We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions lyrics

As I was walking down the street
Down the street, down the street
A pretty girl I chanced to meet
And we danced by the light of the moon

Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
Come out tonight come out tonight
Buffalo gals won't you come out tonight
And we'll dance by the light of the moon

I danced with a gal with a hole in her stocking

We were forty miles from Albany
Forget it I never shall.
What a terrible storm we had one night
On the E-ri-e - Canal.

[chorus:]
O the E-ri-e was a-rising
And the gin was a-getting low.
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
Till we get to Buff-a-lo-o-o
Till we get to Buffalo.

We were loaded down with barley
We were chock-full up on rye.
The captain he looked down at me

Paul and Silas, bound in jail
Had no money for to go their bail

Keep your eyes on the prize,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on,
Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on!

The very moment we thought we was lost,
Dungeon shook and the chains fell off,

Keep your eyes on the prize,
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on,
Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on!

Only thing that we did wrong

Mr. Frog went a courting and he did ride, uh-huh
Froggie went a courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh
Froggie went a courtin' and he did ride
Sword and pistol by his side
Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

He went down to Miss Mousie's door, uh-huh
He went down to Miss Mousie's door, uh-huh
He went down to Miss Mousie's door
Where he had often been before
Uh-huh, a-huh, uh-huh

My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation.
I hear the real, thought far off hymn
That hails the new creation
Above the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?

What through the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
What through the darkness round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.

We are climbing Jacob's ladder
We are climbing Jacob's ladder
We are climbing Jacob's ladder
Brothers, sisters, all

Every rung goes higher and higher
Every rung goes higher and higher
Every rung goes higher and higher
Brothers, sisters, all

We are dancing Sarah's circle
We are dancing Sarah's circle
We are dancing Sarah's circle
Sisters, brothers, all

Every round a generation

Jesse James was a lad
That killed many a man
He robbed the Glendale train
He stole from the rich
And he gave to the poor
Hed a hand and a heart and a brain

Well it was Robert Ford
That dirty little coward
I wonder now how he feels
For he ate of Jesses bread
And he slept in Jesses bed
And he laid poor Jesse in his grave

Well Jesse had a wife
To mourn for his life
Three children

Well, John Henry was a little baby
Sittin' on his dady's knee
He pick up a hammer and a little piece of steel,
And, "God, hammer's gonna be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Hammer's gonna be the death of me"

Now the captain he said to John Henry,
"I'm gonna bring that steam drill 'round
I'm gonna bring that steam drill out on these tracks
I'm gonna knock that steel on down,

"Oh, Mrs. McGrath," the sergeant said
"Would you like to make a soldier of your son Ted
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
Now Mrs. McGrath would you like that?"

With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa,
too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, too-ri-aa,
fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa

Now Mrs. McGrath lived on the sea shore
And after seven years or more

When they opened up the strip I was young and full of zip,
I wanted a place to call my own.
And so I made the race, and staked me out a place,
And settled down along the Cimarron.

It blowed away, it blowed away,
My Oklahoma home, it blowed away.
It looked so green and fair when I built my shanty there,
But my Oklahoma home, it blowed away.

Oh, Mary, don't you weep
Tell Martha not to moan
Pharaoh's army drowned in the Red Sea
Oh, Mary, don't you weep
Tell Martha not to moan
If I could I surely would
Stand on the rock where Moses stood
Pharaoh's army drowned in the Red Sea
Oh, Mary, don't you weep
Tell Martha not to moan

You know Jesus... He's my Friend
He picks me up when I fall down again
Every day I get on my knees and pray

Old Dan Tucker, he's a fine old man,
Washed his face in a frying pan
Combed his hair with a wagon wheel
Died of a toothache in his heel

Get out of the way! Old Dan Tucker,
You're too late to get your supper
Supper's gone, dinner is a cooking
Old Dan Tucker just a standing there looking

Old Dan Tucker, he'd come to town
Riding a billy goat, leading a hound
Hound dog barked, billy goat jumped

Pay me, you owe me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down

I thought I heard the captain say
Pay me my money down
Tomorrow is our sailing day
Pay me my money down

Pay me, you owe me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down

Late last night we went into a bar
Pay me money down
They knocked us down with the end of a spar
Pay me my money down

Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Way-aye, you rolling river
I'll take her 'cross yon rolling water
A way - we're bound away
'Cross the wide Missouri!

The Chief disdained the trader's dollars,
Way-aye, you rolling river
My daughter you shall never follow
A way - we're bound away
'Cross the wide Missouri!

For seven years I courted Sally,
Way-aye, you rolling river

Hey we shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome someday
Darlin' here in my heart, yeah I do believe
We shall overcome someday

Well we'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand someday
Darlin' here in my heart, yeah I do believe
We'll walk hand in hand someday

Well we shall live in peace, we shall live in peace
We shall live in peace someday