Maine Song and Story Sampler

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  The Sailor Boy

  Mrs. Earle J. Dickson

  "The Sailor Boy" is a version of the 18th century British Broadside, "The Sailor's Tragedy" or "The Sailor's Ghost." It contains the motifs, "Murder will out," "Man thrown overboard to placate storm," and "Passenger brings bad luck to ship."

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  The Schooner E.A. Horton

  Margaret Hallett

  This song, which is native to Massachusetts, is based on a true story. On September 1, 1871 the E. A. Horton a Gloucester-based schooner was captured by the Canadian authorities in Nova Scotia.

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  The Soldier’s Letter

  Joseph Pagett

  “The Soldier’s Letter” was one of several songs from the American Civil War that became popular in Canada.

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  The Spring of ‘65

  Eddie Rollins

  In the old days of the Maine Lumberwoods, March and April marked the end of cutting and hauling lumber for the winter. As loggers came out of the woods, either before returning for the river drives or just headed home until next Winter, many made their way to cities and went on drunken sprees that became legendary.

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  The Teamster in Jack MacDonald’s Crew

  Joseph Walsh

  When Walsh sang "The Teamster in Jack MacDonald's Crew" for Sandy Ives, it was a song he had never heard before and did not hear from anyone after, despite his best efforts to find it. Walsh either learned the song while working near Katahdin Iron Works around 1911 or from a friend back on PEI, he was not entirely sure.

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  The Wabassus Cannonball

  George MacArthur

  George MacArthur's song, "The Wabassus Cannonball," is a musical parody of the well-known American folk song "The Wabash Cannonball." The original song is about a fictional train and MacArthur's tune tells the story of how he and a friend, fellow guide Hazen Bagley, outsmarted two wardens and a judge to avoid a conviction for poaching.

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  Tom Gardner’s Stories

  Jim Connors

  The story heard here actually consists of two short stories, both told by Tom Gardner, a famous Maine Guide from Allagash.

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  Walter Mullin

  Marie Hare

  “Walter Mullin” is a patriotic ballad from Canada. Written by Wallace Travis about a friend who died in World War I, the ballad never ranged far from Whitney, New Brunswick (the song uses the town’s older name, Whitneyville). The song was included in Louise Manny’s Songs of Miramichi, but has not been published anywhere else. It was, however, a popular song in the early years of the Miramichi Folksong Festival. It was likely based on a poem “The Graves of a Household,” by Felicia Henmans (1793-1835).

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  Wild Colonial Boy

  Thomas Cleghorn

  "Wild Colonial Boy" is one of a few songs that came to Maine from Australia by way of Britain. This particular version was collected in Canada, but the singer learned it in the Maine woods, a point that underscores the close connections of Maine and the Maritimes economically and culturally.

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  Young Charlotte (or Fair Charlotte)

  Ernest Lord

  Young Charlotte is an old ballad native to North America. It has been a popular ballad all over North America from Newfoundland to South Dakota, and widely studied. It was so popular, in fact, that it inspired a doll called Frozen Charlotte.

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  Young Florilla

  Mabel Worcester

  "Young Florilla" is a widespread American murder ballad which has been found throughout the United States and Canada. It is considered a "murdered sweetheart" ballad and is also known by the title "The Lone Green Valley" or "The Jealous Lover."

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  Youpe! Youpe! Sur la Riviere!

  Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Parent

  A home-made song from Quebec, Youpe! came to Maine the same way many other songs traveled through Maine and the eastern Canadian provinces: with lumbermen who crossed the border in both directions. It was especially popular among French-Canadian lumberjacks who adapted to their own use an earlier song called "Le p'tit bois d'lail."