Oh Shenandoah
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"Oh Shenandoah" (also called simply "Shenandoah") is an American folk song, dating to the early 19th century.
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[edit] History
With possible origins in Virginia, noting that its title is also the name of a Virginia river, the song has been considered for Virginia's official state song. In his 1931 book on sea and river chanteys entitled Capstan Bars, David Bone wrote that "Oh Shenandoah" originated as a river shanty and then became popular with sea-going crews in the early 1800s. The Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton noted in 2005 that Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham immortalized the jolly flatboatmen who plied the Missouri River in the early 1800s; these same flatboatmen were known for their chanties, including the haunting "Oh Shenandoah." This boatmen’s song found its way down the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to the American clipper ships, and thus around the world.
The lyrics tell the story of a roving trader in love with the daughter of an Indian chief; the rover tells the chief of his intent to take the girl with him far to the west, across the Missouri River.
Another view is that the song actually originated with the Missouri rivermen and refers to Shenandoah, Iowa. Shenandoah, Iowa, was a major river crossing into the West and the northern passage through Cheyenne, Wyoming, and on west. It was, more or less, the last "civilized" city a traveler to the west would encounter. The lyrics and its variations could be interpreted to refer to the traveler's desire to once again see Shenandoah, Iowa.
- Oh Shenandoah,
- I long to see you,
- Away you rolling river,
- Oh Shenandoah,
- I long to hear you,
- Away, I'm bound away
- 'Cross the wide Missouri.
- Oh Shenandoah,
- I love your daughter,
- Away you rolling river,
- I'll take her 'cross
- Your rollin' water,
- Away, I'm bound away
- 'Cross the wide Missouri.
- 'Tis seven years,
- I've been a rover,
- Away you rolling river,
- When I return,
- I'll be your lover,
- Away, I'm bound away
- 'Cross the wide Missouri.
- Oh Shenandoah,
- I'm bound to leave you.
- Away you rolling river,
- Oh Shenandoah,
- I'll not deceive you.
- Away, I'm bound away
- 'Cross the wide Missouri.
[edit] Interim state song of Virginia
For a time in early 2006, it appeared that "Shenandoah" would become the "interim state song" for Virginia. While the authorizing legislation passed the Senate of Virginia, the measure died in committee on the Virginia House of Delegates side. It was a problematic choice because the song never specifically mentions Virginia and, in many versions of the song, the name "Shenandoah" refers to an Indian chief, not the Shenandoah Valley or Shenandoah River. However, an early rendition of the song, as related in 1931 by David Bone in Capstan Bars, includes verses that appear to allude to the Shenandoah River, which is partly in Virginia:
- Oh, Shenandoah's my native valley.
- Aa-way, you rolling river!
- Shenandoah is my native valley.
- Ah-way, we're bound to go, 'cross th' wide Missouri!
- Oh, Shenandoah, it's far I wander.
- Aa-way, you rolling river!
- Shenandoah, it's far I wander.
- Ah-way, we're bound to go, 'cross th' wide Missouri!
- Oh, Shenandoah has rushing waters.
- Aa-way, you rolling river!
- Shenandoah has rushing waters.
- Ah-way, we're bound to go, 'cross th' wide Missouri!
It is possible that, as the song's popularity spread, flatboatmen of the Missouri might have evolved different lyrics than the bargemen of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal along the Potomac or sailors of the American clipper fleet out of New Orleans.
[edit] Recordings
- Paul Robeson on multiple recordings including Ballads for Americans, The Essential Paul Robeson, Spirituals, Folksongs & Hymns
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir on multiple recordings including America's Choir, Choral Adagios, Essential Choral Classics.
- Jo Stafford on Sings American Folk Songs (Corinthian, 1950)
- Harry Belafonte on Belafonte at Carnegie Hall (RCA Records, 1959)
- Thin Lizzy as a part of the title medley on Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)
- Bob Dylan on Down In The Groove (1988)
- Small Potatoes on RAW (1993)
- Arlo Guthrie on Son of the Wind (Rising Son, 1994)
- Glen Campbell on Essential 1 (Capitol CDP-33288, 1994)
- Bill Frisell on Good Dog, Happy Man (Nonesuch, 1999)
- Keith Jarrett on The Melody At Night, With You (ECM, 1999)
- Shusha on Shusha / This is the day (Bgocd531, 2001)
- The American Tenors (Sony/BMG Masterworks, 2003)
- David Daniels on A quiet thing (Virgin Classics 724354560025, 2003)
- Mustard's Retreat on A Resolution Of Something (2003)
- Richard Thompson on 1000 Years of Popular Music (Beeswing, 2003)
- Judy Garland on That Old Feeling - Classic Ballads from the Judy Garland Show (Savoy Jazz label, 2005)
- Allan Holdsworth on Against The Clock - The Essential (2005)
- The Corries on Flower of Scotland (Moidart, 2006)
- Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band on We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Columbia, 2006)
- Land of Lakes Choirboys on The Voice of the Children (2007)
- Van Morrison with The Chieftains on The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 (Manhattan/EMI, 2007)
- Hayley Westenra on Celtic Treasure (Decca B000MTDRJA, 2007)
- Bryn Terfel on A Song in my Heart (UCJ, 2007)
- Bread and Roses, an American Folk Punk band, on Deep River Day (Fistolo, 2007)
- Michigan State University Children's Choir, the Grammy Award-winning youth choir associated with Michigan State University, on "America the Beautiful: Songs of Our Heritage"
[edit] External links
- Congressman Ike Skelton on "Oh Shenandoah"
- Virginia state song debate
- Virginia Senate gives approval to interim state song
