scudded under bare poles on that raging canal.

We took the old cook's pettycoat, for want of better dress
And rigged it out upon the pole as a signal of distress
We pledged ourselves hand to hand aboard the boat to bide
And not to quit the deck while a plank hung to her side.

At last that horrid night cut dirt from the sky,
The storm it did abate, and a boat came passing by,
It soon espied our signal as each on his knees did fall
Thankful we escaped a grave on the raging canal.

We each of us took a nip and signed the pledge anew
And wonderful as danger ceased, how up our courage grew,
The craft in sight bore down on us and quickly was 'long side
And we all jumped aboard, and for Buffalo did ride.

Now, if I live a thousand years, the horrors of that night
Will ever in my memory be a spot most burning bright;
For nothing in this whole wide world will ever raise my gall
Except the thoughts of my voyage on the raging canal.

From The Canaller's Songbook, Hullfish
Note: Probably the most famous and popular canal song of the 1800s.
Inspired The Aged Pilot Man, a parody by Mark Twain.
See AGEPILT
@canal @storm
filename[ RAGCANAL
TUNE FILE: RAGCANAL
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

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Note that there is a song in the Digital Tradition called The Raging Canal (Two in the Middle). This song was recorded by the Chad Mitchell Trio as "Hello Susan Brown," and by Gibson and Camp as "Two in the Middle" (Hello Sailor Brown). This is a completely different song.
-Joe-

Subject: ADD Version : The Raging Canal
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 25 Feb 03 - 03:25 PM

THE RAGING CANAL (1844)

Come listen to my story, ye landsmen one and all,
I'll sing to you the dangers of that Raging Canal,
For I am one of many who expects a watery grave
For I've been at the mercy of the wind and of the wave.

When we left New York harbor it was the middle of the year,
We put our helm hard a port and for Buffalo did steer,
But when we gor in sight of Albany we met a heavy squall,
And we carried away our mizzen mast on that Raging Canal.

She minded her helm just like a thing of life,
The mate got on his knees uttering prayers for his wife,
We throwed the provisions over board it was blowing such a squall
And we were put on short allowance on that Raging Canal.

It seemed as if the Devil had work in hand that night,
For our oil it was all gone, and our lamps they gave no light,
The clouds began to gather and the rain began to fall,
And we had to reef our royals on that Raging Canal.

Loud roared the dreadful thunder, the rain in deluge showered,
The clouds were rent asunder, by lightnings vivid powers,
The bowsman gave a bellow, and the cook she gave a squall,
And the waves run mountain high on that Raging Canal.

The Captain came on deck and then began to rail,
He bellowed to the driver to take in more sail,
The driver knocked a horse down and then gave a bawl,
And we scudded under bare poles on that Raging Canal.

The Raging Canal, a Comic Song, Sung by P. Morris, composer, lyricist and arranger. Pub. Horace Waters, NYC, 1844. Another copy pub. C. G. Christman, NYC, 1844. Levy Collection, sheet music.

A song in the DT (Raging Canal) has the first verse, but the remaining five are different. It seems to be a rewrite with additional verses, or perhaps a combination of two versions.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Raging Canal
From: masato sakurai
Date: 27 Aug 01 - 03:08 AM

I don't know the tune, but Russell Ames gives us the lyrics and some info in The Story of American Folk Song (Grosset & Dunlop, 1960, p, 179), as follows:

The canal was opened in 1825, and by 1845 there were about four thousand boats on it, employing some twenty-five thousand men, women, and boys. One of the most widespread of their songs, "The Raging Canal," pretended that the voyage along the ditch, originally four deep, at a speed of about four miles an hour, was very dangerous. This was the canaller's favotie joke.

The winds came roaring on,
Just like a wild cat scream,
Our little vessel pitched and tossed,
Straining every beam.

The cook she dropped the bucket,
And let the ladle fall,
And the waves ran mountains high
On the raging canal.

The captain came on deck
With spy glass in his hand,
Bit the fog it was 'tarnel thick,
He couldn't spy the land.

The clouds were all upsot,
And the rigging it did fall
And we scudded under bare poles
On that raging canal.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: The Raging Canal
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 27 Aug 01 - 03:01 AM

Thr Raging Canal is in the DT (with a midi): click

For the tune in various other formats try the excellent DT mirror: here

Ed

Subject: The Raging Canal
From: nutty
Date: 27 Aug 01 - 02:13 AM

Both these broadsides from the Bodleian Museum give "The Raging Canal" as the tune.Can anyone identify such a tune and has anyone heard either song sung or recorded?

THE PHILADELPHIA FIREMEN

YEWDALL'S MILL