This 6 verse version of A-Lumbering is from E.C. Beck's "Lore of the Lumber Camps". He uses the same title as the title of this thread, but also says the song was known as "On The Tittabawassee". I certainly would not have found in the book if he had used the latter title. The Tittabawassee River is in Michigan that runs through the current city of Midland and flows into the Saginaw River a little upstream of the city of Saginaw. The Saginaw River empties into Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. (thread creep aside: Art Thieme has sung a song called "Tittabawassee Jane" that is not a logging camp song). The records of the Tittbawassie Boom Company show that in 1872 1,560,000 logs produced 310,216,263 board feet of lumber. In 1873 the figures were 1,978,282 logs and 343,430,239 board feet. The 1979 numbers were 3,183,431 longs and 455,383,030 board feet. In 1870 the bill for rope was $34,198.04. According to Beck a New YOrk musician once told the Michigan lumberjacks that the tune reminded him of "Rocky Road To Dublin". On to the lyrics.

ONCE MORE A-LUMBERING GO

Come all you sons of freedom that run the Saginaw stream,
Come all you roving lumber boys, And listen to my theme.
We'll cross the Tittabawassee, Where the mighty waters flow,
And we'll range the wildwoods over and once more a-lumbering go.

Chorus:
And once more a-lumbering go.
And we'll range the wildwoods over
And once more a-lumbering go.

When the white frost takes the valley, and the snow conceals the woods,
Each farmer has enough to do to earn the family food.
With the week no better pastime than to hunt the buck and doe,
And we'll range the wildwoods over and once more a-lumbering go.

CH

You may talk about your farms, your houses and fine ways,
And pity us poor shanty boys while dashing in our sleighs;
While round a good campfire at night we'll sing while the wild winds blow,
And we'll range the wildwoods over and once more a-lumbering go.

CH

With our axes on our shoulders we'll make the woods resound,
And many a tall and stately tree will come tumbling to the ground.
With our axes on our shoulders, to our boot tops deep in snow,
And we'll range the wildwoods over and once more a-lumbering go.

CH:

When navigation opens, and the waters run so free,
We'll drive our logs to Saginaw, then haste our girls to see.
They will welcome our return, and we'll in raptures flow;
And we'll range the wildwoods over and once more a-lumbering go.
And once more a-lumbering go.
And we'll stay with them through summer
And once more a-lumbering go.

When our youthful days are ended, and our jokes are getting long,
We'll take us each a little wife and settle on a farm.
We'll have enough to eat and drink, contented we will go;
And we'll tell our wives of our hard times and no more a-lumbering go.
And no more a-lumbering go.
We'll tell our wives of our hard times
And no more a-lumbering go.

rich r