The popular song "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" was written by
Thomas S. Allen (although some have questioned its origins ), recorded in 1912, and published by F.B. Haviland Publishing Company in 1913. It was written after the construction of the
New York State Barge Canal
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
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* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
, which would replace the
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...
, was well underway, furthering the change from
mule power to engine power, raising the speed of traffic. Also known as "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal", "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal", "Erie Canal Song", "Erie Barge Canal", and "Mule Named Sal", the song memorializes the years from 1825 to 1880 when the mule barges made boomtowns out of
Utica,
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
,
Syracuse
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*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
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*Syracuse, New York
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,
Rochester
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, and
Buffalo, and transformed
New York
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* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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Film and television
* '' ...
into the Empire State.
The music cover published in 1913 depicts a boy on a mule getting down to pass under a bridge, but the reference to "low bridge" in the song refers to travelers who would typically ride on top of the boats. The low bridges would require them to get down out of the way to allow safe passage under a bridge.
Recordings
Early 20th century recordings of the song include ones by
Billy Murray,
Vernon Dalhart
Marion Try Slaughter (April 6, 1883 – September 14, 1948), better known by his stage name Vernon Dalhart, was an American country music singer and songwriter. His recording of the classic ballad "Wreck of the Old 97" was the first country song ...
, and
Jack Narz
John Lawrence Narz Jr. (November 13, 1922 – October 15, 2008) was an American radio personality, television host, and singer.
Early years
Narz was born to John and Ado Narz, in Louisville, Kentucky, along with sister Mary, and younger brothe ...
. The song has become part of the folk repertoire, recorded by folksingers like
Glenn Yarborough
Glenn Robertson Yarbrough (January 12, 1930 – August 11, 2016) was an American folk singer and guitarist. He was the lead singer (tenor) with the Limeliters from 1959 to 1963 and also had a prolific solo career. Yarbrough had a restlessne ...
,
Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...
and
the Weavers
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fro ...
,
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...
, the children's series
VeggieTales
''VeggieTales'' is an American Christian media, computer generated musical children's animation, and book franchise created by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki under Big Idea Entertainment. The series sees fruit and vegetable characters retelling ...
, and artists like the
Sons of the Pioneers
The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music perf ...
.
Dan Zanes
Daniel Edgerly Zanes (born November 8, 1961) is an American former member of the popular 1980s band the Del Fuegos and is now the front man of the Grammy-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends.
History
Zanes's father was a teacher, as well as a p ...
included it on a children's album with
Suzanne Vega
Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered the ...
singing lead.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
recorded the song on his 2006 album ''
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions''. The cartoon series ''
Animaniacs
''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...
'' parodied "Low Bridge" with their song about the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
. The lyrics are also the text of the book ''The Erie Canal'' (1970), illustrated by
Peter Spier.
Traditional lyrics
Variations
As with most folk songs, the lyrics have changed over time. The most obvious changes from Thomas Allen's original version has been changing the word "years" to "miles". Allen's original version commemorates 15 years of working along the canal with Sal. The new version using the word miles refers to the average distance a mule would tow a barge before resting or being relieved by another mule.
Dave Ruch Dave Ruch (born November 8, 1964) is an American performer and teaching artist working with K-12 students and multi-generational audiences across much of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Ruch specializes in educational programming, ...
's research on this change has been documented in an extensive article.
Another change is in the second verse. The current line "Git up there mule, here comes a lock" is a change from the original line "Get up there gal, we've passed that lock". The original refers to how mules would rest while waiting for barges to lock through, and then need to be instructed when to start again. The current implies speeding up when a lock is within sight — not a standard course of action.
Alternate lyrics
References
External links
Library of Congress National Jukebox: Low bridge! Everybody down! The Erie Canal Song: History, Origins, and Changes Over the Years- with all five original verses, downloadable music, early recordings, and more
The Erie Canal Song: Low Bridge- Lyrics, Sheet Music, Multiple Audio Performances and other classic Erie Canal songs.
Sheet music to ''Low Bridge'' in PDF formatMP3 of 78RPM recording of ''Low Bridge Everybody Down'' by Billy Murrayfro
a collection of his recordings at Internet Archive
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Music of New York (state)
1913 songs
Erie Canal
American folk songs