[Verse 1]
We were forty miles from Albany
Forget it I never shall
What a terrible storm we had one night
On the E-ri-e Canal

[Chorus]
Oh, the E-ri-e was a-risin'
And the gin was a-gettin' low
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
'Til we get to Buffalo
'Til we get to Buffalo

[Verse 2]
The barge was full of barley
And the crew was full of rye
The captain, he looked down on me
With a dag-gone wicked eye

[Chorus]
Oh, the E-ri-e was a-risin'
And the gin was a-gettin' low
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
'Til we get to Buffalo
'Til we get to Buffalo
[Verse 3]
Well, the captain he stood up on deck
With a spyglass in his hand
And the fog it was so doggone thick
That he couldn't spy the land

[Chorus]
Oh, the E-ri-e was a-risin'
And the gin was a-gettin' low
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
'Til we get to Buffalo
'Til we get to Buffalo

[Verse 4]
Now, two days out from Syracuse
The vessel struck a shoal
We'd like to all be foundered on
A chunk of Lackawanna coal

[Chorus]
Oh, the E-ri-e was a-risin'
And the gin was a-gettin' low
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
'Til we get to Buffalo
'Til we get to Buffalo
[Banjo Solo]

[Verse 5]
The cook she was a grand old gal
She wore a ragged dress
We heisted her upon the pole
As a signal of distress

[Chorus]
Oh, the E-ri-e was a-risin'
And the gin was a-gettin' low
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
'Til we get to Buffalo
'Til we get to Buffalo

[Verse 6]
Now, the captain he got married
The cook she went to jail
And I'm the only son of a sea cook
Left to tell the tale

[Chorus]
Oh, the E-ri-e was a-risin'
And the gin was a-gettin' low
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
'Til we get to Buffalo
'Til we get to Buffalo
Oh, the E-ri-e was a-risin'
And the gin was a-gettin' low
And I scarcely think we'll get a drink
'Til we get to the city of Buffalo
'Til we get to Buffalo