Acres of Clams

West Region

This song has become the unofficial song of the state of Washington .  It tells the story of a man who did not find his fortune during the California gold rush.  He moved north to the Puget Sound where he finally settled.

Lyrics:

1.  I’ve wandered all over this country,
     Prospecting and digging for gold.
     I’ve tunneled, hydraulicked, and cradled,
     And I have been frequently sold.

Refrain:    And I have been frequently sold.
                  And I have been frequently sold.
                  I’ve tunneled, hydraulicked, and cradled,
                  And I have been frequently sold.

2.  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, etc.

3.  So, rolling my grub in a blanket,
     I left all my tools on the ground.
     And I started one morning to shank it
     For the country they call Puget Sound .
                  For the country, etc.

4.  I staked me a claim in the forest,
     And set myself down to hard toil.
     For two years I chopped and I struggled,
     But I never got down to the soil.
                  But I never, etc.

5.  I tried to get out of the country,
     But poverty forced me to stay.
     Until I became an old settler,
     Then nothing could drive me away.
                  Then nothing, etc.

6.  And now that I’m used to the country
     I think that if man ever found
     A place to live easy and happy,
     That Eden is on Puget Sound .
                  That Eden, etc.

7.  No longer the slave of ambition,
     I laugh at the world and its shams;
     As I think of my happy condition,
     Surrounded by acres of clams.
                  Surrounded by acres, etc.

You can find a version of this song in the Songs to Read resource from
MacMillan/McGraw-Hill's Share the Music.