Interesting Facts about The Sailor Fireman (I’ll Fire Dis Trip)
The Sailor Fireman (I’ll Fire Dis Trip) was already in print in 1950 in a book called “Nigger Melodies; being The Only Entire and Complete Work of Ethiopian Songs Extant” (Cornish Lamport & Co., New York, 1850, 2488., illustrated frontis, VG).
Stan Hugill states that this song may be the key to the origin of the verse of “Sacramento” and Foster’s “Camptown Races”. The original title of this song is “I’LL FIRE DIS TRIP”, and according to Stan Hugill’s research, originally has been written by a sailor who for the first, and probably the last time, tried the hard work of a fireman.
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the halyard shanty.
The source of this sea shanty
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 115).
The lyrics: “Nigger Melodies; being The Only Entire and Complete Work of Ethiopian Songs Extant” (between 1842 and 1849) (page 168, 169).
The Record of The Sailor Fireman (I’ll Fire Dis Trip)
The version of this song in Stan Hugill’s book comes from Sigurd Sternvall’s “Sang under Segel” (1935). I decided to sing the original text of this song from “Nigger Melodies; being The Only Entire and Complete Work of Ethiopian Songs Extant”, printed over one hundred and seventy years ago (pages 168, 169), it has slightly different lyrics, compared to to this, what Stan Hugill’s gives to us.
I will try to reconstruct this song as a halyard shanty.
You also can find this record on my YouTube channel here or directly listen below. Additionally, if you want to share your opinion about the record or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or leave a comment at the bottom of this blog article.
The musical notation
The full lyrics
The Sailor Fireman (I’ll Fire Dis Trip)
I’ll fire dis trip but I’ll fire no more,
– Oho. oho, oh!
Oh, pay me my money, and I’ll go on shore,
– Fire down below
* 2 *
Miss Fanny Bell, oh, fare you well,
I’m going away p’r’aps to —–
* 3 *
A bully-boat, and a bully crew,
And a bully-raggin’ captain too,
* 4 *
De posom jump and de panther roar,
I woke dis morning at half-past four.
* 5 *
I creep out safely from my hive,
And took a dram at half-past five.
* 6 *
Says I, ole boat, let’s have no tricks,
Her biler bust,—at half-past six.
* 7 *
So now we trabel under sail,
‘Cause Jonah’s de man dat swallow’d de whale.
* 8 *
I’ll fire dis trip, but I’ll fire no more,
Pay me my money and I’ll go on shore.