From Mrs Bommer’s 4th grade class in Williamsville NY, circa Spring 2015. Animation by Ian Bell. Lyrics and notes below the video.

Some remarkable fourth grade students in Western NY were learning about the Erie Canal recently.  I helped them with a little project.

They wrote a song about how much LOUDER those sleepy little upstate New York towns became once the canal was in full swing, mid-nineteenth century.

(a sideways lesson full of learning!)

I explained that the canallers would often take a song that was already in their heads and make up new words for it.

Our Star Spangled Banner was created that way.

This too!

Song Lyrics

I can’t get to sleep, I know the water’s deep
I hear too many peeps, um hum, I hear too many peeps, um hum

Hear the horses and the mules, and all the noisy tools
Some sleep would really rule, um hum, some sleep would really rule, um hum

But I keep hearing, and I keep on fearing
That there will be fighting, at the locks, ‘cause they all want to get there first

And the horses go clip, clop, clop, clop, clop
And the boats go lock, lock, lock, lock, lock
Baby it’s just got to stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Stop it now!  Stop it now! 

And the water goes splish, splash, splosh, splosh, splosh
And the criers go blah, blah, blah, blah, blah
Baby it’s just got to stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Stop it now!  Stop it now! 

I hear all the jokes, and all the banjo notes
And the storytelling folks, um hum, the storytelling folks, um hum

But this ditch will make us rich, I hope there’s not a glitch,
Scratched a transportation itch, um hum, scratched a transportation itch, um hum

But I keep hearing, and I keep on fearing
That there will be fighting, at the locks, ‘cause they all want to get there first

And the horses go clip, clop, clop, clop, clop
And the boats go lock, lock, lock, lock, lock
Baby it’s just got to stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Stop it now!  Stop it now! 

And the water goes splish, splash, splosh, splosh, splosh
And the criers go blah, blah, blah, blah, blah
Baby it’s just got to stop, stop, stop, stop, stop
Stop it now!  Stop it now!