Old Man Luedecke left the big old city of Toronto, met a girl in the Yukon, fell in love, bought a banjo and fell in love again. After a couple of years of love and banjo and the makings of a brilliant performing career in sunny Halifax, he returned to the Yukon with his sweethearts. There he woodshedded. He wrote a ton of songs over the next year and a half. He held regular gigs playing banjo in a gambling hall with can-can girls and in a honky tonk called the Snakepit accompanying piano barnacle Bob. Even made an appearance at the Dawson City Music Festival. After a time, he left again for Halifax to renew musical acquaintances and record his debut CD Mole in the Ground. That CD has become a smash on college radio, was featured on CBC's Atlantic Airwaves and is a hot item in stores and at shows. He continues to live in Halifax and perform there and around the country to ever-wider acclaims. His stage show blends hokum and inspiration into powerful and fun entertainment that will delight young and old. He's still sweet on the girl he met up there in Yukon, and the banjo
http://www.oldmanluedecke.ca
Caney Fork River
Old Man Luedecke Lyrics
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Well I first saw her on the Caney Fork River
They said her daddy'd rather shoot her than ever forgive her
Falling for one of the Macallum clan
But what do you expect he’s a feuding man
Every day before breakfast her mother said daughter
And she’d skip down the path to the cool dark eddy
That fed into the Caney Fork River
Caney Fork River
Caney Fork River
Water everywhere it’s a taker and a giver
She touched it to her body
She touched it to her lips
How I wish I was the Caney Fork River
Well there’s no use thinking that you won’t get caught
Because your lucky streak's been running on
I couldn’t swim so I started across
Hangin on to the branches of a hollow log
Well the log struck a rock and I went to the bottom
And my body washed away late last autumn
Spirit still lingers in the cool dark water
That washes the skin of Ferguson’s daughter
Caney Fork River
Caney Fork River
Water everywhere it’s a taker and a giver
She touched it to her body
She touched it to her lips
How I wish I was the Caney Fork River x2
The song Caney Fork River by Old Man Luedecke tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a member of the Macallum clan, a clan with whom her own family is feuding. The girl is so infatuated with her lover that she defies her own father, who threatens to shoot her. However, the lyrics suggest that despite the danger and the consequences, the young woman is unable to resist the temptation of love. She spends her days fetching water from a cool dark eddy that feeds into the Caney Fork River, and in doing so, she touches the water to her body and lips. The river becomes a metaphor for her passions, and the lyrics express a longing to be like the river, to have that freedom and that sense of unbridled desire.
The lyrics take a dark turn when the singer of the song tries to follow the girl across the river but is unable to swim. He grasps onto a hollow log but it strikes a rock and he falls to the bottom of the river. His body is washed away in the currents and he becomes a spirit that lingers in the cool dark water where the girl once bathed. The river becomes a symbol of both danger and desire, a force that can both take and give life.
The song is a haunting reflection on the power of love and the risks and rewards that come with it. It celebrates the freedom of desire while acknowledging the danger that comes with it. Ultimately, the Caney Fork River serves as a powerful metaphor for the human heart, with its depths and hidden currents, its capacity for love and its potential for destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I first saw her on the Caney Fork River
The singer first saw the subject on the Caney Fork River.
They said her daddy'd rather shoot her than ever forgive her
The subject's father would rather kill her than forgive her for falling in love with a member of the Macallum family.
Falling for one of the Macallum clan
The subject fell in love with a member of the Macallum family.
But what do you expect he’s a feuding man
It is expected that the Macallum family and the subject's family are feuding.
Every day before breakfast her mother said daughter
The subject's mother reminded her every morning to fetch water.
It’s time you got your bucket and went to fetch water
The subject was expected to fetch water every day.
And she’d skip down the path to the cool dark eddy
The subject would happily skip to the cool dark eddy to get water.
That fed into the Caney Fork River
The eddy supplied water to the Caney Fork River.
Well there’s no use thinking that you won’t get caught
One should not assume they won't get caught.
Because your lucky streak's been running on
The artist has been fortunate so far.
I couldn’t swim so I started across
The singer could not swim, but crossed the river anyway.
Hangin on to the branches of a hollow log
The artist held onto a log while crossing the river.
Well the log struck a rock and I went to the bottom
The log hit a rock and the singer sunk.
And my body washed away late last autumn
The singer's body was swept away by the river last autumn.
Spirit still lingers in the cool dark water
The singer's spirit remains in the river.
That washes the skin of Ferguson’s daughter
The Caney Fork River often flows over the subject's skin.
Caney Fork River
Repeated reference to the river throughout the song.
Water everywhere it’s a taker and a giver
Water can both give and take.
She touched it to her body
The subject touched the water to her body.
She touched it to her lips
The subject drank from the river.
How I wish I was the Caney Fork River
The artist desires to be the Caney Fork River.
Contributed by Caleb R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.