History Commons^™

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

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

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

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.

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

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."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maine Song and Story Sampler

A pair of tall tales from Mount Desert Island.

The Good Old State Of Maine, James Brown

Maine Song and Story Sampler

People have likely been singing, whistling, and humming while working for as long as music and work have existed. This relationship has developed twofold, both as a way to make work go faster (either by passing the time or establishing a rhythm for work) and as a means of expressing discontent with work or working conditions.

Canaday-I-O, Robert French

Maine Song and Story Sampler

The major recurring theme in these folksongs from Maine and Maritime Canada is the flow of cultural products and people within the area of New Hampshire, Maine, and eastern Canada. But while this cultural and demographic exchange helped define the region, it did not mean there was no rivalry or animosity between states, provinces, or nations.

Old Horse Or The Sailor’S Grace, Robert French

Maine Song and Story Sampler

"Old Horse" is an old sea song (dating at least back to the 1830s, and probably long before that) that expresses sailors' dissatisfaction with the quality of their food.

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.

Northeast Folklore Volume 3 Numbers 1-4, Edward D. Ives

Northeast Folklore Monographs

The third issue of Northeast Folklore was published in the spring of 1959 under the editorship of Edward D. Ives (known as Sandy) and Bacil F. Kirtley through the Department of English at the University of Maine. The four editions that year were later bound into a single volume.

Table of Contents:

Number 1 (Spring):

The Legend of Molly Ockett by Joseph A. Perham

A Penobscot Indian Story of Colonial Maine by Nicholas N. Smith

The Maid of Tide Head

Notes and Queries

Book Review
Bluenose Ghosts (Creighton) by Horace P. Beck

Number 2 (Summer):

Bibliography of New England-Maritimes Folklore …