The Hampshire and Hampden Canal Song
Forgotten Dreams: The Legacy of Hampshire and Hampden Canal
Lyrics
Two centuries ago, a project was begun
Two hundred years ago, a project commenced
To carry goods for sale north from Farmington
To transport goods northward from Farmington
With roads too slow and money ever tight
Due to slow roads and limited funds
A new canal was the rationale to get things moving right
A new canal was proposed to expedite transportation
Immigrants and migrants dug the ditches all by hand
Workers, immigrants, and migrants manually dug the canal
But the path they followed didn't go as planned
The route they chose didn't go as planned
They should have thought a little more about their rationale
Insufficient consideration given to their reasoning
For the Hampshire and Hampden canal
Reference to the Hampshire and Hampden canal
From New Haven to Farmington, continuing up north
Spanning from New Haven northward to Farmington
Through Westfield to Northampton, but it never proved its worth
Extending through Westfield to Northampton, but it didn't prove profitable
Expenses never stopped; investors lost their shirt
Expenses were ongoing, leading investors to lose money
Water rose as profits sank. Now nothing's left but dirt
As costs increased, profits decreased, leaving nothing but abandoned land
Blinded by their horse-drawn boats, they never saw the signs
The canal users failed to see the changing transportation methods
That all their goods were being shipped on brand new railroad lines
Goods were increasingly transported by new railroad lines
Tempers flared as builders dared to dig through fertile ground
Conflict arose as canal builders dug through fertile farmland
So farmers siphoned off the flow and soon the project drowned
Local farmers diverted water, leading to the project's failure
Could anyone now trace the paths that centuries erased
Questioning if any remnants of the canal remain today
And find the scars remaining from what was cut in haste?
Exploring the enduring marks left by the hastily constructed canal
Immigrants and migrants dug the ditches all by hand
Repetition of the manual labor involved in canal construction
But the path they followed didn't go as planned
Reiteration that the planned route didn’t succeed
They should have thought a little more about their rationale
Re-emphasis on the lack of thorough consideration for the project
For the Hampshire and Hampden canal
Reference to the Hampshire and Hampden canal
Land changed hands and what now stands was never in their plans
Ownership of the land changed, altering the intended outcome
Could they today find rationale
Reflecting on whether a rationale for the canal's construction exists today
For the Hampshire and Hampden, Farmington, New Haven
Repetition referencing the Hampshire and Hampden canal and its areas
For the long lost Pioneer Valley canal?
Wondering about the remnants or memory of the lost Pioneer Valley canal
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