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Full-Text Articles in History
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.
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 Soldier’S Letter, Joseph Pagett
The Soldier’S Letter, Joseph Pagett
Maine Song and Story Sampler
“The Soldier’s Letter” was one of several songs from the American Civil War that became popular in Canada.
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.
Heenan And Sayers, Mrs. Elwood Nickerson
Heenan And Sayers, Mrs. Elwood Nickerson
Maine Song and Story Sampler
The ballad "Heenan and Sayers" described an event so popular that it overshadowed a civil war.
Guy Reed, Philip Walsh
Guy Reed, Philip Walsh
Maine Song and Story Sampler
"Guy Reed" is one of several songs by one of the great woods songmakers in Maine and the Maritimes, Joe Scott. Guy Reed, son of Joseph and Remember Mitchell Reed, was born in 1874 in the Byron, Maine area, and died in a logging accident just a few miles above Livermore Falls, Maine, on September 9, 1897.
Benjamin Deane, Chester Price
Benjamin Deane, Chester Price
Maine Song and Story Sampler
“Benjamin Deane” is a classic example of a confessional ballad, with a man in prison lamenting how he came to be there: bootlegging, adultery, and murder.
The Old Beggar Man, Edmund Doucette
The Old Beggar Man, Edmund Doucette
Maine Song and Story Sampler
“The Old Beggar Man” is a version of Child 17, “Hind Horn.” It is believed to have originated in Scotland and possibly derived from the 13th century King Horn and other related medieval romances.