Interesting Facts about Roll The Woodpile Down
“Roll The Woodpile Down” is another shanty that is partially related to “Roll The Cotton Down”. This shanty is a sea version of Negro song “Haul The Woodpile Down”. Stan Hugill’s version comes from West Indian seamen and is fairly obvious it originated in either the West Indies or the Southern States of America, most probably in the latter, being, perhaps, one of the many rivermen songs that reached deep water. No specified type of this shanty in Stan Hugill’s book, the grand chorus gives us two options, I decided this time to recreate this song as pump shanty. To be more precise, the tempo is adjusted to the “Downton” pump.
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the pump shanty.
The source of this sea shanty
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 160).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 160, 161).
The Record of the Roll The Woodpile Down
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
Roll The Woodpile Down
‘Way down south where the socks do crow,
– ‘Way down in Florida!
The gals they all dance to the ol banjo,
– An’ we’ll roll the woodpile down!
– Rollin’! Rollin’! oh, Rollin’ the whole worl’ round,
– That brown gal o’ mine’s down the Georgia Line,
– An’ we’ll roll the woodpile down!
* 2 *
When I was a young man in me prime,
I chased them yaller gals two at a time,
* 3 *
We’ll roll him high an’ we’ll roll him low,
We’ll heave him up and away we’ll go,
* 4 *
O rouse an’ bust ‘er is the cry,
A black man’s wage is never high.
* 5 *
O Curly goes on the ol’ ran-tan,
O Curly’s jist a Down-East Man.
* 6 *
O one more heave an’ that’ll do,
We’re the bullies for to kick ‘er through.