Seaman Song: The Lewis and Clark Dog (and Official Music Video)

May 9

About the Seaman Song:

We love dogs, all sorts of dogs. During our two visits to St. Charles, Missouri in the RV, we enjoyed learning about Seaman, the newfoundland dog who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition to the West. I decided to write a song about dear ol’ Seaman.

I learned a ton writing this song. The best resources I found were:

The National Parks Service map.
If you click on the icon, you can learn about what happened at a particular location.
https://www.nps.gov/lecl/planyourvisit/maps.htm
University of Nebraska searchable library of the Lewis & Clark journals.
As you’ll see in the video, I included some journal excerpts to help people understand some of the source material.
https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/

Admittedly, some of the lyrics are somewhat fictionalized. I have no idea how Seaman and Pomp interacted, but I’m guessing they were probably best buddies. I also embellished on the last set of lyrics about Seaman’s battle with the beaver. The double meaning was just too much to pass up.

Lastly, I’m not a professional singer or musician. Be kind.

Lyrics to the Seaman Song (about the Lewis and Clark Dog)

Verse I:
In Pittsburg Pennsylvania
Eighteen hundred and three
A pup would start his
Famous journey.

Near St. Louis
Eighteen hundred four
The young dog
joined the Discovery Corp.

He liked to hunt
And explore the trail.
He liked rabbits
And waggin’ his tail.

A hunter, a fighter
Loyal ‘till the end.
He might have been
Meriwether’s best friend.

This is the tale of Seaman
The dog who explored the West.
This newfoundland found new land
And was the nation’s best.

Verse 2:
They started near St. Charles
And followed the Mighty MO.
To the Snake and Columbia
Rivers they would go

Lewis and Clark
Had Seaman by their side
When they marveled at the bluffs
And the Continental Divide.

He saw the Great Falls
And wintered at Fort Clatsop.
When they finally reached the ocean
They were tired and distraught.

This is the tale of Seaman
The dog who explored the West.
For this newfoundland to find new land
He was put to the test.

Verse 3:
He met the Chinook,
Mandan, and Blackfeet too.
But I think his favorites
Were the Shoshone and Sioux.

He loved Sacagawea
And lil’ Pomp, her son
Who would throw a stick for a lick
They really had some fun.

The Shawnee hoped to barter for him
But Lewis said “no way.”
They needed Seaman on their trip
To help find their way.

This is the tale of Seaman
The dog who explored the West
And how Lewis almost lost him
To a Watlala theft.

Verse 4:
Now, he was a good retriever
But he never figured out
How to get around the beavers
Who liked to block his route.

Those beaver blocked his path.
Seaman couldn’t cross the dam
No matter now hard
Little Seaman swam

While Seaman was brave
He had a ghastly fright
When he wagged his tail on the trail
And got a beaver bite

Yep, the Seaman and those Beavers
They never got along.
Those beavers would not let him through
No matter how strong.

This is the tale of Seaman
And his dad Meriwether
And how Seaman and
Beaver should never play together.

Music Credits to The Seaman Song (the Lewis and Clark Dog):

(1) The music is a song called "Folk Bed" by Jason Shaw (audionautix.com) licensed under CC-BY 4.0.

(2) The lyrics/vocals/remix were created by Lana Knedlik. The lyrics/vocals/remic are what constitutes the "official music video" (not the underlying music).

Note: The starting point for the map is one available here:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition_map.svg
Goszei, from original by User:Sardon
CC BY-SA 3.0