Last weekend, while exploring a canyon in California’s Gold Country near the Yuba River – researching the infamous storm of 1862, as is my usual pursuit – and enjoying a refreshing swim, something unexpected happened. Standing near the Bridgeport covered bridge, a structure I learned replaced one destroyed by that very storm, the familiar tune of “In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine…” popped into my head. Suddenly, a thought struck me: Could this well-known Clementine Song actually be about the devastating flood I was studying? Was this a hidden cultural clue to the profound impact of that storm?
While the idea felt a bit too convenient, my research has indeed uncovered subtle echoes of the 1862 storm in various cultural artifacts. There are forgotten mazurkas and waltzes from the 1860s dedicated to the floods, and even a veiled reference in the opening scenes of Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Bret Harte’s short stories, particularly The Luck of Roaring Camp, published shortly after the storm and depicting a mining camp ravaged by floodwaters, offer more direct portrayals. Yet, these are largely unknown in popular culture today.
But what about “Clementine”? The mention of a “miner, forty-niner” immediately grabbed my attention, placing the song squarely in the California Gold Rush era, which was dramatically impacted by the 1862 storm. And then there’s the drowning. Here are the lyrics to the clementine song as many of us know it:
(My Darling) Clementine by Percy Montrose (and possibly Barker Bradford)
- In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine, dwelt a miner, forty-niner, and his daughter Clementine. *[data: California after the Gold Rush of 1849]*
Chorus: Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Clementine, thou art lost and gone forever, dreadful sorry, Clementine. *[data: she’s dead]*
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Light she was and like a fairy, and her shoes were number nine, herring boxes without topses, sandals were for Clementine. (Chorus)
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Walking lightly as a fairy, though her shoes were number nine, Sometimes tripping, lightly skipping, lovely girl, my Clementine. (Chorus)
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Drove she ducklings to the water ev’ry morning just at nine, stuck her foot against a splinter, fell into the foaming brine. [data: brine? seashore near high elevation mining areas? huh? Oh, and why do ducks need to be driven to the water? Strange ducks.] (Chorus)
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Ruby lips above the water, blowing bubbles mighty fine, but, alas, I was no swimmer, so I lost my Clementine.**[data:** definitely drowned] (Chorus)
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In a churchyard near the canyon, where the myrtle doth entwine, There grow rosies and some posies, fertilized by Clementine [this verse, less commonly known, shows up a few places including here] (Chorus)
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Then the miner, forty-niner, soon began to peak and pine, thought he oughter jine his daughter, now he’s with his Clementine. (Chorus)
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I’m so lonely, lost without her, wish I’d had a fishing line, Which I might have cast about her, might have saved my Clementine. [this lesson about saving her overlaps in purpose with a later one] (Chorus)
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In my dreams she still doth haunt me, robed in garments, soaked in brine, though in life I used to hug her, now she’s dead, I draw the line. [hilarious; data: that pesky brine again] (Chorus)
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Listen fellers, heed the warning of this tragic tale of mine, Artificial respiration, could have saved my Clementine. [this 2nd ‘lesson’ verse is also less common, also shows up here] (Chorus)
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How I missed her! How I missed her! How I missed my Clementine! But I kissed her little sister and forgot my Clementine. [yeah yeah] (Chorus)
The details within the clementine song lyrics, especially the drowning, fueled my suspicion about a connection to the flood. To investigate further, I delved into the history of this seemingly simple tune.
Unearthing the Original: “Down By the River (Lived a Maiden)”
My research led me to the song’s history. While “Clementine” as we know it dates back to 1884, a generation after the storm, sources indicate it was based on an earlier song: Down By the River (Lived a Maiden). This original piece emerged in 1863, crucially, right after the devastating 1862 storm. This discovery was a significant breakthrough.
Down By the River (Lived a Maiden), penned by Henry S. Thompson, shares a similar narrative and even some phrases with “Clementine.” However, it differs significantly in tone. While “Clementine” is known for its sarcastic and almost silly nature, the original 1863 song, though a minstrel parody in its use of Black dialect, was not inherently sarcastic. It presented a more straightforward, albeit still through a minstrel lens, account of the tragic event.
The most revealing part of Down By the River comes in its final stanza: “Don’t give your ladies too much rye wine, because like as not in this wet weather they’ll share the fate of Clementine.”
The actual lyrics are:
Now all young men by me take warning, Don’t gib your ladies too much rye wine, Kase like as not in this wet wedder, Dey’ll share de fate ob Clementine.
This stanza is the key. It explicitly states that the song carries a warning, a lesson stemming from the tragic fate of Clementine, directly linked to “wet weather.” The connection to weather, and specifically wet weather causing drowning, immediately resonated with the historical context of the 1862 floods.
Lyrics as Evidence: Wet Weather and Drowning
Consider the rarity of drowning as a common danger associated with typical “wet weather.” Usually, we associate wet weather with rain, perhaps minor flooding in urban areas. But death by drowning due to wet weather as a widespread concern? This is unusual, unless we are talking about an extraordinary event.
The 1862 storm was precisely that – an extraordinary event. Hundreds of people perished in California due to drowning in the massive floods caused by weeks of relentless rain. For a song written immediately after this catastrophe to highlight “wet weather” as a cause of drowning is not just suggestive, it’s a powerful indicator. It strongly implies that Down By the River (Lived a Maiden), and by extension, the clementine song tradition, is a direct cultural reflection of the 1862 storm.
Further lyrical details in the original 1863 song reinforce this connection. The line “de wind was blowing awful” paints a picture of severe weather conditions. Moreover, in the original version, Clementine is trying to drive the ducks away from the river, a stark contrast to the later version where she drives them to the water. Why would she keep ducks away from the river? The answer points directly to the storm. During the 1862 floods, rivers became raging torrents, sweeping away everything in their path. Protecting livestock from these dangerous currents would have been a vital concern.
Historical accounts corroborate this detail. Diaries, letters, and contemporary news reports from 1862 describe rivers overflowing their banks, destroying bridges, farms, and even entire towns across the West Coast. This was not an ordinary storm; it was a widespread and prolonged disaster.
The “Brine” Mystery
The repeated use of “brine” in both versions of the clementine song presents a lyrical puzzle. In the original 1863 version, the first instance is: “Her lips were like two luscious beefsteaks, Dipp’d in tomato sauce and brine,” a rather bizarre and forced rhyme. Later, we find, “She fell into the foamy brine.”
“Brine” typically refers to saltwater or seawater. Why is “brine” mentioned in a song about a canyon and a river in the Gold Country, far from the ocean? Perhaps it’s another example of forced rhyming in the minstrel style. Or, could “brine” in this context be a misunderstanding or misremembering of “raging water”?
The phrase “foamy brine” itself is intriguing. While literally meaning foamy saltwater, “foam” strongly connotes turbulent, fast-moving water, which is certainly characteristic of floodwaters. It’s possible that “brine” was used loosely, or perhaps even intentionally, to evoke a sense of dangerous, overwhelming water – even if geographically inaccurate.
Historical Context: The Great Storm of 1862
The Great Storm of 1862 was an unprecedented weather event that devastated California and the West Coast. Weeks of atmospheric rivers brought torrential rains and massive snowfall, leading to widespread flooding that reshaped landscapes and lives. The Sacramento Valley became an inland sea, and communities across the region were submerged or destroyed. The storm’s impact was profound and long-lasting, leaving a deep scar on the collective memory of California.
Understanding this historical context is crucial to appreciating the potential depth of the clementine song. It’s not just a lighthearted folk tune; it might be a veiled, perhaps even unintentional, memorial to a tragic event that profoundly impacted the region where the song originated.
Why “Clementine” Matters
The evolution of the clementine song from the somber, warning-laden Down By the River (Lived a Maiden) to the more sarcastic and whimsical “Clementine” is itself a fascinating cultural journey. The 1884 rewrite emphasized silliness and romantic mishaps, effectively burying the potential historical context of the original. The focus shifted from a tragic drowning possibly linked to a catastrophic storm to a humorous tale of lost love and forgetfulness (“But I kissed her little sister and forgot my Clementine”).
However, by unearthing the original 1863 song and examining its lyrics within the context of the 1862 storm, we can glimpse a deeper, more poignant layer to the clementine song. It reminds us that even seemingly simple folk songs can hold hidden historical narratives, reflecting the experiences and anxieties of a particular time and place. The next time you hear or sing the clementine song, perhaps you’ll hear more than just a catchy tune, but also a faint echo of the Great Storm of 1862 and the tragic fate of Clementine, a maiden lost in “wet weather.”
Finally, for those interested in exploring the original lyrics, here is Down By the River (Lived a Maiden) by Henry S. Thompson in its entirety:
Down By the River (Lived a Maiden) by Henry S. Thompson
Down by the river there lived a maiden In a cottage built just seven by nine, And all around this lubly bower The beauteous sunflower blossoms twine.
Chorus: Oh! my Clema Oh! my Clema! Oh! my darling Clementine, Now you are gone and lost forever, I’m drefful sorry, Clementine.
Her lips were like two luscious beefsteaks Dipp’d in tomato sauce and brine, And like the cashmere goatess covering Was the fine wool of Clementine.
Her foot, Oh Golly! ‘Twas a beauty Her shoes were made of Digby pine, Two herring boxes without the tops on Just made the sandals of Clementine.
One day de wind was blowing awful I took her down some old rye wine, And listened to de sweetest cooings Ob my sweet sunflower Clementine.
De ducks had gone down to de riber, To drive dem back she did incline, She stubbed her toe and, Oh! Kersliver She fell into the foamy brine.
I see’d her lips above de waters, A blowing bubbles bery fine, But ‘twant no use, I want no swimmer And so I lost my Clementine.
Now ebry night down by de riber Her ghostess walks bout half-past nine, I know it’s her a kase I tracked her And by de smell ’tis Clementine.
Now all young men by me take warning Don’t gib your ladies too much rye wine, Kase like as not in dis wet wedder Dey’ll share de fate ob Clementine.
