The Songs He Sang
Roll On, Columbia: Lyrics
As performed by Cisco Houston
Words: Woody Guthrie; Music: Traditional
Appears on:Roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Your power is turning the darkness to dawn So roll on, Columbia, roll on Green Douglas fir where the water cut through Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew Canadian Northwest to the ocean so blue It's roll on Columbia, roll on Other great rivers add power to you The Yakima, Snake, and the Klickitat, too Sandy Willamette and the Hood River too It's roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Your power is turning the darkness to dawn So roll on, Columbia, roll on There on your banks that we fought many a fight Sheridan's boys in the blockhouse that night They saw us in death but never in flight It's roll on Columbia, roll on At Bonneville now there are ships in the locks The waters have risen and cleared all the rocks Shiploads of plenty will steam past the docks So roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Your power is turning the darkness to dawn So roll on, Columbia, roll on On up the river is Grand Coulee Dam The mightiest thing ever built by a man To run the great factories and water the land Roll on, Columbia, roll on These mighty men labored by day and by night Matching their strength 'gainst the river's wild flight Through rapids and falls, they won the hard fight So roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Your power is turning the darkness to dawn So roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Roll on, Columbia, roll on Your power is turning the darkness to dawn So roll on, Columbia, roll on
Of note:
The perfect meld of the genius of two men, honoring the genius and courage of a horde of unnamed men. Woody took a simple tune (Goodnight, Irene) and heard in it the rolling of a river. And Cisco sounds better on this than on almost any other Woody song. He repeats a chorus after every two verses, tying the song together and repeating the phrase "Roll on" just enough. Some wonderful guitar playing with a glorious bass line makes you feel the rolling of the river. The Columbia is boiling and strong but not so strong now, and man has tamed this foe to bring water and electricity to an otherwise empty northwest. What a great song, from such unpromising beginnings.
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