Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane

Subject: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Cap't Bob
Date: 22 Apr 02 - 09:48 AM

I'm looking for the lyrics to "Tittabawassee Jane". Trying to put together a tape of Michigan songs for some friends. The song is on a tape in my vast collection of unlabeled recordings from PBS but it would probably take me a year to locate it the hard way.

Cap't Bob

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Click for lyrics

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Thread #14154   Message #695989
Posted By: Art Thieme
22-Apr-02 - 06:44 PM
Thread Name: What about Jay Stielstra???
Subject: Lyr Add: TITTABAWASSEE JANE (Jay Stielstra)

TITTABAWASSEE JANE
by Jay Stielstra (as I learned it from Craig Johnson)

I met her in Midland, Michigan,
A quarter of a century ago,
She loved me down by the edge of town,
Where the Tittabawassee flowed.

CHORUS)
She's my Tittabawassee Janne's her name,
Tittabawassee Jane,
The river there must be named after her,
She's my Tittabawassee jane.

She worked at the Midland chemical plant,
I waited for her shift to end,
She made napalm -- or some kind of bomb,
But I wasn't too political then.

Art Thieme

She's my...

The air it smelled like kerosene,
Or whatever Dow pumped out,
And the river was laced with lumps of waste
Called Tittabawassee trout.

She's my...

Now, I haven't been back in 25 years,
But the company magazine,
Says the air blows fresh in Midland, Mich
And the Tittabawassee's clean.

Well, I don't wanna tell you what to believe,
But Dow's been known to lie,
And I don't care what they do to the air
But the Tittabawassee's mine.

She's my Tittabawassee Jane's her name,
Tittabawassee Jane,
The river there must be named after her,
Tittabawassee Jane.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: GUEST,mystery guest
Date: 22 Apr 02 - 11:50 AM

I have it at home. If no one beats me I'll send it tonight, Bob mystery guest

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 02 - 11:58 AM

I have a radio tape of it done by Art Thieme in the 80's. It's likely he also knows the background of it. Art where are you?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Jacob B
Date: 22 Apr 02 - 12:24 PM

It's a song by Bob Blue.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Jacob B
Date: 22 Apr 02 - 12:45 PM

That is, I assume it's one of Bob's songs, since the only time I've heard it was as part of a concert of Bob Blue's songs. Here's a link to a website about Bob Blue. It has a link at the bottom for sending mail to Bob. You could ask him about it.

As far as I can tell, that song isn't included on any of the recordings of his music.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 02 - 12:49 PM

I thought it was Jay Stielstra

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Spartacus
Date: 22 Apr 02 - 12:49 PM

I heard Jay Steilstra do this, I assumed that he wrote it... I have the lyrics at home. (I'm at the office) I'll check back tonite, and if no one beats me to it, you'll have them by around 6:30 or 7:00 pm tonite.

-spartacus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Jacob B
Date: 23 Apr 02 - 09:59 AM

I see that the lyrics have been posted in this thread, credited to Jay Stielstra.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Cap't Bob
Date: 23 Apr 02 - 02:46 PM

Many thanks Jacob. I'm curious as to how you happened to locate that thread. I tried the forum and digitrad search and didn't come up with anything. You certainly saved me a lot of time. Also, even though Bob Blue didn't write the song there was some very interesting reading in the link you listed above.

Suppose I should also thank Art Thieme for originally posting the words. Thanks Art.

Cap't Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Big Mick
Date: 23 Apr 02 - 05:22 PM

Bob, I am pretty amazed as well. I did a Supersearch, plus googled for over an hour, all to no avail. I am glad Jacob found Art's post.

As an aside, does anyone know how to contact Jay Steilstra? In reading this thread, I realized that I don't have any of his recordings and want to get some.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Jacob B
Date: 23 Apr 02 - 06:17 PM

Since this thread mentioned Jay Stielstra, I looked into the thread that had Jay's name in its title, and found them there. It looks like Art posted the lyrics yesterday, so it's not surprising that you didn't find them in a search done before then.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: Art Thieme
Date: 25 Apr 02 - 10:57 PM

The lrics are posted in the thread on Jay Stielstra. I put 'em in there a couple o' days ago.

Art

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And new posts can take a while to show up in the index that powers our SuperSearch engine. I added a copy of Art's post above.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: TITTABAWASSEE JANE (Blue Water Ramblers)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Mar 18 - 08:34 PM

This is quite a different song from the one posted by Art Thieme (which he says was written by Jay Stielstra), though it has the same chorus and may be sung to the same tune. I don't know which came first, and I don't know which one Cap't Bob had in mind.

TITTABAWASSEE JANE
As recorded by Blue Water Ramblers on "Coming Home" (2006)

Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
The river there must be named after her; she's my Tittabawassee Jane.
Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
The river there must be named after her; she's my Tittabawassee Jane.

Way back in 1891, I came to Michigan.
I's gonna cut some trees but I fell in love with Tittabawassee Jane.
Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
I's gonna cut some trees but I fell in love with Tittabawassee Jane.

Went to town on a Saturday night just to raise a little Cain,
But instead of a fight, it was love at first sight with Tittabawassee Jane.
Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
Instead of a fight, it was love at first sight with Tittabawassee Jane.

Sleep all night and work all day in the sunshine and the rain,
But I didn't mind 'cause I knew I'd find my Tittabawassee Jane.
Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
I didn't mind 'cause I knew I'd find my Tittabawassee Jane.

For two long years I saved my pay, bought a farm with a weather vane,
And I married my gal and settled down with Tittabawassee Jane.
Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
I married my gal and settled down with Tittabawassee Jane.

The years went by, we raised some kids, and now I use a cane,
But when push comes to shove, I'm still in love with Tittabawassee Jane.
Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
When push comes to shove, I'm still in love with Tittabawassee Jane.
Tittabawassee Jane's her name, Tittabawassee Jane.
When push comes to shove, I'm still in love with Tittabawassee Jane.

- - -
Unfortunately, the Blue Water Ramblers' website give no information about the origin of this song.

According to the International Railway and Steam Navigation Guide of 1879, there was once a railway station called Tittabawassee June on the Saginaw Valley & St. Louis Railway, just 4 miles from Saginaw. Coincidence?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tittabawassee Jane
From: KurtLark
Date: 12 Mar 18 - 12:19 AM

Just an FYI, the version that Art Thieme posted also appears on the Double Decker Stringband's "Sentimental Songs and Old Time Melodies" LP. Craig Johnson was in the Double Decker Stringband.