Oh Shenandoah

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The picture from Charles Deas ' The Trapper and his Family (1845) depicts a voyageur and his Indian wife and children

Oh Shenandoah (also known simply as Shenandoah or Across the Wide Missouri ) is a traditional American folk song of unknown origin from the early 19th century.

The song probably came from Canadian and American voyageurs or fur traders who traveled the Missouri River in canoes. Several different versions of the lyrics have evolved over time. Some of them refer to the Indian chief Shenandoah and a voyageur who wants to marry his daughter. In the middle of the 18th century, versions of shanty developed , which were heard and sung by sailors in different parts of the world.

The song has number 324 in the Roud Folk Song Index .

history

Up until the 19th century, only adventurers seeking their luck as trappers and traders in beaver pelts had ventured west to the Missouri River. Many of these Canadian and American fur traders were loners who befriended the Indians and sometimes even married Indian women. Some of the lyrics of the song, which were heard before and around 1860, tell the story of a trader who fell in love with the daughter of the Iroquois chief Shenandoah (1710-1816) from the Oneida tribe . The chief lived in Oneida Castle , New York State . He was the co-founder of Oneida Academy , which became Hamilton College in Clinton, New York , and he was buried on the college campus.

The voyageurs who got around by canoe were great singers and songs were an important part of their culture. The flatboat sailors who regularly commuted on the Missouri River were also known for their shanties in the early 19th century, including Oh Shenandoah . Sailors sailing the Mississippi picked up the song and turned it into a shanty, which they sang while hauling in the anchor. This sailor's song found its way across the Mississippi to the American ocean clippers and so around the world.

Shenandoah probably came from the American or Canadian voyageurs , who were great singers…. In the early days of America, rivers and canals were the chief trade and passenger routes, and boatmen were an important class. Shenandoah was a celebrated Indian chief in American history, and several towns in the States are named after him. Besides being sung at sea, this song figured in old public school collections.

“ Shenandoah probably came from the American and Canadian voyageurs who were great singers…. In the early days of America, rivers and canals were the main trade and passenger routes, and seafarers were an important part of society. Shenandoah was a famous Indian chief in American history and several cities in the United States are named after him. The song was not only sung at sea, but was also found in old music books in public schools. "

- Sea Songs and Shanties, Collected by WB Whall, Master Mariner. (1910, Glasgow)

The song was popular as a shanty with seafaring people in the mid-18th century. A version of the song - called Shanadore - was mentioned in Robert Chamblet Adam's article Sailors' Songs in the April 1876 issue of The New Dominion Monthly . He also included the song in his 1879 book On Board the 'Rocket' . Shanadore was later featured in William L. Alden's article Sailor Songs in the July 1882 issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine , and in the 1892 book Songs that Never Die . The book Studies in Folk-song and Popular Poetry by Alfred Mason Williams called the song a "good example of a sailor's song".

A former seaman who had worked aboard clippers that transported wool between Australia and Great Britain in the 1880s pointed out in a letter to The Times newspaper in Great Britain that the song had its origins in a Black American spiritual and itself developed into a song that was sung while working at sea:

“This chantey is obviously of American origin…. 'Shenandoah' was more a wool and cotton chantey than a capstan chantey. I have many times heard it sung down the hold on the wool screws by the Sydney waterside workers… and many were full-blood negroes, who undoubtedly brought these chanteys off the cotton ships…. With regard to the words, these vary according to the taste of the chantey man in the first and third line of each verse, there being no effort called for on these two lines, but the second and fourth lines were always the same, these being the rhythm lines on which the weight was used. When I was in the wool trade in the eighties, in both The Tweed and Cutty Sark this chantey was daily used on the wool screws. "

“This shanty is obviously of American origin… Shenandoah was more of a cotton workers shanty than a sailors' shanty. I have often heard him singing in the hold of the cotton freighters by the dockworkers of Sydney ... and many were purebred blacks who undoubtedly brought those shanties from the cotton freighters ... The lyrics vary according to the taste of the shanty singer in the first and third lines of each verse, but the second and fourth lines were always the same ... When I was in the cotton industry in the eighties, ... this shanty was used daily by the dock workers. "

song lyrics

Since Shenandoah is a river boatman and seaman's song that has undergone many changes over the years and of which numerous versions exist, there is no fixed lyrics. A contemporary song text is - with some variations - the following:

“Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you, Away you rolling river. Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you, Away, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter, Away, you rolling river. For her I'd cross Your roaming waters, Away, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
'Tis seven years since last I've seen you, Away, you rolling river. 'Tis seven years since last I've seen you, Away, we're bound away,' Cross the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Away, you rolling river. Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Away, we're bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Far away, you rolling river. Oh Shenandoah, Just to be near you, Far away, far away, 'Cross the wide Missouri. "

Earlier versions

The lyrics of the song from before 1860, as documented in the song collection Sea Songs and Shanties, collected by WB Whall, Master Mariner (1910), reads as follows:

“Missouri, she's a mighty river. Away you rolling river. The redskins' camp, lies on its borders. Ah-ha, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
The white man loved the Indian maiden, Away you rolling river. With notions his canoe was laden. Ah-ha, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
O, Shenandoah, I love your daughter, Away you rolling river. I'll take her 'cross yon rolling water. Ah-ha, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
The chief disdained the trader's dollars: Away you rolling river. My daughter never you shall follow. Ah-ha, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
At last there came a Yankee skipper. Away you rolling river. He winked his eye, and he tipped his flipper. Ah-ha, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
He sold the chief that fire-water, Away you rolling river. And 'cross the river he stole his daughter. Ah-ha, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri.
O, Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Away you rolling river. Across that wide and rolling river. Ah-ha, I'm bound away, 'Cross the wide Missouri. "

JE Laidlaw from San Francisco reports in 1894 that he heard the following version of the song, sung by a black sailor from Barbados:

“Oh Shenandoah! I hear you calling! Away, you rolling river! Yes, far away I hear you calling, Ha, Ha! I'm bound away across the wide Missouri.
My girl, she's gone far from the river, Away, you rolling river! An 'I ain't goin' to see her never. Haha! I'm bound away. [...] ”

The following are the lyrics to Oh Shenandoah as sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford (1959):

“Oh Shenandoah, I hear you calling, Hi-o, you rolling river. Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Hi-o, I'm bound away. 'Cross the wide, Mis-sou-ri.
Mis-sou-ri, She's a mighty river, Hi-o, you rolling river. When she rolls down, her topsails shiver, Hi-o, I'm bound away. 'Cross the wide, Mis-sou-ri.
Farewell my dearest, I'm bound to leave you, Hi-o, you rolling river. Oh Shenandoah, I'll not deceive you, Hi-o, I'm bound away. 'Cross the wide Mis-sou-ri. "

Modern use

The song is popular with local organizations such as Shenandoah University, Southern Virginia University, Washington and Lee University, and the Virginia Military Institute .

In 2006, Shenandoah was proposed with updated lyrics as the "interim anthem" of the state of Virginia . The proposal was controversial because the original folk song refers to the river Missouri, the name in most versions of the song Shenandoah but refers to the Indian chief and not to the Shenandoah Valley or the Shenandoah River that almost all are in the state of Virginia. In 2015, the song Our Great Virginia , with the melody of Shenandoah , was designated the official anthem by the Virginia state legislature.

The song was part of the soundtrack of the film Shenandoah (German title: The Man from the Great River ) with James Stewart in the lead role, which was released in 1965. He was also part of a medley in the film How the West Was Won (German title: That was the Wild West ) from 1965.

In the third season, episode 5, of the HBO television series The Newsroom , the song can be heard in the credits . This penultimate episode of the series is also named Oh Shenandoah .

The members of the Western Writers of America selected the song as one of the Top 100 Western Songs of All Time.

Various arrangements of the song by Percy Grainger were recorded by John Shirley-Quirk and other classically trained singers. A song of the waters: variations on the folksong Shenandoah is a classical composition by James Cohn .

Known recordings (selection)

  • Heather Alexander on Arms of the Sea album (Sea Fire Productions, 2006)
  • Dave Alvin on the album Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land (Hightone Records, 2000)
  • Bobby Bare on the album Darker Than Night (Plowboy Records, 2012)
  • Harry Belafonte on a 1952 single and on the album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall (RCA Records, 1959)
  • Terry Gilkyson and the Weavers (as "Across the Wide Missouri") (Decca 27515-A, 1951) ???
  • David Berkeley on the album Some Kind of Cure (2011)
  • Glen Campbell on the albums The Artistry of Glen Campbell (Capitol, 1972) and The Essential Glen Campbell Volume One (Capitol CDP-33288, 1994)
  • Celtic Woman (played by Máiréad Nesbitt ) on the album Celtic Woman: A New Journey (Manhattan, 2007)
  • Chanticleer on the album Out of This World (1994) and Chanticleer: A Portrait (Teldec, 2003)
  • Liam Clancy on the album The Wheels of Life (2008)
  • Paul Clayton on the album Whaling and Sailing Songs from the Days of Moby Dick (Allmusic, 1956)
  • The Corries on the album Flower of Scotland (Moidart, 2006)
  • Bing Crosby on the album How the West Was Won (RCA Records, 1959)
  • David Daniels on the album A Quiet Thing (Virgin Classics 724354560025, 2003)
  • Connie Dover on the album Somebody (Taylor Park Music, 1991)
  • Bob Dylan on the album Down in the Groove (1988)
  • Fisherman's Friends on the album Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends (2010)
  • Tennessee Ernie Ford on Shenandoah (Red Door Productions, 1959) and The Folk Album (Capitol, 1971)
  • Sergio Franchi on the album Live at The Coconut Grove (RCA, 1965)
  • Jerry Garcia and David Grisman on the album Not For Kids Only (1993)
  • Judy Garland on the album That Old Feeling - Classic Ballads from the Judy Garland Show (Savoy Jazz label, 2005)
  • Nathan Gunn on the album American Anthem (EMI, 1999)
  • Arlo Guthrie on the album Son of the Wind (Rising Son, 1994)
  • RW Hampton on the album Born to be a Cowboy (1994)
  • Thomas Hampson on the album Song of America (Angel Records, 2005)
  • Harvard Glee Club on various albums; Arrangements by Archibald T. Davison and Jameson Marvin
  • Michael Holliday on the album Hi! (EMI Columbia, 1957)
  • Keith Jarrett on the album The Melody at Night, with You (ECM, 1999)
  • The Kelly Family on the album Honest Workers (1991)
  • The King's Singers on The King's Singers: Original Debut Recording (1971)
  • The Kingston Trio on the album "Across the Wide Missouri" on Here We Go Again! (Capitol, 1959)
  • Roger McGuinn on the Limited Edition album (April First Productions, 2004)
  • Michigan State University Children's Choir on America the Beautiful: Songs of Our Heritage album
  • Mormon Tabernacle Choir on numerous albums including America's Choir, Choral Adagios, Essential Choral Classics.
  • Van Morrison with "The Chieftains" on the album Long Journey Home (RCA, 1998)
  • Leontyne Price on the album God Bless America (RCA, 1982)
  • Jerry Reed on the album A Good Woman's Love (RCA, 1974)
  • "Norman Luboff Choir" on the album Songs of the Sea (Columbia, 1956)
  • "Men of the Robert Shaw Chorale" on the album Sea Shanties (RCA Victor, 1961)
  • Paul Robeson on numerous albums including Ballads for Americans , The Essential Paul Robeson , Spirituals, Folksongs & Hymns
  • Pete Seeger on the album American Favorite Ballads, Volume 1 (Smithsonian Folkways, 2002)
  • Bruce Springsteen with the "Seeger Sessions Band" on the album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia, 2006)
  • Jo Stafford on the album American Folk Songs (Corinthian, 1950)
  • The Statler Brothers on the album Big Country Hits (Columbia, 1967)
  • Bryn Terfel on the album A Song in my Heart (UCJ, 2007)
  • Hayley Westenra on the album Celtic Treasure (Decca B000MTDRJA, 2007)
  • Tom Waits with Keith Richards on the album Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys (Anti-, 2013)
  • Méav Ní Mhaolchatha on the album The Calling (Warner Classics, 2013)
  • Celtic Woman (sung by Megan Walsh ) on the album Ancient Land (Manhattan, Universal, 2018)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Complete text from Ships, sea songs and shanties Collected by WB Whall, Master Mariner (1st edition 1910, Glasgow; 3rd edition 1913, archive.org ).
  2. ↑ Shenandoah at BalladofAmerica.com , accessed March 20, 2017.
  3. ↑ In a 1931 book on sea and river shanties, David Bone wrote that the song was originally a river shanty, popular with ship crews in the early 19th century.
  4. ^ The Times . Edition of September 12, 1930, p. 8, column B.
  5. ↑ Capt. RC Adams: Sailors' Songs. In: John Dougall & Son (Eds.): The New Dominion Monthly. Montreal, April 1876. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  6. ^ Robert Chamblet Adams: On Board the "Rocket". D. Lothrop, 1879, p. 317 ( Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
  7. ↑ About "Shenandoah" . In: Song of America Project . Library of Congress. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  8. ↑ Sailor Songs . In: Harper's New Monthly Magazine . tape 65 , no. 386 , July 1882, p. 283 ( ebooks.library.cornell.edu ).
  9. ↑ Dudley Buck: Songs that Never Die. BF Johnson, 1892, p. 36. ( babel.hathitrust.org ).
  10. ^ Alfred Mason Williams: Studies in Folk-song and Popular Poetry. Elliot Stock, London 1895, pp. 5-7.
  11. ^ RL Andrews: Shenandoah. In: The Times London, September 19, 1930, p. 6.
  12. ↑ Note: notions = frills
  13. ^ The Times. Friday, September 12, 1930, p. 8.
  14. ↑ a b Michael Sluss: ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Proposed state song doesn't bring down the House. ) In: The Roanoke Times. March 2, 2006.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.roanoke.com
  15. ^ Virginia Searches For A New State Song . In: NPR.org . January 21, 2015. Accessed October 23, 2016.
  16. ^ Western Writers of America : The Top 100 Western Songs . American cowboy. 2010. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010.
  17. ↑ Missouri, she's a mighty river ...