Low Bridge, Everybody Down
First recording by Billy Murray with Orchestra (November 18, 1912)
- Written by
- Thomas S. Allen
- Publication date
- 1905
- Language
- English
- Comments
-
This song is known under several names, including, most commonly, "The Erie Canal Song", "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal" or "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal", which was given as an alternative title when the sheet music for this work was published. Although not a true folk song, there is significant lyrical variation in the song today, and the copyrighted version by Allen is also included in John and Alan Lomaxes' "American Ballads and Folksongs" Macmillan Co. 1934). This book also presents a composite "Ballad of the Erie Canal" put together by the Lomaxes from versions of the song they had found over the years. This is not the same song as "Low Bridge, Everybody Down", and the Lomaxes were not sure of the original melody to "Ballad of the Erie Canal".
Canal workers who transported barges up and down the Erie Canal did, in fact, sing songs of their own invention while working. This was motivated by the same reasons that cowboys created songs - to combat boredom and stay awake when working long stretches of time.
The Roud Folksong Index collects the Allen song and variants as 6598. - Licensing
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