Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore

16 Nov 02 - 07:34 PM (#828030)
Subject: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore
From: Abby Sale

I've been more seriously reintroduced to Great Lakes chanteys and songs. I picked up this particular rousing sailor song from the group, Hoolie, who got it from Lee Murdock. Murdock wrote the tune and added the chorus. He's been reintroducing the fine, fine, unknown work of Ivan Walton and took the text from Walton.

Ivan Walton recorded the text (no tune recalled) from Norman "Beachie" MacIvor of Goderich Ontario in 1934. See Windjammers: Songs of the Great Lakes Sailors; finally edited by Joe Grimm, 2002

Murdock sells the book at Clicky as well as his own CDs. (The song at issue is on The Lost Lake Sailors CD as "Below Niagara Falls.")

Thing is, Walton was an extensive collector of the "last leaves" of Laker windjammer sailors - barely (I gather) as they were dying off in the 20's & 30's. No one was interested in their material back then and it took until 2002 to be published. Many, fine songs & novel as well as standard versions of known songs.

Much of the point is that salt-sea songs were sung continuously to the lakes and back to the salt. Ie, salty sailors would finish their season and then join the Maine or Michigan logging operations for the winter and bring their songs with them. We all know that much but after the logging season, many would find themselves in Michigan and looking for a "ride" and a job to get back to the Atlantic. There was plenty of sail traffic - ore carriers, of course, but all kinds of goods since la Salle's Le Griffon 1st tried it on Lake Erie in 1679.

The book is a good read. I only complain that one cannot differentiate Walton's comments from the editing and commentary of Grimm. Still, it gives us much lost material and I think more and more will make its way onto the "circuit" of folk interests.

=========

So I learned this song and didn't realize for quite a while that it's an "A-plus" version of "The Winnipeg Whore." I don't think Walton or Grimm or Murdock caught this either. "The Winnipeg Whore" for me, was one of those songs we had as kids but since I was always put off by the (usually) associated childrens' tune, "Reuben & Rachel" or "Reuben, Reuben," I never learned it. Murdock may have performed a valued service to a classic bawdy ballad with his singable tune - or ruined it. But I like it.

Referring to Cray, Erotic Muse p. 203, the Walton version has all of the important elements of all Cray versions cited.   


        The Buffalo Whore

My first trip dawn old Lake Erie,
With some sailors to explore;
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
Then I met Rosy O'Flannagan,
Best of all the Buffalo whores.
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.

She says, "Boy, I think I know you,
Let me sit upon your knee,"
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
"How'd you like to do some lovin'?
A dollar and a half will be my fee."
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Roustabout Niagara;
        Beware of the rocks that lie
        Below Niagara Falls.

Some were singing, some were dancing,
Some were drunk upon the floor;
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
But I was over in a corner
A'making love to the Buffalo whore.
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.

She was slick as oil on water,
I didn't know what she was about
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
'Til I missed my watch and wallet,
Then I popped her on the snout.
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Roustabout Niagara;
        Beware of the rocks that lie
        Below Niagara Falls.

Out came the whores and sons-of-bitches,
They came at me by the score;
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
You'd have laughed to split your britches
To see me flying out that door!
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.

So to all of you young sailors
On the Lakes when you explore
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
Keep an eye upon your riggin'
While navigatin' that Buffalo shore.
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Below Niagara Falls.
        A-singing, way, Niagara,
        Roustabout Niagara;
        Beware of the rocks that lie
        Below Niagara Falls.

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16 Nov 02 - 07:50 PM (#828042)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore
From: GUEST,Q

Reminds me (although not the same song) of "The Winnipeg Whore" that Oscar Brand used to sing and recorded.

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16 Nov 02 - 07:56 PM (#828049)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore
From: Charley Noble

Thanks for posting the notes as well, Abby.

I'll be interested to hear this sung sometime.

Charley Noble

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16 Nov 02 - 09:15 PM (#828090)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore
From: Abby Sale

Ah. You'll see it's very similar to the two versions in the database but completer. And yes, same as Brand (his is WH #1)

Charlie, I'd be glad to sing it any time. Or you could buy it from Murdock as linked above. He sings far better than I do.

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17 Nov 02 - 02:39 AM (#828222)
Subject: ADD Version: The Winnipeg Whore
From: Joe Offer

I found two Winnipeg Whore songs at this site. Masato posted THREE WHORES OF WINNIPEG here (click).
-Joe Offer-

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THE WINNIPEG WHORE
[the saga of an early Canadian immigrant]

My first trip up the Chippeway River
My first trip to Canadian shores
There I met a young miss O'Flannigan
Commonly known as the Winnipeg Whore
Commonly known as the Winnipeg Whore
--
"Well," says she, "I think I know you
Let me sit upon your knee
How's about a little lovin'?
Dollar and a half is the usual fee
Dollar and a half is the usual fee"
--
She took my arm and led me quickly
To the place she used to sleep
Dirty old room with a straw-filled mattress
Wasn't too clean but it sure was cheap
Wasn't too clean but it sure was cheap
--
Some were drunk and some were sober
Some were lying on the floor
I was in the darkest corner
Throwing the blocks to the Winnipeg Whore
Throwing the blocks to the Winnipeg Whore
--
She was fiddling, I was diddling
Didn't know what 'twas all about
Till I missed my watch and wallet
Christ almighty, I found out
Christ almighty, I found out
--
Up jumped the whore and sons of bitches
Must have been a score or more
You'd have laughed to cream your britches
To see my ass fly out that door
To see my ass fly out that door
--
My first trip up the Chippeway River
My first trip to Canadian shores
There I met a young miss O'Flannigan
Commonly known as the Winnipeg Whore
Commonly known as the Winnipeg Whore

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17 Nov 02 - 12:53 PM (#828439)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore
From: Abby Sale

Absolutely, Joe. "Winnipeg Whore" is a very well established song. Just one I never actually learned. This version is obviously the same as Walton's. Walton's adds the caution not unknown in similar songs (for "riggin'," read genitals - I wouldn't know but I've heard that certain diseases could conceivably result from such encounters.)

What surprised me was finding this complete version in Walton at all. He gives very little bawdy material. And I've never before encountered this Whore situated anyplace but Winnepeg.

"Three (4) Old Whores" is completely different. That's rarer but very wide spread. In addition to the DT citations, Arthur Argo sings a good NE of Scotland version on A Wee Thread O' Blue.

Bawdy material seems a bit more conservative (consistant) and persistant and widespread in tradition than non-bawdy songs. Impressive considering how less likely they've been to be published or treated academically until very recently.

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10 Jan 03 - 05:58 PM (#863896)
Subject: RE: Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: Charley Noble

Here's another two variant verses my mother collected from her neighbor Aubrey Fullerton, a former Canadian living in Georgetown, Maine, back in 1940:

I went down the Winnepeg River,
Must have been three months or more,
There I met old Nancy Finnegan,
Commonly known as the Winnepeg Whore.

Threw down six bits on the table,
Swore by Christ I hadn't no more,
Tore up nineteen yards of calico,
Putting the boots* to the Winnepeg Whore.

Might better be "Setting the blocks" but that's the way me mother wrote it down.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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10 Jan 03 - 07:21 PM (#863949)
Subject: RE: Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: Joe_F

According to a rumor I heard many years ago, "put the boots to" for fuck started out as California slang & derived from the Russian "boot", which is slang for penis. I have no idea whether *any* of that is true.

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10 Jan 03 - 08:48 PM (#864025)
Subject: RE: Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: Charley Noble

Comsulting my old copy of ROLL ME OVER by Oak Publiations I find the line:

"Throwing the blocks to the winnipeg whore"

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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11 Jan 03 - 07:16 AM (#864276)
Subject: RE: Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: InOBU

I think we are about to make another convert to the Mcat, as I have been sending these to Libby, a great singer, who introduced me to this song, and asked for more words two days ago... Cheers Larry

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17 Nov 13 - 07:22 PM (#3576587)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: Joe Offer

I went to a John Roberts - Deb Cowan concert Friday night, and it was even more delightful than I expected. John seemed to be greatly entertained by the amount of scholarship Deb puts into researching the songs she sings. She sang "Good Fish Chowder," which she learned from Joe Hickerson. And she said it was a poem by John Ciardi called "Jerry Mulligan" that Greg Hildebrand of Australia set to the tune that Oscar Brand used for "Winnepeg Whore." Of course, Deb got all her research from a Mudcat thread. But in the thread and in what Deb said, it always seemed understood that everybody knows "Winnepeg Whore."

Well, hell, I know "Good Fish Chowder," but I looked all over and couldn't find "Winnepeg Whore." Finally, I found a recording on YouTube. So, if you are like me and not familiar with "Winnepeg Whore," here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rPopTuuZeg.

Oh, and the thread on "Fish Chowder" is very tasty.

-Joe-

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18 Nov 13 - 09:09 PM (#3576884)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: ChanteyLass

Well, I guess I have to add this video of the Buffalo Whore bones duet filmed at a late night pub sing during the Mystic Sea Music festival a few years ago. The venue, Froshinn Hall, will be used for the Chantey Blast in January. This video was recorded by Kathy W. You may see a few Mudcatters--including me--in the crowd. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILsFuxng54

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04 Feb 14 - 03:23 PM (#3598325)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: GUEST,guest

Charley - my grandfather's cousin, Aubrey Fullerton, was a journalist from Annapolis and Digby, Nova Scotia, and traveled for years in western Canada and the US plains states (among other places.) He wrote many stories for periodicals about the region, environment, and occupants (mostly the natives.) I'm sure if he gave your mother that version, it was exactly as he first heard it out Winnipeg way.

w.w.fullerton

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17 Mar 18 - 09:20 PM (#3911559)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Buffalo Whore / Winnipeg Whore
From: GUEST,Gerry

Alistair Brown has recorded The Buffalo Whore, but under the title Below Niagara Falls, and he sang it last night at The Loaded Dog Folk Club in Sydney. He and I discussed the song afterwards, and he reminded me that Buffalo is actually above the Falls, not below them.

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