Folk and Traditional Song Lyrics:
Delaware River

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Delaware River

Delaware River

A second repeat of the chorus may be added at the very end if sung in the
broadest Philadelphia accent. [Hint: ``water'' is pronounced ``wooder.'']

Hi, ho, the Delaware River,
It's gloomy and grimy and makes quite a stink.
In Philly they'll feed you the finest of foods
But it's Delaware water you drink.

'Way up in the North as a trick'lin' stream
The Delaware's born in a small mountain pass.
They call that the headwater, so it might seem
That makes Philadelphia the Delaware's . . . port.
Now, fishin' the Delaware's not too much fun,
But once I met quite a successful young man --
He told me that it was most easily done
By baiting his hook with a Budweiser can.
There's a river in Cleveland, the great Cuyahoga,
Caught fire one day just like it had been hexed,
And the people from Tinicum up to Tioga
Will tell you the Delaware's gonna be next.

Our fair city boasts of another fine creek,
Spelled S-C-H-U-Y-L-K-I-L-L.
A friend of mine drank from the Schuylkill* last week
Now he's asking for Delaware water in Hell.

Copyroght Mark Cohen 1983
[* pronounced ``skookle''
BR
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