Cumberland Gap

  Cumberland Gap is one of the songs that we played onstage at the Gardner Winter Music Festival.  It is a folksong that dates from the 19th century and maybe earlier.  For those who are a little foggy about their American history, the Cumberland Gap was the passage through the Appalachian mountains that allowed settlers to move west from Virginia to Tennessee and Kentucky.  Today of course you just give your car a bit of gas and you can go wherever you want, but when travelling in a covered wagon, you had to choose your route a little more carefully.  Hence it was enormously important to be able to avoid the mountains by travelling via the Cumberland Gap.  Because of its strategic importance, it was the site of many Civil War battles.  

   The earliest recorded version is from Uncle Am Stuart, circa 1924, and believe it or not you can listen to this recording on youtube.  The quality of the recording is kind of poor, and Uncle Am doesn't sing the lyrics.  Nevertheless, here it is,

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74O2Yl-DwSw

   My favorite version is from the Woodticks, though it is not available on the Web.  You have to contact Keith or maybe Karen Wade to obtain a copy of the Woodtick's album, which contains many of the Morgantown-style songs including Cumberland Gap. 

   Here's another version from a West Virginia fiddler who I'm sure you will recognize:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tYCGokptk8    

Rising Appalachia has a distinctly different version here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0n7XFFkSE 

...and for good measure, here is a jam version from Morgantown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyoBT3VfEFU

Some approximate lyrics are listed below.  As is the case with most Old Time songs, there are only about a million additional verses that can be added.

Cumberland Gap

G                                              Em
Me and my wife, and my wife's pap,
          G                                D    G
We're all going down to Cumberland Gap.
           G                                    Em
Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap
           G                            D             G
We're all going down to Cumberland Gap
            
G                                           Em
I've got a gal in Cumberland Gap, 
           G                        D      G    
She's got a boy who calls me Pap.
                                                Em
Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap
            G                       D       G
She's got a boy who calls me Pap.

Lay down boys, 'n take a little nap,
And you'll wake up in Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap
You'll wake up in Cumberland Gap.