Great Songs are Written In The Stone

So much wonderful music, so little time to hear it! From Bach to XTC, from medieval folk songs to funky soul songs, from Earth Wind and Fire to Fire Down Below, there's a good chance you'll find something wonderful here!

[written-in-the-stone]

I don’t think there’s ever been a better song written for brass band. Every part is just ridiculous, but I’m completely blown away by the sousaphone part every time. HIS TONE IS SO GOOOOOD HOW DOES HE DO IT!?!?!? So many tuba players have a wide, smooth tone, but I absolutely love Nat McIntosh’s aggressive, mighty tone. The way the sousaphone kind of breaks up and crackles and snaps when it’s pushed hard is just so exciting, and he does it so well! You just need to hear the first note he plays to know what I mean- he makes that sousaphone a force of nature. And I’m not even talking about the multiphonics and beatboxing he does! Yeah, I’m going on and on and on about just the tuba part, but this song is a dream for anyone interested in low brass- you just don’t hear stuff this good!

And the way all the instruments work together is perfect! The way the tuba knows when to step back and just lay down a solid base for the high brass, or how the trumpets play their frantic upper register melody and the tuba counters down low, and even though they’re playing completely different parts they both fit so well. It’s just crazy how well written this piece is! I love every second of it and every note of it. The way everything flies back up to maximum intensity around 5:23 is mindblowing.  Song: Brooklyn Group: Youngblood Brass Band Songwriter: Nat McIntosh Album: Center:Level:Roar Year: 2003

[written-in-the-stone]

This song is ridiculously beautiful. It’s about a mother in the 1800s forced to give her child up to an orphanage, and the song is full of so much feeling and emotion. Her singing is so amazing, and she is able to infuse the song with a feeling of gentleness and at the same time a sense of deep love and sadness that pervades every note, as if she was feeling what this mother was as she loses her child. I can’t even put words together to say what i mean about it. It’s just such a good song. 

Song: The Spyglass and the Herringbone Artist: Jackie Oates Songwriter: Chris Sargeant Album: The Spyglass and the Herringbone Year: 2015

Lyrics: Please take this child my pride and joy In my father’s house he cannot lie and if someday I shall return place this thimble at his side place this thimble at his side please take this child my pride and joy please don’t say from whence he came but if he should cry out in the night gentle Joseph is his name gentle Joesph is his name lay him down upon a stone or wrap him in a cotton gown the spyglass and the herringbone are all i have to leave him now lay him down upon a stone or wrap him in a cotton gown the spyglass and the herringbone are all i have to leave him now please take this child my pride and joy his hair swept high in hazel strands a pain so deep, unearthly void how can a mother love with empty hands how can a mother love with empty hands please take this child my pride and joy angel bound in orphan frame but if he should cry out in the night gentle Joseph is his name gentle Joseph is his name lay him down upon a stone or wrap him in a cotton gown the spyglass and the herringbone are all i have to leave him now lay him down upon a stone or wrap him in a cotton gown the spyglass and the herringbone are all i have to leave him now

[written-in-the-stone]

Is this the greatest song the Clash ever recorded? I don’t know, but I think it might be. Well, it’s riiiiiight up there next to ‘Straight to Hell’. Everybody on earth knows the Clash for songs like ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’, but somehow this perfect piece of music slipped right under the radar.

It’s about Sean Flynn (duh), the reporter who was kidnapped by Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam war and never seen again. Lyrically the song is beautiful and mysterious- it’s not a recounting of the story of Sean Flynn as much as it’s a poetic sketch inspired by it. There are very few lyrics, which might make it seem like it’s not a substantial song, but it really really is. The vocal lines are spread out among stretches of wide, empty, almost disjointed music dominated by a bass drum and a twirling, chaotic saxophone. Normally I hate the sound of saxes, but it is absolutely perfect in this song. 

The song has a very disconnected, almost fever-dream feel- there’s no verses or choruses, no catchy melodic hook, none of that. It’s so unlike most songs, and it just sticks with you. I swear, the drum beat from it is like part of my DNA now.

Song: Sean Flynn Album: Combat Rock Band: The Clash Year: 1982 Songwriter: Joe Strummer

Lyrics: You know he heard the drums of war When the past was a closing door The drums beat into the jungle floor The past was always a closing door Rain on the leaves and soldiers sing You never-never hear anything They filled the sky with a tropical storm You know he heard the drums of war But each man knows what he's looking for

[written-in-the-stone]

JESUS CHRIST JUST LISTEN TO THAT SOUSAPHONE! This is absolutely insaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane, and I hope that’s obvious for people who aren’t brass players too. He’s doing things that NOBODY ELSE is doing on that sousa. The only other tuba player i’ve heard that is at this level is Oystein Baadsvik, the legend behind ‘Fnugg’! 

This video is NOT a good representation of the classic sousaphone sound, because his playing here is so out there and totally in the real of extended techniques. 

Song: The Warrior Comes Out To Play Soloist: Nat McIntosh Songwriter: Nat McIntosh Album: the studio version, played at a much faster tempo, can be found on the Youngblood Brass Band album ‘Unlearn’ Year: This performance is 2012, but the song was released in 2000

[written-in-the-stone]

Not many people could write a compelling song about childrens’ toys, but of course XTC’s  Andy Partridge could! This song just sounds soooo good; calm and almost relaxed musically, with an unbelievable bassline courtesy of Colin Moulding. While of course the whole song is so nice to listen to, the chorus is definitely the highlight. It has to be the most perfect chorus ever written! I can’t even really explain why I love it so much. Maybe it’s the vocals done by multiple people, or the melody that just sounds so so right. It’s a shame that more people aren’t aware of this song, but it was hidden away on the B-side of the group’s astounding ‘Love on a Farmboy’s Wages’

Song: Toys Group: XTC Year: 1983 Album: ‘Love on a Farmboy’s Wages’ B-side (Also available as a bonus track on some releases of ‘Mummer’) Lyrics: Cindy's spending too much money on clothes Ken is going back to Gay Bob The Teddy bears swear the neighbourhood's gone Since the moving in of Golliwog Rag doll gets beaten up by the Action man The one with the real life hair He walks and he talks in a commanding voice But sexually he's not all there Oh dear what can the matter be, my children sweet children What gives down in the nursery, my children sweet children Oh dear what if the cradle falls, my children sweet children Toys are only human after all, who killed 'em we killed 'em If toys are quarreling amongst themselves What hope is there now for the world? The smell of smoke hanging thick over funland As the older toys are pushed down a ramp The microchip master race are melting them down In a dolly concentration camp The world's gone mad but in miniature The kids can only do what they feel See them copy what their parents have done 'Til they're old enough to do it for real Oh dear what can the matter be, my children sweet children What gives down in the nursery, my children sweet children Oh dear what if the cradle falls, my children sweet children Toys are only human after all, who killed 'em we killed 'em

[written-in-the-stone]

This is, without a doubt, one of the most perfect songs ever recorded. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful, full of wonderful oceanic imagery. The music behind the words is so fantastic that I can hardly begin to describe it. It feels so bleak and open and watery, and I love it so so much. I wish I could say more about this song that is so important to me, but my writing isn’t good enough to express it. If you enjoy this song at all, you really should listen to the live recording from the Old Grey Whistle Test. They performed it very soon before they gave up touring permanently, and you can feel the emotion the band, but especially singer Andy Partridge put into the performance. In some ways it surpasses the album version for sheer, raw power. It was watching that video, I think, that pulled me in from merely appreciating their music to utterly loving it. This song means more to me than almost any other piece of music, for various reasons…

Song: Yacht Dance Group: XTC Album: English Settlement Year: 1982

Lyrics:  We, we will dance like tiny boats with cotton sails upon the tops of the seas That would pull us down to the depths and crush us flat if given half a chance No need to look back to pictures of lost, when all was rust We, we will skim across the surface of the mud as if we’re spinning pebbles Oh [I think he says 'how' at these parts, but I’m not 100% sure], in our yacht dance Oh, in our yacht dance We, we will dance like tiny boats with cotton sails upon the tops of the seas Made of people stained with scorn who never see the light of real love No need to look back through diaries of lost now turned to dust We, we will skate across the surface of the storm as if we’re wheeling sea birds Oh, in our yacht dance Oh, in our yacht dance And how they’ll be jealous of both of us In our yacht dance We, we will dance like tiny boats with cotton sails upon, upon the tops of the sea Made of people stained with scorn who never see the light of real love Oh, in our yacht dance Oh, in our yacht dance

[written-in-the-stone]

This song is absolutely perfect. It is also one of the saddest songs I know. Ray Davies sings so plainly and vividly about the pain of losing someone he loves, that I can almost imagine what it might be like (as Lin says, it’s unimaginable for those of us who haven’t experienced it.) The delicate, small intro gradually becomes a more insistent beat, a more driving sensation to propel the emotion forward. The song preserves a warm feeling even through the direct lyrics, fitting the love the singer clearly still has for the person he lost. Ray Davies is a master at crafting lyrics that convey immense amounts of ideas and emotions while not becoming wordy or jumbled, and this song serves as a perfect example. You can feel the pain he was going through on a deep level. The song was written for the Kinks’ masterpiece album ‘The Village Green Preservation Society’ but is not included on most runs, for reasons beyond my knowledge. It totally feels like a VGPS track,as anyone familiar with that album would probably agree. I can’t stress enough how perfect this song is, in my opinion. I remember back when I had only heard the song a few times, just marveling at the intangible sense of magic surrounding this song. 

Song: Days Group: The Kinks Year: 1968

Lyrics: Thank you for the days, Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me. I'm thinking of the days, I won't forget a single day, believe me. I bless the light, I bless the light that lights on you believe me. And though you're gone, You're with me every single day, believe me. Days I'll remember all my life, Days when you can't see wrong from right. You took my life, But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me, But it's all right, Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me. I wish today could be tomorrow, The night is dark, It just brings sorrow anyway. Thank you for the days, Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me. I'm thinking of the days, I won't forget a single day, believe me. Days I'll remember all my life, Days when you can't see wrong from right. You took my life, But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me, But it's all right, Now I'm not frightened of this world, believe me. Thank you for the days, Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me. I'm thinking of the days, I won't forget a single day, believe me. I bless the light, I bless the light that shines on you believe me. And though you're gone, You're with me every single day, believe me. Days.

[written-in-the-stone]

This song was the first classical piece I listened to, and the reason I love classical music today. Ravel wrote it as a study in orchestration, so instead of the usual format of a piece in several movements which all sound unique, he wrote Bolero as a single movement in which a theme is passed between the instruments of the orchestra with little change, all while the poor snare drum underscores the piece with an unchanging beat. Some accuse the piece of being boring as a result, but it is anything but! You just have to listen to the way each instrument makes the theme its own, and the inflections and feeling each instrumentalist uses while playing it. The best part, in my opinion, is when it is finally the trombone’s turn to take the lead, with beautiful slides and a powerful tone, but the entire piece is perfect. It is one gradual crescendo, starting with a single flute and ending with a full orchestra at what sounds like fortississimo. I want to paraphrase the Cleveland Orchestra’s program guide from their 2015 performance of Bolero (which I saw!!!! It was AMAZING, and they opened with a Ravel piece I’d never heard before- ‘Le Tombeau de Couperin’,and I was almost in shock at how good it was. aaaanyway, the paraphrasing):  “After an opening rhythm on the snare drum (a rhythm that will continue unabated throughout the work), the piece proceeds as follows:  1. solo flute  2. solo clarinet  3. solo bassoon  4. solo Eb clarinet  5. solo oboe d’amore 6. muted trumpet and flute 7. solo tenor saxophone 8. solo soprano saxophone 9. horn and celesta 10. quartet of clarinet and three double-reeds 11. solo trombone 12. high woodwinds With variation thirteen, the strings finally emerge... to take the lead for the remaining variations. The crescendo continues to build... trumpet accents are added... In the final moments the full orchestra is tossed into the mix... ...bringing Bolero to an exultant, if abrupt, conclusion.” - Betsy Schwarm

This version is not my absolute favorite, but it is as close as I can find on youtube. My favorite version is found on the Deutsche Grammophon recording ‘Ravel: Complete Orchestral Works’, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Claudio Abbado; the trombone solo in that version is more to my preference, and the finale is more intense and crashing. On the plus side, this video has Gergiev conducting with a toothpick!

Piece: Bolero Composer: Maurice Ravel Year Composed: 1928 Performed here by: The London Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Valery Gergiev

[written-in-the-stone]

This song, written in the early ‘60s when space travel was still new and novel, and named after the early Telstar communications satellites, is meant to encapsulate the excitement and wonder of humanity finally taking off. I wasn’t alive when that happened, but through this song I can still feel the same excitement and thrill. The main melody, played on a either a Clavioline or a Univox (the precursor to the Vox Continental!), is bursting with a sense of flying and of wonderment and thrill. The tiny keyboard of the Univox/Clavioline lets them make delightful jumps, dips, and all sorts of grace notes that make the song feel so bright. To listen to it without the social context in which it was released, someone might still think it’s about the birth of space travel just by the rocketing feel of the song. This should be played at every rocket launch! You’ll feel like flying when you hear it. Song: Telstar Group: The Tornados Year: 1962

[written-in-the-stone]

Cool. Nothing but pure, unadulterated cool. It just pours from this song like nobody’s business. Booker T. Jones is surely one of the most talented and inventive organists to ever lay hands on the mighty B3, as anyone who has heard this song would agree (maybe). Even the way he set up the organ for this recording is perfect; just enough drawbar mixture to get a nice growly sound while remaining clear and piercing. He also knows exactly how and when to back off from the lead melody and let the immense talent of the MGs (Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn on bass, and Al Jackson Jr. on drums) shine through. This is especially apparent in the middle section where his crunchy Hammond provides a perfect background for Cropper’s guitar. He can’t stay in the back for long, and ends the song with some impressive-sounding chords. I consider this, along with ‘Time is Tight’, to be the group’s best song. I can’t say enough about how impressive Booker T. Jones is on the Hammond B3. His playing is the reason I am in love with tonewheel organs! Song: Hip Hug Her Group: Booker T. and the MGs Album: Hip Hug Her Year: 1967

[written-in-the-stone]

I mentioned this song in my last post, so here it is. Mr. Partridge is always able to perfectly capture intangible feelings in his lyrics. Here he tackles the soaring, gleefully happy sensation of being in love with someone. You can hear his elation as he sings, “hate step back, my smile might just crack…”  The bright, flying sensation of the lyrics is bolstered by his clipped vocals and a persistent piano hammering out sunny chords over yet another clever bass line courtesy of Colin Moulding. The singing stops to leave room for Dave Gregory to slide out a golden guitar solo that climbs up the scale like a bird soaring on thermals. This is definitely one of XTC’s most optimistic and downright joyful songs. My smile might just crack indeed…

Song: Rocket from a Bottle Group: XTC Album: Black Sea Year: 1980 Lyrics: Birds beware, expect me up there me and air are feeling light today jets should hide, I’ll fly alongisde me and pride are bolted tight today I’ve been set off by a pretty little girl I’m like a rocket from a bottle shot free I’ve been just explosive since you lit me I’ve been up with the larks I’ve been shooting off sparks and I’m feeling in love I’m like a rocket from a bottle shot free I’ve been just explosive since you kissed me I’ve been up in the clouds I’ve been shrugging off shrouds and I’m feeling in love Hate step back, my smile might just crack can’t stop grins from going wide today hell look sharp, angels play your harp I feel strong like the tide today

I’m like a rocket from a bottle shot free I’ve been just explosive since you kissed me I’ve been up in the clouds I’ve been shrugging off shrouds and I’m feeling in love

[written-in-the-stone]

If you haven’t heard this awesome song, don’t worry; it’s tucked away on Fuzzy Warbles Volume 5 where sadly few people hear it. This Fuzzy Warble is so light and fun, it’s impossible to dislike it! The lyrics and general meaning/idea are strikingly similar to the official XTC release ‘Rocket From a Bottle’ off their 1980 album Black Sea, but that is in no way a slight to this fantastic song. I can easily imagine this being recorded by the full band.

Song: I Defy You Gravity Artist: Andy Partridge Album: Fuzzy Warbles Volume 5 Year: 2004 Lyrics:  Your big love put wings on me now I'm defying gravity. One little kiss from him to she now I'm defying gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. And it's just like flying. I'm flying when I tumble in the arms of the angel that fell for me, lucky me. Earthly ties are all snipped free now I'm defying gravity. And my new neighbours are bird and bee now I'm defying gravity. Isaac Newton's annoyed with me now I'm defying gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. I defy, I defy, I defy you gravity. And it's just like flying. I'm flying when I tumble in the arms of the angel that fell for me. I defy you gravity.

[written-in-the-stone]

This song is absolutely the Specials’, and songwriter/organist Jerry Dammers’, masterpiece. Written about the decaying state of England in the early eighties, this cold, bleak song could just as well be about the Specials at the time. During the writing of Ghost Town, the band was fracturing and dying, and the members were all aware of it, lending a second facet to the song’s grim lyrics. This is another song with a perfect arrangement. The erie eerie (Ohioan problems…) keyboard clarinet, the dissonant chords that open the song, the major-key middle section, and the trombone solo at the end. Oh my god, that trombone solo…Rico Rodruiguez, legendary first wave ska trombonist, dominates the second half of this twelve-inch recording with the mightiest, most haunting trombone playing ever recorded. Yes, haunting. He manages to condense all the frustrations of a broken country and a broken band into a deeply passionate solo performance. You can feel the sheer emotion hanging on every note, and in the controlled energy Rico posesses every time his trombone crackles when he really pushes out the sound. Come for the sheer genius of the first half of the song, stay for the soul-punching trombone. Song: Ghost Town (12 in. single version)  Group: The Specials Year: 1981

Lyrics: This town, is coming like a ghost town All the clubs have been closed down This place, is coming like a ghost town Bands won’t play no more too much fighting on the dance floor Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? We danced and sang, and the music played in any boom town This town, is coming like a ghost town Why must the youth fight against themselves? Government leaving the youth on the shelf This place, is coming like a ghost town No job to be found in this country Can’t go on no more The people getting angry This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town This town, is coming like a ghost town

[written-in-the-stone]

There is magic about this song. Legitimate magic. When you hear it, you will know; it’s different from other songs. Percussion, orchestra, lyrics, vocals, all swirl together and conjure imagery and sensations of some ancient, mythical power of nature, and the air of raw but controlled power this song evokes is wonderful. The greenman is used in this song as representation of the strong, mystical power of nature. This perfect, perfect piece, I think, is legitimate proof that Andy Partridge is a genius, and I am in no way saying that hyperbolically. I cannot properly put into words the powerful things this song brings about, or how I feel about it. It is more than just a song; more than just something catchy to listen to; more than something to play while working.  It's natural and powerful and frightening and beautiful and perfect. I hardly even think when listening to it that it is a song by my favorite group, or who wrote it. It exists separately, in a way, as something bigger than the parts it's comprised of. And thus ends the inane ramblings of someone totally in the thrall of this song.  Song: Green Man Group: XTC Album: Apple Venus Volume 1 Year: 1999

Lyrics:  Please to bend down for the one called the Greenman He wants to make you his bride Please to bend down for the one called the Greenman Forever to him you’re tied And you know for a million years he has been your lover He’ll be a million more And you know for a million years he has been your lover Down through the skin to the core Heed the Greenman Heed the Greenman Please to dance round for the one called the Greenman He wants to make you his child Please to dance round for the one called the Greenman Dressed in the fruits of the wild And you know for a million years he has been your father He’ll be a million more And you know for a million years he has been your father Run to his arms at the door Lay your head, lay your head, lay your head, lay your head on the Greenman Lay your head, lay your head with mine Lay your head, lay your head, lay your head, lay your head on the Greenman Build a bed out of oak and pine See the Greenman blow his kiss from high church wall An unknowing church will amplify his call Please to bend down for the one called the Greenman He wants to make you his bride Please to bend down for the one called the Greenman Forever to him you’re tied And you know for a million years he has been your lover He’ll be a million more And you know for a million years he has been your lover Down to the skin to the core Lay your head, lay your head, lay your head, lay your head on the Greenman Lay your head, lay your head with mine Lay your head, lay your head, lay your head, lay your head on the Greenman Build a bed out of oak and pine Please to bend down for the one called the Greenman

[written-in-the-stone]

The world needs more low brass like this! You had better get ready when you hear the horns literally crackling with energy as this song bursts open. From there it doesn’t let up. The piano, bass, and drums just drive the song mercilessly forward as Eddie Kendricks passionately sings away. The whole song is just bursting with force from the first to last note. Absolute pure energy.  Song: Get Ready Performer: The Temptations Songwriter: Smokey Robinson Year: 1966

Lyrics: I never met a girl who makes me feel the way that you do. (You’re alright) Whenever I’m asked who makes my dreams real, I say that you do. (You’re outta sight) So, fee-fi-fo-fum Look out baby, ‘cause here I come. And I’m bringing you a love that’s true. So get ready, so get ready. I’m gonna try to make you love me too. So get ready, so get ready 'cause here I come. (Get ready 'cause here I come) I’m on my way. (Get ready 'cause here I come) If you wanna play hide and seek with love, let me remind you (It’s alright) But the lovin’ you’re gonna miss and the time it take to find you (It’s outta sight) So, fiddley-dee, fiddley-dum Look out baby, 'cause here I come. And I’m bringing you a love that’s true. So get ready, so get ready. I’m gonna try to make you love me too. So get ready, so get ready 'cause here I come. (Get ready 'cause here I come) I’m on my way. (Get ready 'cause here I come) (Ger ready) If all my friends should want you too, I’ll understand it. (Be alright) I hope I get to you before they do, the way I planned it. (Be outta sight) So tiddley-dee, tiddley-dum Look out baby, 'cause here I come. And I’m bringing you a love that’s true. So get ready, so get ready. I’m gonna try to make you love me too. So get ready, so get ready 'cause here I come. (Get ready 'cause here I come) I’m on my way. (Get ready 'cause here I come) (Get ready 'cause here I come) (Get ready)

[written-in-the-stone]

Oh, Nick Lowe… He can write some fantastic songs, this among them, but then he goes and writes stuff like ‘Shting Shtang’… I don’t get it. Anyway, like I said, this is one of his good ones. A nice rolling beat and brisk pace underpin a catchy melody and gentle singing. Generally a really great song to listen to, despite the dubious line, “hot potato, drop it and run…”.  Song: The Rose of England Artist: Nick Lowe Album: The Rose of England Year: 1985

Lyrics: Taking nothing but his daddy’s old bone-grip knife He traded but a little for the wayward life A faint heart never won fair hand So says the Rose of England From a-high on a hill came the clarion call To game young men, come one, come all Make muster ‘gainst the foreign hand That’s raised to the Rose of England For her feckless boy she did weep and wail Saying, Lord have mercy where did I fail? Out my belly, then pick up a gun And fall for the Rose of England God knows it’s a cold outside It’s a fry by day and a froze by night I know it’s a hell out there How loud the mouth when the heart don’t care He’s damned if he don’t, and damned if he do He’d die if he ever found out we knew Hot potato, drop it and run Far from the Rose of England

[written-in-the-stone]

In elementary school, I loooved honking out the little two-bar Erie Canal Capers tune from my Standard of Excellence; Book 1 for Bb Trumpet/Cornet. I was thrilled when I recently discovered this brilliant rendition of the complete, original song. This arrangement works so well for the song, and the emotion and inflection the singer puts into the vocals really pushes it from great to astounding. At the very least, this will keep the variety of the blog up; if I’m not careful, I’ll end up posting 90% XTC songs! Song: Low Bridge, Everybody Down (Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal) Performer: The Corndodgers Songwriter: Thomas Allen Date written: 1905

Lyrics: I got a mule and her name is Sal Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal She’s a good old worker and a good old pal Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal We’ve hauled some barges in our day Filled with lumber, coal and hay And we know every inch of the way From Albany to Buffalo

Low bridge everybody down Low bridge for we’re coming to the town You’ll always know your neighbor You’ll always know your pal If you’ve ever navigated on the Erie Canal

What would I do if I lost my pal? Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal You’ll never find a mule as good as Sal Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal Get up mule, here comes a lock We’ll make Rome ‘bout six o'clock One more journey and then we’ll go Right back home to Buffalo 

Low bridge everybody down Low bridge for we’re coming to the town You’ll always know your neighbor and You’ll always know your pal If you’ve ever navigated on the Erie Canal

Better look around for a job, old gal Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal You’ll never find a mule as good as my Sal Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal A friend of mine once got her sore Now he’s got a broken jaw 'Cause she let fly with an iron toe And kicked him back to Buffalo 

Low bridge everybody down Low bridge for we’re coming to the town You’ll always know your neighbor and You’ll always know your pal If you’ve ever navigated on the Erie Canal