Farmington Canal Song

Henry Castle of Plainville CT sent this in to Eloise Hubbard Linscott 
for her book, Folksongs of Old New England, Archon, London, 1967. 
She seems to have concocted the tune.  The canal ran from New Haven to
Northhampton, until 1848 -- right now the empty ditch is just feet down the block.  
I learned it from Ellen Cohn.

Captain Dick's a gay old bird,
Yes he is, upon my word,
But that ain't no excuse
For his whiskers to be filled with tomato juice.

Click Webster never went to school,
But he can drive an ornery mule.
He chews tobacco, he drinks rum,
He can make a canal boat hum.

The boat ties up at Whiting's dock,
Three times a week about four o'clock.
Out comes Adney and old Eb too,
Gub Homer, Bella, and the rest of the crew.

They pull and haul and curse and swear, 
Unload the cargo and and repair
To the store, to liquor up in smoke,
Tell tall tales, swap lies and joke.