Fall River, MA-Themed Song Is a Sentimental Blast From the Past

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — Over a century ago, one of the most prominent songs in America had the city of Fall River on the lips of everyone who sang it.

No, we’re not talking about the “Lizzie Borden took an ax” nursery rhyme – although that was pretty popular, too. The song we’re discussing is “On the Old Fall River Line,” which reached No. 6 on the Billboard charts in 1914.

The song was composed in 1913 by lyricists William Jerome and Andrew B. Sterling, with music by Harry Von Tilzer. The song was made famous at that time by singer Billy Murray – not to be confused with Bill Murray, who visited Fall River over a hundred years later to try some pierogies.

What Was the Fall River Line?

The Fall River Line was a connection between Boston and New York City that originally began as a steamship service created by Richard Borden connecting Fall River to Providence as far back as 1827.

In 1846, the addition of a railroad line made it so travelers could take a train from Boston to Fall River, New Bedford and Providence, so the steamship became a less attractive way to travel to Providence. However, Borden decided to begin offering steamship journeys from Fall River to New York City in 1847, and it was a big success.

The ships weren’t just simply ferries, either; they were often luxurious, providing first class travel accommodations to the likes of U.S. presidents and some of America’s wealthiest families such as the Astors, Rockefellers and Vanderbilts.

The steamship line continued until 1937, as automobiles eventually became the dominant form of transportation.

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What Was the Song About?

“On the Old Fall River Line” is described as the New York Social Diary website as “cheerful and up-tempo, typical of its time with a twist on marital bliss” – basically about a husband who wish he’d fallen overboard as opposed to falling in love.

The lyrics are:

On the old Fall River Line
On the old Fall River Line I fell for Susie’s line of talk
And Susie fell for mine
Then we fell in with a parson
And he tied us tight as twine
But I wish ‘oh Lord’
I fell overboard
On the old Fall River Line

New York Social Diary also says Tiny Tim and comedian Steve Martin have also covered “On the Old Fall River Line,” but we couldn’t find anything from either one of them.

However, we do have the original Billy Murray recording to share with you, so enjoy having this tune stuck in your head.