1877: “A Parody on Jordan” doggerel
A longtime popular song got repurposed into a soldiers’ ditty in the Pacific Northwest, with some Chinook Jargon involved.
“The Other Side of Jordan” seems to have been, like some other songs we’ve found associated with Chinuk Wawa, originally a minstrel (blackface) song.
I see sheet music for it advertised as far back as 1853, when it’s already being described as “immensely popular”.
Image credit: Wikipedia
It had been made famous by The Christy Minstrels — not to be confused with the 1960s folk group The New Christy Minstrels.
It was composed as “Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel” by Uncle Dan Emmett in 1853.
For those who want to sing along, the tune is at this YouTube video.
It’s just got the one Chinook Jargon word in it, but this song fits right into our files on folksy Jargon songs & poems.
ANOTHER SCRAP OF HISTORY.
The following poem was written by a soldier
belonging to one of the volunteer companies
which participated in the battle of “Hungry
Hill,” fought in the Rogue river war of 1855-6.
It was the severest engagement of that sanguin-
ary conflict. The regulars were commanded by
Capt. Smith, and he lost about 30 men, killed
outright on the field of battle. The Indians
were under their war chief, “Limpy,” well
known to all the early settlers of Southern
Oregon. The poem, or song, rather, was re-
cently found by Dr. Meredith, of this city, who
was a comrade of the poet, among his old pa-
pers, and we give it publication now principally
on account of the fact that it was written by a
soldier by the light of the camp fire, directly
after the battle of “Hungry Hill” was fought —
a battle of the early times, and though so
bloody, now, like the battle of the Abiqua [1848], al-
most forgotten:A Parody on Jordan.
Come all ye soldier boys and listen to my song,
I will sing about a battle in the mountains;
We fought all day till near sundown,
But we never reached the other side of Jordan.CHORUS. — So off with your boots and roll up
your sleeves,
For Limpy am some in a battle;
So off with your boots and roll up your sleeves,
For Limpy am some in a battle I believe.We left Grave creek in the middle of the night,
And traveled over a road I call a hard one;
On the brow of the hill we struck a camp light,
To prepare for the other side of Jordan.Chor .- So off with your boots, etc.
O, while the boys were eating of their beef,
Some more up the hill came a running;
Says they, Capt. Smith we seen two Indians,
says he where,
Way over on the other side of the canon.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
Some of the boys straight across they did go,
We went a road I call a round one,
But before we got there we heard several guns,
Says I boys, we’re nigh hand to Jordan.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
We pulled off our coats, and we lashed them on
the packs,
And we left John Chaney to mind them;
But before he got there they all went to rack.
And I don’t believe the devil he could find
them.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
O, five men then were detailed
For to go back and help him;
The rest went on unto the battle ground,
And there they heard the Indians a yelping.Chor .- So off with your boots, etc.
We sat down on the grass for to take a little rest,
For the boys were all tired a running;
Then we got up and went down the hill,
Oh, Moses, how the bullets came a whizzing.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
I looked to the east and I looked to the west,
I seen the dragoons a coming;
With six men Capt. Smith made a charge,
But they never reached the other side of
Jordan.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
There was an old Indian, I don’t know his
name,
But Limpy they used for to call him,
He halloed chie e ho, chic e ho, chic e ho,
Till they heard him on the other side of
Jordan.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
There was a set of men its on the battle ground
O, tartars, I believe they used for to call them,
They got hungry in the gut, says they where’s
the muc-a-muc? [food]
Says I it’s on the other side of Jordan.Cher . — So off with your boots, etc.
There were two men, I knew them very well,
Late from the battle ground they started,
With an express its from Col. Ross,
To carry to the other side of Jordan.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
One got a horse at the soldiers’ camp,
The other got a mule according;
They lost their road in the middle of the night,
And they never reached the other side of
Jordan.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
It’s four dollars a day for a mule or a horse,
Four bits for a man according,
You will get your pay by the next express,
When Gen. Lane comes from Congress.Chor . — So off with your boots, etc.
JOHN CARROLL WARD,
ATHENS, Menard Co., III.
— from the Salem (OR) Weekly Oregon Statesman of March 30, 1877, page 6, column 4
