This is the official song of the City of Seattle, so ennobled by the City Council in 1909. It is not a folk song, per se, but last night it almost became one when it was sung by four of the participants in Stewart Hendrickson's CD-promotion concert at the Phinney Ridge Community Center.

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Seattle, the Peerless City

Lyrics: Arthur O. Dillon
Tune: Glenn W Ashley

1. Seattle sits on seven hills, Her glory is unfurl'd,
   At her feet is Puget Sound, where moves The Commerce of the world.
   

   (Chorus)
   Hail, all hail to the Peerless City, Metropolis of the west,
   The gateway to the Orient, Whom grandeur hath caressed!



2. Her bosom's gemm'd with pearly lakes, The mountains tower near;
   The fir tree forest skirts her bound; The beauty of earth is here.
   (Chorus)
   


3. Her men and women, active, proud, Seattle build sublime,
   And greater far than ancient Rome, The matchless for all time.
   (Chorus)
   


4. True love and art shall flourish here, The heart's sweet, tender theme,
   Upholders of the truth here dwell, The dreamers of the Dream.
   (Chorus)
   

The group at Stewart's concert sang vv. 1, 3 and 4, and repeated the chorus on the last verse, the second time through replacing "The Gateway to the Orient" with "The Center of the Universe"; again, I would say this falls just short of the folk process ;-).

Haruo

PS I should credit the English Wikipedia article on Seattle with first drawing my attention, I who have lived in Seattle half a century, to the existence of this song. It is not exactly a well-known item, though this may yet change ;-)