The song "Oh Susanna" tells the story of a man traveling from Alabama to Louisiana to see his beloved Susanna. It expresses his longing and desire to see her, as he dreams of her at night. While the song originated from a minstrel song with a racist verse, it has become a popular American folk song without that verse, telling a fairly tame love story through its lyrics and melody.
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Gold Rush Songs
1.
2. "Oh! Susanna": The Narrative
The song tells a story about a man going to New Orleans to see his beloved Susanna.
It's full of longing and desire, wherein the narrator dreams of Susanna at night and
talks about "fall[ing] upon the ground" at first site of his love.
By eliminating the violent racist verse, and singing it without the mock accent, it's a
fairly tame love song that has worked its way into the hearts and history of American
folk music.
3. I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee
I'm going to Louisiana,
My true love for to see.
It rained all night the day I left
The weather it was dry
The sun so hot, I froze to death
Susannah, don't you cry.
Oh, Susannah,
Oh don't you cry for me
For I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee.
I had a dream the other night
When everything was still
I dreamed I saw Susannah dear
A-coming down the hill.
The buckwheat cake was in her mouth
The tear was in her eye
Says I, “I'm coming from the south,
Susannah, don't you cry.”
Oh, Susannah,
Oh don't you cry for me
For I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee.
I come from A-la-ba-ma
With a ban-jo on my knee,
I'm going to Lou-i-siana,
My true love for to see.
Oh, Su-san-nah, oh,
Don't you cry for me,
For I come from A-la-ba-ma
With a ban-jo on my knee.
4.
5. MEANING OF THE SONG:
The words are those of a bereaved lover singing about his
darling, the daughter of a "49er", (a miner in the 1849
California Gold Rush). He loses her in a drowning accident -
though he consoles himself towards the end of the song
with Clementine's "little sister".
Oh My Darling, Clementine has become popular,
especially with Scouts and other groups of young people,
as a campfire and excursion song, and there are several
different versions of the words. (There is even a Scottish
version, the Climbing Clementine, which begins "In a
crevice, high on Nevis...") The lyrics most often sung are
those shown below.
6. Clementine
In a cavern, in a canyon,
Excavating for a mine,
Dwelt a miner, forty-niner
And his daughter Clementine.
Oh my darling, oh my darling
Oh my darling, Clementine
Thou art lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry, Clementine.
Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine,
Herring boxes without topses
Sandals were for Clementine
CHORUS
Drove she ducklings to the water
Every morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter
Fell into the foaming brine.
CHORUS
Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles soft and fine,
But alas, I was no swimmer,
So I lost my Clementine.
CHORUS
Then the miner, forty-niner
Soon began to peak and pine,
Thought he oughter jine he daughter,
Now he's with his Clementine.
CHORUS
In my dreams she still doth haunt me,
Robed in garments soaked in brine;
Though in life I used to hug her,
Now she's dead, I draw the line.
!["Oh! Susanna": The Narrative
The song tells a story about a man going to New Orleans to see his beloved Susanna.
It's full of longing and desire, wherein the narrator dreams of Susanna at night and
talks about "fall[ing] upon the ground" at first site of his love.
By eliminating the violent racist verse, and singing it without the mock accent, it's a
fairly tame love song that has worked its way into the hearts and history of American
folk music.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)