Lyr Add: De Scow Jean La Plante

Subject: Lyr Add: DE SCOW JEAN LA PLANTE
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Aug 03 - 02:26 PM

Lyr. Add: DE SCOW JEAN LA PLANTE

I'll tol' of wan boat, de scow Jean La Plante,
She's sail by Batteece, a Frenchman so quaint.
She's sail on de lake fo' tirty-twalve year-
De crew and de captain she's man of good cheer.

She's got wan beeg jib an' sail wid two wing,
De anchor was grindstone on two piece of string.
She's carry de wood, she's carry de sand,
An' som'tam excurshan wid plenty brass ban'.

De crew was de mate, de cook an' de dog,
Who's bark plenty loud w'en he's get in fog.
She's bark all de day den lay down fo' rest
When Batteece she's cry, "Nor', nor' by sou'west."

Here kom dem fas' scow dey call Flyin' Cloud
Cry Capitaine batteece an' she's yall planty loud:
"Put de wheel port, look out fo' yo' head,
An' tol' Joe, de cook' fo' trow out de lead!"

Joe trow de lead and yall. "Leventeen feet!"
An' Batteece she's cry out, "Let go do main sheet!
Trow de dog ovaire an' all yo' can spare,
We mus' beat dat scow boat 'cross Lac Sainte Claire!"

De win' she's blow dees way, den she's blow dat,
She's knock down de mate an' lose de cook's hat.
Den she's change queek from sou' to nor'west-
"I'm ahead," say Batteece, as she's pull down de vest.

All day Batteece she's race 'cross de lac-
She's sleep on de feet, no tam on de back,
So dark was de night she's can't smell de han',
An' de telescop' beeg can't fin' out de lan'.

De mornin' she's kom wid de sun shinin' bright,
But de Flying Cloud scow she's nowhere in sight,
For her centerboar' catch on wan beeg catfeesh line,
An' dat was de reason she's got lef' behin'!

The Jean La Plante sail, dru storm she's roar,
An' stop planty place 'long de lac shore.
She's tak' on beeg barrel at Monroe wan day,
An' queek for Toledo she's sail right away.

De horn blow fo' dinner, de crew she's sit down,
Wid ev'ting happy at de table all 'roun'.
An' while dey was eat of good mushrat chowder,
Dem barrel bus' de scow- she's fill wid bus' powder!

Now on de lac all scowmen she's swear,
De scow Jean La Plante she's sail in de air.
An' of'en at midnight above de lac breeze,
Dey hear de beeg voice of capitaine Batteece.

She's ride de mad wave, she's stick up hees nose,
"W'at does she say?" yo'll ask, I suppose-
Wall. she's jump on de lac. she's hist up de pant,
An' give planty cheer fo' de scow Jean La Plante!.

Similar to songs about the Julie Plante and the Rosie Belle Teeneau. "Detroiter James J. Enright claimed to have written the song in the back of a geography book in 1867 after rowing past a sorry old wooden scow on which someone had tarred the name "Jean La Plante." Enright recalled seeing scows race on the Detroit River, "and used the name of the scow as ...a tribute to the Julie Plante of which sailors had sung often in his youth." Lyrics from Detroit Free Press, April 10, 1927.
From Walton and Grimm, "Windjammers, Songs of the Great Lakes Sailors, 2002, pp. 161-162.

Part of this song was quoted in the thread on the song, "The Flying Cloud," but the two songs are not related. There are several songs about the Great Lakes scows and a separate thread for these songs may be best. Thread 54665: Origins Flying Cloud

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Lyr. Add: DE SCOW JEAN LA PLANTE
From: GUEST,Martin Ryan
Date: 28 Aug 03 - 06:15 PM

Love that "leventeen feet"....

Regards