My April Tune of the Month offering features a fine song called The Rivers of Texas. Here is the text.

A few weeks ago I was invited to play and teach concertina again in Texas at the Palestine Old-Time Music and Dulcimer Festival. I took the opportunity to perform a song that I have always loved called, The Rivers of Texas.

Though I liked this song, somehow I never could bring myself to sing it in public before. I guess that’s because I‘m not from Texas and have no personal reason to sing the song. It sort of seemed out of character for me, being a Yankee Northerner.

But there I was actually in Texas, singing for Texans, and I figured that folks would probably know the song and sing along. Well, that worked pretty well. They did know the song and filled the hall with harmony.

Indeed, I saw it happen. That Yankee feller even pronounced most of the river names correctly. And then he got everyone in the auditorium singing about blueberry pie....even though we don't see much of that down here!

Next time, try getting us to sing "Whoa momma whatever you do, don't get behind on your barbecue" by the Red Clay Ramblers. We know the words to that, too!

Thank you, Jody. I've known this song all my life, from the Weavers recording (Reunion at Carnegie Hall, Part 2, 1963) and Bill Staines (The Whistle of the Jay, 1979). Recently, I found myself humming it as I was walking through downtown Austin, Tx and realized that the reason was because all the cross streets were named after Texas Rivers.

Good idea, Dan. Or would you prefer another RCR classic... "I Crept Into the Crypt and Cried"?