Rio Grande (Collected by MacEdward Leach) w/lyrics and video

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Rio Grande (Collected by MacEdward Leach) w/lyrics and video

#692: YouTube video by threelegsoman ©2009.
~ Used with permission ~

Where are ye a-going, my pretty maid?
Oh, you Rio.

I'm going milking, kind sir, she said.

And we're bound for the Rio Grande,
Then away you Rio, oh, you Rio;
Then fare you well, my bonny Scotchgirl,
And we're bound for the Rio Grande.

Can I go with you my pretty maid?
Oh, you Rio.

Just as you like, kind sir, she said.

And we're bound for the Rio Grande,
Then away you Rio, oh you Rio;
Then fare you well, my bonny Scotchgirl,
And we're bound for the Rio Grande.

What is your father, my pretty maid?
Oh, you Rio.

He's a husband to mother, kind sir, she said.

And we're bound for the Rio Grande,
Then away you Rio, oh you Rio;
Then fare you well, my bonny Scotchgirl,
And we're bound for the Rio Grande.

####.... Author unknown. Variant of a favorite 19th century capstan shanty sung as sailors were hauling anchor to get underway ....####

This variant collected in 1951 from Tom Cornelly, possibly of St. Shott's, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).

A similar variant was collected in 1950 from Tom Cornealy of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and recorded by Helen Creighton (Rec. no. 1448, Loc. no. AR 5172 in Nova Scotia Archives and Record Management).

The YouTube video above features a much longer and different variant by Tony Archibald from Port St. Mary on the Isle of Man.

GEST notes: Since Tom Cornelly's name is so similar to Tom Cornealy's, it is possible both variants of this song were collected from the same singer, especially since the transcriber of Leach's recording is not positive about Tom Cornelly's location as signified by a question mark after St. Shott's.

Rio Grande do Sul (Great River of the South) is the southernmost state of Brazil. The state's entire east coast has two huge sandy peninsulas which make one giant sand beach, broken only by a single outlet called the Rio Grande, which allows entrance to navigable inland waters and several port cities. It has long been a favorite destination for sailors from around the world.

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