WISCONSIN RIVER SONGS (2015)
Lyrics to ALL 15 Songs
© Ken Lonnquist 1994
1. Welcome To The Riverboat
Welcome to the riverboat
A mighty fine riverboat
Guaranteed to stay afloat
(Say… can everybody swim?)
Our Captain is a sailin’ man
Always does the best he fan
Sinkin’ isn’t in his plans
You can put your trust in him!
Howdy, friend! What’s your name?
Doug! Doug! Doug’s his name!
Doug’s his name and we’re glad he came
On the boat that floats on the river
The boat that floats on the river we know
As the old Wisconsin River
Welcome to the Lower Dells
Our skipper knows her waters well
And her story he will tell
Hey! You’d better stay awake!
You’re gonna hear some history
Unravel a couple of mysteries
And some big fish stories -
I hope you take the bait!
Howdy, friend! What’s your name?
Jeffry! Jeffry! Jeffry’s his name!
Jeffry’s his name and we’re glad he came
On the boat that floats on the river
The boat that floats on the river we know
As the old Wisconsin River
This riverboat we ride
Has a Captain and a guide
And a treasure tucked inside
(Well, you know what you are!)
We’ll likely need a volunteer
Someone brave enough to steer
Should the Captain disappear
Into a local bar
(Sandbar, that is)
All th same, we’re glad you came
On the boat that floats on the river
The boat that floats on the river we know
As the old Wisconsin River
The boat that floats on the river we know
As the old Wisconsin River
2. Following The River
Almost heaven - where these waters flow
Let your spirit go
Circling with the wind around
The rocky Dells below
Following the river
Wings will take you - over ragged pine
And the rocks that climb
You’ll hear the song of life around you
Ebb and flow
Following the river
Following the river
Other voices in the shadows
Join the song you sing
From the water, through the forest
To the ones upon the wing
Memory singing songs you’ve never heard
You know all the words
These songs were written by the wind
Old as ice and snow
Following the river
Following the river home
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3. Seventeen
Instrumental
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4. Great Manitou
The Winnebago tell of Great Manitou
A Spirit in the body of a snake
Who left the mighty northern woods
A journey for to take
A powerful Spirit was Great manitou
Wriggling upon his way
Carving a channel with its serpent-shape
Where the river runs today
Oh, Great Manitou
Rushing water followed Great Manitou
And when his tail would lash
He left lakes sparkling in the woods
With every monstrous splash
To the head of the Dells came Great Manitou
To find his pathway blocked
He gouged his way through a ridge of stone
And carved his way through the rock
Oh, Great Manitou
From the path of the fearsome Great Manitou
Tiny serpents fled
Carving canyons on either side
Along this riverbed
The Winnebago tell of Great Manitou
A Spirit in the body of a snake
Who left the mighty northern woods
A journey for to take
Oh, Great Manitou
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5. The Geologic Score
It was 350 million years ago
The Cambrian Sea covered
Everything around here, you know
And the sand and the sediment
Settled down to the bottom
Where the old fish died
(Unless Tyrannosaurus caught ‘em)
And then the sea rose and receded
And the sand was there
Exposed to heat, terrific pressure and air
It hardened into layers
Became a mountain of sandstone
350 million years ago
And now we jump ahead, 350 million years
(In geologic time, that’s time for maybe half a beer)
It’s ten thousand years ago
A time of ice and wind and snow
(Kind of like the winters we know
Around here… every year!)
A mass of ice came down the pike
The world had never seen the like
A lake was formed an easy hike
From here… deep and clear
A glacial lake beyond compare:
18,000 miles square
So much water throttled there
It simply had to go somewhere!
Such pressure couldn’t be ignored
A river cut a sandstone gorge
Through which the water swiftly poured
And then assumed its present course
Well, then the sandstone was carved
By wind and rain and frost
Swirling stones and sharp pebbles
That the river tossed
These rocky isles and the canyons
In evidence all around
Are a monument to time
And the river, tannin-brown
Now you’ve heard what we call
The Geologic Score
We’ve orchestrated facts and figures galore
So if they ask you what you’ve learned
When they set you all ashore
You can tell them that you know
The Geologic Score!
6. Seventeen (Take 2)
Instrumental)
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7. Zis Place!
Ze Frenchmen came
And named his place Ze Dalles
Ze narrow, rocky gorge where water swells
Ze missionaries and fur traders
Coined ze name which sometime later
Turned into ze name we know so well…
Ze beautiful Wisconsin River Dells!
8. Pinery Laddie
Was you ever in the Dells,
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie?
Where the dark brown water swells
Bonnie Pineey laddie?
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie Pinery laddie
Was you ever in Kilbourn Town,
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie?
Hauling timber up and down,
Bonnie Pineey laddie?
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie Pinery laddie
Through the narrows did you ride,
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie?
Where the river turns on its side
Bonnie Pineey laddie?
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie Pinery laddie
By those waters tanning brown,
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie?
Prettiest girls you’ve ever found
Bonnie Pineey laddie?
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie laddie, Pinery laddie
Hey, ho and away we go
Bonnie Pinery laddie
9. Critters In The Dells
Sturgeon, catfish, walleye, northern,
Black bass, perch and trout
Bluegill, crappies, sand pike, too
You’ll find ‘em hereabout
But if you keep your eyes wide
On these waters dark and brown
You’re apt to find stranger fish swimmin’ ‘round
Oh the cougar fish is savage - it’s got sharp claws
Growlin’ in the water with cat-like jaws
And many a careless lumberjack anglin’ for a fish
Turned his back and made that cougar fish a tasty dish!
Oh, yodel-ay-hee-hoo, I swear it’s true!
Yodel-ay-hee-hi, it ain’t no lie!
Yodel-ay-hee-hee, trust in me -
I haven’t told a lie since I was 93!
The log gar is a fish whose snout is long and scary
Its teeth are extra-sharp, and extraordinary
They cut like a saw going back and forth - also forth and back
And a log gar’s snout chops down more trees
Than any old lumberjack!
Oh, yodel-ay-hee-hoo, I swear it’s true!
Yodel-ay-hee-hi, it ain’t no lie!
Yodel-ay-hee-hee, trust in me -
I haven’t told a lie since 1843!
And ever since then, I’m as honest as can be!
Weasel, otter, deer, and mink
Fox and gray raccoon
Woodchuck, rabbit, chipmunk, badger
And beaver live here, too
But if you keep your eyes wide
On these forests dark and green
You’re apt to find stranger critters may be seen
Oh, the Flitterick’s a squirrel who likes to fly
You’ve got to duck and dodge ‘em - I’ll tell you why
They fly so fast with so much force they’ll hit you in the head
Knock you half-unconscious and more than halfway dead!
The Hide-Behind is famous for never being seen
It lives deep in the shadows of forests dark and green
They’ve got big teeth and appetites - impossible to find
Whichever way you’re facing, they always hide behind!
The Goofus Bird flies backwards, winging through the air
Watching what’s behind him slowly disappear
He don’t care where he’s going - only where he’s been
Reverse is the direction he’s always flying in!
The Hoop Snake keeps his tail in-between his teeth
Looking like a circle… a reptile Yule wreath
He rolls downhill just like a tire and runs over his prey
He’s poisonous, and you’d be wise to stay out of his way!
Oh, yodel-ay-hee-hoo, I swear it’s true!
Yodel-ay-hee-hi, it ain’t no lie!
Yodel-ay-hee-hee, trust in me -
I haven’t told a lie since 1843!
And ever since then, I’m as honest as can be!
10. Newport
Instrumental
11. Voices In The Wind
They’ll tell you of a ghost along the river
A memory of things that might have been
And a long-dead flame
Flickering as a name called now and then
By voices in the wind
It lay along a great bend in the river
A quiet bay where raftsmen settled in
With their goods and stores
Soon a town was born amid the din
Of voices in the wind
Voices calling in the falling rain
Echoing along the Riverway
Try and you may hear them still today
Shadows of that hustle-bustle town
One they all believed was glory-bound
It only lives in memory now…
This little town the railroad might have chosen
The Inn, the din, the gin, the mandolin
Yes, they might have thrived - to this day survived
Through thick and thin
And all their kin
Might not have been
Voices in the wind
Voices in the wind
12. Newport
All down the river
All down the shore
Voices are calling no more
No fires burning
Winter to fall
Woods are returning… that’s all
Ghostly, the faces
Drift from the shore
Leaving no traces… Newport
13. Walks With The Gods
Wauka-Chunkmonega
“Walks With The Gods”
Singer, dreamer and Man
One with the river, the rocks
And the woods where he ran
“Walks With The Gods”
“Walks With The Gods”
The soul within the rock
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“Walks With The Gods”
Never wanted to hurt anything
And when his days were all done
He wished to stay here
And with this wild place become one
“Walks With The Gods”
“Walks With The Gods”
The soul within the rock
“Walks With The Gods”
Still you can see him:
A face in the stone
Watching the dark river wind
Watching in silence
He wild place he loves
For all time
“Walks With The Gods”
“Walks With The Gods”
The soul within the rock
“Walks With The Gods”
“Walks With The Gods”
“Walks With The Gods”
The soul within the rock
“Walks With The Gods”
14. Voices
Instrumental
15. The River Dream
Ride, ride, ride the river
You can’t hide forever
Dream… ride the river with me
You’ve got time, I’ve got time
Take the time to ride the river dream
Who they were:
Long ago, far away
Winnebago passed this way
And sang their song
Now it’s you
You and me, now’s the hour
Take the time to smell he flowers
Before they’re gone
You’ve got time, I’ve got time
Take the time to hear the river’s song
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Ride, ride, ride the river
You can’t hide forever
Dream… ride the river with me
You've got time, I’ve got time
Take the time to ride the river dream
You've got time, I’ve got time
Take the time to ride the river dream
Ride the river with me…
Ride the river dream…
Ride the river with me
