Lyr/Tune Add: The Julie Plante

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: THE JULIE PLANTE
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 May 98 - 02:00 AM

My friend Claudia and I came across this the other night in Folk Songs of North America. We really liked the tune, and the lyrics tell a great story. I swear I've heard Great Lakes folksinger Lee Murdock sing this tune, but I can't find it on any of his recordings.
Since I was born in Detroit, I was brought up with certain knowledge that St. Clair is the sixth of the Great Lakes.
-Joe Offer-

The Julie Plante
Words by William Drummond.

On wan dark night on de Lake St. Clair
De win’ she blow, blow, blow
An’ de crew of de wood scow Julie Plante
Got scar’ and run below.
For de win’ she blow like hurricane,
By’n bye she blow some more,
An’ de scow bus’ up jus’ off Grosse Pointe
Ten acres from de shore.

De captain walk on de fron’ deck,
He walk on de hin’ deck, too;
An’ he call de crew up from de hol’
An’ he call de cook also.
De cook she’s name was Rosie
She com’ from Montreal
Was chamber-maid on lumber barge
On de beeg Lachine Canal.

De night was dark like wan black cat,
De wave run high and fas’
W’en de captain take hees poor Rosie
An’ lash her to de mas’.
An’ den he take de life preserve
An’ jump off in de lake,
Say’n ‘Au revoir ma Rosie dear,
I go drown for your sake.’

Nex’ mornin’ veree earlee,
‘bout half pas’ two-t’ree-four,
De captain, scow, an’ poor Rosie
Was corpses on de shore.
For de win’ she blow like hurricane,
An’ den she blow some more,
An’ de scow bus’ up jus’ off Grosse Pointe
Ten acres from de shore.

Now, all good wood scow sailormen,
Take warnin’ by dat storm,
An’ go marree some nice French girl,
An’ leev on wan beeg farm.
De win’ may blow like hurricane,
An’ s’pose she blow some more,
You can’t get drown on Lake St. Clair
So long you stay on shore.


Tune is basically an old Irish jig tune like the Irish "As I Roved Out" or the Scots "Trooper and the Maid"
(from The Folk Songs of North America, by Alan Lomax, 1960). Lomax got the text from the Ivan Walton Collection at the University of Michigan. See: Rickaby 93.

Alan Lomax: Apart from the sea chanteys, which were sung on the Lakes in the days of sail, shipwreck songs form the largest section of the folklore of the Great Windy Lakes. This ballad comes from the pen of W.H. Drummond (1865-1907), famous for his poetry in habitant, or French-Canadian English, but it appealed so much to the Lakes sailors that, long before it was published, it was a favourite in bar-rooms all round the Lakes.

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Click to play

(Lomax tune)

To play or display ABC tunes, try concertina.net

ABC format:

X:1
T:The Julie Plante
M:2/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
E2E2A2A2|ABA2G2E2|E2E2A2A2|B2A6|EEE2AAA2|
B2A2G2E2|F2G2E2D2|B,2A,6|EEE2A2A2|B2A2G2E2|
E2E2A2A2|B2A6|EEE2A2A2|B2A2G2E2|^F2G2E2D2|
B,2A,6|-A,||

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Click to play

(alternate tune transcribed by Lee Murdock for the Windjammers Songbook, same lyrics)

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Art Thieme
Date: 05 Jun 98 - 11:31 PM

Howdy Joe,

I'm not sure if Lee does this one or not. When I'm off line I'll give him or Joann a call & check it out for you.

What I do have on a tape is a great interview of CHARLIE CARDINAL of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. (Interviewed in the 1980s by Tom Martin-Erickson and Judy Rose (then Woodward) of Wis. Public Radio.) Many years ago Mr. Cardinal made some field recordings for Helene Stratman Thomas collecting for the Library of Congress Folksong Archive. The material collected then is showcased in __Folksongs Out Of Wisconsin__(University of Wisconsin Press--Madison) When Tom and Judy found him he was living in a convalescent home but he was as sharp as a tack. He loved Drummond's dialect poems and recited several for their tape---including "The Julie Plante". His memory for details of lumber camp life and the old ballads (which he recited rather than sang) was truly marvelous. I'd be glad to get a tape of that interview off to you if you wish. Let me know the details of how to get it to you and I'll try to do it before I go to the Mayo Clinic for a visit.

Art

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Will
Date: 08 Jun 98 - 04:09 PM

I could be wrong, but I suspect that Lomax referred to(or should have) Drummond's poetry as "habitant", rather than "habitat". "Habitat" is where "habitants" (in english, inhabitants) live. For instance, the Montreal Forum used to be the habitat of "Les Habitants" or, in english, "The Habs" (more recently, "The Hab-nots").

Alan Lomax: Apart from the sea chanteys, which were sung on the Lakes in the days of sail, shipwreck songs form the largest section of the folklore of the Great Windy Lakes. This ballad comes from the pen of W.H. Drummond (1865-1907), famous for his poetry in habitat, or French-Canadian English

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Art Thieme
Date: 10 Jun 98 - 12:28 AM

Joe, I forgot to tell you in the package I just sent that I did talk to Lee yesterday and he never felt comfortable with doing the dialect so "Julie Plante" is not on any of his recordings! Hope you enjoy Charlie Cardinal.

Art

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Jun 98 - 03:29 AM

You convinced me, Will. The Lomax book does say "habitat," but I changed it according to your advice. I think I've heard the same thing elsewhere, that the word should be "habitant." Anybody know for sure?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Art Thieme
Date: 10 Jun 98 - 10:15 AM

Joe,

Lately I think (threfore I am) that Nobody knows anything for sure!!

Art ;-)

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: dan
Date: 10 Jun 98 - 12:05 PM

Seeing this discussion reminded me that I first heard this song as a child. It's on an old LP called (I believe) "Novelty Songs" by Nelson Eddy. This album also has "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and a version of "The Cork Leg". I forget what else is there. Not pure "folk" but great fun. My parents still have a copy of this album but they've just moved from Florida to San Diego and it may be months before the right box gets unpacked.

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From:
Date: 16 Jun 98 - 05:21 PM

It's Habitant. There is even a brand of pea soup with that name up here. It isn't too politically correct these days, but I suppose it is better than "Colon". Drummond himself is not viewed in a good light these days in Canada but when I was a boy his poems were taught in school.

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Jon W.
Date: 16 Jun 98 - 06:10 PM

Sounds like Drummond is the Canadian version of Stephen Foster.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE WRECK OF THE 'JULIE PLANTE'
From: MMario
Date: 05 Feb 01 - 01:55 PM

the poem:

THE WRECK OF THE "JULIE PLANTE": A LEGEND OF LAC ST. PIERRE
WILLIAM HENRY DRUMMOND (1854-1907)

On wan dark night on Lac St. Pierre,
De win' she blow, blow, blow,
An' de crew of de wood scow "Julie Plante"
Got scar't an' run below-
For de win' she blow lak hurricane,
Bimeby she blow some more,
An' de scow bus' up on Lac St. Pierre
Wan arpent from de shore.

De captinne walk on de fronte deck,
An' walk de hin' deck too-
He call de crew from up de hole,
He call de cook also.
De cook she 's name was Rosie,
She come from Montreal,
Was chambre maid on lumber barge,
On de Grande Lachine Canal.

De win' she blow from nor' -eas' -wes',--
De sout' win' she blow too,
W'en Rosie cry, "Mon cher captinne,
Mon cher, w'at I shall do ?"
Den de captinne t'row de beeg ankerre,
But still de scow she dreef,
De crew he can't pass on de shore,
Becos' he los' hees skeef.

De night was dark lak wan black cat,
De wave run high an' fas',
W'en de captinne tak' de Rosie girl
An' tie her to de mas'.
Den he also tak' de life preserve,
An' jomp off on de lak',
An' say, "Good-bye, ma Rosie dear,
I go drown for your sak'."

Nex' morning very early
'Bout ha'f-pas' two-t'ree-four-
De captinne-scow-an' de poor Rosie
Was corpses on de shore,
For de win' she blow lak hurricane,
Bimeby she blow some more,
An' de scow bus' up on Lac St. Pierre,
Wan arpent from de shore.

MORAL

Now all good wood scow sailor man
Tak' warning by dat storm
An' go an' marry some nice French girl
An' leev on wan beeg farm.
De win' can blow lak hurricane
An' s'pose she blow some more,
You can't get drown on Lac St. Pierre
So long you stay on shore.

sound file:http://www2.biblinat.gouv.qc.ca/musique_78trs/mv106.htm

midi file: http://cnet.unb.ca/achn/cooper/samples/part/wreck.html

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Note: This text is almost exactly the version found in E.C. Beck's Lore of the Lumber Camps (1948), an expanded edition of Beck's Songs of the Michigan Lumberjacks (1941).
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 02:41 PM

The song, with music and chords, is printed in "Windjammers, Songs of the Great Lakes Sailors," pp. 157-158. The words are the same as those appearing in the DT.

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: DonMeixner
Date: 18 Feb 05 - 07:50 PM

Mustard's Retreat does a fine job of this song.

Don

Subject: RE: ADD SONG: The Julie Plante
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 04:03 PM

The text in Windjammers is the same as the one I posted from Lomax at the top of this thread - they're from the same source, the Ivan Walton Collection at the University of Michigan. The Windjammers was transcribed by Lee Murdock, and it's a bit different. I'll post it later.
-Joe Offer-

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Here 'tis:

Click to play

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Here's the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index:

Wreck of the Julie Plante, The

DESCRIPTION: "On wan dark night on de (Lak St. Clair)... de crew of de wood scow Julie Plante got scar' an' run below." The captain ties Rosie the cook to the mast, then jumps overboard. Both are drowned. The moral: "You can't get drown... so long you stay on shore"
AUTHOR: W. H. Drummond
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Rickaby; the poem was written before 1897)
LONG DESCRIPTION: French-Canadian dialect song. On Lak St. Pierre, the wood-scow "Julie Plante" encounters a fierce storm. They've lost their skiff, and the anchor won't hold; the captain ties the cook (Rosie) to the mast, takes the life-preserver, and jumps overboard, saying he'll drown for her sake. (?) Next morning the boat is wrecked and all are found dead. The singer warns listeners to marry and live on a farm; "You can't get drown on Lak St. Pierre/So long as you stay on shore."
KEYWORDS: ship disaster humorous death warning work storm wreck
FOUND IN: Canada(Ont) US(MW)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Rickaby 22, "On Lac San Pierre" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Beck 76, "The Wreck of the Julie Plante" (1 text plus two fragments of another)
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 174-175, "The Wreck of the Julie Plante" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 62, "The Julie Plante" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4545
Notes: Yes, that's "Lak." Why jumping overboard will save the cook, I don't know. - PJS
Drummond's original poem (written, like most of his work, in "habitant" or French-Canadian English) was subtitled "A Legend of Lac St. Pierre" (Lake St. Peter). In oral tradition, however, this was often changed to the more familiar Lake St. Clair. - RBW
File: FJ174

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Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Instructions

The Ballad Index Copyright 2004 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

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A message above refers to a version in the Digital Tradition, but I couldn't find one there. Note that Q posted De Scow Jean La Plante in another thread. It's a different song, and may or may not be the same ship.

Subject: ADD Version: On the Lac San Pierre
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 04:19 PM

Here's an interesting fragment. It's from Franz Lee Rickaby's Ballads and Songs of the Shanty-Boy (1926), sung by Mr. A.C. Hannah of Bemidji, Minnesota.

On the Lac San Pierre

Von night on the Lac San Pierre
The vind she blow, blow, blow;
The vind she blow from the nor', sout', eas',
She blow our crib from the shore....
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
Our raf' she struck on a great beeg rock
In the beeg Lachine canawl.

Come all ye jolly raf'smen,
I tell you von good plan.
You marry von good French voman
An' leev on von good farm.
For the vind she may blow from the nor', sout', eas',
Bime by she be blow some more;
But you never git drown' in the Lac San Pierre
So long 's you stay on the shore.

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The tune is very similar to the Lomax tune in the first message, but I think I like this one better.

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: The Julie Plante
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Feb 05 - 09:53 PM

MMario posted a version above that is almost exactly the same as the text I found in E.C. Beck's Lore of the Lumber Camps (1948). Beck says, "W.K. Kelsey has suggested that he and George Bernard Shaw (!) alternated lines in composing it in 1896, when Joe Bedore told Shaw about the wreck of a wood scow on Lake St Clair."
Beck isn't sure of the location, but seems to think Lake St. Clair is likely. Compared to the other Great Lakes, St. Clair isn't particularly "great," but I feel bound to repeat that there is a tradition in Detroit that insists that there are six Great Lakes, St. Clair being one of them.
Here's a pertinent quote from Beck:

French-Canadian acquaintances introduced to me by Bill DuChaine of Escanaba tell me that "ten acres" is wrong, and that "wan arpent" in French Canadian is one side of the square arpent and should not be translated "acre."

Now you know.
-Joe Offer-





George Bernard Shaw?????

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The last version cited by the Traditional Ballad Index is in Fowke/Johnston's Folk Songs of Canada. Anybody have that one?

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: The Julie Plante
From: GUEST,Neil Woodward
Date: 05 May 08 - 11:50 AM

Greetings to all,

Hey, if anyone is looking for a recording of "Julie" you might want to check out mine. I recorded the song in 1999 on my mostly Great Lakes CD, "Old Timers". Samples and other recordings are on www.neilwoodward.com (wouldn't you know it).

As I recall, my source was the Lomax book "Our Singing Country". Then I performed the song for some time, so there's no telling what I wound up with. I don't do dialects either, but we all have to tell our stories the best and most honest way we can. The important thing is that the story is told, and is there for future generations to discover.

Singing the old timers for the uninitiated is an interesting experience. Generally, audiences are surprised that there even exists such a thing as Great Lakes folk music. 100% of the time, listeners are drawn in by the stories and the compelling first-person nature of how they are told. The only way those storytellers live is by the breath of life in our singing of the songs.

David and Michael (Mustard's) told me a few years ago they were thinking of recording the song, remarking on my tune being different from the Windjammers'. I need to check back with them to see what they settled on.

In looking back through the postings, I'm about ten years late getting here, so probably by now nobody's looking. But in case anyone does look, has anyone actually figured out the historical details on this one? With all the wonderful Great Lakes shipping research done by so many dedicated historians, I've always been perplexed by the lack of available details on this tale of woe and intrigue.

My best to you all,
Neil Woodward
Michigan's Troubadour