River Songs

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 03 Nov 98 - 05:55 PM

Thanks Joe, and yes I did catch the other thread. Very thoughtful of you on both counts.

Regards
John

Subject: RE: River Songs
From:
Date: 03 Nov 98 - 07:10 AM

Sorry, forgot "Sweet Thames Flow Softly".

I got the title wrong. The title is "Song For The Mira", not "Out On The Mira." Pay attention, boy!:)

Doesn't Kate Rusby sing one about a Scottish river on her latest CD?

Subject: RE: River Songs
From:
Date: 03 Nov 98 - 07:07 AM

"The Broad Majestic Shannon", by the Pogues, or rather Shane McGowan.

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Nov 98 - 05:54 AM

John in Brisbane, we wouldn't want you to get away without "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away." Click here for the song.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: JB3
Date: 03 Nov 98 - 04:34 AM

The Waters of Tyne is in the database. It's a lovely song from the Border area of England/Scotland about two lovers separated by a river.

Subject: RE: River Songs
From:
Date: 02 Nov 98 - 07:17 PM

There is "Congo River", but you'd never get away with singing all the verses today. A shorter version is in the database.

I can think of a couple of Canadian ones. "Roll On, Saskatchewan" and "Out On The Mira" [="Song for the Mira"](ABC's for the latter were posted earlier). And the very lively French-Canadian one, "Youpee! Youpee!", the lyrics to which I seem to recall posting in a thread some time ago.

And the McGarrigle's "Matapedia", even though they have the river flowing the wrong way.

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: John in Brisbane
Date: 01 Nov 98 - 06:17 PM

The Jolson Story had a young Al singing Banks of the Wabash. Have never seen or heard of it elsewhere. Can anyone oblige please with the lyrics?

Regards
John

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 09:31 PM

In the Lester Levy Sheet Music Collection, there are 159 pieces of music that have the word "river." One I found there that I like particularly is "Shall We Gather at the River."
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 08:44 PM

You can find a forum discussion of the song Rivers of Babylon.

I also remember some old sheet music for a song called something like "By the Connecticut River Shore" but hunting through my old sheet music only turned up my sinus allergy alarms.

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 12:56 PM

Anybody got the lyrics to "Rivers of Wisconsin"? Are you lurking here, Dan Keding? care to share your song with us?
-Joe Offer, who once lived near the mighty Root River, and canoed the Wild Wolf-

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Barry Finn
Date: 31 Oct 98 - 11:39 AM

Bill D, I picked up Rivers Of East Teaxs back in the 70's from Rob Joel he said he had it as a fairly old song but I can't ask him about it now he's long gone. The best I've ever heard this done was by Skip Gorman & he's recorded it but I don't know on where or what. Barry

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 10:34 PM

Of course, the DT is full of river songs. If you just search river you get...., well, I stopped looking after 140 songs. Some just mention the word river, but songs that come to mind are "Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos", Pete Seeger's "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy", and the gospel tune "Deep River". All in the DT. Bill Staines "River" is in the DT. Try the search [river run down to the sea], it takes you right there.

A song I didn't find is "Bamboo" credited to Dave Van Ronk. How about Woody's "Roll on Columbia?" Woody wrote this for pay from the US Gubmint. How politically incorrect can you get? In the DT of course!

There seems to be a river of river songs out there.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: BSeed
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 10:27 PM

There are "Shenandoah," which in some versions is about the river of that name and other times about "the wide Missouri," "Banks of the Ohio," "Way Down upon the Swanee River," [= "Old Folks at Home"]and of course hundreds about the River Jordan. Not to mention "The Seine," recorded by the Kingston Trio. --that's about two minutes' worth of thinking. --seed

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Art Thieme
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 09:59 PM

The song I do was written by Win Stracke--a founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. It's called "Down By The Embarrass"----that's pronounced "Am-braw" by the locals. It's on KM-148 __A.T.--Songs Of The Heartland__ (sung by me & Cindy Mangsen about 20 years ago) Kicking Mule Records -- now owned by Fantasy.

Dan Keding's fine song was written by him.

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 06:19 PM

well, I have heard the "The River of New Jersey"...well done song...Dick Levine sings it...not sure who wrote it... and then there is 'The Rivers of Nebraska" as follows...<

"We crossed the Platte, we forded the Platte"
We swam the Platte; we followed the Platte....."..etc...

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: S. P. Buck Mulligan
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 03:51 PM

Bill Staines wrote a neat tune called "River" which does not specify a particular river, but which his fellow Granite Staters always assume is the Merrimack; could be the Saco, Piscataqua, Nashua, Androscoggin, etc. as well I suppose. don't have lyrics, but should be findable if you search the web on Bill Staines.

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: rich r
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 01:39 PM

Speaking of Rivers Of Texas, Art Theme has sung (written probably also) Rivers of Illinois, and Dan Keding has done Rivers of Wisconsin. That leaves 47 states unaccounted for.

rich r

Subject: RE: River Songs
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 11:54 AM

I have been looking for almost 30 years, and I never met anyone who claimed they knew an author to "The Rivers of Texas".. I first learned it from a girl named 'Ellen' who had been in the Chicago scene in the early '60s, and she said that the story was that some guy came into a bar in Texas a few years earlier and sang it, and someone copied it down. I have no idea how true that might be..it does not 'sound' very old...but it has acted very much as a 'folk' song for 30-40 years now..

Subject: River Songs
From: Folk1234
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 10:30 AM

This month's song swap topic is River songs. I'm seeking chords and background (I have the lyrics) on the following songs: New Harmony (Craig Johnson), Rolling to Cairo Town (Dillon Bustin), Living on the River (Jerry Rasmussen), and Rivers of Texas (??). Thanks in advance for your help.

[Many song titles in this thread have been converted to links by a Mudelf. The links all go to lyrics at Mudcat.]