The Saskatchewan Rover

from A Saskatchewan Tradition by Swathbucklers

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$1 CAD or more
Buy the Full Digital Album

about

I noticed that there were lots of songs about travelling and especially about ships in folk songs in almost every country. What would be our ship in landlocked Saskatchewan? Obviously a huge boat of a car!

This is a song about a typical Friday night cruise we would have done in rural Saskatchewan into ‘the city’. Does anyone else remember “purple gas” for our farm vehicles?

True story, only the names have been changed!

lyrics

The Saskatchewan Rover

in another time under the grand prairie skies
we set out for mighty Regina
she was a boat for sure built in nineteen seven four
as a ship there never was a finer
she slept seven in the back seat and three in the trunk
we filled her tank with purple and got drunk as a skunk

floating down the road like a riverboat of old
forever Saskatchewan’s Rover

there was Johnny Keho from the banks of Sheho
and Whitty from the county of Burnt
with Randy McClerk who was plain scared stiff of work
and some guy we just knew as Stone
Though big and grand she was we couldn’t fit ‘em all
she was bursting at the seems and filled to her hull

floating down the road like a riverboat of old
forever Saskatchewan’s Rover

It started to rain and the wind blew insane
outside grew colder and colder
she started to list but then we were all pissed
and seldom sober

floating down the road like a riverboat of old
forever Saskatchewan’s Rover

pretty Sarah McCool was drunk as a rule
her man became a pretty good fighter
she flirted with guys and he blackened their eyes
it was gonna happen on this all nighter
she started to dance and soft Fred saw his chance
and not with a glance he was flat on his pants

floating down the road like a riverboat of old
forever Saskatchewan’s Rover

credits

from A Saskatchewan Tradition, released June 1, 2015
Robin Jordan

license

about

Swathbucklers Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

We set out to record a fun, upbeat song about our home (Legend of Boh) and ended up with eight tunes recorded!

Hope you like 'em.

contact / help

Contact Swathbucklers

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Swathbucklers, you may also like:

Early Autumn
by Climax Landers

The second album from Climax Landers (ex-Old Table) offers winning songs that balance sharp lyrics with endearing indie rock melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 14, 2018
go to album
Songs of my land
by Chiyomi Yamada

Ancient Japanese folk songs are presented with Western folk-pop arrangements to haunting, elegant effect. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 13, 2024
go to album
Dakota Blue Moon
by Jackson Harden

Gorgeous acoustic Americana from North Carolina, stripped-back and sublime. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 5, 2023
go to album
Anásana
by Maroulita de Kol

An stunning debut that explores Greek folk tradition through a dreamy musical ecosystem. Bandcamp Album of the Day Jul 31, 2023
go to album
Endurance Soundly Caged
by Stick In The Wheel

Adapting their calculated standards into a raw, live setting, the radical UK folk duo rework six highlights from their spellbindincatalogue. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 7, 2022
go to album
The Water is the Shovel of the Shore
by Shovel Dance Collective

Traditional folk music and field recordings meld into fascinating long-form sound collages on the new LP from Shovel Dance Collective. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 6, 2022
go to album
Lammas Fair
by Henry Parker

Singer-songwriter Henry Parker puts his own spin on the classic sounds of '60s and '70s British folk on this wilderness-inspired new LP. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 9, 2021
go to album