Jack Haggerty Dan McGinnis I'm a heartbroken raftsman, from Greenville I came All my virtue's departed with a lass I did fain From the strong darts of Cupid I've suffered much grief And my heart's torn a-sunder, I can get no relief Of my troubles I'll tell you without much delay Of a sweet little lassie my heart stole away She's the blacksmith's fair daughter on the Flat River side And I've always intended to make her my bride I work on the river where the white waters roar And my name I've engraved on the high rocky shore I'm the boy that stands happy on the dark, burling stream But my thoughts were on Molly, she haunted my dream I gave her fine jewels, the finest of lace And the costliest muslins, her form to embrace I gave her my wages all for to keep safe I deprived her of nothing I had on this earth While I worked on the river, I earned quite a stake I was steadfast and steady, and ne'er played the rake For Camp Flat and river I'm very well known And they call me Jack Haggerty, the pride of the town 'Til she wrote me a letter which I did receive And she said from her promise, herself she'd relieve To wed with another she'd a long time delayed And the next time I'd see her she'd no more be a maid To her mother, Jane Tucker, I lay all the blame For she caused her leave and go back on my name To cast off the riggings that God was to tie And to leave me a rambler 'til the day that I die So come all ye bold raftsmen with hearts stout and true Don't trust to a woman 'cause you're beat if you do And if you do meet one with a dark chestnut curl Remember Jack Haggerty and the Flat River girl! Note: This is, strictly speaking, a 19th century American song. I've always liked it, however, and, having found the following background story couldn't resist. Also, it was written by an Irish-American or an immigrant Irishman. I haven't yet been able to find out Dan McGinnis' birthplace. From "They Knew Paul Bunyan", by E.C.Beck, 1956: "Flat River rises in Six Lakes, has a splendid mill-site at Greenville, and empties into the Grand River near Lowell. It is in what was a great pine belt of Michigan. A lively incident there is the basis of the song. When it was composed, Greenville was a small logging town and Anne Tucker's home was just across the street from her father's blacksmith shop. In the late [18]sixties big, burly, red-haired Dan McGinnis came to town. Dan knew Jack Haggerty, a good-looking fellow from Hart and Shelby. Neither Dan nor Jack was permitted to keep company with pretty Anne Tucker. McGinnis, a clever entertainer as well as a good raftsman, was assigned to the camp where George Mercer, Anne's fiance', had been promoted to woods boss. McGinnis was so aroused that he composed this shanty song, using Haggerty's name to conceal his own identity. At first Mercer was so angry that he would not permit the song sung in camp, and the Tuckers disliked it. In time the family aversion wore away, and Anne herself is said to have sung it to her Canadian friends."

© 2005 Jonathan Ramsey Irish Music Productions