W.W.&F. Discussion Forum
The Maine Narrow Gauges (Historic & Preserved) => The Original W&Q and WW&F: 1894-1933 => Topic started by: Pete Stevens on May 23, 2021, 04:22:06 PM
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I'm reading The WW&F Two-Footer; Hail and Farewell, which provides the lyrics to the song "The Sheepscot Narrow Gauge," but no tune. Does anyone know how it went? It has 17 verses!
The first verse goes: "Now if you'll kindly listen, I will sing a little song. / It's something new and something true, / And will not detain you long. / It is the latest song that's out And it is all the rage; / It's all about the building of the "Sheepscot Narrow Gauge."
I'd love to sing it, so if anyone is familiar with it, please let me know.
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Hi Pete,
I've never seen music for the tune, although presumably it must exist somewhere. I recently saw in an article that reported that it was sung at a town celebration in Albion circa 1980-ish. I've also ask local folk superstar Judd Caswell if he had ever heard of it. He noted that it was common that texts such of these were often sung to well-known melodies. However, he didn't immediately recognize which one the meter of the lyrics seemed to match.
So, it's a little bit of a mystery....
-Ed
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Thanks Ed! I'll dig around for a suitable tune, then. Should be fun!
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How about the theme from Beverly Hillbillies?
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So let's start a contest in two categories: 1) original composition/tune; and 2) best adapted composition/tune !!
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It was supposedly sung at Albion station's 100th anniversary celebration in 1995 (I didn't go to it, so I can't verify it), and was sung by a local band/group during one of our last 1990s/early 2000s annual picnics. I forget the name of the group (I don't think they're together anymore), nor do I recall the tune (I'm pretty sure I heard it).
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It was supposedly sung at Albion station's 100th anniversary celebration in 1995
That was the celebration that I was thinking of.
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The poetic form is called a "Fourteener", or rhymed couplets in iambic heptameter if you're a snob. ;D
Many tunes have been written for these kinds of poems. They're a great match for your basic uptempo two-beat I-IV-V-I riff, because the 7 feet of the poem leave a nice space for breathing to fill out the 4th bar of the riff (essentially a silent 8th foot).
For starters (and for something railroad-related), try "Wabash Cannonball" on for size. Or for something a little more thematically incongruent, the theme from "Gilligan's Island".
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Or for something a little more thematically incongruent, the theme from "Gilligan's Island"
LOL. Yes that is the tune for "The Sheepscot Narrow Gauge."
I don't have my books handy, but there is a chorus (that Pete did not include above) that breaks the "Fourteener" pattern, IIRC.
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Joe Fox typed in these song lyrics years ago in an old (unrelated) forum thread. I'm not sure if they are correct or complete...
The Sheepscot Narrow Gauge
F.A. Naray
Now if you'll kindly listen,
I will sing a little song.
It's something new and something true,
and will not detain you long.
It's the latest song, that's out,
and it is all the rage;
It's all about the "
"Sheepscot Narrow Gauge"
CHORUS
Hurah. Hurah.
O, don't you think it's grand.
To hear the little narrow gauge.
Go grumbling through the land.
(Repeat)
There's Libby, Fogg, and Crosby,
Those men have got the sand.
I wish the Lord would scatter more
Such fellows through the land.
For we stockholders love then
As we do the "gentle sex"
For they are going to build a railroad
From Wiscasset to Quebec
Chorus
Old people they will clap their hands
To see the train go by,
And little kids thats teething,
Why they'll forget to cry;
But where it cuts the farm in two
That man will be in rage.
But just the same we're going to have
That Sheepscot Narrow Gauge
Chorus
Some farmers they are kicking now
Because it crosses their farm
But they are going to get their pay
It will not do them harm.
Maine Central folks are kicking, too;
Why now they're in a rage.
It's just because they can't control
The Sheepscot Narrow Gauge.
Chorus
Most people think the narrow gauge
is going to be immense,
But there's a few that voted "No"
That's "kinder on the fence"
We'll grade right up the valleys
And "bust" right through the ledge.
We'll blow things to the Devil,
But we'll have that narrow gauge.
Chorus
All farm produce will take a rise
When that road is complete,
And early rose potatoes they
Will grow as big's your feet.
We'll ship them to Wiscasset,
To C.R. Gates and Page.
At night they'll bring the money back
Upon the Narrow Gauge.
Chorus
We'll have our mail three times a day
Instead of e every night.
And when we get that Narrow Gauge
We're going to have things right
We'll travel o'er this country
No more, by gosh, by stage,
But take a dandy palace car
Upon the Narrow Gauge.
Chorus
We'll telegraph around the world
And have electric lights.
And promenade on Main Street
'Till twelve o'clock at night
We will not mind policemen
Unless they get in rage,
Then we'll skip for Coopers Mills
Upon the Narrow Gauge.
Chorus
We'll take our best girl by the arm
And lead her to the station
It's there we'll wait for the Narrow Gauge
With hearts all palpitation
We'll buy our tickets, pay the cash,
And then we'll board the train
And perhaps we will be married
'Fore we e'er come back again
Chorus
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The chorus does well as common meter with some resting between "Hurrahs" (cf. the refrain of Ackley's "He Lives").
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I hope members will not be required to sing this ditty with the hands over their hearts.
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the refrain of Ackley's "He Lives"
Ha! I played that hymn this morning at church.
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A bit more digging...
Fred Arlington Naray was a Civil War soldier from Whitefield.
Born in Whitefield, Lincoln, Maine on 16 September 1855 to William C Nary Naray and Mary A. Trash.
The 1906 Census lists him as a Farmer and Poet.
In 1914, the Arlington Grange in Whitefield was named in his honor.
While the grange has dissolved, the building is hoped to be repurposed as a library and community center:
https://whitefieldlibrary.org/
Fred Arlington Naray passed away on 24 Feb 1932.
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I am not a musician and it is hard for me to carry a tune in a "Boom Box" but,
the Hurrah Hurrah made me think of the "Bonnie Blue Flag" that came from:
The Irish Jaunting Car
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FU9OACm284&t=0s
The "Bonnie Blue Flag"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjPoRCkUxzQ
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVeSKwM--1M
If Fred Naray was a Civil War Soldier he would have known this tune.
2nd most popular tune in the Confederacy.
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Try lyrics to the tune of Wabash Cannonball.
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So Mr. Naray was born in September 1855 and was a Civil War soldier?? He was 9 at the war?s end.
In any case, you guys are amazing! I think Wabash Cannonball works pretty well.
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So Mr. Naray was born in September 1855 and was a Civil War soldier?? He was 9 at the war's end.
Yeah, something doesn't add up in that timeline.
The tidbit that "Fred Arlington Naray was a Civil War soldier from Whitefield." was taken from the history of the Arlington Grange published here: https://whitefieldlibrary.org/history/
and here:
https://bangordailynews.com/2019/03/30/news/a-small-maine-library-has-5-months-to-seal-its-deal-to-save-an-old-grange-building/
However, the 1906 census, which lists him as a Farmer and Poet in Whitefield does NOT indicate that he was a Civil War veteran:
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037&context=mainehistory
I got the dates of birth and death from Ancestry:
https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/fred-arlington-naray-24-8tlp5s
I'm guessing that the newspaper article on the sale of the Grange building got it wrong (or was fed misinformation) and that has carried through to the library's web site.
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So Mr. Naray was born in September 1855 and was a Civil War soldier?? He was 9 at the war?s end.
Nine years old may seem crazy in 'modern' times, but there were significant numbers of children involved on both sides. See:
https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/boys-of-the-civil-war.html (https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/boys-of-the-civil-war.html)
Here is one passage I found with a quick read:Nine-year-old Johnny Clem ran away from home and was able to join up by starting out as a camp helper until he was older and mustered in as a drummer.
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I had heard the Battle Hymn of the Republic was the tune used for the song.
Jeff S.
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I had heard the Battle Hymn of the Republic was the tune used for the song.
I don't think so. In my opinion, the melody of BATTLE HYMN does not fit the text particularly well.
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the Hurrah Hurrah made me think of the "Bonnie Blue Flag"]the Hurrah Hurrah made me think of the "Bonnie Blue Flag"
I looked up the Irish Jaunting Car/Bonnie Blue Flag tune:
https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2013/07/bonnie-blue-flag.html
And it doesn't quite fit well either. (It is a closer match than BATTLE HYMN, however.) It could be made to work, but it's not a slam dunk.
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I'm guessing that the newspaper article on the sale of the Grange building got it wrong (or was fed misinformation) and that has carried through to the library's web site.
Citogenesis strikes again!
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Ed - like I said I can't carry a tune in a Boom Box.
You have to agree it is catchy. Even if it does not fit :)
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Maybe a local folk group or band can come up with a new melody and adapt the lyrics for the WW&F, specifically.
Here's an example of what the folks at Blue Mountain & Reading (Reading & Northern) did some years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lypdjXZT4t4&t=40s
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I recall seeing a video of someone playing the Battle Hymn and singing the lyrics to Sheepscot Narrow Gauge. Could it have been on the forum?
Jeff S.
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Maybe a local folk group or band can come up with a new melody and adapt the lyrics for the WW&F
There are enough musicians in our ranks (myself included) who could make this happen.
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I?m already working on a demo myself! I?m going with Wabash Cannonball. Works nicely. The second verse is a little sexist for modern listeners, so I?m leaving at least part of that out. Folk music is flexible!
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Verse 2:
There's Libby, Fogg, and Crosby,
Those men have got the sand.
I wish the Lord would scatter more
Such fellows through the land.
For we stockholders love then
As we do the "gentle sex"
For they are going to build a railroad
From Wiscasset to Quebec
It's a forced rhyme at best, anyway. As a historic lyric, it is certainly in line with the time it was written.
However, the verse itself is kind of important. Not only does it name the financiers, it captures the whole optimism that the stockholders felt about bringing the Narrow Gauge through the Sheepscot valley. And, today, we know that these dreams were never realized and W&Q stock was ultimately worthless.
I wonder if there is a way to keep the author's intent, without resorting to a phrase that some today would find disparaging.
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Let?s see what we can come up with.
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I gently suggest we should not settle on a tune that's tied to the Confederacy...
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Battle Hymn of the Republic was written by an abolitionist.
Instead of "gentle sex", maybe change it to "other sex". We have women in our ranks now, this would include them.
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The whole metaphor could stand to be replaced, IMO. It's just that one line that needs reworking.
Incidentally, "Peck" (as in Carson Peck) rhymes with "Quebec", though he wasn't yet in the picture when this was written.
The line "a bushel and a peck" does fit metrically and thematically, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to so blatantly rip off Guys and Dolls.
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I came up with:
For we stockholders love them
And we each did write a check
for they?re going to build a railroad
from Wiscasset to Quebec.