{"id":545,"date":"2013-07-18T11:36:28","date_gmt":"2013-07-18T15:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=545"},"modified":"2025-06-27T18:28:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T22:28:07","slug":"old-molasses-rum","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=545","title":{"rendered":"Old Molasses Rum"},"content":{"rendered":"

A great modern song in a traditional style written by the late Tom Rowe<\/a>\u00a0of the band Schooner Fare<\/a>. \u00a0The Great Molasses Disaster <\/a>of 15 January 1919 in Boston is indeed a historical fact, although only 21 are said to have died rather than the 26 mentioned in the song… traditional music license.<\/p>\n

Jos. Morneault<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oh, the African man cuts the sugar cane
\nOh, molasses!<\/strong><\/em>
\nHe works in the sun and he works in the rain
\nOh, molasses rum!<\/strong><\/em>
\nThen he loads it up on a wooden ship and he sends it off on a northern trip<\/p>\n

Singing, oh molasses, oh molasses rum<\/strong><\/em>
\nOh, molasses Old New England tea<\/strong><\/em>
\nIt killed my grandpa, killed my pa<\/strong><\/em>
\nAnd it sure as Hell is killing me<\/strong><\/em>
\nSinging, oh molasses, oh molasses rum<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

When they fought the war for the colonies\u2026
\nThey fought it over New England tea\u2026
\nWhen Old King George put a tax on it the colonies nearly took a fit\u2026<\/p>\n

In the time of the 1917 war
\nMolasses sitting on the Boston shore
\nWhen they pumped it in it was twelve degrees, a long cold night in a Boston freeze<\/p>\n

In the morning it was 42
\nMolasses vat split clean in two
\nTwo million gallons covered the bay, 26 people drowned in the flood that day<\/p>\n

My grandpa he died cutting cane
\nMy pa went down in the great brown rain
\nBut I won\u2019t go in a pool of blood, no I won\u2019t drown in a black-strap flood
\nStill, I\u2019ll go down to molasses, oh molasses rum<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n