Interesting Facts about the Up Up My Boys Up A Hill
Up Up My Boys Up A Hill is the halyard shanty belonging to the “Blow The Man Down” family because it has the same melody, Stan Hugill found this song in Laura Alexandrine Smith’s collection “The Music Of The Waters” (1888). Here is the quotation describing this rather unusual song:
…”It is really much to be wondered at wherein the great fancy for this most ridicu- lous song lies. There is not one line of sense in the whole. There is another topsail-yard chorus something like this :
Solo. There once was a family living on a hill,
And if they’re not dead they’re living there still.
Chorus. Up, up, my boys, up a hill ;
Up, up, my boys, up a hill.
And it is sung to the tune of ” Blow the man down.”…
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the halyard shanty.
The source of this sea shanty
The music: “The Music of The Waters” by Laura Alexandrine Smith (1888).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 215).
The Record of the Up Up My Boys Up A Hill
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 full lyrics
Up, Up, My Boys, Up A Hill
There once was a family living on a hill,
– Up, up, my boys, up a hill!
And if they’re not dead they’re living there still,
– Up, up, my boys, up a hill!