American Folk Songs & Ballads

The Erie Canal

The American Folk Experience

The Erie Canal

by John Fitzsimmons | The American Folk Experience

I’ve 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 haul’d some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal and hay
We know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we’re comin’ to a town
And you’ll always know your neighbor
And you’ll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal

We’d better look around for a job, old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
You can bet your life I’ll never part with Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal

Get up mule, here comes a lock
We’ll make Rome ’bout six o’clock
One more trip and back we’ll go
Right back home to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we’re comin’ to a town
You’ll always know your neighbor
And you’ll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal

Where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I’d like to see a mule 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 Wisconsin

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, ’cause we’re comin’ to a town
You’ll always know your neighbor
And you’ll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the euphrates canal

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we’re comin’ to a town
You’ll always know your neighbor
And you’ll always know your pal
If ya ever made a livin’ on the Erie Canal

(Low bridge, everybody down)
(Low bridge, we’re comin’ to a town)

Original Version: 1905 Thomas Allen 

If you have any more information to share about this song or helpful links, please post as a comment. Thanks for stopping by the site! ~John Fitz

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I am indebted to the many friends who share my love of traditional songs and to the many scholars whose works are too many to include here. I am also incredibly grateful to the collector’s curators and collators of Wikipedia, Mudcat.org, MainlyNorfolk.info, and TheContemplator.com for their wise, thorough and informative contributions to the study of folk music. 

I share their research on my site with humility, thanks, and gratitude. Please cite their work accordingly with your own research. If you have any research or sites you would like to share on this site, please post in the comment box.  Thanks!

Source: Wikipedia

"Low Bridge, Everybody Down"
Cover of sheet music published in 1913.
Original publication of "Low Bridge, Everybody Down"
Also known as
  • "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal"
  • "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal"
  • "Erie Canal Song"
  • "Mule Named Sal"
LyricsThomas S. Allen, 1913
MusicThomas S. Allen, 1913
Audio sample
"Low Bridge! Everybody Down" (Original piano accompaniment for the song by Thomas S. Allen. From the 1913 sheet music. Performed by Steven M. Alper.)

"Low Bridge, Everybody Down" is a folk song credited to Thomas S. Allen (although its origin and authorship remain in question[1]), first recorded in 1912,[2] and published by F.B. Haviland Publishing Company in 1913.[3] It was written after the construction of the New York State Barge Canal, which would replace the Erie Canal, 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, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, and transformed New York 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.[4]

Recordings

Early 20th-century recordings of the song include ones by Billy Murray, Vernon Dalhart, and Jack Nerz. The song has become part of the folk repertoire, recorded by folksingers like Glenn Yarborough, Pete Seeger and the Weavers, The Kingston Trio, the children's series VeggieTales, and artists like the Sons of the Pioneers. Dan Zanes included it on a children's album with Suzanne Vega singing lead. Bruce Springsteen recorded the song on his 2006 album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. The cartoon series Animanics parodied "Low Bridge" with their song about the Panama Canal. The lyrics are also the text of the book The Erie Canal (1970), illustrated by Peter Spier.

Lyrics

These are the lyrics as they were originally published by Thomas Allen in 1913:

I've got an old mule, and her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
We've hauled some barges in our day, filled with lumber, coal and hay.
And every inch of the way I know, From Albany to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down, Low bridge, we must be getting near a town.
You can always tell your neighbor; you can always tell your pal.
If he's ever navigated on the Erie Canal

We’d better look 'round for a job old gal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
You bet your life I wouldn’t part with Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
Giddyap there gal we’ve passed that lock, we’ll make Rome 'fore six o-clock
So one more trip and then we’ll go, Right straight back to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down, Low bridge, I've got the finest mule in town
Once a man named Mike McGinty tried to put it over Sal
Now he’s way down at the bottom of the Erie Canal

Oh, where would I be if I lost my pal? Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
Oh, I'd like to see a mule as good as Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
A friend of mine once got her sore, Now, he's got a broken jaw.
Cause she let fly with her iron toe and kicked him into Buffalo.

Low bridge, everybody down, Low bridge, I’ve got the finest mule in town.
If you're looking 'round for trouble, better stay away from Sal.
She's the only fighting donkey on the Erie Canal

I don't have to call when I want my Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She trots from her stall like a good old gal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
I eat my meals with Sal each day, I eat beef and she eat hay.
She isn’t so slow if you want to know, she put the "Buff" in Buffalo

Chorus: Low bridge, everybody down, Low bridge, I’ve got the finest mule in town
Eats a bale of hay for dinner, and on top of that, my Sal.
Tries to drink up all the water in the Erie Canal

You'll soon hear them sing everything about my gal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
It's a darned fool ditty 'bout my darned fool Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
Oh, every band will play it soon, Darned fool words and darned fool tune!
You’ll hear it sung everywhere you go, from Mexico to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down, Low bridge, I've got the finest mule in town.
She's a perfect, perfect lady, and she blushes like a gal.
If she hears you sing about her and the Erie Canal.[1]

Variations

As with most folk songs, the lyrics have changed over time. The most obvious changes from Thomas Allen's original publication 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's research on this change has been documented in an extensive article.[1]

Another common 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

I've 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 hauled some barges in our day.
Filled with lumber, coal and hay.
We know every inch of the way I know.
From Albany to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we're coming' to a town.
And you'll always know your neighbor.
And you'll always know your pal.
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal

We'd better look around for a job, old gal.
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
You can bet your life I'll never part with Sal.
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal

Get up mule, here comes a lock.
We'll make Rome 'bout six o'clock.
One more trip and back we'll go.
Right back home to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we're coming' to a town.
You'll always know your neighbor.
And you'll always know your pal.
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal

Where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I'd like to see a mule 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, cause we're coming' to a town.
You'll always know your neighbor.
And you'll always know your pal.
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we're coming' to a town.
You'll always know your neighbor.
And you'll always know your pal.
If ya ever made a living' on the Erie Canal

(Low bridge, everybody down)
(Low bridge, we're coming' to a town)

References

  1. ^ a b c "Erie Canal Song - Lyrics, Music, History, and more". 26 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Low bridge! Everybody down!". Library of Congress.
  3. ^ "Low bridge!-everybody down, or, fifteen years on the Erie Canal".
  4. ^ "Home". eriecanalsong.com.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Bridge_(song)

    Source: Daveruch.com

    Low Bridge, Everybody Down: Origins and History

    Originally written sometime between 1905-1912, “Low Bridge! – Everybody Down” (subtitled “Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal”) was composed by Thomas S. Allen (1876-1919) of Natick, Massachusetts.

    The song was copyrighted by F.B. Haviland Publishing Company in manuscript form in November of 1912, appearing in sheet music form early the following year (© Jan. 11, 1913; 2 c. Jan. 13, 1913: E 301302).

    Thomas S Allen, 15 Miles on the Erie CanalThomas S. Allen was a musical jack-of-all trades, working at various stages of his career (and often simultaneously) as an orchestral violinist, “trick” violinist for burlesque and vaudeville shows, music director for theaters and traveling shows, and composer of songs for the vaudeville stage as well as rags, marches, waltzes, and other items for popular and commercial use.

    The year “Low Bridge!” was first registered (1912), it was just one of nine songs copyrighted in Thomas S. Allen’s name.

     

    Early Timeline and Changes

    1905  The song is often cited as having been composed in this year, although Allen himself says it wasn’t until he saw the canal at Rochester that he wrote it

    1911  Thomas S. Allen moves from Boston MA to Rochester NY for a job furnishing orchestras to the leading hotels and theaters – it’s likely that the song is composed around this time (see text from the record slip below)

    1912  The song is copyrighted in manuscript form on November 18

    1912  Billy Murray makes the first commercial recording of the song (Victor 17250) in Camden NJ on November 18, the same date it’s copyrighted (video below)

    1912  The Peerless Quartet(te) records the song for Columbia Records (Columbia A-1296) on December 6; the same recording is released under pseudonyms on several other labels including United (A-1296) by “Quartette”, Aretino (D-750) by “Vocal Quartette,” Standard (A-1296), and Harmony (A-1296) by “The Harmony Male Quartette” (audio below)

    1913  The song is copyrighted in sheet music form on Janurary 11 and again on January 13

    1913  Edward Meeker records the song on Edison Blue Amberol 1761 (audio below)

    1913  Allen, a Massachusetts native, is working at least part-time in Rochester NY, and has been coming (or living) there for at least a few years

    map of erie canal in article about the song1924  Henry A. J. Castor of Albany NY writes to song collector and newspaper columnist R.W. Gordon with the first verse and chorus of the song, using “16 years” in place of “15 years” and saying it was “occasionally sung at Canal Meetings in this state and was for a great many years the prime favorite with canal drivers.” Gordon responds by saying “Your enclosure interests me greatly; I have a number of canal songs which have come in from various sailors, but none at all like this.”

    1925  R.W. Gordon, still unaware of Allen’s published composition, receives another handwritten copy of the song from a reader (verses 1, 2, and 5 only), and replies “Certain things about it make me fairly certain that it originated on the vaudeville stage rather than on the canal, and that it is not very old.” 

    1926  The song appears in print with “15 miles” in place of “15 years” for the first time, in Sigmund Spaeth’s book ‘Read ‘em and Weep.’ Spaeth claimed two sources for the song – journalist and author George Chappell (“Captain Traprock,” Spaeth called him), and Mike Ross, who worked at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City

    1927  Carl Sandburg published the song in his book ‘The American Songbag’, also from George S. Chappell (whom he called “Dr. Traprock”)

    1928  F.B. Haviland sues Doubleday, Page and Company for publishing the song in ‘Read ’em and Weep’ without permission; Doubleday counters that the song has been in circulation long before Haviland’s copyright date (see image below)

    1929  Vernon Dalhart records the song electronically (Columbia 15378-D) on January 16, and acoustically (Harmony 831-H, Velvet Tone, Viva labels) under the pseudonym Mack Allen on January 21

    1929  Frank Crumit makes an unreleased recording of the song for the Victor label on January 25

    1934  John and Alan Lomax publish the song in ‘American Ballads and Folk Songs,’ as collected from Rev. Charles A. Richmond of Washington DC

    Did Allen really write the song?

    We think so; he’s quoted in the original record slip for Edward Meeker’s 1913 recording as follows:

    Erie Canal Song - lyrics, sheet music, history

    Thanks to Bill Hullfish for uncovering this reference.

    However, a 1928 Music Trade Review article gives some reason to believe that the song may have been in use prior to 1912, and perhaps even before Allen’s 1905 composition date:

    Erie Canal Folk Song history

    Music Trade Review, June 23, 1928

    Did Thomas S. Allen really compose “Low Bridge,” a song that is thematically unlike any others in his stable? Or, did he appropriate some lyrics and a theme that were already in use on the canal, embellish them, and simply claim them as his own as so many others have done through the years?

    This is a question I am actively pursuing. There could be some revealing information in Haviland’s or Doubleday’s 1928 files and/or court records. (Can you help track these things down? Please email me at dave “at” daveruch “dot” com if so.)

    Is “Low Bridge Everybody Down” a folk song?

    One of the hallmarks of “folk” or “traditional” songs is that they don’t rely on commercial distribution to circulate. As such, they can – and do – take on a life of their own, changing as they’re passed from person to person and community to community.

    oral tradition folk songs passing from person to personIf we’re using that definition, then “Low Bridge! – Everybody Down” has certainly become a folk song in spite of its origins as a published composition by a professional songwriter. Most people now sing “15 Miles” in place of “15 Years.” Others learned it as “16 Miles,” or “16 Years.” Some sing two verses, some know three. Sometimes (thanks to the Kingston Trio, among others) the melody and verses vary almost completely from the original composition.

    I’d call that a folk song.

    Source: Eriecanalsong.com

    • Erie Canal Song by Thomas S. Allen

      The Erie Canal Song, as it is commonly known by today, was written in 1905 under the title Low Bridge, Everybody Down about life on the Erie Canal. In addition to the The Erie Canal Song and Low Bridge, Everybody Down titles, the song has also been referred to by the following names over the years: Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal, Mule Named Sal and Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal. Around 1905 mule powered barge traffic had converted to steam power and diesel power was about to take over.  The Erie Canal Song was written to commemorate the history of nearly 100 years of life along the Erie Canal.

      The Erie Canal Song is the most recognised of all the Erie Canal folksongs. A pdf of the song with notes for guitar and piano can be found here. Its interesting to note that the cover depicts a boy riding a mule leaned down to fit under a bridge, but in actuality the song is about the people in the boats. Travelers would typically ride on the roof of boats when the conditions allowed, but the low bridges along the route would require that they either duck down or get off the roof to fit under bridges.

      Lyric Variations

      Like most folk songs, the lyrics (and title!) of The Erie Canal Song has changed over time. The most obvious changes from Thomas Allen’s orignal version has been changing the word years to miles. Allen’s original version commerates 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.

      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 current version does not necessary make as much sense as the former. The former 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 site. Without breaks or a simple way to slow a barge, this would not necessarly be the best course of action.

      Audio Versions Available:

      1.) Billy Murray (1912) click here.
      2.) Edward Meeker (1913) click here.
      (right click and ‘save as’ if necessary)

      The Erie Canal Song Lyrics

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

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

      We’d better look ’round for a job old gal
      Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
      ‘Cause you bet your life I’d never part with Sal
      Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
      Git up there mule, here comes a lock
      We’ll make Rome ’bout six o’clock
      One more trip and back we’ll go
      Right back home to Buffalo

      Chorus

      Oh, where would I be if I lost my pal?
      Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
      Oh, I’d like to see a mule as good as Sal
      Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
      A friend of mine once got her sore
      Now he’s got a busted jaw,
      ‘Cause she let fly with her iron toe,
      And kicked him in to Buffalo.

      Chorus

      Don’t have to call when I want my Sal
      Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
      She trots from her stall like a good old gal
      Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
      I eat my meals with Sal each day
      I eat beef and she eats hay
      And she ain’t so slow if you want to know
      She put the “Buff” in Buffalo

      Chorus

      Author Information

      Thomas S. Allen (1876-1919) was an early Tin Pan Alley composer with many popular songs not related to the canal life. His first major hit was Any Rags in 1903, only two years before that of the Erie Canal Song.

    A great version by Bruce Springsteen!

     

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    Leave the fog stillness
    of a cold harbor town;
    cup our hands
    in the warm diesel sound—
    leave while the children
    are calmed in their dreams
    by light buoys calling:
    “Don’t play around me.”

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    The Small Potato

    by | October 17, 2014 | Journal, Teaching | 0 Comments

    Maybe there is a God. I just came home and sat down in the kitchen to grade some papers and input some grades, but the internet is buggy and slow, and I thought, "maybe this is the message" that I am trading my soul for work. I even remember myself  pontificating in...
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    The Right Side of the Inevitable

    by | July 27, 2016 | Essays, Journal | 0 Comments

      Like birds of a feather, we gather together, 'Cuz they're feeling exactly like you... ~John Prine   I am not afraid of being a white minority. I had lunch today with a Jamaican drummer, a Ugandan farmer, and a Senagalese potter. I don’t say this out of...
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    Practicing What I Preach

    by | April 10, 2014 | Essays, Journal | 0 Comments

    It is not where you go. It is how you go. ~Fitz Is there any value in coming to the page this late at night after three hours of singing in a pub, just because I said I would? I expect you to go to the empty page and pry tired and stubborn thoughts and lay them on the...
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    The Queer Folk

    by | April 18, 2016 | Journal, Songs | 0 Comments

    True to my words of earlier this week, I finished this song last night, and at the time, I liked it--but in the clear light of day, too much of it seems forced, especially the rhymes. But that is part of the process. I think I am almost there. Let me get my saw and...
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    Busy…

    by | September 17, 2014 | Journal | 0 Comments

    The start of the school year, and I have literally spent every free moment working on what is ostensibly pretty cool stuff, methinks...but it is work in every sense of the word, so I do miss those long summer mornings when  could literally write to my heart and heads...
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    A New Beginning

    by | November 10, 2013 | Essays, Journal | 0 Comments

     I guess if there is any constant in my life, it is new beginnings.  This blog--and this website--is another new beginning starting here late on a cold night on my back porch. I've been keeping a blog (in fact several blogs) since the first blogs made their way on to...
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    The Nagging Thing

    by | November 19, 2015 | Essays, Journal, Teaching | 0 Comments

    Not many more nights like this, warm enough to sit outside on the back porch. The kids and Denise long asleep. Usually, during the school year, this is my "time" to catch up on schoolwork--grading, posting the assignments for the week and playing the general catchup...
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    Hallows Lake

    by | August 2, 2014 | Journal | 0 Comments

    Foreward Thanks for taking a look at this "work in progress. It originally started out as an experimental one-man play. Maybe it still will be. Later I thought of making it into a novel, but it's hard to see it happening as there is (intentionally) no real plot, and...
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    The Enigma

    by | August 11, 2014 | Journal, Poetry | 0 Comments

    Black Pond is not as deepas it is dark, dammedsome century agobetween ledges of granite and an outcropping of leaning fir, huckleberry, and white pine. For years I have paddled and trolled;swam, fished, sailed and sometimessimply tread water in the night trying to...
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    The Litter in Concord

    by | July 12, 2016 | Journal | 0 Comments

    I have been following a Facebook thread about the movement in my beloved hometown of Concord to ban plastic water bottles, plastic bags and styrofoam cups. I am trying to discern whether or not my initial responses are pure and true and not simply reactionary and...
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    Wrenching Day

    by | July 13, 2017 | Journal, Teaching | 0 Comments

    It has certainly been a long time since wisdom ruled the day. I did get up and run in the rain, and now I am preparing to do some “wrenching” on my motorcycle. I am trying to temper my eagerness to ride with my desire to get everything “right” on the bike--without...
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    How do I know

    by | July 8, 2017 | Journal, Poetry | 0 Comments

    what I know? The sharp angles of this simple cottage perfected in every board sawn, shingle split and beam hewn into place goes together placed, splined, slid together, bound more by intuition than knowing.
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    Yesterday did not become a poem

    by | July 9, 2017 | Journal, Poetry | 0 Comments

    Nothing became something else; No thoughts filled my head With wonder or wisdom. Listless sky. Jumbled frames. Fleeting images: Chattering squirrels, Distant rumbling Of rush hour traffic. Today I am more determined, But all that is left Is the promise Of...
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    Marriage & Magnanimity

    by | September 6, 2015 | Essays, Journal | 0 Comments

    If we want to have the freedom to marry whom we want to marry, why is it so important that the state (government) recognise that marriage? Is it simply the expediency of dispensing the entitlements of a marriage certificate: tax benefits, employment benefits, or the...
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    Chores

    by | May 15, 2016 | Journal, Poetry | 0 Comments

    The day sometimes slip away from me, a huge pine half-bucked in the backyard, the kids old tree fort cut into slabs, a ton of coal waiting to be moved in a train of buckets to the bin. Sipping cold water on the back deck, sharpening the dulled teeth of a worn...
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    The Emperor’s New Clothes

    by | February 8, 2019 | Essays, Journal, Teaching | 0 Comments

    "But he hasn't got anything on!" the whole town cried out at last. The Emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, "This procession has got to go on." So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at...
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    In Reply To Einstein

    by | July 14, 2014 | Poetry, Raccoon | 0 Comments

    *God casts the die, not the dice. ~Alfred Einstein I am cold down the neck, turtling my head to showers of ice that fall dancing and skidding on skins of crusted snow. I hold my breath when I step, inflating hopes of a weightlessness, and so be undetected
to the play...
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    Dad

    by | December 4, 2013 | Poetry | 0 Comments

    Moaning like a lost whale the thin ice bellowed behind us then cracked and rang as if spit from a whip. The sharp steel of my over-sized skates etched unspeakable joy into the slate-grey, reptilian skin of Walden Pond. Our mismatched hands gripped together in the...
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    Evolution

    by | August 19, 2014 | Journal, Poetry | 0 Comments

    The coyotes and fisher cats seem intent on striking some new deal with each other to toy with our fears in this gentleman's wilderness— patches of dense woods dotted with overgrown fields, riven and intersected by highways, powerlines and quiet, suburban...
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    Raccoon Welcome

    by | July 12, 2014 | Poetry, Raccoon | 0 Comments

    Welcome
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    Contact John Fitzsimmons...and thanks!