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Subject: ADD: Hunting After Gold (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 11 Jan 08 - 12:59 AM Hunting after Gold. [AIR—Combo.] When I left old New York, to go hunting after gold, Chunks bigger than my head I could pick up, I was told; I stopped at Sacramento, on a d––l of expense, And they sent me to the mountains, where I've not been sober since. Chorus: Tang de di, de ding, de dang; de diddle al de da. The first man I saw in the Sacramento Valley, Was his Honor lying drunk, on a ten-pin alley, With half a dozen more, some whose names I dare not call, If you'd rolled for the center you'd been sure to got them all. Tang de di, etc. The people in the mountains, they were all on a bust, They were going through at Monte, though they pungled down the dust. I went into a temperance house to get a bit segar, And there laid the landlord drunk behind the bar. Tang de di, etc. I went to eat some oysters, along with Captain Sutter, And he reared up on the table, and sat down in the butter; The Mayor and Recorder, they were both drunk as ever, So the next day they sent me up fluming on the river. Tang de di, etc. The river of a sudden, then began to rise, But the d––l was coming, which did me surprise; 'Twas a big pine log, coming neat as a pin, Which stove both ends of my long tom in. Tang de di, etc. I looked up the river, and the next thing I saw, Was a rocker and a pail floating down towards me, And when they got abreast of me, says I, "Old rocker, you've earned me a pile, good bye." Tang de di, etc. It seemed too bad, 'twas a d––l of a shame, To work all summer, and then to lose a claim, With a bully little pick, and a long handled shovel, And a chance for the flume left to go to the d––l. Tang de di, etc. So those that had money, they were bound to have a spree, But they that had'nt any, said, "You can't fool me; We know where you're going, or at least we mistrust, You are going to Nevada, to get on another 'bust.'" Tang de di, etc. I bucked awhile at Monte, at a half dollar bank, And the dealer he got trusted for the whisky that I drank; I drank 'till my throat got so sore I could'nt swallow, So I tapp'd him on the Jack, and I won half a dollar. Tang de di, etc. I hav'nt had a cent since I failed on the river, Nor I hav'nt had clothes enough my nakedness to cover; These breeches I got trusted for, but now I cannot pay; This is the only shirt I've had since the 23d of May. Tang de di, etc. My hair pulled like the d––l, I was troubled with the shorts, So, without a cent of money, I went hunting after quartz; And I found as rich a lead as ever had been seen, But the d––l of it was, I had no machine. Tang de di, etc. The people were surprised; when we told them, how they laughed, That a dozen of our company had gone to sink a shaft, And we'd all make a pile, around the Horn have a sail, Then the Sheriff took the dozen, who were digging, off to jail. Tang de di, etc. The stories they were going, going very fast indeed, And the miners going faster, to stake off the lead; Among the rest a coming, that was going to make a strike, On a spike-tail mule, was a man from Pike. Tang de di, etc. The excitement died away, there was nothing in the lead, So tho that bought an interest, among themelves agreed, For the flour they had bought, and a little gnarly ham, They would never pay a cent, for the lead war'nt worth a d––n. Tang de di, etc. Put's Original California Songster, pp. 23-25 Lyrics (no tune) in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 60-61 [Back to Contents] |
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Subject: ADD: Australia and the Amazon (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 11 Jan 08 - 12:01 AM Australia and the Amazon. [AIR—Emma Snow.] Farewell, old California, I'm going far away, Where gold is found more plenty, in larger lumps they say; And climate, too, that can't be beat, no matter where you go— Australia, that's the land for me, where all have got a show. Chorus: But I found that good time over, For all was grief and pain, And I should never, never make My ounce a day again. I sold a claim that paid me just half an ounce a day, Got robbed at Sacramento, and licked down at the Bay; I took the Monumental, for Sydney she was bound Her boilers bursted, she burnt up, and five hundred were drowned. But I found, etc. We soon found we were lousy, which did us much surprise. To hear the cabin gentry say, "They're lousy, blast their eyes!" But when our journey ended, and we had seen the mines, Without a cent were shoved in jail, for taxes and for fines. But I found, etc. But give me California, where all have equal rights, Or the Amazon with all her snakes, I'd run the risk of bites; Such mean, infernal, theiving, outlandish lies are told; The d—l will get the next poor whelp that does discover gold. But I found, etc. Put's Original California Songster, p. 22 Lyrics (no tune) in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, p. 80 Click to play (pdmusic.org)[Tune notes by Artful Codger]Sheet music for Emma Snow in the Library of Congress online collection Music for the Nation. The DigiTrad entry for this song says that the tune for "[Charming] Emma Snow" is that of "Dearest Mae" and "No More the Moon Shines on Lorena"; while it's possible the text was later also sung to that tune, it is not the original tune for "Emma Snow", and cannot be the tune Stone meant: he set "Coming Around the Horm" to the tune "Dearest May". [Back to Contents] |
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Subject: ADD: Seeing the Elephant (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 11:49 PM Seeing the Elephant [AIR—Boatman Dance.] When I left the States for gold, Everything I had I sold: A stove and bed, a fat old sow Sixteen chickens and a cow. Chorus: So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, Take my advice, kill off your lice, or else go up in the mountains; Oh no, lots of dust, I'm going to the city to get on a "bust," Oh no, lots of dust, I'm going to the city to get on a "bust." Off I started, Yankee-like, I soon fell in with a lot from Pike; The next was, "D—n you, back, wo-haw," A right smart chance from Arkansaw. So leave, you miners, etc. On the Platte we couldn't agree, Because I had the di-a-ree, We there split up, I made a break, With one old mule for the Great Salt Lake. So leave, you miners, etc. The Mormon girls were fat as hogs, The chief production, cats and dogs; Some had ten wives, others none, Thirty-six had Brigham Young. So leave, you miners, etc. The d—d fool, like all the rest, Supposed the thirty-six the best; He soon found out his virgin dears Had all been Mormons thirteen years. So leave, you miners, etc. Being brave, I cut and carved, On the desert nearly starved; My old mule laid down and died, I had no blanket, took his hide. So leave, you miners, leave, oh leave, you miners leave, etc. The poor coyotes stole my meat, Then I had nought but bread to cat; It was not long till that gave out, Then how I cursed the Truckee route! So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you leave, etc. On I traveled through the pines, At last I found the northern mines; I stole a dog, got whipt like h—ll, Then away I went to Marys'ville. So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. There I filled the town with lice, And robbed the Chinese of their rice; The people say, "You've got the itch, Leave here, you lousy son of a b——." So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. Because I would not pay my bill, They kicked me out of Downieville; I stole a mule and lost the trail, And then fetched up in Hangtown Jail. So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. Canvas roof and paper walls, Twenty horse-thieves in the stalls; I did as I had done before, Coyoted out from 'neath the floor. So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. I robbed a nigger of a dollar, And bought unguent to grease my collar; I tried a pint, not one had gone, Then it beat the d—l how I daubed it on, So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. The people threatened hard my life, Because I stole a miner's wife; They showed me a rope, to give me signs, Then off I went to the southern mines. So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. I mined a while, got lean and lank, And lastly stole a monte-bank; Went to the city, got a gambler's name And lost my bank at the thimble game. So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. I fell in love with a California girl; Her eyes were gray, her hair did curl; Her nose turned up to get rid of her chin— Says she, "You're a miner, you can't come in." So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners leave, etc. When the elephant I had seen, I'm d—d if I thought I was green; And others say, both night and morn, They saw him coming round the Horn. So leave, you miners, leave, oh, leave, you miners, leave, etc. If I should make another raise, In New York sure I'll spend my days; I'll be a merchant, buy a saw, So good-bye, mines and Panama. So leave, you ininer. leave, oh, leave, you miners leave, etc. Put's Original California SongsterThe Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 53-55 (which attributes lyrics to D.G. Robinson) Click to play (pdmusic.org): [version 1] [version 2][Tune notes by Artful Codger]"De Boatman Dance" was written by the famous minstrel Daniel Decatur Emmett in 1843. Sheet music [PDF] in the Lester S. Levy Collection. Digital Tradition: De Boatman Dance Mudcat thread: The Boatmen (fiddle tune) YouTube: The Huckleberry Brothers: [De Boatman Dance] YouTube: locustvalleystring: Boatsman [Back to Contents] |
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Subject: ADD: Away Up on the Yuba (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 11:32 PM Away Up on the Yuba. [AIR—Old folks at home.] Away up the Yuba river, Far up in the mines, There's where I've been mining, ever Since we dug our rockers out of pines; All up and down the digger nation, Many times I've roamed, All dirt and rags, besides starvation, Hair that seemed it never had been combed. Chorus: All the mines look hard and dreary, Everywhere I roam; Oh, miners, how my heart grows weary, Ne'er a cent, and far away from home. All around the northern mines I've wander'd, With my blankets on my back; All I made for whisky then I squandered, Never had a dollar in my sack. When I was fluming on the Feather, I was going to make a strike, Till drove out by the rainy weather, Such thund'rin' luck, I never saw the like. All the mines look hard and dreary, Everywhere I roam, etc. When I was mining with my partner, He and I could not agree; I made all the bread, did this, that and t'other He got mad if he had to make the tea; He was lazy as the very devil, Swore with me he wouldn't work; We divided, he took tent, pick and shovel, Away he went, the lazy, lousy shirk. All the mines look hard and dreary, Everywhere I roam, etc. Put's Original California Songster, p. 18 Lyrics and tune in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 66-67 Click to play (pdmusic.org)[Tune notes by Artful Codger]"Old Folks at Home" (Swanee River) was written by Stephen Collins Foster in 1851. Sheet music [PDF] in the Lester S. Levy Collection. Digital Tradition: Old Folks at Home Mudcat thread: Old Folks at Home YouTube: Paul Robeson: Old Folks at Home YouTube: Tome Roush: Old Folks at Home [Back to Contents] |
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Subject: ADD: California as It Is and Was (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 11:22 PM California as It Is and Was. [AIR—I remember.] I remember, I remember, when once I used to mine, My cabin still is standing beneath a sugar-pine; From daylight in the morning, till the sun went out of sight, Alone I used to dig for gold, and mend my clothes at night. Alone I used to dig for gold, and mend my clothes at night. I remember, I remember, when grub was very high, We had to live on pork and beans, 'twas little pork indeed, And miners were very poor, could not afford to buy; With enough to grease the frying-pan, we thought we'd struck a lead. With enough to grease the frying-pan, we thought we'd struck a lead. I remember, I remember, when we flumed American river. The floods came down, swept off our dam, and all hands d––d together; We lost our time and mining tools, and everything we had, Instead of leaving a pile we were left without a scad. Instead of leaving a pile we were left without a scad. I remember, I remember, when the Yuba used to pay, With nothing but a rocker, five hundred dollars a day; We used to think 't would always last, and would with perfect ease, If Uncle Sam had only stopped the coming of Chinese. If Uncle Sam had only stopped the coming of Chinese. I remember, I remember, we're compelled to pay a tax, Which people say is gambled off—I wonder if those are facts? And certain ones are trying to give our mineral lands away, To build a railroad from the States, to San Francisco Bay. To build a railroad from the States, to San Francisco Bay. I remember, I remember, when we hadn't any laws, We then could live in peace among the diggers and their squaws; But now it's Whigs and Democrats, and Know Nothings of late, All fighting after office, with a chance to rob the State. All fighting after office with a chance to rob the State. I remember, I remember, when Captain Lynch was boss, We had no use for prison brigs, we hadn't that, old hoss; But now it's thieves on every side, political thieves in flocks, All promised office if they wait till Frank Pierce buys more rocks. Put's Original California Songster, pp. 16-17 Lyrics and tune in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 185-186 [Tune notes by Artful Codger] Most of the "I Remember" poems appear to be derivations or parodies of Thomas Hood's poem "I Remember, I Remember" (by 1827), which was set to rather arty music in 1828 by Christopher Meinecke--other early settings also exist. But Stone's text seems patterned instead on a couple of early parodies beginning "I remember, I remember, when I was once a boy." And I suspect it was a simpler setting than Meinecke's that ended up being sung to various parodies. Nevertheless, his setting has the virtue of being among the first and of repeating the fourth line in the manner echoed by Stone's poem (not a feature of Hood's original). Meinecke's setting may be heard at pdmusic.org: Click to playThe Lester S. Levy Collection has a couple partial copies of early settings, including Meinecke's. It also has a setting composed by Mrs. Elizabeth Fitzgerald of an entirely different poem by Winthrop Praed titled "I Remember How My Childhood Fleeted" (published in Praed's collected works in 1844). Oddly, Lingenfelter and Dwyer used this tune for Stone's text in The Songs of the Gold Rush (p. 185). Granted, Fitzgerald's setting is more regular and singable by the average moke, and would also have been more recent than the settings of Hood's poem, but it also has an extra melodic strain (albeit a repetition of the previous), and the text pattern reprises the first two lines instead of the last one (as in Stone). I doubt this would have been the tune Stone had in mind.[Back to Contents] |
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Subject: ADD: Crossing the Plains (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 11:04 PM Crossing the Plains [AIR—Caroline of Edinburgh] Come all you Californians, I pray ope wide your ears, If you are going across the Plains, with snotty mules or steers; Remember beans before you start, likewise dried beef and ham. Beware of ven'son, d––n the stuff, it's oftentimes a ram. You must buy two revolvers, a bowie-knife and belt, Says you, "Old feller, now stand off, or I will have your pelt;" The greenhorn looks around about, but not a soul can see, Says he, "There's not a man in town, but what's afraid of me." You should'nt shave, but cultivate your down, and let it grow, So when you do return, 'twill be as soft and white as snow; Your lovely Jane will be surprised, your ma'll begin to cook; The greenhorn to his mother'll say, "How savage I must look!" "How do you like it overland?" his mother he will say, "All right, excepting cooking, then the devil is to pay; For some won't cook, and others can't, and then it's curse and damn, The coffee-pot's, begun to leak, so has the frying-pan." It's always about th eteams, and how we ought to do, All hands get mad, and each one says, "I own as much as you:" One of them says, "I'll buy or sell, I'm d––d if I care which;" Another says, "Let's buy him out, the lousy son of a b–––." You calculate on sixty days to take you over the Plains, But there you lack for bread and meat, for coffee and for brains; Your sixty days are a hundred or more, your grub you've got to divide, Your steers and mules are alkalied, so foot it—you cannot ride. You have to stand a watch at night, to keep the Indians off, About sundown some heads will ache, and some begin to cough; To be deprived of health we know is always very hard, Though every night some one is sick, to get rid of standing guard. Your canteens, they should be well filled, with poison alkali, So when you get tired of traveling, you can cramp all up and die; The best thing in the world to keep your bowels loose and free, Is fight and quarrel among yourselves, and seldom if ever agree. There's not a log to make a seat, along the river Platte, So when you eat, you've got to sit or stand, or sit down square and flat; It's fun to cook with buffalo wood, take some that's newly born, If I knew once what I know now, I'd a gone around the Horn! The desert's nearly death on corns, while walking in the sand, And drive a jackass by the tail, it's d––n this overland; I'd rather ride a raft at sea, and then at once be lost, Says Bill, "Let's leave this poor old mule, we can't get him across." The ladies have the hardest tine, that emigrate by land, For when they cook with buffalo wood, they often burn a hand; And then they jaw their husbands round, get mad and spill the tea, Wish to the Lord they'd be taken down with a turn of the di-a-ree. When you arrive at Placerville, or Sacramento City, You've nothing in the world to eat, no money—what a pity! Your striped pants are all worn out, which causes people to laugh, When they see you gaping round the town like a great big brindle calf. You're lazy, poor, and all broke down, such hardships you endure, The post-office at Sacramento all such men will cure; You'll find a line from ma' and pa', and one from lovely Sal, If that don't physic you every mail, you never will get well. Put's Original California Songster, pp. 13-15 Lyrics and tune in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 41-42 Click to play (joeweb)[Tune notes by Artful Codger]This MIDI tune was transcribed from Lingenfelter, Dwyer and Cohen's book Songs of the American West (p. 39); they found it in the Frank C. Brown collection. They print a different tune in The Songs of the Gold Rush (p. 41). This is a case where tune-wise we have an embarrassment of riches—quite a variety of tunes associated with "Caroline". For instance, see: Mudcat thread on "Crossing the Plains" Mudcat thread on "[Blooming] Caroline of Edinburgh Town" DigiTrad entries for "Caroline of Edinburgh Town" and "Blooming Caroline of Edinburgh"
Malcolm Douglas believed that the tune most probably meant is now most popular as "[Come All You] Tramps and Hawkers". The Mudcat MIDI link for this ("Paddy West") is currently broken, but there are quite a few clips on YouTube, and a MIDI by Barry Taylor may be heard or downloaded here at The Contemplator site. |
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Subject: RE: Coming Soon: Put's Original California Songster From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 10 Jan 08 - 10:09 PM In this case, 'longtom' means a trough for washing gold-bearing earth (Webster's Collegiate). Also see verse 4. (Also applied to a cannon, or long rifle, but that is not the meaning here. Pungled- contributed, made a payment or money contribution. First appeared in 1851 (Webster's). Also means financially embarassed (OED). Other earlier meanings in UK, not pertinent. |
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Subject: ADD: Prospecting Dream (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 09:43 PM Prospecting Dream [AIR—Susannah] I dreamed a dream the other night, when everything was still, I dreamed that I was carrying my long-tom down a hill; My feet slipp'd out and I fell down, oh, how I jarr'd my liver, I watched my long-tom till I saw it fetch up in the river, Chorus: Oh, what a miner, what a miner was I, All swelled up with the scurvy, so I really thought I'd die. My matches, flour, and Chile beans, lay scattered all around, I felt so bad I wished to die, as I lay on the ground; My coffee rolled down by a rock, my pepper I could not find, 'Twas then I thought of Angeline, the girl I left behind. Oh, what a miner, what a miner was I, All swelled up with the scurvy, so I really thought I'd die. I took my shovel, pick and pan, to try a piece of ground, I dream'd I struck the richest lead that ever had been found; Then I wrote home that I had found a solid lead of gold, And I'd be home in just a month, but what a lie I told! Oh, what a miner, what a miner was I, All swelled up with the scurvy, so I really thought I'd die. I dug, I panned and tommed awhile, till I had but a dollar, I struck it here, and right down there, I could not raise the color; John Chinaman he bought me out, and pungled down the dust, Then I had just an ounce in change to start in on a "bust," Oh, what a miner, etc. I went to town and got drunk; in the morning, to my surprise, I found that I had got a pair of roaring big black eyes. And I was strapp'd, had not a cent, not, even pick or shovel, My hair snarled up, my breeches torn, looked like the very d---l. Oh, what a miner, etc. I then took up a little farm, and got a señorita, Grey-eyed, hump-backed, and black as tar—her name was Marguerita; My pigs all died, hens flew away, Joaquin he stole my mules, My ranch burnt "down," my blankets "up," likewise my farming tools. Oh, what a miner, etc. I left my farm, and hired out to be a hardware clerk, I got kicked out, "cos" couldn't write, so again I went to work; But when they caught me stealing grub, a few went in to boot him, And others round were singing out, "Hang him, hang him, shoot him!" Oh, what a miner, etc. Put's Original California Songster, p. 11 Lyrics and tune in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 74-75 Anybody know what a "long-tom" is? "Pungled"? [Tune notes by Artful Codger] "Susannah" is of course the Stephen Collins Foster song "Oh, Susanna!" (1848). There is a Mudcat MIDI hiding somewhere, but currently the links I find are all broken. DigiTrad entry. There are numerous Mudcat threads as well. Sheet music [PDF] in the Lester S. Levy collection. Text and MIDI (click to play) at pdmusic.org. Text and auto-playing MIDI at The Contemplator site; click here. [Back to Contents] |
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Subject: RE: Coming Soon: Put's Original California Songster From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 09:15 PM Hi, Q - Give me a chance to see what I can do with posting lyrics from the California Songster over the next two days, since I have worked out a very efficient way of posting with OCR (and since I have finished my homeschooling duties for the week). The Golden Songster is much far more difficult for me, since I have photocopies of that book instead of the online scans that work so well with my OCR. If you'd like to post songs from the Golden Songster, that would be most efficient, since I have no technical advantage over you there. In this thread, the best thing people can do to help is to go through the songs I've posted and post any corrections or additional information. As I've done with Q's post of "The Fools of '49," Iwill incorporate all corrections into the main text, and any notes or background information under a horizontal rule/line <hr>. Q, you have an editing button for this thread, so feel free to add background information at the end of each message. Thanks. -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: Coming Soon: Put's Original California Songster From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 10 Jan 08 - 05:40 PM I guess mine was cross-posting, I didn't look after I started on the book. We should PM to avoid wasted effort. Mine looks OK but I didn't close italics after Songs of the American West |
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Subject: RE: Coming Soon: Put's Original California Songster From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 04:25 PM
I found a way to OCR the original text [using Microsoft Office Document Imaging, a 'hidden' tool in most versions of Office], so I guess I won't ask for help with posting the songs in this book - BUT it really helps if you point out transcription errors and missing line breaks, and supply background information. And if somebody has Lingenfelter-Dwyer and wants to volunteer to transcribe tunes, let me know. It's nice to see that THREE California Mudcatters (open mike, Amos, and Claire Bear) have been watching this thread. There are some fascinating songs in this book. -Joe- |
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Subject: ADD: A Life by the Cabin Fire (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 04:18 PM A Life by the Cabin Fire [Air — A life on the ocean wave] A life by the cabin fire, A home in the northern mines, We'll make a pile and retire, Won't that be charming and fine? We'll roam the Sierra Nevada 'Till we kill the grizzly bear, And send the fur home to the ladies, For pantalets — how it will wear! CHORUS A life by the cabin fire, A home in the northern mines; We'll make a pile and retire, Won't that be charming and fine? The city's no longer in view, The ground is beginning to rise; If stories they told us are true, How the lumps will dazzle our eyes! We built us a cabin so fine, Got grub to last us a while, Commenced in the morning to mine, But at night fell short of a pile. A life by the cabin fire, etc. We soon had a row in the camp, For no one was willing to cook, We kicked out a miserable scamp, We did it as neat as a book. The rest of us could'nt agree, On the manner of setting the tom; 'Twas just as I knew it would be Before we started from home. A life by the cabin fire, etc. The doctor would give us advice, And the lawyer would argue the point, But we couldn't get rid of our lice, No matter how often we'd oint, The clerk, with his breeches worn out Look'd more like a Panama ape, That you'd see on the Chagres route— What a change from needles and tape! A life by the cabin fire, etc. We hung on a kettle of beans,— The diet we miners admire,— The last of our grub and our means, And they tipp'd o'er in the fire. So then we divided the tools, And each took a different route, Concluded we'd acted like fools, But none of us died of the gout. A life by the cabin fire, etc. The doctor and lawyer combined, And agreed that the doctor should kill, And the lawyer should come on behind, And collect the exorbitant bill. The preacher could not make a pile At the gospel he came out to preach, He fiddled and gambled awhile But money kept out of his reach. A life by the cabin fire. etc. The cabin is now out of sight, That stood on the western slope, We left it for nothing but spite, For that was our only hope. The most of the party went home, Disgusted with what they had seen, And I left behind to roam,— "Oh, wasn't I wonderful green!" A life by the cabin fire, etc. Put's Original California Songster, pp. 9-10 lyrics and tune in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 95-96 That's what the text says, "could'nt agree." Oh, and I can't figure out what "setting the tom" means. "Tom" is a bit blurred, so it could be another word - but Dwyer-Lingenfelter also has it "tom." Click to play (pdmusic.org)[Tune notes by Artful Codger]The song "A Life on the Ocean Wave" was written by Epes Sargent (text) and Henry Russell (music) in 1838. Sheet music may be found online in the Lester S. Levy Collection. [PDF] Q posted the text and a few notes on the song here. See also this thread, among others. Also visit this page for the song at The Contemplator site, with an automatically playing MIDI. [Back to Contents] |
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Subject: RE: Coming Soon: Put's Original California Songster From: ClaireBear Date: 10 Jan 08 - 04:05 PM Is there a missing line break between a three-line chorus and what should be the second verse? |
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Subject: RE: Coming Soon: Put's Original California Songster From: Amos Date: 10 Jan 08 - 04:01 PM The Choruus seems to create an infinite loop here, Joe...when does it end? A |
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Subject: ADD: The Fools of '49 (John A. Stone) From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 03:57 PM The Fools of '49 [Air - 'Commence, you Darkies all] When gold was found in '48, the people said 'twas gas, And some were fools enough to think the lumps were only brass; But soon they all were satisfied, and started off to mine, They bought their ships, came round the Horn, in the fall of '49. Chorus: Then they thought of what they had been told, When they started after gold, That they never in the world would make a pile. The people all were crazy then, they didn't know what to do, They sold their farms for just enough to pay their passage through; They bid their friends a long farewell; said, "Dear wife, don't you cry, I'll send you home the yellow lumps a piano for to buy." Then they thought, etc. The poor, the old and rotten scows, were advertised to sail From New Orleans with passengers, but they must pump and bail; The ship were crowded more than full, and some hung on behind, And others dived off from the wharf, and swam till they were blind. Then they thought, etc. With rusty pork and stinking beef, and rotten, wormy bread, And captains, too, that never were up as high as the main-mast head, The steerage passengers would rave and swear that they'd paid their passage, And wanted something more to eat besides Bologna sausage. Then they thought. etc. Then they began to cross the plains with oxen, hollowing "haw;" And steamers they began to run as far as Panama, And there for months the people staid that started after gold, And some returned disgusted with the lies that had been told. Then they thought, etc. The people died on evry route, they sicken'd and died like sheep, And those at sea, before they were dead, were launched into the deep; And those that died while crossing the Plains fared not so well as that, For a hole was dug and they thrown in, along the miserable Platte. Then they thought, etc. The ships at last began to arrive, and the people began to inquire: "They say that flour is a dollar a pound, do you think it will be any higher?" And then to carry their blankets and sleep out-doors, it seemed so droll, Both tired and mad, without a cent, they d---d the lousy hole. Then they thought, etc. Put's Original California Songster, pp. 7-8 Lyrics (no tune) in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, p. 33 Notes from Q: Put's Original California Songster, giving in a few words what would occupy volumes, detailing the Hopes, Trials and Joys of a Miner's Life. Click to play (joeweb)[Tune notes by Artful Codger]The MIDI was adapted from sheet music for "Commence, Ye Darkies All!" in the Lester S. Levy Collection (John Hopkins University). [Back to Contents] |
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Subject: RE: Coming Soon: Put's Original California Songste From: open mike Date: 10 Jan 08 - 02:24 PM there is a fellow from nevada who has compiled songs of the gold rush, also. Chris Bayer did this for a master thesis project, i believe. His website can be found at nevada muse . your project is interesting. good luck, and i will contribute as i can. |
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Subject: Index: Put's Original California Songster From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 02:21 PM
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Subject: Preface: Put's Original California Songster From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 02:12 PM
Note: apparently, the University of California Bancroft Library does not have a first edition |
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Subject: Put's California Songster From: Joe Offer Date: 10 Jan 08 - 02:11 PM I found a copy of Put's Original California Songster (4th edition, 1868) online, and I'd like to post all the songs from it. Q has volunteered to spearhead the project, but anyone is welcome to help. Please try to post the songs more-or-less in order, and try to ensure that they are exact trancriptions of Stone's text. If you have comments or background information on a song, please put it at the bottom of your message. There's one good way to make this job easier - lyrics and tunes for many of these song are in to books complied by Richard E. Lingenfelter and Richard A. Dwyer: The Songs of the Gold Rush and Songs of the American West. If you can't read the original, note the illegible parts, and Q or I (or others who have the books) can add what we can find. Q and I are working on a transcription of Put's Golden Songster in this thread (click). That should give you an idea about format. Oh, if there are jokes on the page you're transcribing please transcribe them, too. Note that all messages are subject to editing. This is an edited PermaThread, to be used to post songs from Put's Original California Songster, by John A. Stone. Feel free to post to this thread, but be aware that all messages in this thread are subject to editing. Joe Offer and Q are the editors for this thread. Artful Codger has done a wonderful job of adding melodies in MIDI form in 2012. Music of the Gold Rush & Civil War includes a facsimile of this songster, plus texts and MIDI tunes for most songs. Click to jump to the table of contents in this thread. Put's Original California Songster (online-click here)Alternate copy: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735061820464 |
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