Prospecting Dream

DESCRIPTION: The singer dreams a dream of a miner's hard life. His long-tom falls in the river. His supplies are scattered. His girl is far away. His strike comes to nothing. He goes to town, gets drunk, is beaten, loses his equipment, and winds up a thief
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c. 1854 ("Put's Original California Songster")
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer, a prospector, tells of dreaming that he had lost his equipment and provisions, struck a rich lead, written home bragging of his find, and blown all his money on a spree. He hires out as a hardware clerk, gets fired, and is caught stealing. Chorus: "Oh what a miner, what a miner was I/All swelled up with scurvy so I really thought I'd die"
KEYWORDS: mining hardtimes drink dream poverty bragging theft disease
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lingenfelter/Dwyer/Cohen-SongsOfAmericanWest, pp. 92-93, "Prospecting Dream" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 56, "Propsecting Dream" (1 text)
RECORDINGS:
Logan English, "Prospecting Dream" (on LEnglish02)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Oh! Susanna" (tune)
File: FSWB056

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