Paddle Your Own Canoe

DESCRIPTION: "I've traveled about a bit in my time And of troubles I've seen a few, But I found it better in every clime To paddle my own canoe." The singer advises loving one's neighbor, not being downhearted, and remaining as independent as possible
AUTHOR: Words: Probably Harry Clifton (but see NOTES)
EARLIEST DATE: 1866 (source: FolkSongAndMusicHall)
KEYWORDS: nonballad work
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber)) US(SE) Ireland
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Greig/Duncan3 663, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 55, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text)
OCroinin/Cronin-TheSongsOfElizabethCronin 116, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text)
Heart-Songs, pp. 286-287, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dime-Song-Book #16, p. 41, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text)
Mabel-Waltz-Songster, p. 60, "Paddle Your Own Canoe, No. 1" (1 text, with a parody on the next page)
Paddle-Your-Own-Canoe-Songster, pp. 5-6, "Paddle Your Own Canoe, No. 1" (1 text, with the No. 2 version on p. 6)
Rootle-Tum-Tootle-Tum-Tay-Songster, pp. 70-71, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text)
Clowns-Shoo-Fly-Songster, p. 34, "Paddle Your Own Canoe, No. 1" (1 text)
LallaRookhSongster, pp. 90-91, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text)
FolkSongAndMusicHall, "Paddle your own canoe"
Roud #6093
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(2905), "Paddle Your Own Canoe" ("I've travelled about a bit, in my time"), J. Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866; also Harding B 26(492), Harding B 18(580), Firth b.34(222), "Paddle Your Own Canoe"
LOCSinging, sb30426b, "Paddle Your Own Canoe," H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Captain Bill Ryan Left Terry Behind" (tune)
SAME TUNE:
Paddy's Own Irish Stew (File: LBGS016)
The Night Pat Murphy Died (by Johnny Burke) (Johnny Burke (William J. Kirwin, editor), _John White's Collection of Johnny Burke Songs_, Harry Cuff Publications, St. John's, 1981, #78, p. 119)
Peter Joy (by James Murphy?) ("Whenever you need a 'roast' or steak... Go call on Peter Joy") (James Murphy, editor, _Songs Sung by Old-TIme Sealers of Many Years Ago_, James Murphy Publishing, 1925 (PDF available from Memorial University of Newfoundland web site))
Beat Your Neighbour ("No doubt you all have heard about A song that is quite new... Called 'Paddle your own Canoe'") (JennieEngelsDearLittleShamrockSongster, p. 11)
The Velocipede ("I;m Freddy Sykes of Clinton Street, Oh, how do you like my style?") (Archy-Hughes-George-the-Charmer-Songster, p. 8)
Jolly Old Sailor ("I've followed the sea for sixty years, but can't do so any more, But like a ship that is played out, must lay and rust on shore") (by Jule Keen) (Keen-Love-Among-Der-Sweitzer-Songster, p. 12)
The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, eleventh part ("WIth a look of surprise He opened his eyes") (BrokenDownSongster, p. 30)
NOTES [251 words]: Greig/Duncan3: "Cf. Paddle Your Own Canoe written and sung by Harry Clifton (Hopwood and Crew, London, c. 1890)" -- but note earlier broadsides. - BS
This was one of several "motto songs" by Harry Clifton (1824-187q). For background on Clifton, see the notes to "The Good Ship Kangaroo." Although the broadsides probably predate the first official publication of this song, Clifton's authorship seems likely. Heart-Songs lists "M Hobson" as being responsible for the tune, but FolkSongAndMusicHall lists Hobson as arranging the tune, which was by Charles Coote. Richard Anthony Baker, British Music Hall: An Illustrated History, 2014 (I use the 2020 Pen & Sword paperback edition), p. 13, calls this Clifton's "most successful song of all" (though it says that "Polly Perkins of Paddington Green" lasted longer). "Clifton was credited with having written both words and music, the composer was, in fact, Charles Coote, who later became the managing director of Hopwood and Crew." Presumably there was some sort of financial arrangement to allow this.
Dime-Song-Book #6 has a song "I'll Paddle My Own Canoe." I'd consider them separate. The "Paddle Your Own Canoe" in Dime-Song-Book #16, also looks rather different, and surely rewritten, but probably from the same roots, so I've listed it here. - RBW
Broadside LOCSinging sb30426b: H. De Marsan dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
Last updated in version 7.2
File: Be3055

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