Lowlands- (MA) 1868 Carmina Collegensia; Waite
[From Carmina Collegensia: a complete collection of the songs of the American Colleges edited by Henry Randall Waite; Boston: Oliver Ditson 1868. Words and Music Anonymous.
This is a college adaptation of the Oliver Ditson minstrel song (ballad), "In the Louisiana Lowlands" and is based loosley on Child 286. In 1859 (reprinted 1882 in "Minstrel Song, Old and New") Ditson published "In the Louisiana Lowlands." [See: Version 1]. The 1859 version lacks the verse about the auger and in the chorus "As we sailed" is missing- removing important parts of the ballad plot.
The same text without music appears in The American College Songster: a collection of Songs, glees, and Melodies- 1876.
R. Matteson 2014]
LOWLANDS
A boy he had an auger,
That bored two holes at once;
A boy he had an auger,
That bored two holes at once;
And some were playing cards,
And some were throwing dice,
The boy upset the tea-kettle
And drownded all the mice.
CHORUS.
As we sailed along the lowlands, lowlands, lowlands,
As we sailed along the lowlands low.
And we buried him in the lowlands, lowlands, lowlands,
And we buried him in the lowlands low.
Oh Pompey was the greatest man
That ever yet was born,
And Pompey was the greatest man
That ever yet was born;
For he could play the banjo,
And on the tambourine,
At rattling of the bones he was
The greatest ever seen.