She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain

(a.k.a. Comin' 'Round The Mountain)

Words & Music:

Traditional American

According to Wikipedia in early 2008, the song is believed to date from the 1800s and was based on the Negro Spiritual "When The Chariot Comes". This version developed as it spread through Appalachia and Midwestern railroad gangs. It was first published in Carl Sandburg's "The American Songbag" in 1927. The labor & community organizer Mary Harris "Mother" Jones is thought to be the inspiration behind the lyrics. It is sometimes sung as a "call & response" (one person singing the first line and the others answering). At camp, the "response" would be the words in italics at the end of the lines; usually performed with appropriate hand gestures.

She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes. [When she comes!]

G D7

She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes. [When she comes!]

She'll be coming 'round the mountain,

G D7 G

She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes. [When she comes!]

She'll be driving six white horses when she comes. [Yee-hah!]

She'll be driving six white horses,

She'll be driving six white horses when she comes. [Yee-hah!]

Oh, we'll all come out to meet her when she comes. [Hi, there!]

Oh, we'll all come out to meet her,

Oh, we'll all come out to meet her when she comes. [Hi, there!]

We will kill the old red rooster when she comes. [(rooster sound)]

We will kill the old red rooster,

We will kill the old red rooster when she comes. [(rooster sound)]

We'll all have chicken 'n' dumplin's when she comes. [Mmmm-mmmm!]

We'll all have chicken 'n' dumplin's,

We'll all have chicken 'n' dumplin's when she comes. [Mmmm-mmmm!]