Low Bridge (song) facts for kids
Original publication of "Low Bridge, Everybody Down"
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| Also known as | "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal" "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal" "Erie Canal Song" "Mule Named Sal" |
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| Lyrics | Thomas S. Allen, 1913 |
| Music | Thomas S. Allen, 1913 |
"Low Bridge, Everybody Down" is a very popular song written by Thomas S. Allen. It was first recorded in 1912 and then published in 1913. This song was created while the New York State Barge Canal was being built. This new canal was meant to replace the older Erie Canal. It also meant that boats would soon be powered by engines instead of mules, making travel much faster.
The song is also known by other names like "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal" or "Mule Named Sal". It celebrates the time from 1825 to 1880 when mules pulled barges along the Erie Canal. This period helped towns like Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo grow into busy cities. It also helped transform New York State into a powerful "Empire State."
The picture on the song's original music cover from 1913 shows a boy on a mule bending down to go under a bridge. The "low bridge" in the song refers to bridges that were very low over the water. People riding on top of the boats had to duck down quickly to avoid hitting their heads and stay safe as the boat passed underneath.
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Famous Recordings of the Song
Many artists have recorded "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" over the years. Some early recordings from the 1900s were made by Billy Murray and Vernon Dalhart.
Later, the song became a favorite among folk singers. Artists like Pete Seeger and the Weavers, The Kingston Trio, and Glenn Yarbrough recorded their own versions. Even the children's show VeggieTales included it!
More recently, Bruce Springsteen recorded the song on his 2006 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. The cartoon series Animaniacs even made a funny version about the Panama Canal. The song's lyrics are also featured in the 1970 children's book The Erie Canal, illustrated by Peter Spier.
Traditional Song Lyrics
I've got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
We've hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
And every inch of the way I (we) know
From Albany to Buffalo
Chorus:
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge cause we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Get up there Sal, we've passed that lock,
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
And we'll make Rome before six o'clock
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
One more trip and back we'll go
Through the rain and sleet and snow
And every inch of the way I (we) know
From Albany to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal.
How the Lyrics Changed Over Time
Like many folk songs, the words to "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" have changed a bit over time.
Years or Miles?
One big change is the word "years" becoming "miles." Thomas Allen's original song talks about "Fifteen years on the Erie Canal," meaning the time a mule named Sal worked there. But in newer versions, it often says "Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal." This refers to the average distance a mule would pull a barge before needing a rest or being replaced by another mule. A researcher named Dave Ruch has studied this change in detail.
Changes in Verses
Another change is in the second verse. The original line was "Get up there gal, we've passed that lock." This meant the mules would rest while boats went through a "lock" (a special water elevator for boats). Then, they needed to be told to start working again. The newer version often says "Git up there mule, here comes a lock." This sounds like the mule should speed up when a lock is near, which wasn't how things usually worked.
Other Song Versions
I've got a mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
We haul'd some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal and hay
We know every inch of the way
From Albany to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we're comin' to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal
We'd better look around for a job, old gal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
You can bet your life I'll never part with Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
Get up mule, here comes a lock
We'll make Rome 'bout six o'clock
One more trip and back we'll go
Right back home to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we're comin' to a town
You'll always know your neighbor
You'll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Where would I be if I lost my pal?
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
I'd like to see a mule good as my Sal
Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal
A friend of mine once got her sore
Now he's got a broken jaw
'Cause she let fly with an iron toe
And kicked him back to Buffalo
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, 'cause we're comin' to a town
You'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, we're comin' to a town
You'll always know your neighbor
You'll always know your pal
If ya ever made a livin' on the Erie Canal
(Low bridge, everybody down)
(Low bridge, we're comin' to a town)
See also
In Spanish: Low Bridge para niños
