Interesting Facts about The Rolling Home A
Rolling Home A is the most famous homeward-bound ever “Rolling Home”, a capstan shanty, but worth noting is that some of the collectors give this song as a forebitter. This song was popular in English and American ships. Most collectors state are this song is based on the poem of Charles Mackay, written on board the ship in 1858, but Stan Hugill disagrees with this opinion. Stan Hugill gives us the theory that Mackay heard sailors heaving at the capstan and singing the shanty, which gives them the idea to write a poem.
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the capstan shanty.
The source of this sea shanty
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 182).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 182, 183, 184).
The Record of The Rolling Home 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
Rolling Home A
Call all hands to man the caps’n,
See the cable floked down clear,
Heave away, an’ with a will boys,
For ol’ England we will steer,
– Rol-lin’ home–rollin’ home–
– Rol–lin’ home across the sea,
– Rollin’ home to dear Old England,
– Rollin’ home, fair land, to thee.
* 2 *
Let us all heave with a will, boys,
Soon our cable we will trip,
An’ across the briny ocean,
We will steer our gallant ship.
* 3 *
Man the bars with perfect will, boys,
Let all hands that can clap on;
And while we heave round the capstan,
We will sing that well-known song,
* 4 *
To Australia’s lovely daughters,
We will bid a fond adieu.
We shall ne’er forget the hours,
That we spent along with you.
* 5 *
We will leave our best wishes,
We will leave yer rocky shores,
For we’re bound to dear Old England,
To return to ye no mire.
* 6 *
Up aloft amongst the rigging
Blows the wild and rushin’ gale,
Strainin’ every spar and backstay,
Strechin’ stitch in every sail.
* 7 *
Eighteen months away from England,
Now a hundred days or more,
On salt-horse and cracker-hash, boys,
Boston beans that made us sore.
* 8 *
Eastwards, ever eastwards,
To the risin’ o’ the sun’
Homewards, ever homewards,
To the land where we were born.
* 9 *
Ten thousand miles now lays behind us,
Ten thousand miles or more to roam,
Soon we’ll see our native country,
Soon we’ll greet our dear old home.
* 10 *
Round Cape Horn one winter’s mornin’,
All among the ice and snow,
Ye could hear them shellbacks singin’,
Sheet ‘er home, boys, let ‘er go!
* 11 *
Heave away, ye sons-o’-thunder,
For the nor’ard we will steer,
Where the gals and wives are waiting,
Standin, there upon the pier,
* 12 *
Cheer up, Jack, bright smiles await you,
From the fairest of the fair,
There are lovin’ hearts to greet you,
An’ kind welcomes everywhere.
* 13 *
An’ the gal you love most dearly,
She’s been constant, firm, and true,
She will clasp ye to her bosom,
Saying, ‘Jack, I still love you”.
* 14 *
An’ we’ll sing in joyful chorus,
In the watches on the night,
And we’ll greet the shores of England,
When the grey dawn breaks the light.
* 15 *
And the wild waves cleft behind us,
Seem to murmur as we go,
Loving hearts and hands await us,
In the land to which we go.
* 16 *
New-born breezes swiftly drive us,
Back to childhood’s bonnie skies,
To the light of loving faces,
And the gleam of kindly eyes.
