"Swanee River" or "Old Folks at Home" is a minstrel tune penned by Stephen Foster in 1851. Although he never traveled to Florida or saw the Suwannee River, Foster wrote the song with the river as its backdrop. The song became famous across the United States and has been the official state melody of Florida since 1935. Nevertheless, the original lyrics had offensive language, which was later modified. The song is also known by its opening phrase, "Way Down Upon the Swanee River." Despite a 2008 contest to discover a new state song, "Old Folks at Home" endures as Florida's state song, albeit with revised lyrics.
Letter notes
E D C E
D C 8 A
8 G E C
E D C E
Number notation
3 2 1 3
2 1 8 6
8 5 3 1
2 3 2 1
This is a short preview of the song. The complete Swanee River kalimba tab (full song, clean layout, printable PDF is available below.)
Get the Full Swanee River Kalimba Tab
Learn to play Swanee River on the kalimba with this easy-to-read tablature PDF. Instantly downloadable, cleanly formatted, and designed for beginners.
