Lyr Req/Add: The Falling of the Pine

Subject: Lyrics to
From: Tilell
Date: 01 May 97 - 08:51 PM

Well folks, hopesomeone out there can help me. . . There was a historical video made about ten years ago about the coast of Maine. . . an in it was this wonderful little woods work-song about harvesting trees for the clipper ships. I only remember a bit of the words which go:

As the winter does grow older; Like wolves we do grow bolder Our axes we will shoulder; and our noses to the grind;

To the woods we will not tarry; Our tools we all must carry; No noise exceeds the thunder of the falling of the pines.

Hey, any help would be MUCH appreciated!

Thanks.

Subject: Lyr Add: FALLING OF THE PINE^^^
From: rich r
Date: 06 May 97 - 12:08 AM

The following version of "Falling of the Pine" is found in LORE OF THE LUMBER CAMPS by E. C. Beck (1948 U. Michigan Press). Some of the lines you mentioned from the Maine version are here, but others have changed, e.g. wolves become lions, etc. Most likely the song was transmogrified going from Maine to Michigan. When you are out in the woods with a bunch of guys all winter you probably make whatever changes fit your situation.


FALLING OF THE PINE

You shanty boys are wanted,
With bold hearts undaunted,
To prepare and go to shanties
Before your youth's decline.
There spectators will wonder
They will gaze at you and ponder
While your noise exceeds the thunder,
By the falling of the pine.

When daylight is a breakin'
From our slumbers we awaken,
When our breakfast we have taken
Our axes we will grind.
Let the frost be e're so keen,
It will never keep us in,
And the woods we'll make to ring
By the falling of the pine.

Brave boys will not forget,
At least they haven't yet,
Our work for to quit
When the sun has failed to shine.
To the shanty we'll come in,
And some songs of love we'll sing,
And the woods we'll cause to ring
By the falling of the pine.

When the season has diminished,
And our winter's work is finished,
From the woods then we are banished
For a little time.
As the days approaches summer,
We will collect our timber,
Yes, we will collect our timber
Into handsome rafts of pine.

Than lions we are more bolder,
And the winter is less colder,
And our axes we will shoulder
And all such pleasures leave behind.
And the rapids we will run,
Do seem to us like fun,
Our troubles are all done
When we're on our rafts of pine.

And when we reach Quebec,
Brave boys will not forget
Their dry throats for to wet,
With good brandy and red wine.
With the pretty girls we'll booze
Till our money is almost used,
But we never will refuse
To go back and fall the pine.


I hope this gets you started.

rich r

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Lyrics from this post were added to the DT in October, 1998.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyrics to
From: tilell
Date: 07 May 97 - 08:43 PM

Thank you ever so much!

Subject: RE: Lyrics to
From: tilell
Date: 07 May 97 - 08:45 PM

Thank you ever so much!

Oops!

This song has been stuck in my head for YEARS, but only

that one verse.

Thank you again. . . If I can ever help, just let me know.

Subject: RE: Req/ADD: Falling of the Pines
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 03:30 AM

Looks like there's more to explore in this song. Here's the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index:

Falling of the Pine

DESCRIPTION: Speaker tells of working in lumber camps: "When daylight is a-breakin'/From our slumbers we awaken/When our breakfast we have taken/Our axes we will grind...And the woods we'll make to ring/By the falling of the pine"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Rickaby)
KEYWORDS: recitation lumbering work logger nonballad
FOUND IN: US(MW) Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Rickaby 17, "The Falling of the Pine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 10, "Falling of the Pine" (1 text)
Fowke-Lumbering #3, "The Falling of the Pine" (1 fragment, tune referenced)
Roud #4560
RECORDINGS:
Lester Wells, "The Falling of the Pine" (AFS, 1938; on LC56)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lumber Camp Song" (theme) and references there
cf. "Driving Saw-Logs on the Plover" (tune)
File: Be010

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

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The version in the Digital Traditon is the one from Beck's Lore of the Lumber Camps, which Rich R. posted above.

Subject: ADD: Falling of the Pine
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 03:59 AM

Here's another version:

The Falling of the Pine

Come all young men a-wanting of courage bold undaunted,
Repair unto the shanties before your youth's decline.
The spectators they will ponder and gaze on you with wonder,
For your noise exceeds the thunder in the falling of the pine.

The shanty is our station and lumbering our occupation,
Where each man has his station, some for to score and line.
It is nine foot of a block we will bust at every knock
And the wolves and bears we'll shock at the falling of the pine.

When the day it is a-breaking, from our slumbers we're awakened.
Breakfast being over, our axes we will grind.
Into the woods we do advance, where our axes sharp do glance,
And like brothers we commence for to fall the stately pine.

For it's to our work we go through the cold and stormy snow,
And it's there we labor gayly till bright Phoebus does not shine;
Then to the shanties we'll go in and songs of love we'll sing,
And we'll make the valleys ring at the falling of the pine.

When the weather it grows coldcr, like lions we're more bolder,
And while this forms grief for others, it's but the least of mine;
For the frost and snow so keen it can never keep us in,
It can never us in from the falling of the pine.

When the snow is all diminished and our shanty work all finished,
Banished we are all for a little time,
And then far apart we're scattered until the booms are gathered,
Until the booms are gathered into handsome rafts of pine.

When we get to Quebec, O me boys, we'll not forget,
And our whistles we will wet with some brandy and good wine.
With fair maidens we will boast till our money is all used,
And, my boys, we'll ne'er refuse to go back and fall the pine.

Sung by Mr. M. C. DEAN, Virginia, Minnesota


from Ballads and Songs of the Shanty-Boy, Franz Lee Rickaby, 1926

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