Jordan Road

Dan Emmett (1853), recorded by Uncle Dave Macon and His Fruit-Jar Drinkers (1927)

The song was originally written by Dan Emmett and first performed in an 1853 blackface minstrel show in New York. Uncle Dave Macon recorded it in 1927, having almost certainly learned it from traveling minstrel performers who stayed at his parents' Nashville boarding house when he was a teenager. He recomposed the verses to fit modern times. I learned it from John & Ellen Gawler.

This qualifies as one of those songs that requires care and a clear understanding of its history. I think the social / political / economic commentary, plus the good melody and singable chorus, make it one of the songs we can bring forward, leaving behind the problematic lyrics and incorporating new ones, and using it as an opportunity to learn about America's challenging history- and our history and practice of making things better.

Lyrics

I'm gonna sing you a brand new song,
It's all the truth for certain.
You got to get moving, got to get on board
And to help them folks who's a-hurtin'.

Pull off your overcoat and roll up your sleeves,
Jordan is a hard road to travel.
Pull off your overcoat and roll up your sleeves,
Jordan is a hard road to travel, I believe.

Well the public schools and the highways
Are causing the quiet and alarm,
Got a country boy educated just a little
And he won't work on the farm.

Well I don't know but I believe I'm right,
The auto's ruined the country.
Let's give back to the horse and buggy
And try and save some money.

Well I know a man, he's an evangelist,
His tabernacle's always full.
Well the people come from miles around
Just to hear him shoot the bull.

Well I don't know but I've been told,
Streets of heaven are paved with gold.
If I get there, and I hope I will,
I'm gonna sing and dance and laugh my fill.

Well my onion beds have a lot of weeds
And the task it looks quite daunting.
I see quack grass when I sleep at night
And the chickweed dreams are haunting.

Well you got to pull hard til the end of the road,
It's a wisdom for the ages.
But it's not all hard work, you know,
It's also butternut squash and sages.

Sources

• Written by Daniel Decatur Emmett (composer of "Dixie"), circa 1853
• Originally a minstrel song; became a folk/country standard
• Popularized in the recording era by Uncle Dave Macon (1920s)
• Extensively parodied during the 1856 presidential campaign

Notable Recordings

• Uncle Dave Macon - Vocalion single (1927)
• Pete Seeger - various folk recordings (1950s-60s)
• New Lost City Ramblers - various albums (1960s)

The Story

John and Ellen Gawler have a version of this song that just crackles. There's something puckish about it, a playful quality alongside that epic chorus. "Jordan is a hard road to travel" gives people a great entry point to join in.