Chance McGear

DESCRIPTION: Young Chance McGear, against his parents' advice, becomes a logger. While he and his partner are loading logs, one swings around and strikes him in the head, killing him. The logging company sends his body back to his parents.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1941 (Beck-SongsOfTheMichiganLumberjacks)
KEYWORDS: lumbering logger work death family
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Beck-SongsOfTheMichiganLumberjacks 60, "Chance McGear" (1 text)
Beck-TheyKnewPaulBunyan, pp. 164-168, "Chance McGrear" (1 text)
Beck-LoreOfTheLumberCamps 76, "Chance McGear" (1 text)

Roud #4054
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Harry Dunn (The Hanging Limb)" [Laws C14] (plot) and references there
NOTES [34 words]: This song is item dC32 in Laws's Appendix II. Beck says it was patterned on "Harry Dunn," and that several people claimed the incident took place on January 9, 1892, as found in the text of the song. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.2
File: Be060

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography

The Ballad Index Copyright 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.