PITTSBURGH TOWN

Pittsburgh town is a smoky ol' town, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh town is a smoky ol' town, Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh town is a smoky ol' town
Solid iron from McKeesport down
Pittsburgh, Lord God, Pittsburgh

Well what did Jones and Laughlan steal? Pittsburgh
What did Jones and Laughlan steal? Pittsburgh
What did Jones and Laughlan steal?
Up an' down the river jus' as far as you can see
In Pittsburgh, Lord God, Pittsburgh

All I do is cough and choke in Pittsburgh
All I do is cough and choke in Pittsburgh
All I do is cough and choke
From the iron filings and the sulphur smoke
In Pittsburgh, Lord God, Pittsburgh

From the Allegheny to the Ohio, in Pittsburgh
Allegheny to the Ohio
Allegheny to the Ohio
They're joining up in the C.I.O.
Pittsburgh, Lord God, Pittsburgh


Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: based on Woody Guthrie's improvisation (see Cray's biography, Ramblin' Man, page 222).

Seeger recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAdxmv-HFMg

Melody: "Mamma Don't 'Low"

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From Ed Cray's Ramblin' Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie (Norton, 2004, p. 222)

Shortly after the recording session, the Almanacs set out for Pittsburgh. Even before they got there, Peter Hawes fell ill with pneumonia, abruptly returned home. Five Almanacs became four.
Pittsburgh was daunting. Its steel mills lined the Monongahela River, their blast furnaces lighting the night sky a glowing red. On the Almanacs’ first night in town, they sang in a grimy housing project for steel workers and spent the night in a cockroach-ridden hotel. The next day, performing at the United Steelworkers union hall for Jones and Laughlin employees, Guthrie began improvising:

Pittsburgh town is a smoky old town, Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh town is a smoky old town.
Solid iron from McKeesport down
In Pittsburgh, Lord God, Pittsburgh.

The other Almanacs joined, Lampell contributing:

What did Jones and Laughlin steal in Pittsburgh?
What did Jones and Laughlin steal?
Up and down the river just as far as you can see
In Pittsburgh, Lord God, Pittsburgh.

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Ballad Index entry:

Pittsburg Is a Great Old Town

DESCRIPTION: "Pittsburg is a great old town, Pittsburg (x2), Pittsburg is a great old town, Solid steel from McKeesport down." "Pittsburg is a smoky old town... Coal piled high in great big mounds." Pittsburg is a river town, a hilly town....
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1947 (Korson-PennsylvaniaSongsAndLegends)
KEYWORDS: nonballad home river technology
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Korson-PennsylvaniaSongsAndLegends, pp. 440-441, "Pittsburg Is a Great Old Town" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7747
File: KPL440

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