The wandering ballad singer; Songs of loggers and miners

And I walked the road again my boy again. If the weather be fair I'll call on my hair again. Washington State University presents they wondering balancing our very token with songs that vividly describe the history and folklore of a pioneering country. And again. The loggers and miners have always supplied our country with plenty of tales and songs even though all of them aren't palatable in mixed company. These men made history too but they were almost always unaware of the higher implications of their actions because they were too engrossed in the realities of existence out in the cold and wet outdoor world in which they worked so their songs usually told of the daily trials and everlasting working routine. Sometimes a song would spring up about some little incident that might have sparked life in the camp for a while. Such a One is this old Wisconsin lager song about

a hauling contest between two breeds of oxen. Not a thing on the river. McCluskey did fear when he drew is with Bob or big spotted steers they were young quick and sound grd 8 foot 3 says McCluskey the Scotsman they're the laddies for me saying down there it down. Gordon was full as he cried Woe to the little brown bulls short legged and soggy six foot nine says McCluskey the Scotsman delighted for our island well it's down down down. From it's three to the thousand are contracted our hauling was God in the timber was busking he swore he'd make the Dave bookends get into one of those little brown bows

down there down. Oh no says Gordon that you can't do though it's well know you the heads of the crew and mark you my boy you would have your hands full if you skid one more log then Little Brown. Well it's down down down. Well the day he was appointed and soon it grew not for twenty five dollars their fortunes to try both eager and anxious that morning were found and scalars and judges up here and on the ground. With a new yell came McCloskey and you with a big spotted steers them and the crew both chewing their cuds. Keep your little mouths but you can eat them little brown bows. Well it's down down

there now came both garden with a pipe a news job the little brown bulls with their cuts in their mouths and Little think when we've seen them come out a hundred and forty good they jerk around. Well it's down then up spoke McClusky comes to the skin will dig a hole and will come in and will learn this durn Yankee to face a bull's got. We'll mix some dose and we'll feed it red hot singin. Says Gordon to step in with blood in his eye. Today we must conquer McClusky or die and then up spoke go kind of back. Never fear for you never shall be beat by the young spotted steers on the sun had gone down when the foreman did say turn out boys turn out

for the day. We've scaled them and counted each men do is team and it's well do we know now which one kicks the beam while it's down. After supper was over McCluskey appeared with the bell ready for his little brown sneers. The foreman he'd torn up his best Mac and off he was bound he'd conduct it according to law. And then up spoke the scalar of the big spotted steers are behind just one mile or you have a hundred and ten and no more. Garden has 10 and us go and sing in the shanty did a ring as McCluskey did swear he tore out and pulled a long yellow hair garden my colors. So here take this belt for the little brown thing and

there it down here is held in the garden and Kennebec John the biggest day's work on the river they done. So fill up your glasses. Oh Ill drink to that held the little brown bows while it's down down down. One minor song that's still sung lustily by inhabitants of the rainy West Coast is this one in which a man gets the rare break of striking it rich early in life. And so he goes about the country trying to find ways to invest his money in a lifetime venture. The title of the song is found in the last line of each verse. I have wandered all over this country prospect ending and begin for go. I have tunnel drill and I've lumbered and I have been frequently so. And I have been frequently so

frequently so I have tunnel drill and I've heard and I have been frequently so. I made all my money at mine but I saw lots of people get poor so I tried my hand it we farm and they only pursued better. Sure. They own neighbors only that I tried my hand at barman. They own pursuit that is sure. Well I rode my grub in my blanket and I left who was on the ground and started out early one morning for a country they called Puget Sound. Other country they called Puget Sound for the country they called Puget Sound

and I started out early one morning. For a country they call digits. No longer the slave of ambition. I laughed but the world and its sham and I think of my hat being served around it by acres of. So rounded by her love around in my reserve and I think of my happy condition served by my. The loggers life was full of perils and one of the most common other than the bad aim of other lagers was the task of breaking up a logjam. This often resulted in death and rare was the foreman who would dare to take the chance of doing the job him self in order to protect the lives of his crew. But that's what happens in this one called the jam on Jerry's rocks.

Come to you true barn shut it boys whoever you may be I'm sitting here on the deacon seat and listen to me and bow out and jam on Jerry's rocks and hear oh you should know the foreman of our foreman young Monroe. It was on a Sunday morning show quickly here our logs were piled up high our way couldn't keep them clear. Then six of our knowing as we did agree to go and bust the jam on Jerry's rocks with young men who. We had not picked up many a log when Munroe he did say I'll have you all keep guard my boy as the GM will soon give way. Now I'll take you off this drive my boys by the jam and soon we'll go on

any of the key log out of the slot and off one young man who. When all the other boys this news came they gathered at the river bank and downward and there they found to their surprise and sorrow grief and woe all cut and mangled on the beach lay the four men young men. This next one is just the loggers bragging song edited from 20 or so verses down to an acceptable three. My eyes look like dried up rays and my nose is a purple red. I wear a coat of many colors and it smells like some been dead too. Do I have the wild

hootenanny. I have chopped the redwood tree and I dip snooze and to the back. Will you marry me need me to do to you. I can drink and not get drunk and I can not be slain. I can kiss another man's girl and be welcomed back again to the muck to do not do. This one is about on the same order except that there are more verses you can sing. As I sat down one evening with a

40 year old waitress these words I see that you are not just a common bomb nobody log or coffee with. My lover. There is none like him. If you hoard whiskey on it. It is whiskers the mom of is horny. It just drives them in when I hammer and bite them on me and my lover came to see me on one freezing rain which broke three vertebrae with me when we parted so hard that he broke my jaw.

I could not speak. Dude forgot his Mac and. I saw that loggers leaving. Sauntering through the snow go bravely home word for word. Whew I either try to freeze him or it's level best. A hundred degrees below zero. He butt up in his vest. Well it proves queen through to China rose to the stars above. I had a thousand degrees below zero. It froze my log. He tried and they tried to thaw him. And if you believe me these are made in two acts to cut that Douglas. And so I lost my lover and to this gas bag and here I await someone's coffee.

That's about it for the loggers and miners. See you again soon and I'll walk the road again my boy. Walk the road again if the weather be fair I'll call my hair and I walk in the road. Listen again next week when Barry tokened a wandering ballad singer returns with more songs in balance the preceding was transcribed and was produced by the Radio TV services of Washington State University. This is DNA E.B. Radio Network.