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| From the episode: | Vestigial Peter |
|---|---|
| Singers: | Peter Griffin, Chip, Bear |
| Voices: | Seth MacFarlane |
"Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" is an African-American spiritual. It was first noted during the American Civil War at St. Helena Island, one of the Sea Islands of South Carolina. It was sung by former slaves whose owners had abandoned the island before the Union navy arrived to enforce a blockade. Charles Pickard Ware, an abolitionist and Harvard graduate who had come to supervise the plantations on St. Helena Island from 1862 to 1865, wrote the song down in music notation as he heard the freedmen sing it. Ware's cousin, William Francis Allen reported in 1863 that while he rode in a boat across Station Creek, the former slaves sang the song as they rowed.
Peter and Chip, Peter's vestigial twin, sing "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" in harmony on a camping trip in "Vestigial Peter" with Chip calling out the verses. They are later joined by a bear after Chip teaches Peter how to pacify it by rubbing its nose.
Lyrics[]
Chip: Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Peter and Chip: Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Chip: Sister help me trim the sails
Peter and Chip: Sister help me trim the sails, Hallelujah!
Sister help me tr...
[The bear arrives, frightening Peter until Chip teaches him how to pacify it. They resume the song with the bear joining in]
Peter and Chip: River Jordan is deep and wide, Hallelujah!
Chip : Join us bear!
All: Milk and honey on the other side, Hallelujah!