Archive for the ‘Siren Sounds’ Category
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #43 and last sequel
Update for The Art of the Siren #1: Baby Gramps: Cape Cod Girls:
Sirens are the better mermaids. Unlike mermaids, sirens have a knack for music and are endued with legs and feet and everything in between. Since October of 2008, Moby-Dick™ has been undertaking to honour this adorable life-form with maritime songs and depictions of fine marine ladies. We started out with Baby Gramps: Cape Cod Girls, collected them in a YouTube playlist Rogue’s Gallery and a weblog category Siren Sounds.
Wherever the image owners were known and available, I asked them for permission for their artwork. It was a rewarding experience to see how all were more than ready and eager to see their picture used in a pirate song, and proved to be really nice folks.
In one case, YouTube threatened to ban me for using a 19th century painting featuring a woman’s bare breasts. They accepted a censored version, and they did not threaten me for Loudon Wainwright III.’s filthy ballad Good Ship Venus. The latter is the most-visited song in the collection, probably due to the “external link” from the song’s Wikipedia article, as we cover all known information about it, arrr.
Sometimes the lyrics were hard to comprehend or find. Especially chantey expert Hulton Clint from Mystic Seaport helped with broad and deep knowledge and native competence. Thank you, ye salty sea-dog!
One of the musicians was not willing to see his music made public and got his song deleted from YouTube. This was the point to move from there to the user-friendly platform of Vimeo, which supports music and renders video uploads in good quality.
The songs altogether are taken from the already legendary CD project Rogue’s Gallery from 2006. I dearly warn from ripping and downloading it — if you like it, buy it: ANTI- is one of very few relevant record labels in the world.
These Siren Sounds are the first section inside Moby-Dick™ we could conclude. Thanks again to the fine boat-building redhead lady Paperboatcaptain, who once upon a time gave the CD to me for a present, and all who gave a damn.
Song: Ralph Steadman: Little Boy Billy (5:33 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Images: Levi Bunyan: Laura Plummer from Aberdeen, 29. August 2010.
Lyrics:
1.: There were three men of Bristol city,
they stole a ship and went to sea.2.: There was Gorging Jack and Guzzling Jimmy
and also little boy Billy.3.: They stole a tin of the captain’s biscuits
and one large bottle of whiskey.4.: But when they reached the broad Atlantic,
they had nothing left but one split pea.5.: Said Gorging Jack to Guzzling Jimmy:
There’s nothing left so I’m going to eat thee.6.: Said Guzzling Jimmy: I’m old and toughish,
So let’s eat little boy Billy.7.: Oh little boy Billy, we’re gonna kill and eat ya,
so undo the top button of your little chamois.8.: Oh may i say my catechism
that my dear mother tought to me?9.: He climbed up to the main topgallant,
and there he fell upon his knee.10.: But when he reached the eleventh commandment,
he cried: Yo ho, Holland I see.11.: I see Jerusalem and Madagascar
and North and South Americie.12.: I see the British fleet at anchor
and our Admiral Nelson K. C. B.13.: They hung Gorging Jack and Guzzling Jimmy,
but they made an admiral of little Billy.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A humorous fo’c’sle song of obscure origin. There was actually a time, before 1885, when eating the cabin boy in an emergency was an accepted part of the custom of the sea. In 1885, legal precedent was set when three shipwrecked British sailors were convicted of murder for eating their 17-year-old cabin boy, Richard Parker, before their rescue. Life was imitating art in the spookiest of ways. In 1837, Edgar Allan Poe published a story in which three shipwrecked sailors ate their cabin boy. His name in Poe’s story: Richard Parker.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #42
Song: Lou Reed: Leave Her Johnny (5:31 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Lo: Little Mermaid, August 4, 2010.
Lyrics:
1.: Oh, the times are hard and the wages low,
leave her Johnny, leave her.
I guess it’s time for us to go,
and it’s time for us to leave her.1.: Oh, I thought I heard the old man say:
Tomorrow you will get your pay.2.: Liverpool Pat with his tarpaulin hat,
it’s Yankee John the packet rat.3.: It’s rotten beef and weevily bread,
it’s pump or drown the old man said (ah huh).4.: We’d be better off in a nice clean jail
with all night and plenty of ale.5.: The mate was a bucko and the old man a Turk,
the bosun was a beggar with the middle name of work.6.: The cook’s a drunk, he likes to booze.
‘tween him and the mate there’s a little to choose.7.: I hate to sail on this rotten tub.
No grog allowed and rotten grub.8.: No Liverpool bread, nor rotten cracker hash,
no dandy funk, nor cold and sloppy hash.9.: The old man shouts, the pumps stand by —
Oh, we can never suck her dry.10.: Now I thought I hear the old man say:
Just one more pull and then belay.Fade-out: It’s time for us to leave her,
it’s time for us to leave her,
for the voyage is done and the winds don’t blow,
and it’s time for us to leave her.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This chantey traditionally allowed for the airing of grievances at the end of a voyage and was used at the capstan while warping her in, or in the final session at the pumps. Very obscene verses were sometimes sung.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #41
Song: Jarvis Cocker: A Drop of Nelson’s Blood (7:13 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Images: Wang: the pretty creek killer, August 1, 2010.
Lyrics:
1.: A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind.Chorus: And we’ll roll the old chariot along
Yeah, we’ll roll the golden chariots along
We’ll roll the old chariots along
And we’ll all hang on behind.2.: A plate of Irish stew wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind.3.: A night with some girls wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind.Keep rolling (repeat until crescendo).
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Sometimes called Roll the Old Chariot, this chantey was originally based on a Salvation Army revival song. Nelson’s blood is British sailors’ slang for rum. Lord Nelson’s body was placed in a cask of rum (or brandy by some accounts) to preserve it for burial after he was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar. According to tradition, when the cask was opened, Nelson was there but the alcohol was gone.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #40
Song: Jolie Holland: The Grey Funnel Line (4:53 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Erin Audry: Somewhere, March 24, 2010.
Lyrics:
1.: Don’t mind the rain or the rolling sea
The weary nights never trouble me
But the hardest time on a sailor’s day
Is to watch the sun as it sinks away
Just one more day on the Grey Funnel Line.2.: O, finest ship that sails the sea
Is still a prison for the likes of me
But if I had wings like Noah’s dove
I’ll fly up harbour to the one I love
Just one more day on the Grey Funnel Line.3.: Now there was a time when I was free
Like a floating spar on the rollin’ sea
But now that spar has washed ashore
And it comes to rest at my real love’s door
Just one more day on the Grey Funnel Line.4.: O, every time I gaze behind the screws
How I long to be in Saint Peter’s shoes
Then I’d walk on down that Silver Lane
And I take my real love in my arms again
Just one more day on the Grey Funnel Line.5.: O Lord if only dreams were real
Then I’d put my hands on that wooden wheel
And with all my heart I’d turn her round
And I tell the boys that we’re homeward bound.6.: So I’ll pass the time like some machine
Until the blue ocean turns to green
Then I’ll dance on down that walk ashore
And sail the Grey Funnel Line no more
I’ll sail the Grey Funnel Line no more.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This song was written by Cyril Tawney (1930–2005) [Wikipedia; Official], one of Britain’s greatest songwriters and traditional folk singers. Cyril also served for over 12 years in the Royal Navy, and this song is based on those experiences. The Grey Funnel Line is a nickname for the modern Royal Navy.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #39
Song: Sting: Shallow Brown (2:31 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Erin Audry: Somewhere, March 24, 2010.
Lyrics:
1.: Fare thee well, me Juliana,
(Shallow, oh Shallow Brown).
Fare thee well, me Juliana,
(Shallow, oh Shallow Brown).2.: And it’s shallow in the morning,
just as the day was dawning.3.: Yes our packet leaves tomorrow,
and it fills my heart with sorrow.4.: Oh me wife and baby grieve me,
it just breaks me heart to leave ye.5. = 1.
The song in Wikipedia.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
The word shallow here is probably derived from challo, a West Indian word meaning half-caste. This beautiful sentimental song was first used for the pumps and later as a halyard chantey.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #38
Song: Van Dyke Parks: Greenland Whale Fisheries (4:41 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Anke Merzbach: [ the world revolving around your spinning head ], November 4, 2008.
Lyrics:
(Many thanks to Mermaids’ Retreat!)
1.: In eighteen hundred and forty-six,
T’was March of the eighteenth day,
We hoisted our colors to the top of the mast
And for Greenland bore away, brave boys,
And for Greenland bore away.2.: The lookout in the crosstrees stood
With a spyglass in his hand:
“There’s a whale, there’s a whale,
A whalefish,” he cried
And she blows at every span.3.: Now the boats were launched and the men aboard,
And the whale was full in view.
Resolved it was each seaman bold
To steer it where the whalefish blew.[Solo]
4.: We stuck that whale and the line played out,
And the whale made a flounder with her tail.
The boat capsized and we lost a gallant crew,
And we never caught that whale.5.: “To lose those men,” our captain said,
“It grieves my heart full sore,
But to lose the sale of a hundred barrel whale,
Well, it grieves me ten times more.”6.: Now Greenland is a dreadful place,
A place that’s never green,
Where there’s ice and snow, and the whalefishes blow
And the daylight’s seldom seen.
The song in Wikipedia.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
An American whaling song sometimes used as a capstan chantey. This song vividly captures both the thrill and danger of whaling in the 19th century. In some versions the captain is more grieved at the loss of his men, but this version, where he’s more grieved by the loss of the whale, was perhaps more likely.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #37
Song: Baby Gramps: Old Man of the Sea (5:18 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Rotschopf-Image: Connor Creagan, October 3, 2009.
Lyrics:
1.: At times I feel the shapeliest of mermaids
course through my veins,
but the feel of these shapely mermaids
of course is only in vain.2.: I would let the seaweed splash
upon my eyelash.
I would let the seaweed splash, splash, splash
upon my eyelash.3.: If I were the Old Man of the Sea,
I would bathe the lovely mermaids.
If I were the old man of the seawee-, wee-, seaweeds,
I’d bathe the lovely mermaids.4.: Now I dreamt I saw an old mermaid snorkel
down dangle from the ships portal,
and when I tiptoed to peep in (in a bucket of absinthe),
saw she was soaking her fins.5.: I would let Miss Octopus
brush and braid my bush.
I’d let miss Octo-, Miss Octopus
brush and braid my bush.6.: If I were the Old Man of the Sea,
I would bathe the lovely mermaids.
If I were the Old Man of the Sea,
I’d bathe the lovely mermaids.7.: At times I feel the shapeliest of mermaids
course through my veins,
but the feel of these shapely mermaids
of course is only in vain.8.: I would let the seaweed splash
upon my eyelash.
I would let the seaweed splash, splash, splash
upon my eyelash.9.: If I were the Old Man of the Sea
I would bathe the lovely mermaids.
If I were the old man of the seawee-, wee-, seaweeds,
I’d bathe the lovely mermaids.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Sailors often attributed human qualities and consciousness to many aspects of their watery environs. Belief in mermaids, the Old Man of the Sea, malicious winds, and the like persist to this day.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #36
Song: Stan Ridgway: Hanging Johnny (3:28 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist’s website;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Images: Chih-Han Hsu and Victor Tango:
Your Cold Feet Only Stirred Up Dark Ripples,
Queensland, Australia, November 7, 2009.
Lyrics:
1.: They call me hanging Johnny,
hee yay-hay-i-o
I never hanged nobody
(and it’s) hang, boys, hang.2.: First I hanged your mother,
Me sister and me brother.3.: I’d hang to make things jolly,
I’d hang all wrong and folly.Chorus.: A rope, a beam, a ladder,
I’ll hang ye all together
Well next I hanged me granny
I’d hang the wholly family.4.: They call me hanging Johnny,
I never hanged nobody.(Solo)
Bridge.: Come hang, come haul together,
Come hang for finer weather,
Hang on from the yardarm,
Hang the sea and buy a big farm.5.: They call me hanging Johnny,
I never hung nobody.6.: I’d hang the mates and skippers,
I’d hang ’em by their flippers.7.: I’d hang the highway robber,
I’d hang the burglar jobber.8.: I’d hang the noted liar,
I’d hang a bloated friar.9.: They say I hung a copper,
I gave him the long dropper.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A maneuver called swigging was sometimes used to give a last strong tightening pull on a halyard. This essentially involved one or more sailors reaching high and hanging on the line with their full weight-hence, the association with hanging at the halyards where this chantey was used.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #35
Song: Ed Harcourt: Farewell Nancy (6:06 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Artist Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith’s Myspace page;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Blonde Lara Images: De Koekkoek: Harmony and Lara, July 14, 2006.
Lyrics:
1. “Fare you well me lovely Nancy for it’s now I must leave you,
All along the Southern sea I am bound for to go.
Don’t let my long absence be no trouble to you,
For I shall return in the spring as you know.”2. “Like some pretty little seaboy I’ll dress and go with you,
In the deepest of dangers I shall stand your friend.
In the cold stormy weather when the winds are a-blowing,
My dear I’ll be willing to wait for you then.”3. “Well, your pretty little hands they can’t handle our tackle,
And dour dainty little feet to our topmast can’t go.
And the cold stormy weather love you can’t well endure,
I would have you ashore when the winds they do blow.4. So fare you well me lovely Nancy for it’s now I must leave you,
All along the Southern sea I am bound for to go.
As you must be safe I’ll be loyal and constant
For I shall return in the spring as you know.”
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This ballad was published in Joyce’s Ancient Irish Music (1873). There are published versions of closely related songs going back to at least 1810. In some versions of the story Nancy does indeed dress in men’s clothing and follow William to sea. In a related song, Jack Monroe, Nancy’s sailor is wounded and she saves him.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #34
Song: David Thomas: Drunken Sailor (3:44 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Official biography David Thomas;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Joan Blondell via Tom Sutpen.
Lyrics:
1. What do we do with a drunken sailor,
early in the morning?2. Put him in the longboat till he’s sober.
3. What shall we do with a drunken soldier?
There are many versions known. See Wikipedia and follow links.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This stamp-and-go chantey is one of the best known and also quite old. A printed version from the 1830s differs little from the modern one.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #33
Song: John C. Reilly: Fathom the Bowl (3:44 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Songs playlist.
Image: Cashboxx: wash away what I’ve done, December 31, 2007.
Lyrics:
1.: Come all you bold heroes, give an ear to me song
And well sing in the praise of good brandy and rum
It’s a clear crystal fountain near Ireland doth roll
Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl.Chorus: I’ll fathom the bowl, I’ll fathom the bowl,
Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl.2.: From France we do get brandy, from Jamaica comes rum,
Sweet oranges and apples from Portugal come.
But stout and strong cider are Ireland’s control
Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl.3.: Me wife she do disturb me when I’m laid at my ease
She does as she likes and she says as she please
Me wife, she’s the devil, she’s black as the coal
Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl.4.: My father he do lie in the depths of the sea
With no stone at his head but what matters for he
It’s a clear crystal fountain, near Ireland doth roll
Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl.5. = 1.
[Edit:]
MetaGrrrl varied one of the verses, explaining:
And I’m bemused by all the sodden innuendo being omitted in those notes over there. My jolly band of wenches was fond of this added verse:
My husband don’t disturb me when we’re laid at our ease,
for he does what I like & he does what doth please;
my husband’s a stallion, no limp-legged foal;
for he’s the punch ladle to fathom my bowl.
[/Edit]
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A classic drinking song from Colonial times. To fathom here means to test the depth. Punch was once synonymous with the modern mixed drink. Sailors used to view it as an absolute daily entitlement. The grog ration in Nelson’s time contained nearly 12 ounces of rum by modern measure, daily.
Wikipedia:
“Fathom the Bowl” (Roud 880) is an English Drinking song, probably dating from the nineteenth century. The ingredients of punch include expensive spirits, too expensive for ordinary people. This has led to the suggestion that the song would be sung by smugglers. This might place it in the late eighteenth century or early nineteenth century. It might also explain the dead man at the bottom of the sea. On the other hand it might a song sung by wealthy middle-class young gentlemen or military officers, which gradually made its way down the social ladder. The use of the word “fathom” is the lesser used verb form, to measure the depth of something. This would rarely be used by non-sailors, which may also be taken to imply something about the lyricist.
The fact that the early versions are almost identical to current versions implies that it has been valued for the simplicity of the words. It is also very compact in geographical spread. Almost all collected version are from the south of England, and none were collected outside England.
The song implies a camaraderie with all those who hear the song and is ideal for singing in a chorus. Appropriately, there is a beer made by the brewery called “West Berkshire” called “Fathom the Bowl”. The earliest printed broadside are Such (London, between 1863 and 1885), Fortey (London, between 1858 and 1885), Hedges (London) and Pitts (London). The song was published in 1891 in a songbook, “English Folk Songs” by William Alexander Barrett. It was collected by Baring-Gould, Cecil Sharp (1907) and George Gardiner (Hampshire 1906). There is almost no variation in the text. It is also known as “The Punch Ladle” or “Bowl Bowl”.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #32
Song: Andrea Corr: Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold (3:58 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Official website Andrea Corr;
songs playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Kissing Sailor, Life Magazine, New York Times Square, August 14, 1945:
Old sailor bold Glenn Edward McDuffie has been found at last! — and immediately spoofed.
Lyrics:
1. There lived a rich nobleman’s daughter
Caroline is her name we are told.
One day from her drawing-room window
she admired a young sailor bold.2. “Oh”, she cried, “I’m a nobleman’s daughter,
my income’s five thousand in gold.
I’ll forsake both my father and mother
and I’ll marry a young sailor bold.”3. Says William, “Fair lady, remember
your parents you are bound to mind.
In sailors there are no dependence
for they leave their true lovers behind.”4. And she says, “There’s no one could prevent me
one moment to alter my mind.
In the ships I’ll be off with my true love
and he never will leave me behind.”5. Three years and a half on the ocean
and she always proved loyal and true,
her duty she did like a sailor
dressed up in her jacket of blue.6. When at last they arrived back in England
straightaway to her father she went.
“Oh father, dear father, forgive me,
deprive me forever of gold.
Just grant me one favour I ask you
to marry a young sailor bold.”7. Her father looked up on young William
in love and in sweet unity:
“And if I be spared ’til tomorrow,
it’s married this couple shall be.”
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A 19th century Irish folk ballad, probably first recorded by Joe Heaney in the early 1960s. This is the classic story of a young woman in love with a sailor who follows him to sea, dressed as a man. The unusual twist is that it all ends so happily.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #31
Song: Ricky Jay & Richard Greene: The Fiddler/Roll the Old Chariot (1:34 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Official websites Ricky Jay, Richard Greene; song playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: The Mother Teresa of New Orleans: Fiddle Girl.
Fiddle tune: Roll the Old Chariot. Lyrics of the story of the fiddler:
Why upon this lovely day
must that wretched fiddler play?
All the sky once stainless blue
every note he strikes untrue.Summer deep, embowered in flowers
silent music, in the hours
in the east a feather moon
man that fiddler out of tune.God’s hand never slipped a mar
at the making of a star.
There no truce excuse yet made
for the bungler at his prey.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
One of the realities of shipboard life is being cooped up in a small space with the same people day after day. This fiddler is playing Roll the Old Chariot. Perhaps he’s playing it over and over and over. Murders have been committed for less.
Explanation for fiddle tune Roll the Old Chariot according to Arrr!:
The story goes that after Lord Nelson fell in the Battle of Trafalgar he was sealed in a cask of rum to preserve his body and, hearing this, the crew decided to drink their fill.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #30
Song: Martin Carthy & Family: Hog-Eye Man (2:45 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Official artist site; song playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Miss Marjorie Joesting: Rock On: 1926.
Marjorie, the future Mrs. Arthur Lange, was both Miss Washington, D.C., and a Miss America runner-up at Atlantic City in 1926.
National Photo Company Collection glass negative, August 2, 1926.
Lyrics:
1. Oh, hand me down my riding cane,
I’m off to meet my darlin’ Jane.Chorus: And a hog-eye!
Railroad navvy with his hog-eye,
Steady on a jig with a hog-eye-o,
She wants the hog-eye man!2. Oh, the hog-eye man is the man for me,
Sailin’ down from o’er the sea. — Chorus.3. Oh, he came to the shack where Sally did dwell,
He knocked on the door, he rung a bell. — Chorus.4. Oh, who’s been here since I been gone,
Railroad navvy with his sea boots on. — Chorus.5. If I catch him here with Sally once more,
I’ll sling me hook, go to sea once more. — Chorus.6. Oh, Sally’s in the garden sifting sand,
Her hog-eye man sittin’ hand in hand. — Chorus.7. Oh, Sally’s in the garden, punchin’ dough,
The cheeks of her arse go chuff, chuff, chuff! — Chorus.8. Oh, I won’t wear a hog-eye, damned if I do,
Got jiggers in his feet and he can’t wear shoes. — Chorus.9. Oh, the hog-eye man is the man for me,
He is blind and he cannot see. — Chorus.10. Oh, a hog-eye ship and a hog-eye crew,
A hog-eye mate and a skipper too. — Chorus.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A hog-eye was apparently a type of barge used in the canals and rivers of America from the 1850’s onward. Thus, “hog-eye man” was used in derogation by the deep water sailors who used this chantey at the capstan. Many of the original verses to this chantey were far too obscene to have ever found their way into print.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #29
Song: Akron/Family: One Spring Morning (5:25 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Official band site; song playlist.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Playboy via Never Sea Land.
Lyrics:
It was one morning in the spring
I went on board to serve the king,
I left my dearest dear behind,
Who often times told me her heart was mine.When I came back to her father’s hall
Inquiring for my jewel
Her cruel father this reply
Her momma says if you denyOh she has married another man
A richer man for all his life
A richer man for all his life
And he has made her his lawful wifeOh God curse gold and silver too
And all false women who won’t prove true
For some will take and then will break
All for the sake of richeryOh stop young man don’t talk too fast
The fault is great but none of mine
The fault is great but none of mine
Don’t speak so hard of the female kindIf I had gold you might have part
As I have none you’ve gained my heart
You’ve gained it all with a free good will
So keep my vows and hold them stillSince hard fortune around me frowns
I’ll sail this ocean round and round
I’ll sail this ocean until I die
I’ll quit my ways on the mountain high
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Whenever sailors go to sea, they risk the loss of everything left behind. Those left onshore wait with the uncertainty of when or whether the sailor will return. Sometimes, as in this British Isles ballad, they don’t wait.
Internal news: Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #9, the Spanish Ladies song by Bill Frisell, has been equipped with a censored image as well to become G-rated in Youtube’s eyes. Shame over William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1885.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #28
Song: Bryan Ferry & Antony,
which is Antony Hegarty from Antony and the Johnsons;
featuring Kate St John on oboe:
Lowlands Low (2:36 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Images: Alkalinemouse: just hanging around, April 6, 2009;
Uncle Kuntz: ^uk^ LOST takes another twist, May 4, 2009.
Lyrics:
Our packet is the island lass,
Low lands lowlands lowlands low.
There’s a laddie howlin’ at the main topmast,
Low lands lowlands lowlands low.The old man hails from Barbados.
He’s got the name of Hammer Toes.
He gives is us bread as hard as brass.
Our junk’s as salt as Balaam’s arse.(Solo)
The monkey’s rigged in a soldier’s clothes.
Now, where he got ’em from, no one knows.
We’ll haul ’em high and let ’em dry.
We’ll trice ’em up into the sky.
It’s up aloft that yard must go.
Up aloft from down below.(Solo)
Lowlands, me boys, and up she goes.
Get changed, me boys, to your shore-going clothes.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This is a classic halyard chantey once popular in the West Indies. Many of the verses are direct references to getting the sails aloft. The lowlands was originally a reference to the Netherlands.
And Hulton “Ranzo” Clint adds:
This is a direct copy/cover of the recording by Ian Campbell, not the of “tradition” generally. Basically, Stan Hugill learned it from a chanteyman named “Tobago Smith,” and he printed it in his 1961 book. Campbell, presumably, read it in that book and made the recording. [He changed the objectionable word “nigger” to “laddie.” However, this was a song sung by Black sailors, who used that word in those days. By use of the word “laddie,” I think it perpetuates the misconception that chanteys were the domain chiefly of English/Irish/Scottish.] There is little or no other documentation of the chantey outside of Hugill’s text, so it is really stretching that ANTI calls it “a classic halyard chantey.” Also, “lowlands” in this obviously has nothing to do with the Netherlands! Their liner notes are a bit sketchy…
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #27
Song: Nick Cave: Pinery Boy (3:15 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Patrick Fraser: Ghostparties, April 2, 2009.
Lyrics:
“O father, o father, build me a boat,
Then down the Wisconsin I may float,
And every raft that I pass by
There I will inquire for my sweet Pinery Boy.”As she was rowing down the stream
She saw three rafts all in a string.
And she hailed the pilot as they passed by
And there she did inquire for her sweet Pinery Boy.“O pilot, o pilot, tell me true,
Is my sweet Willie among your crew?
Oh, tell me quick and give me joy,
For none other will I have but my sweet Pinery Boy.Oh, auburn was the color of his hair,
His eyes were blue and his cheeks were fair.
And his lips were of a ruby fine;
Ten thousand times they’ve met with mine.”“O dear dear lady, he is not here.
He has drownded in the dells I fear.
‘Twas at Lone Rock as we passed by,
Oh, there is where we left your sweet Pinery Boy.”She wrung her hands and tore her hair,
Just like a lady in great despair,
She rowed her boat against Lone Rock
For a Pinery Boy her heart was broke.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
An early American folk ballad which tells of a young woman’s desperate search for her timber raftsman lover on the Wisconsin river. She takes to a raft herself to find him, but alas, he has drowned. This is the American version of an older British song, A Sailor’s Life [known by Fairport Convention].
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #26
Song: White Magic: Long Time Ago (2:35 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Suicide Girls on Myspace.
Lyrics:
A long time was a very good time,
Long time ago.
A long time was a very long time,
Long time ago.Around Cape Horn we got to go,
Around Cape Horn to Calleao.You give me the girl and you take me away,
A long long time in the hull below.Around Cape Horn with frozen sails,
Around Cape Horn to fish for whales.I wish to God I’d never been born,
A long long time in the hull below.Around Cape Horn where wild winds blow,
Around Cape Horn through sleet and snow.A long long time in the hull below,
A long long time in the hull below.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
By the 1890s this is said to have been the most popular halyard chantey of all. Probably African-American in origin, there are versions in German and Norwegian.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #25
Song: Loudon Wainwright III
(yes, that’s right — that one who appeared in several episodes of M*A*S*H):
Good Ship Venus (3:15 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Ms. Camille on Driftwood: MPL Studios.
Lyrics:
On the good ship Venus
by Christ you should have seen us
the figurehead
was a whore in bed
sucking a dead man’s penis.The captain’s name was Lugger
by Christ he was a bugger
he wasn’t fit
to shovel shit
from one ship to another.And the second mate was Andy
by Christ he had a dandy
till they crushed his cock
on a jagged rock
for cumming in the brandy.The third mate’s name was Morgan
by God he was a gorgon
from half past eight
he played till late
upon the captain’s organ.The captain’s wife was Mabel
and by God was she able
to give the crew
their daily screw
upon the galley table.The captain’s daughter Charlotte
was born and bred a harlot
Her thighs at night
were lily white
by morning they were scarlet.The cabin boy was Kipper
by Christ he was a nipper
he stuffed his ass
with broken glass
and circumcised the skipper.The captain’s lovely daughter
liked swimming in the water.
Delighted squeals
came when some eels
found her sexual quarters.The cook his name was Freeman
and he was a dirty demon
and he fed the crew
on menstrual stew
and hymens fried in semen.And the ship’s dog was called Rover
and we turned the poor thing over
and ground and ground
that faithful hound
from Teneriff to Dover.When we reached our station
through skilful navigation
the ship got sunk
in a wave of spunk
from too much fornication.On the good ship Venus
by Christ you should have seen us
the figurehead
was a whore in bed
sucking a dead man’s penis.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Among the filthiest series of limericks ever collected and written down, this gem was first put to paper by Christopher Logue in Count Palmiro Vicarion‘s Book of Bawdy Ballads [available in Amazon.com and in Germany], courageously published by the notorious Olympia Press (Maurice Girodias) in 1956. Maurice was a much persecuted man. He also published Lolita and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Old time sailors would surely have been proud.
Wikipedia (stub, to date of January 18, 2009):
Good Ship Venus, also known as Friggin’ in the Riggin, is a bawdy drinking song devised to shock with ever increasingly lewd and debauched sexual descriptions of the eponymous ship’s loose moralled crew. The tune usually used (especially for the chorus) is “In and Out the Windows”. The lyrics, as with all folksongs, show variations — sometimes vast changes from performance to performance and from singer to singer. […]
The usual rhyming structure for this song is the limerick AABBA structure. The sexual lexis used throughout the poem is limited in its depravity only by the respective singer’s gratuitous imagination.
British punk band The Sex Pistols recorded a version which appears on their Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle album. The American Thrash metal band Anthrax covered the Sex Pistols’ version. […]
Whenever a ship was required in The Goon Show, it was often named the “Good Ship Venus” or “HMS Venus”, one of several references to dirty jokes the Goons managed to get past the 1950s BBC censors. […]
Shout-out: Exactly these recent days, Mr. Hulton Clint published another shanty for adult listeners — and singers: Seraphina from Salty Dog’s Uncensored Sailor Songs. Listen if you can.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #24
Song: Jack Shit: Boney (1:55 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Images: A fine selection of multi-originated pictures on the topic Walk Like a Pirate.
Lyrics:
Boney was a warrior
A warrior a terrier
Boney beat the Prussians
The Austrians, the RussiansBoney went to school in France
He learned to make the Russians dance
Boney marched to Moscow
Across the Alps through ice and snowBoney was a Frenchy man
But Boney had to turn again
So he retreated back again
Moscow was in ruins thenHe beat the Prussians squarely
He whacked the English nearly
He licked them in Trafalgar’s Bay
Carried his main topm’st awayBoney went a-cruising
Aboard the Billy Ruffian
Boney went to Saint Helen’s
He never came back againThey sent him into exile
He died on Saint Helena’s Isle
Boney broke his heart and died
In Corsica he wished he stayedBoney was a warrior
A warrior a terrier
Boney was a warrior
A warrior a terrier
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Boney is, of course, Napoleon Bonaparte, whose exploits are recounted in much abbreviated, but fairly accurate fashion in this halyard or fore-sheet chantey. The chantey probably originated from a street ballad of the times.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #23
Song: Mary Margaret O’Hara: The Cry of Man (3:06 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Marilyn Monroe et al. for Creme Nivea Moisturizer
via Never Sea Land, October 5, 2007.
David Coulter on the musical saw.
Lyrics:
1. There is a crying in my heart
That never will be still,
Like the voice of a lonely bird
Behind a starry hill.2. There is a crying in my heart
For what I may not know,
Infinite crying of desire
Because my feet are slow.3. My feet are slow, my eyes are blind,
My hands are weak to hold.
It is the universe I seek
All life I would enfold.4. = 1.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Here is a musical setting of a poem by Harry Kemp (1883–1960). Kemp was famous (or infamous) as a bohemian and boxcar poet. He lived much of his life in Greenwich Village. He also lived in shacks, rode freight cars, and as a young man, ran away to sea.
The views spread in the video and below feature Marilyn Monroe, who committed to Bert Stern in 1962 that she got her proverbial beauty from Nivea Skin Moisturizing Lotion. Video: 1950s advertising illustration; curiosidades image: utilizando a loção Nivea, probably for The Seven Year Itch, already in 1955.
My feet are slow, my eyes are blind.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #22
Song: Richard Greene & Jack Shit: Shenandoah (instrumental, 2:58 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Ruth’s own favourite body part, summer 2008.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This beautiful American song was originally used by river boatmen and voyageurs on the Ohio and Missouri rivers. It became a popular capstan chantey among deep water sailors. Shenandoah is said to have been a chief of the Oneida tribe.
Shenandoah River joins the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where abolitionist John Brown and 21 men started their Raid on Harpers Ferry, attacking the Federal armory from October 16 to 18th 1859 to initiate a slave rebellion — whilst Shenandoah Valley would be the site of battles from 1862 to 1864 in the Civil War arising from incidents like that — including Kernstown, First and Second Battle of Winchester, Cross Keys, Opequon Creek, Fisher’s Hill, and Cedar Creek.
Herman Melville was aware of John Brown’s hanging, though, of course, not of all the blood yet to be spilt, when in 1859 he wrote his early Battle-Piece:
The Portent
Hanging from the beam,
Slowly swaying (such the law),
Gaunt the shadow on your green,
Shenandoah!
The cut is on the crown
(Lo, John Brown),
And the stabs shall heal no more.Hidden in the cap
Is the anguish none can draw;
So your future veils its face,
Shenandoah!
But the streaming beard is shown
(Weird John Brown),
The meteor of the war.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #21
Song: Lucinda Williams: Bonnie Portmore (3:36 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: MyFlyAway: Moving, August 20, 2008.
Lyrics:
O Bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand,
And the more I think on you, the more I think long.
If I had you now as I had once before,
All the lords in old England would not purchase Portmore.O Bonny Portmore, I am sorry to see
Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree,
For it stood on your shore for many’s the long day
Till the long boats of Antrim came to float it away.All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep,
Saying “where will we shelter or where will we sleep?”
For the Oak and the Ash they are all cutten down,
And the walls of Bonny Portmore are all down to the ground.O Bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand,
And the more I think on you the more I think long.
If I had you now as I had once before,
All the lords in old England would not purchase Portmore.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-, based on the Wikipedia article:
This Celtic song mourns the destruction of the hardwood forests of Ireland, primarily for English military and shipbuilding purposes. The Great Oak of Portmore stood near Portmore castle on the shores of Lough Beg.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #20
Song: Bono: A Dying Sailor to His Shipmates (4:45 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Eleanor Hardwick: shipwrecks, voyage and nautical daydreams, September 22, 2008.
Lyrics:
Oh wrap me in my country’s flag
and lay me in the cold blue sea.
Let the roaring of the waves
my solemn requiem be,
And I shall sleep a pleasant sleep,
while storms above their vigils keep.My Captain brave shall read for me
the service of the silent dead,
and yay shall lower me in the waves,
when all the prayers are said.
And I will find my long, long home,
among the billows and the foam.Farewell my friends for many a league,
we’ve sailed together on the deep.
Come let us shake our hands,
I’ll sail no more, but shipmates wear for weep.I’m bound above, my course is run,
I near the port, my voyage is done.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A haunting ballad of the 19th century whaling ships. As well as being musical, sailors often displayed great poetic ability, as in the lyrics of this powerful song.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #19
Song: Bob Neuwirth: Haul on the Bowline (1:30 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Jay French Studios: The Mythic Beauties series, 2005.
Lyrics:
1. Haul on the bowline, homeward we are going.
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!2. Haul on the bowline, before she starts a-rolling.
3. Haul on the bowline, the Captain is a-growling.
4. Haul on the bowline, so early in the morning.
5. Haul on the bowline, to Bristol we are going.
6. Haul on the bowline, Kitty is my darling.
7. Haul on the bowline, Kitty comes from Liverpool.
8. Haul on the bowline, It’s far cry to pay day.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This may be one of the oldest chanteys known. The bowline was an important rope in sailing vessels dating back to the middle ages. After the 1500s, with the advent of stays’ls, the bowline diminished in importance and this chantey was used at tacks and sheets.
Plus: Extended bonus track by Hulton Clint, cutting himself off in alternate lyrics and three voices at his kitchen table, and explaining in 5:33 minutes:
A triple mega-dose of HultonClint!
One of the most widely recorded/notated chanteys, probably due to its simplicity and transparency, “Haul on the Bowline” is also conjectured to be one of the oldest known. The so-called “bowline” that it mentions has not been used “for any rope on which a shanty would be sung” (Doerflinger 1951) since at least the early 17th century. However, what was called the bowline then was equivalent to what was later called the foresheet; hence, this is a foresheet chantey. It entails just one, hard pull at the end of every refrain.
Hugill’s tune has a bit that differs from all other common versions (the low note is on the root, not the third).
I have taken some verses from Harlow’s published version as well, and of course added my own about favorite topics like Fujian Oolong and winter drawers.
Perhaps due to its supposed age, this was one of the chanteys used in the 18th century-set first part of the 1977 TV drama “Roots.”
Also found in:
LA Smith 1888, Doerflinger 1951.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #18
Song: Martin Carthy: The Mermaid (2:23 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Rudi Hurzlmeier: Mädchen am Meer (Girl at the Sea), Inkognito Satire-Karten, 2008.
Lyrics:
As we lay musing on our bed,
So early morn at ease,
We thought upon those lodging beds
Poor sailors have at sea.
Though last Easter day in the morning fair,
We was not far from land,
We spied a mermaid sitting on a rock
With a comb and a glass in her hand, in her hand,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.And first come the bosun of our ship
With courage, stout and bold:
“Stand fast, stand fast, brave lively lads,
Stand fast, brave hearts of gold.
For our gallant ship, she’s gone to wreck,
She was so lately trimmed,
The raging seas have sprung her good,
And the salt seas all run in, run in,
And the salt seas all run in.”And up then spoke our cabin boy,
Oh, a well spoke boy was he:
“I’m sorry for my mother dear,
I’m lost in the salt, salt sea.
For last night, last night, the moon shone bright,
And you know that she had sons five,
Tonight she may look in the salt, salt waves
And find but one alive, alive,
And find but one alive.”For boats, for boats, you fair Plymouth girls,
Don’t you hear how the trumpet sound?
For the want of a boat our good ship is lost
And the most of the young men drowned, oh drowned,
And the most of the young men drowned.As rendered in Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L. Lloyd:
The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, 1959.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A traditional ballad that illustrates the deeply superstitious nature of sailors. In the old days, the sighting of a mermaid could foretell certain doom for the ship.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #17
Song: Eliza Carthy: Rolling Sea (4:49 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Cover Art: Diane Webber (July 27, 1932—August 19, 2008, Playboy Centerfold for Miss May 1955),
Cover Mermaid. A Magazine for Adults! Collector’s Edition, 1958.
Lyrics:
1. Don’t you see the ships a-coming?
Don’t you see them in full sail?
Don’t you see the ships a-coming
With the prizes at the tail?Chorus:
Oh my little rolling sailor,
Oh my little rolling he;
How I love my rolling sailor,
When he’s on a rolling sea;
When he’s on a rolling, rolling,
When he’s on a rolling sea.2. Sailors they get all the money,
Soldiers they get none but brass.
How I love my rolling sailor,
Soldiers they can kiss my …3. How can I be blithe and merry
With my true love far from me?
All this pretty little sailors,
They’ve been pressed and tanged to sea.4. How I wish the press were over
And the wars were at an end.
Then every sailor laddie
Would be happy with his friend.5. When the wars they are all over
Peace and plenty come again;
Everybody sailor laddie
Will come sailing on the main.6. Oh, the wars will soon be over
And the sailors once come home;
Every lass will get a lad,
She won’t have to sleep alone.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This song is from the perspective of a woman ashore, waiting for her sailor (or any sailor) to return home (with prize money). The lyrics are from the Napoleonic period. Some verses are the voice of a wife or sweetheart. The verse that compares sailors and soldiers is a well-known whore’s ditty of the time.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #16
Song: Gavin Friday: Baltimore Whores (4:40 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Ayer’s Hair Vigor for the Toilet (Restores Gray Hair to its Natural Vitality and Color):
Prepared by Dr. J.C. Ayer & Co. Lowell, Mass., U.S.A., via Never Sea Land, October 6th, 2008.
Lyrics:
1. There were four whores of Baltimore
Drinking the blood-red wine.
And all their conversation was:
“Yours is smaller than mine.”Chorus: Timmy roly, poly, tickle my holey,
Smell on me slimy slough,
And drag your nuts across me guts,
I’m one of the whorey crew.2. “You’re liars,” said the first whore,
“Mine’s as big as the air.
The birds fly in, the birds fly out,
And never touch a hair.”3. “You’re liars,” said the second,
“Mine’s as big as the sea.
The ship sails in, the ship sails out,
And never troubles me.”4. “You’re liars,” said the third whore,
“Mine’s as big as the moon.
The men jump, the men jump out,
And never touch the womb.”5. “You’re liars,” said the last whore,
“Mine’s the biggest of all.
A fleet sailed in on the first of June,
And didn’t come back till fall.”
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Here is an example of the kind of lyrics used in some sea chanteys in their original context. Most of the verses of this sort were edited out of printed collections. The origin of this song is unclear, but I doubt that the author will come forward.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #15
Priorities first: Nobody even attempted to win the December Contest. The setting of the task — including the prizes — will be maintained until the lyrics for David Thomas’ Dan Dan are found. Yes, folks, this means that you can tell us the lyrics and win a prize. We are German and depend on you. Edit: Molten Hulton Clint posted the lyrics — one day late and someplace else. Regardless of the date, since I prolonged the contest ad infinitum, Mr. Clint is winner. Congratulations and feel free to pick up your prize. /Edit
Next song.
Song: Kate McGarrigle: Lowlands Away (3:25 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Siren Rock via Cities Beneath the Sea.
Lyrics:
1. I dreamed a dream the other night,
Lowlands, lowlands away, my John.
I dreamed a dream the other night,
Lowlands away.2. I dreamed I saw my own true love.
3. I dreamed my love was drowned and dead.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Originally a pumping chantey, later used for capstan and windlass, this ghost story is based on a Scottish theme. The dead lover, lost at sea appears to meet for one last time with his true love, and tell her of his fate.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #14
Song: Teddy Thompson: Sally Brown (2:54 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Snappy redhead: Photobucket, copyright pending, probably public domain.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
Sally Brown, along with Ranzo Ray and Old Stormalong, is one of the mysterious people that are featured in numerous chanteys. Chanteys involving Sally Brown always have versions with obscene lyrics. Was she a real person — we’ll never know. This West Indian capstan chantey probably dates from the 1830s and never lost its popularity.
Alternate take by Carson Sage and the Black Riders (2:43 minutes):
Image from: J. Ross Browne: Etchings of a Whaling Cruise, 1846
Lyrics as rendered by Carson Sage and the Black Riders on Final Kitchen Blowout, 1993:
1. I shipped on board of a Liverpool liner.
Way-hey, we roll and go —
And we rolled all night and we rolled all day
And I spent all my money on the Sally Brown.2. Sally Brown was a nice young lady.
3. Her mother doesn’t like a tarry sailor.
4. She wants her to marry a one-legged captain.
5. I shipped on board of a Liverpool liner.
6. Sally Brown was a nice young lady.
Extra verse rendered by Teddy Thompson:
Sally Brown is a bright mulatto.
She drinks dark rum and she chews tobacco.
Coming soon: Musical setting for Country Mermaid by What about Carson.
There have not been any contributions for the December Contest yet. Take all your chances until January 11th!
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #13
For starters into a new year, a whaling-related one again: The show continues. Happy 2009.
Song: Sting: Blood Red Roses (2:45 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Herbert James Draper: The Water Nymph, c. 1900.
Lyrics:
My boots and clothes are all in pawn —
Get down you blood red roses, get down!
It’s flaming drafty round Cape Horn
Get down you blood red roses, get down!Chorus: Woe! You pinks and posies —
Get down you blood red roses, get down!My dear old mother she said to me:
My dearest son come home from sea!It’s around Cape Horn where I must go,
I’ve chased the whales through the frost and snow.You’ve got your advance and to sea you’ll go,
Tae chase the whales through the frost and snow.It’s around Cape Horn you’ve got to go,
For that is where the whalefish blow.It’s growl you may, but go you must,
If you growl too much your head they’ll bust.Just one more pull and that will do,
For we’re the boys to kick her through.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
This halyard chantey was popular in Cape Horn ships out of Liverpool. It is most probably based on a family of Irish and English folk songs concerning the Napoleonic Wars. The “blood red roses” may be a reference to British redcoat soldiers, or it may be the capitol cities of Europe, referred to as the “bonnie bunch of roses” that Napoleon tried to gather and lost, in an Irish song of that name.
Be sure to participate in the
December Contest
before Sunday, January 11th!
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #12
Plus a perfectly peachy keen Dezembergewinnspiel!
Song: David Thomas: Dan Dan (0:47 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Alberto Vargas, April 1945.
Lyrics:
My name, it is Dan Dan
My name, it is Dan Dan
Somebody stole my rum
He didn’t leave me none
That no good son of a gun
My name, it is Dan Dan
A sailor man I am
Somebody took my wife
Somebody took my knife
My name, it is Dan Dan
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A West Indian work chant which was first used ashore and later taken to sea as a simple halyard chantey.
Interpretation by Hulton “Ranzo” Clint from the comments:
“Dan Dan” is a rare chantey. In all probability, David Thomas has based his recording directly from a recording by singers from Mystic Seaport (in my home state of Connecticut, U.S.A.). THEIR version, I would guess, is their unique re-creation based off of Hugill’s text [Stan Hugill: Shanties and Sailors’ Songs, 1969]. The text is not very explicit, so they probably had to use a lot of imagination to develop it from such scanty notes.
December Contest:
Understanding the lyrics for the song above has been a complete failure. I encourage you — and you and you and even you — why, especially you — to provide them, by searching, by listening or by asking Mr. Thomas, write them into a comment, and win one of the following prizes:
- 1 CD containing 26 songs by The Muffs (private copy as raffled before);
- 1 CD by Carson Sage and the Black Riders, a Nuremberg independent band (rare and happy music by nowaday’s What about Carson as lauded before, private copies):
- Final Kitchen Blowout (1993);
- Walk With an Erection (5-song-EP 1993); or
- Great Music in Stereo (1995);
- 1 copy of Herman Melville: The Lightning-Rod Man in German, translation by Richard Mummendey on reprographic paper, c. 10 pages. Absolutely rare and in great demand on Moby-Dick™;
- 1 permission to write a guest article (and get it published) containing whatever you always wanted to say.
Get ready until Sunday, January 11th, 2009.
Edit: Molten Hulton Clint posted the lyrics — one day late and someplace else. Regardless of the date, since I prolonged the contest ad infinitum, Mr. Clint is winner. Congratulations and feel free to pick up your prize. /Edit
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #11
Song: Mark Anthony Thompson: Haul Away Joe (4:11 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: John William Waterhouse: The Siren, 1900.
Lyrics:
When I was a little boy, or so my mother told me
Way, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe
That if I did not kiss the girls, my lips would soon grow moldy
Way, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe.Way, haul away, the good ship is a-blowing,
Way, haul away, the sheet is now a-flowing.King Louis was the king of France before the Revolution,
But then he got his head cut off, not good for his constitution.First I got a Spanish girl, but she got fat and lazy,
Now I have a Brooklyn girl, she damn near drives me crazy.Way, haul away, we’ll haul and hang together,
Way, haul away, we’ll sail for better weather.Way, haul away, I’ll sing to you of Nancy,
Way, haul away, for she’s my cup and fancy.Way, haul away, we’ll haul away together,
Way, haul away, we’ll sail through nasty weather.Tack and sheet chantey.
Comes on the word Joe!.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #10
Song: Joseph Arthur: The Coast of High Barbary (4:02 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Snappy redhead: Tyson for Dark Casket.
Lyrics:
There were two lofty ships from Old England came,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we.
One was the Prince of Luther and the other Prince of Wales,
Cruising down along the coast of High Barbary.“Aloft there, aloft,” our jolly boatswain cried,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we.
“Look ahead, look astern, look the weather, look a lee,
Look down along the coast of High Barbary.”“There’s naught upon the stern, there is naught upon the lee,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we.
But there’s a lofty ship to windward and she’s sailing fast and free
Down along the coast of High Barbary.”“Oh hail her, oh hail her,” our gallant captain cried.
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we.
“Are you a man of war or privateer or merchant ship?” said he,
Cruising down along the coast of High Barbary.“I am not a man of war or privateer,” said he,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we.
“But I’m a salt sea pirate a-lookin’ for my fee,
Down along the coast of High Barbary.”For broadside, for broadside a long time we lay,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we,
Until the Prince of Luther shot the pirate’s mast away
Down along the coast of High Barbary.For quarter, for quarter those pirates then did cry.
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we.
But the answer that we gave them, we sunk them in their sea,
Cruising down along the coast of High Barbary.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
High Barbary was the romantic name of the once highly dangerous Riff Coast of North Africa, home of the dreaded Barbary Pirates. Also known as Corsairs, these often state-sponsored pirates preyed on European shipping for over 300 years. This song, sometimes used as a chantey, has many versions. All of them end with the pirates’ demise.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #9
Capstan shanty. Earliest known reference in the logbook of the Nellie of 1796 (though a ballad by the same name, registered in England December 14, 1624 with the Stationers’ Company, may also be related to it). Opening Chapter 40: Midnight, Forecastle of Moby-Dick.
Song: Bill Frisell: Spanish Ladies (2:22 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: William-Adolphe Bouguereau: Femme Coquillage, 1885.
Lyrics:
Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies,
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain;
For we’ve received orders for to sail for old England,
But we hope in a short time to see you again.Chorus: We will rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors,
We’ll rant and we’ll roar all on the salt sea.
Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England;
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty five leagues.We hove our ship to with the wind from sou’west, boys
We hove our ship to, deep soundings to take;
‘Twas forty-five fathoms , with a white sandy bottom,
So we squared our main yard and up channel did make. — Chorus.The first land we sighted was called the Dodman,
Next Rame Head off Plymouth, off Portsmouth the Wight;
We sailed by Beachy, by Fairlight and Dover,
And then we bore up for the South Foreland light. — Chorus.Then the signal was made for the grand fleet to anchor,
And all in the Downs that night for to lie;
Let go your shank painter, let go your cat stopper!
Haul up your clewgarnets, let tacks and sheets fly! — Chorus.Now let ev’ry man drink off his full bumper,
And let ev’ry man drink off his full glass;
We’ll drink and be jolly and drown melancholy,
And here’s to the health of each true-hearted lass. — Chorus.As featured in Roy Plamer (ed.): The Oxford Book of Sea Songs, 1986,
given with annotations in Wikipedia.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #8
Song: Robin Holcomb: Dead Horse (2:55 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Isolated Instances of Non-Gravity: Darling, January 21, 2008.
Lyrics:
1. Poor old man came ridin’ along
And we say so,
And we hope so.
Poor old man came ridin’ along,
Poor old man.
2. Well poor old man your horse he must die.
3. Well thirty days have come and gone.
4. And now we are on a good month’s pay.
5. So give them grog for the thirtieth day.
6. Then up hail ox to the old main yard arm
And we say so,
And we hope so.
Then cut him drip and do him no harm,
Poor old man.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A highly revered tradition on early sailing ships was the ceremony of “paying off the dead horse”. Merchant sailors typically received their first month’s pay in advance. Thus, it was not until after the first 30 days of a voyage that new wages were being earned. A canvas horse effigy was dragged across the deck, hoisted to the main yardarm to this chantey, and dropped into the sea.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #7
As we learn from Captain Ahab, the captain was the absolute authority on sea; as we learn from Captain Vere, a cruel captain could subject his crew to any tortures. This is a gallows confession and a warning.
Song: Brian Ferry: The Cruel Ship’s Captain (3:35 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Cyn McCurry: Siren.
Lyrics:
A boy to me was bound apprentice
Because his parents they were poor.
So I took him from Saint James’ Workhouse
All for to sail on the Greenland shore.One day this poor boy he did annoy me.
Nothing to him then did I say,
But I rushed him to my frozen yard-arm
And I kept him there till the very next day.When his eyes and his teeth did hang before me,
With his hands and his feet down-bowed,
And with a bloody iron bar I killed him
Because I would not hear his cries any more.Now all you sea captains that go out a-navyin’
Take a warning example by me
And don’t misuse your young apprentice boys
Or else it’s hanged you’ll surely be.This 18th century folk song from East Anglia
came upon us as an
anonymously written broadside ballad.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #6
Song: Three Pruned Men, i.e. reunited parts of The Virgin Prunes: Bully in the Alley (2:30 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Stuntkid: Blackflood, 2008.
Lyrics:
Chorus: ||: Help me Bob, there’s a bully in the alley,
Way-hey, bully in the alley!
Help me Bob, there’s a bully in the alley,
Bully down in Shinbone Al! :||Sally got down and dirty last night,
Way-hey, bully in the alley!
Sally got down and she spliced,
Bully down in Shinbone Al!The sailors left last night,
Way-hey, bully in the alley!
The sailors got a ball of wax,
Bully down in Shinbone Al!Sally got down and dirty,
Way-hey, bully in the alley!
Sally is the girl that got spliced,
Bully down in Shinbone Al!Halyard shanty, probably West Indian traditional.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #5
Song: Loudon Wainwright III: Turkish Revelry (4:22 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Knut Ekwall: The Fisherman and the Siren, ca. 1900.
Lyrics:
There was a little ship
and she sailed on the sea
and the name of the ship was the Turkish Revelry.
She sailed down in that lonely lonesome water,
she sailed on the lonesome sea.Up stepped a little sailor
saying: What will you give to me
to sink that ship to the bottom of the sea,
if I sink her in the lonely lonesome water,
if I sink her in the lonesome sea?“I have a house
and I have some land
and I have a daughter that shall be at your command,
if you sink her in the lonely lonesome water,
if you sink her in the lonesome sea.”He bowed on his breast
and away swam he
and he swam till he came to the Turkish Revelry.
She sailed down on that lonely lonesome water,
she sailed on the lonesome sea.He had a little awe
all made for to bore
and he bored nine holes in the bottom of the floor,
and he sank her in the lonely lonesome water,
he sank her in the lonesome sea.He bowed on his breast
away swam he
and he swam till he came to the Golden Willow Tree,
as she sailed in the lonely lonesome water,
as she sailed in the lonesome sea.Captain oh Captain,
will you be good as your word
or either take me up on board,
for I’ve sunk her in that lonely lonesome water,
I’ve sunk her in the lonesome sea.“No I won’t be
as good as my word
or neither will I take you up on board,
though you’ve sunk her in that lonely lonesome water,
though you’ve sunk he in the lonesome sea.”If it were not for
the love I bear your men
I would sink you the same just as I sank them.
I’d sink you in that lonely lonesome water,
yes I’d sink you in the lonely sea.He bowed on his breast
and downward sank he,
bidding a farewell to the Golden Willow Tree.
He sank in that lonely lonesome water,
he sank in the lonely sea.Child Ballad 286: The Sweet Trinity (The Golden Vanity), from:
Child Ballads, or: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads 1882 to 1898,
conveyed by Sir Walter Raleigh, ca. 1635.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #4
Song: Nick Cave: Fire Down Below (2:50 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: MyFlyAway: Goddamn, September 2, 2008.
Lyrics:
She was the parson’s daughter with red and rosy cheeks.
(Way, hey, hee, hi, ho!)
She went to church on Sunday and sang the anthem sweet
and there’s fire down below.The parson was a misery, so scraggy and so thin
(Way, hey, hee, hi, ho!)
Look here you motherfuckers if you lead a life of sin
and there’s fire down below.He took his text from Malachi and pulled a weary face
(Way, hey, hee, hi, ho!)
and I fucked off for Africa and and there I fell from grace
’cause there’s fire down below.The parson’s little daughter was as sweet as sugar candy
(Way, hey, hee, hi, ho!)
I said to her us sailors would make lovers neat and handy
’cause there’s fire down below.She says to me: You sailors are a bunch of fucking liars
(Way, hey, hee, hi, ho!)
And all of you are bound to hell to feed the fucking fires
’cause there’s fire down below.Well there’s fire down below, my lads, so we must do what we oughtta
(Way, hey, hee, hi, ho!)
Cause the fire is not half as hot as the parson’s little daughter
And there’s fire down below.
Explanatory liner notes by ANTI-:
A popular pumping chantey, this was actually the last chantey sung aboard a commercial British square-rigger, by Stan Hugill in 1929, as the barque Garthpool was pumped out for the last time. There are a number of versions, and in some the fire down below is more explicitly a reference to venereal disease.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #3
Song: John C. Reilly: My Son John (1:39 minutes)
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Lina Hansson: Young siren counting her legs and limbs,
digital illustration made in Painter, January 19/20, 2003.
Lyrics:
My son John was tall and slim
And he had a leg for every limb.
But now he’s got no legs at all,
For he ran a race with a cannonball.Timmy doo dum da, fa riddle da,
Wack for me riddle timmy roo dum da.Were you deaf or were you blind,
When you left your two fine legs behind?
Or was it sailing on the sea
Were two fine legs right down to your knee?I was not deaf, I was not blind,
When I left two fine legs behind,
Nor was it sailing on the sea
Were two fine legs right down to my knee.But I was tall and I was slim
And I had a leg for every limb,
But now I’ve got no legs at all,
They were both shot away by a cannonball.Traditional
PS: For October 27th, Moby-Dick™ sends congratulations, blessings, and respect
from all of us on the P.E.Q.U.O.D. to:
- Erasmus von Rotterdam (569);
- James Cook (280);
- Theodore Roosevelt (150);
- Dylan Thomas (94);
- Sylvia Plath (76);
- John Cleese (69);
- Roberto Benigni (53)
- Farin “Jan Vetter” Urlaub (45);
- Vanessa Mae (30), and somehow even to
- Kelly Osbourne (24).
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #2
Song: Richard Thompson: Mingulay Boat Song (4:13 minutes),
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Sea Dogs 3, via Gamewallpapers.
Lyrics:
Chorus
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys
Heave her head round into the weather
Heel ya ho boys, let her go boys,
Sailing homeward to Mingulay.1. What care we though white the Minch is?
What care we for the wind and weather?
Let her go boys, every inch is
Wearing homeward to Mingulay.2. Wives are waiting by the pierhead
Or looking seaward from the heather.
Heave her round boys, and we’ll anchor
Ere the sun sets on Mingulay.3. Ships return now heavy laden,
Mothers holding bairns a-crying.
They’ll return, though when the sun sets
They’ll return to Mingulay.Traditional Gaelic tune Creag Guanach from Lochaber,
penned by Sir Hugh S. Roberton in the 1930s.
Rogue’s Gallery: The Art of the Siren, #1
Sirens are the better mermaids, since unlike mermaids, they have a knack for music and are endued with legs and feet and everything in between. Moby-Dick™ is going to honour this adorable life-form with maritime songs in good rendering and depictions of fine marine ladies, linking to collectible sites with preferably high resolutions, starting out with:
Sounding like a Tuvan throat-singing monk on LSD, Baby Gramps chants with the intensity of a Captain Ahab.
Michael J. Kramer: Sinking Low on the Seas, Rising Up with Gold, August 25, 2006.
Song: Baby Gramps: Cape Cod Girls (7:14 minutes),
from Rogue’s Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys, ANTI- 2006.
Buy CD in Germany and elsewhere.
Image: Herbert James Draper: Ulysses and the Sirens, 1909,
via Achilles to Zephyr: An Alphabetical Listing of Greek & Roman Art by Topic.
Lyrics:
Cape Cod girls ain’t no use no combs,
heave away, haul away.
They comb their hair on the codfish bones,
bound away for Australia.Chorus:
So heave her up, my bully, bully boys,
heave away, haul away.
Heave her up and don’t you make a noise,
we’re bound away for Australia.Cape Cod girls ain’t use no sleds,
heave away, haul away.
They slide down the dunes on codfish heads,
bound away for Australia.Cape Cod doctors ain’t use no pills,
heave away, haul away.
They feed their patients codfish gills,
bound away for Australia.Cape Cod cats ain’t got no tails,
heave away, haul away.
They lost them all in northeast gales,
bound away for Australia.
Moby-Dick™ 