Interesting Facts about The Gals O’ Dublin Town (A)
The Gals O’ Dublin Town (A) is an old Capstan song with other titles: “Harp without the Crown” or “The Shenandoah”. Miss Joanna Colcord gives it as a forebitter, and she says it was sung to a tune almost the same as that of “The Banks of Newf’n’land”.
The “Harp without the Crown” is a phrase hearkening back to rebellious times in Ould Ireland. According to Miss Colcord, Captain Jim Murphy of the “Shenandoah”, in actual fact, flew the Irish flag beneath the American one aboard his ship.
Stan Hugill gives us, as the capstan shanty, but because they are two versions, one I will recreate as forebitter and another as capstan shanty. Both versions come from Stan Hugill’s shipmate Paddy Delaney (ex-blackball line sailor).
This version will be reconstructed as a forebitter.
The source of this sea shanty
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 141). I try to recreate this song from hearted Stan Hugill’s version from the album “Chants des Marins Anglais” (1992).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 141).
The Record The Gals O’ Dublin Town (A)
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
Naow, ’tis of a famous Yankee ship, to New York we wuz bound,
An’our cap’-n be-in’ an Oirish man, belongin’ to Dubalin Town,
– Hurrah! Hurrah! for the gals o’ Dub-a-lin Town,
– Hurrah for the bonnie green flag an’ the Harp without the Crown!
* 2 *
An’ when he gazes on that land, that town of high renown,
Oh, it’s away the green burgee and the Harp without the Crown.
* 3 *
‘Twas on the seventeenth o’ March, we arrived in New York Bay,
Our Capen bein’ an Irishman must celebrate the day.
* 4 *
With the Stars an’ Stripes ‘way high aloft, an’ flutterin’ all around,
But underneath his monkey-gaff flew the Harp without the Crown.
* 5 *
Now we’re bound for ‘Frisco, boys, an’ things is runnin’ wild,
The officers an’ men dead drunk, around the decks they pile.
* 6 *
But by termorrer mornin’, boys, we’ll work without a frown,
For on board the saucy ‘Shenandoah’ flies the Harp without the Crown!