To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=29036
12 messages

Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood

29 Dec 00 - 10:07 AM (#365069)
Subject: The Mississippi Flood
From: GUEST,Maineman

Hi, I'm looking for the lyrics to a song my father used to sing: Lyrics began: Another great disaster has come upon our land.... Can anyone help? If so please e-mail me at Maineman@att.net or StellaF@att.net

Thank you BF

30 Dec 00 - 09:51 AM (#365604)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood
From: Sorcha

refresh

30 Dec 00 - 10:39 PM (#365996)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood
From: Bob Bolton

G'day Maineman,

I have (somewhere?) lyrics collected in Australia of this song - as well as a re-write called The Murrimbidgee Flood, simply changing the names to suit a local catastrophe. I'm sure the American version would be closer to what you seek but, if no one comes up with it, I will post our antipodean version.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

31 Dec 00 - 12:38 AM (#366048)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood
From: Sorcha

Go ahead and post it, Bob. Nobody can find anything else......

31 Dec 00 - 05:45 AM (#366104)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood
From: Bob Bolton

G'day Sorcha,

It is in a small publication from Carrawobbitty Press, Pioneer performer Series - monologues put out by collectors to get material out without waiting for the delays of anthologies. I will see if I can dig it out off the shelves.

Expect it next year, century, millennium!

Regards,

Bob Bolton (who can count, if nothing else)

31 Dec 00 - 08:21 AM (#366152)
Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: THE FORBES FLOOD
From: Bob Bolton

G'day again for the new year, century & millennium,

Here are the words I promised - in this case, the (lightly) Australianised version:

THE FORBES FLOOD

Another great disaster has came upon this land
Down where the Lachlan River flows on its way so grand.
T'was in the month of August, and the town was bright and gay,
And folks upon the Lachlan were happy all the day.

And then the skies grew cloudy and rain came falling down,
For days the mighty torrents came pouring to the ground.
The streams throughout the country kept swelling day by day
Until the angry Lachlan was roaring on its way.

And then there came a warning "the levees cannot stand"
And brave men fought and struggled to save their native land
But still the raging waters kept pounding at the shores
Until it broke the levee and into Forbes it poured.

Oh, many homes were flooded, and brave men knelt to pray
As all that they had cherished was madly swept away.
The world will gladly help them to pay the awful cost;
No-one can ever give them the treasures they have lost.

We can't explain the reason these great disasters come
But we must all remember to say "Thy will be done",
And though the good may suffer for other people's sins
There is a crown awaiting where eternal life begins.

Rob (Willis) recorded this song sitting on the front verandah of Ebb's house just after it had been inundated by the 1990 flood in Forbes. "This song was originally called the Mississippi Flood and I've altered the words to suit the Forbes flood. I would say it was about 1930 when I was a young fella that I first heard it.

from Ebb Wren, 1990 - Willis Collection.

I can't see much evidence of any structural change by Ebb. I presume you simply need to change Lachlan (the local River) back to Mississippi and insert the appropriate town name in place of Forbes (and possibly the correct month) to get back to something very like the original.
I know I have seen it in the Mississippi form, but that was collected from someone else and the words were just a handout at a festival workshop. I will try to find it ... but my filing system looks too much like a Mississippi levee bank and not enough like a filing system!

(Clean up filing – New Year, Century & Millennium Resolution?)

Regards,

Bob Bolton (my first post of the new millennium) ... now I can get up tomorrow and celebrate 100 years of Australia being a sovereign nation.

Here is Ebb Wren's tune for the song:

MIDI file: forbes-f.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Tempo: 100 (600000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0840 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0288 0 67 064 0072 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0288 0 62 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 72 080 0057 0 72 064 0003 1 72 080 0048 0 72 064 0012 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0288 0 67 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 67 080 0144 0 67 064 0036 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0288 0 60 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:4/4
Q:1/4=100
K:C
G8|EEEFGc2c|cAFAG3C|EEEFGG2E|EEDCD3G|EEEFGc2c/2c/2|
cAFAG3G|cAFAA/2G3/2E2|FFEDC5/2||

01 Jan 01 - 08:20 AM (#366668)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood
From: Bob Bolton

G'day again Maineman,

I hope the version above can sort you out. Today I 'phoned my 78 rpm collecting mate and he tells me that he has several versions on 78s (both US releases and British releases came to Australia, by one way or the other). If you need to get back to the authentic source ... something can be arranged.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

01 Jan 01 - 11:19 AM (#366706)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD (Carson Robison)
From: GUEST,Gene

THE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD
Written by Carson Robison
As recorded by Vernon Dalhart, Brunswick 153, April, 1927

Another great disaster has come upon our land,
Down where the Mississippi flows on its way so grand.
The springtime flowers were blooming; the world was bright and gay,
And folks along the levee were happy all the day.

And then the skies grew cloudy and rain came falling down.
For days a mighty torrent came pouring to the ground.
The streams throughout the country kept swelling day by day,
Until the angry river was roaring on its way.

And then there came a warning: the levee cannot stand,
And brave men fought and struggled to save their native land,
But still the raging waters kept pounding at the shore,
Until it broke the levee and through the country tore.

Oh, many lives were taken and brave men knelt to pray,
As all that they had cherished was madly swept away.
The world will gladly help them to pay the awful cost,
But gold can never bring them a loved one who is lost.

We can't explain the reason these great disasters come,
But we must all remember to say: "Thy will be done,"
And though the good may suffer for other people's sins,
There is a crown awaiting where eternal life begins.

01 Jan 01 - 08:14 PM (#366909)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson

It sounds like something Vermin Dahlhart would record! THe Mississippi flood song that i know is Stoneman's "way out in the Missisisippi valley. . .."

02 Jan 01 - 12:36 AM (#366973)
Subject: Lyr Add: STORY OF THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI (Stoneman
From: GUEST,Gene

Glad you mentioned that one Pete...
For those interested---


THE STORY OF THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI
BY: Ernest V "Pop" Stoneman

Way out in the Mississippi Valley
Just among those plains so grand,
Rolls the flooded Mississippi River,
Destroying the works of man.

With her waters at the highest
That all men have ever known,
She came sweeping through the valleys
And destroying lands and homes.

There were children clinging in the treetops,
Who has spent some sleepless nights,
And without a bit of shelter,
Or even a spark of light.

With their prayers going up to the Father,
For the break of day to come,
That they might see some rescue party,
Who would provide for them a home.

There were some of them on the housetops,
With no way to give an alarm.
There were mothers wading in the water,
With their babies in their arms.

Let us all get right with our Maker,
As He doeth all things well,
And be ready to meet in judgement,
When we bid this earth farewell.

02 Jan 01 - 01:37 PM (#367137)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Mississippi Flood
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson

THANKS, Gene! Amazing what the folk process will do. I have always sang the last verse as
Let us all get right with our MAKER
As HE DOETH all things well
THEN be ready to meet in judgment
When we bid this Earth farewell
which seems to me to make a little more sense. . . honesty demands that I heard it first from the New Lost City Ramblers (volume II IIRC) and only later from Pop S, so I may be echoing what Mike Seeger heard and sang.

19 Feb 20 - 12:37 AM (#4034911)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE TERRIBLE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD (1927)
From: Jim Dixon

You can hear this recording at the Internet Archive. It is recited (not sung) with piano and violin accompaniment.


THE TERRIBLE MISSISSIPPI FLOOD
(Ryder)
As recorded by Arthur Fields, Grey Gull (2334 (a)), 1927.

Down in the sunny south-land where the Mississippi flows,
The skies were fair and the people there were living in sweet repose
Till the father of the waters arose in angry might
And overflowed its muddy banks with an awe-inspiring spite.

The people were horror-stricken when they realized their plight,
And many were drowned without a chance of putting up a fight.
Thousands were forced to flee for their lives and their happy homes forsake
While the rushing water left its toll of destruction in its wake.

Here was a land where all was peace a few short hours before,
Turned into a land of horror who is(?) the angel of death at each door.
While the cruel waters were rising, thousands of men were on hand
Struggling in vain to build up the levees with millions of bags of sand.

A lot of men lost all they had, their homes and loved ones gone,
Till the hearts of a nation were beating for them as they tried to carry on.
Just picture the mother who lost her babe, perhaps her husband too.
Try and put yourself right in her place and imagine what you would do.

Think of the poor little boys and girls who are now left all alone,
Little orphans of Dixie land without the shelter of home.
Let's hope this great stream can be harnessed so its name won't be written in blood.
… the heart of the grieving survivors of the Mississippi flood