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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Life On The Farm In The Old Days, Sunny Stutzman
Life On The Farm In The Old Days, Sunny Stutzman
Maine Song and Story Sampler
Sunny Stutzman's story relates some basic differences between life on the farm in the old days and now, but also generally differences between life on the farm and anywhere else in society.
Acadian Food, Michael Corbin
Acadian Food, Michael Corbin
Maine Song and Story Sampler
In short, Acadians did not allow harsh weather, poor soil conditions, and an uncertain (or even hostile) political conditions to limit their culinary choices.
Building Peapods, Eric Dow
Building Peapods, Eric Dow
Maine Song and Story Sampler
Eric Dow talks about how he came to build the type of boat known as a “peapod.”
Flunking A Test & Hiroshima, Lydia Franz
Flunking A Test & Hiroshima, Lydia Franz
Maine Song and Story Sampler
The stories recounted here by Lydia Franz concern her experience in the United States Army as a cryptanalyst during World War II.
The First Manure-Pitch, Mort Mather
The First Manure-Pitch, Mort Mather
Maine Song and Story Sampler
The Common Ground Country Fair (CGCF or “the Fair”) is Maine’s signature celebration of rural living, organic food and agriculture, and local enterprise.
Boat Launch, Pete Mcfarland
Boat Launch, Pete Mcfarland
Maine Song and Story Sampler
Maine has a long and broad tradition of boat building, and in many coastal towns boat launches were a social event.
The Ounegan Mill Strike, Richard Davies
The Ounegan Mill Strike, Richard Davies
Maine Song and Story Sampler
This story describes a strike that took place at the Ounegan Woolen Mill in Old Town and explains how students at the University of Maine became involved.
The Little Mohea, Harvey Gurney
The Little Mohea, Harvey Gurney
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"The Little Mohea," also known by many other names and spellings, is an old song that likely developed from an older English broadside song known as "The Indian Lass." Most folklorists agree that "Mohea" probably developed in its American form among sailors, and some even point to whaling ships specifically.
Bye-Bye Longjohns, Jim Cahill, Dot Ruppell
Bye-Bye Longjohns, Jim Cahill, Dot Ruppell
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"Bye-Bye Longjohns" is a musical representation of how most Mainers feel by the time March rolls around. For some, this feeling comes even earlier. The song was written in western Maine over the course of the late twentieth century.
The Spring Of ‘65, Eddie Rollins
The Spring Of ‘65, Eddie Rollins
Maine Song and Story Sampler
In the old days of the Maine Lumberwoods, March and April marked the end of cutting and hauling lumber for the winter. As loggers came out of the woods, either before returning for the river drives or just headed home until next Winter, many made their way to cities and went on drunken sprees that became legendary.
Jag Har En Vän (I Have A Friend), Chester Ringdahl
Jag Har En Vän (I Have A Friend), Chester Ringdahl
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"Jag har en van" is an old Swedish pietistic hymn, with words and music written by Nils Frykman in 1895. Swedish hymn writer Nils Frykman was part of the Swedish Free Church movement in old Sweden during the second half of the 19th century.
Mail Story, Albert "Cap" Collins
Mail Story, Albert "Cap" Collins
Maine Song and Story Sampler
In this story, Albert "Hap" Collins talks about his maternal grandfather who worked as a mail carrier, delivering mail from the mainland to Long Island in Blue Hill Bay.
Raatikko, Walfred Hamari
Raatikko, Walfred Hamari
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"Raatikko" is a traditional Finnish song and dance. The song tells of a mountain in southern Finland, Kyöpelinvuori, which is known in Finnish mythology as the place haunted by the spirits of virgins who die young.
Youpe! Youpe! Sur La Riviere!, Mr. And Mrs. Lawrence Parent
Youpe! Youpe! Sur La Riviere!, Mr. And Mrs. Lawrence Parent
Maine Song and Story Sampler
A home-made song from Quebec, Youpe! came to Maine the same way many other songs traveled through Maine and the eastern Canadian provinces: with lumbermen who crossed the border in both directions. It was especially popular among French-Canadian lumberjacks who adapted to their own use an earlier song called "Le p'tit bois d'lail."
Herring And Pollock, William Lawrence
Herring And Pollock, William Lawrence
Maine Song and Story Sampler
To say that “Herring and Pollock” is a fish story is an understatement.
The Auto Rest Park, Reid Hand
The Auto Rest Park, Reid Hand
Maine Song and Story Sampler
For several decades, one of the most popular entertainment venues in the Bangor area was a place called the Auto Rest Park located on Rt. 2 in Carmel.
Tom Gardner’S Stories, Jim Connors
Tom Gardner’S Stories, Jim Connors
Maine Song and Story Sampler
The story heard here actually consists of two short stories, both told by Tom Gardner, a famous Maine Guide from Allagash.
The International Boundary Line, Jim Connors
The International Boundary Line, Jim Connors
Maine Song and Story Sampler
The story heard here provides a humorous but fictional explanation of how the Maine-Canada border came to be established, particularly the straight section in the northwestern corner.
The Wabassus Cannonball, George Macarthur
The Wabassus Cannonball, George Macarthur
Maine Song and Story Sampler
George MacArthur's song, "The Wabassus Cannonball," is a musical parody of the well-known American folk song "The Wabash Cannonball." The original song is about a fictional train and MacArthur's tune tells the story of how he and a friend, fellow guide Hazen Bagley, outsmarted two wardens and a judge to avoid a conviction for poaching.
The Irish Patriot, Dale Potter
The Irish Patriot, Dale Potter
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"The Irish Patriot" is a mysterious song. Judging by the title alone, one would guess it is of Irish origin, and after listening, the story told in the ballad would seem to confirm this suspicion. However, the song has only ever been collected in Maine, where it was likely a popular song among woodsmen, and the Maritime provinces of Canada.
The Champion Of Moose Hill, Raymond Mace
The Champion Of Moose Hill, Raymond Mace
Maine Song and Story Sampler
“The Champion of Moose Hill” tells the true, comic story of a dance gone awry for one poor, inebriated soul.
The Banks Of Newfoundland, Mabel Worcester
The Banks Of Newfoundland, Mabel Worcester
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"The Banks of Newfoundland" is the title of at least six different songs. These are not variations on a single tune, but entirely different songs with different airs and lyrics. All share a common theme - the dangers of fishing or sailing off the coast of Newfoundland - but none are very similar.
Young Charlotte (Or Fair Charlotte), Ernest Lord
Young Charlotte (Or Fair Charlotte), Ernest Lord
Maine Song and Story Sampler
Young Charlotte is an old ballad native to North America. It has been a popular ballad all over North America from Newfoundland to South Dakota, and widely studied. It was so popular, in fact, that it inspired a doll called Frozen Charlotte.
The Blackwater Side, Bill Cramp
The Blackwater Side, Bill Cramp
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"The Blackwater Side" is one of many songs that came to Maine from the British Tradition. It is, as Bill Cramp called it, a "long love song." This ballad is one in a series of songs that consist of true lovers' discussions, but none are any more good humored than "The Blackwater Side."
The Depot Camp, Bill Cramp
The Depot Camp, Bill Cramp
Maine Song and Story Sampler
The song, written by James O’Hara, a woodsman from Maine, described the lumbering operation owned and operated by James McNulty of Bangor, Maine.
Cod Liver Oil, Omer Mckenna
Cod Liver Oil, Omer Mckenna
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"Cod Liver Oil" was a popular song from Newfoundland, so popular in fact that many have claimed it as a Newfoundland song. It's origins, however, are not so clearly traced.
The Teamster In Jack Macdonald’S Crew, Joseph Walsh
The Teamster In Jack Macdonald’S Crew, Joseph Walsh
Maine Song and Story Sampler
When Walsh sang "The Teamster in Jack MacDonald's Crew" for Sandy Ives, it was a song he had never heard before and did not hear from anyone after, despite his best efforts to find it. Walsh either learned the song while working near Katahdin Iron Works around 1911 or from a friend back on PEI, he was not entirely sure.
Wild Colonial Boy, Thomas Cleghorn
Wild Colonial Boy, Thomas Cleghorn
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"Wild Colonial Boy" is one of a few songs that came to Maine from Australia by way of Britain. This particular version was collected in Canada, but the singer learned it in the Maine woods, a point that underscores the close connections of Maine and the Maritimes economically and culturally.
John Roberts, Clarence Berry
John Roberts, Clarence Berry
Maine Song and Story Sampler
“John Roberts” is one of many woods songs that tells the sad tale of a river driver who died on the job.
Blueberries & Leathery Ice, Lindsey Smallidge
Blueberries & Leathery Ice, Lindsey Smallidge
Maine Song and Story Sampler
A pair of tall tales from Mount Desert Island.