River-Driver's Lament, The (I Am a River Driver)

DESCRIPTION: I went lumbering at sixteen and courted a pretty girl who caused me to roam. "Sure I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home." "Now I'm old and feeble and in my sickness lie Just wrap me up in my shanty blankets and lie me down to die."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Eckstorm/Smyth-MinstrelsyOfMaine)
KEYWORDS: courting death lumbering drink rambling floatingverses logger
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf,Ont) US(NE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Peacock, pp. 759-760, "The River Driver's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke-LumberingSongsFromTheNorthernWoods #59, "I Am a River Driver" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Eckstorm/Smyth-MinstrelsyOfMaine, p. 61, "The River Driver" (1 text)
Roud #4564
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. Peter Mushrow, "River Driver" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
John T. O'Quinn, "The River Driver's Lament" (on PeacockCDROM)
NOTES [127 words]: Floating verses include adaptations of "I'll eat when I'm hungry", "Build me a castle" and "I'm ... and a long way from home" and "wrap me up in my shanty blankets." - BS
Fowke's very short text ("I'll eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm dry; If the water don't drown me I'll live till I die, If the water don't drown me while over it I roam, For I am a river driver and far away from home") could be just a lumberjack adaption of "Rye Whiskey," but it's close enough to Peacock to allow us to tentatively lump them.
Eckstorm/Smyth-MinstrelsyOfMaine claim this as a version of "Jack o' Diamonds," i.e. "Rye Whisky," and it obviously derives much of its content to that song. But I'd say that it has been sufficiently rewritten to deserve its own listing. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: FowL69

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