Roll On Columbia

Album: Columbia River Collection (1941)
Play Video
  • Roll on, Columbia, roll on
    Roll on, Columbia, roll on
    Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
    So roll on, Columbia, roll on

    Green Douglas firs where the waters cut through
    Down her wild mountains and canyons she flew
    Canadian Northwest to the oceans so blue
    Roll on Columbia, roll on

    Other great rivers add power to you
    Yakima, Snake, and the Klickitat, too
    Sandy Willamette and Hood River too
    So roll on, Columbia, roll on

    Tom Jefferson's vision would not let him rest
    An empire he saw in the Pacific Northwest
    Sent Lewis and Clark and they did the rest
    So roll on, Columbia, roll on

    It's there on your banks that we fought many a fight
    Sheridan's boys in the blockhouse that night
    They saw us in death but never in flight
    So roll on Columbia, roll on

    At Bonneville now there are ships in the locks
    The waters have risen and cleared all the rocks
    Shiploads of plenty will steam past the docks
    So roll on, Columbia, roll on

    And on up the river is Grand Coulee Dam
    The mightiest thing ever built by a man
    To run the great factories and water the land
    So roll on, Columbia, roll on

    These mighty men labored by day and by night
    Matching their strength 'gainst the river's wild flight
    Through rapids and falls, they won the hard fight
    So roll on, Columbia, roll on Writer/s: WOODY GUTHRIE
    Publisher: T.R.O. INC.
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Vivek from Bangalore, IndiaGuthrie was one of the major influences on Bob dylan. He even worte a song for guthrie when he was in the hospital, close to his death.
  • Mike from Mountlake Terrace, WashingtonOne of the most popular songs in the history of the United States, it is paean to the harnessing of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest to help farms and industry through federally-built hydroelectric power facilties. It became famous as an anthem about American public works projects arising out of FDR's New Deal in the Great Depression.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Daryl Hall

Daryl HallSongwriter Interviews

Daryl Hall's TV show is a hit, and he's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - only one of these developments excites him.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"

Jules Shear - "All Through The Night"They're Playing My Song

Shears does very little promotion, which has kept him secluded from the spotlight. What changed when Cyndi Lauper had a hit with his song? Not much, really.

Church Lyrics

Church LyricsMusic Quiz

Here is the church, here is the steeple - see if you can identify these lyrics that reference church.