Old Playbill Songs

[Tim Twiss]

I was looking at "The Raging Canal", listed from the Christy Minstrels
in 1844. It is listed as "a comic song" in the playbill ,and also on
the sheet music. Does anybody have experience, or is familiar with
this song? I have 6 verses to it, but what makes it a comic song? It
sounds more like story to "The Edmund Fitzgerald".

[Joel H.]

Here is a version. http://tinyurl.com/4y5crx It did not seem very
funny to me. But I just may not understand or get the joke. I have a
few "How to put on a Minstrel Show" books from the 1880s and I don't
get half the jokes. The burlesque operas have references to actors
and pop-culture that may be lost forever. It could be like someone
reading a transcription of a topical standup routine from today, 130
years form now. Or maybe it was not funny then, who knows?

[Brian Welch]

I found the following explanation on the Mudcat Cafe (an invaluable
online resource for explanations of obscure references in traditional
song lyrics):

Russell Ames gives us the lyrics and some info in The Story of
American Folk Song (Grosset & Dunlop, 1960, p, 179), as follows:

"The canal was opened in 1825, and by 1845 there were about four
thousand boats on it, employing some twenty-five thousand men, women,
and boys. One of the most widespread of their songs, "The Raging
Canal," pretended that the voyage along the ditch, originally four
deep, at a speed of about four miles an hour, was very dangerous. This
was the canaller's favotie joke."

And

"The Erie Canal, as originally constructed, was a completely flat,
shallow waterway. The barges were drawn along by mules. Thus, apart
from getting wet, storms posed little danger. As for needing a
distress signal, one could always step off onto dry land...."

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=38205&messages=5

Seems a little funnier now!


Fortunately for us, there are LOTS of English majors and historians
doing very close analyses of every scrap of Americana out there. Many
of the jokes may not seem funny now, but I doubt if there are many
references in these songs that are beyond our grasp.

[Tim Twiss]

Ah...of course. It makes total sense now. I'll try it again with that
in mind.
Thanks so much Brian

[Colporteur]

I think you have to have been exposed to canals in order to appreciate
the song. Canals were the major roads of the period. They became
less necessary as the railroads started taking over mass
transportation The idea of a sail boat or ship on a canal is
hysterical. Each barge was towed by a mule walking on a footpath
along the canal. All the bit in the song about managing the sails is
hilarious. I've never seen the song before, thanks for bringing to
our attention!

[David Miller]

I think I've seen a number of songs about the canal stuff.

For what it's worth In IIlinois there is an organization devoted to
Canal boat history, and little birdie says they're considering a
special event living history on their reproduction boat in LaSalle,
looking for period musicians for that event...

http://www.canalcor.org/

Dave M.