Wikipedia tells us the first recorded reference to this song was in the Olympia, Washington newspaper the Washington Standard in April 1877. I first heard of the song in Jerry Silverman’s Folk Song Encyclopedia. Later I heard Pete Seeger’s anti-nuke version of the song on his album Sing-a-long at Sanders Theater, 1980 (Smithsonian/Folkways).
Acres Of Clams
[for chords and lyrics download PDF]
I’ve traveled all over this country,
Prospecting and digging for gold.
I’ve tunneled, hydraulicked and cradled,
And, I have been frequently sold.
And I have been frequently sold,
And I have been frequently sold,
I’ve tunneled, hydraulicked and cradled,
And, I have been frequently sold.
For one who gets riches by mining
Perceiving that hundreds grow poor,
I made up my mind to try farming,
The only pursuit that is sure.
The only pursuit that is sure,
The only pursuit that is sure,
I made up mind to try farming
The only pursuit that is sure.
So, rolling my grub in my blanket,
I left all my tools on the ground,
And started one morning to shank it
For a country they call Puget Sound.
For a country they call Puget Sound,
For a country they call Puget Sound,
And started one morning to shank it
For a country they call Puget Sound.
No longer the slave of ambition,
I laugh at the world and its shams,
And I think of my happy condition
Surrounded by acres of clams.
Surrounded by acres of clams
Surrounded by acres of clams
I’ve tunneled, hydraulicked and cradled,
And I’m surrounded by acres of clams.
* * *
The tune and lyrics are in the public domain unless otherwise noted.
The recording © copyright 2010 by Stephen Griffith and may be used by permission of the copyright holder. A note about the recording: This recording of “Acres of Clams” is a rehearsal demo recorded for YouTube on a Zoom Q3 using my 1968 Gibson Dove. The audio tracks (not used on YouTube) were recorded using two Rode Condenser Studio Microphones on a Zoom Handheld 4-trek 24-bit Recorder.
