Forebitters

Susannavisan (Swedish)

December 13, 2023March 27, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Susannavisan

In the case of Susannavisan song, Stan Hugill again mentioned the source: “Sang under Segel”, Sigurd’s Sternwall’s Swedish shanty book (Reference to its being sung at the capstan is to be found in the Preface, page 12). From this book, Stan Hugill gives us two verses and a melody to this beautiful song, the construction of the verses is really close to Stephen Foster’s version of “Oh Susanna”. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the “Sang under Segel”, but I found it in another book “Flottans Män Malmö visbok” (1942). In this book, I found another two verses of this great song, so my reconstruction will contain four verses. In „Flottans Män Malmö visbok”, I found another two verses of this great song, so my reconstruction will contain four verses.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 116).

The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 116). and “Flottans Män Malmö visbok” (1942) – the last two verses.

The Record of the Susannavisan

I want to make a special thanks to Pontus Wallgren, who helped me with pronunciation to make it possible to sing this beautiful forebitter in the Swedish language.
“Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 116).

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Susannavisan

Jag är född vid gamla Sveriges kust,
där den stolta skutan går,
och den stolta skutan, var min lust
från jag blott var sjutton år.

Men den första gång han gick ombord,
kysste han mig ven och huld,
och han sade vänligt dessa ord:
“Du är allt mitt hjärtas guld”.

– O Susanna, gråt inte för din vän,
– men bli mig alltid städse tro,
– tills jag kommer hem igen!

* 2 *

På den långa resan drog han bort,
jag satt ensam. O, min skatt!
Och när vädret det var riktigt hårt,
låg jag vaken mången natt.

Men när tåren bittert flöt på kind,
kom min sjöman hem i hamn
och så sjöng han med ett nöjsamt sinn´,
då han tryckte mig i famn:

– O Susanna, gråt inte för din vän!
– Jag gungat har uppå böljan blå,
– och här har du mig igen.

* 3 *

Och så talte vi så månget ord,
Vi förglömde storm och blåst,
Men en dag han sa: “Min tös, jag tror,
Vi behöver snart en präst.

Jag får ta en tur på två års tid,
Men är lyckan med din vän,
Kommer jag med rik’dom åter hit,
Och vi går till prästen hän.

– O, Susanna, gråt dock ej för mig!
– Jag till Kalifornien far
– Och gräver guld för dig.”

* 4 *

I ett litet hus vid kusten bor
Vi som lyckligt äkta par.
Han kom hem igen, han höll sitt ord.
Fyra raska barn vi har.

Han går icke mer på resor, nej!
Men när stormen rasar vild,
Han till barmen älskligt trycker mej
Och så säger han så mild:

– “O, Susanna, mitt allt, min fröjd och lust,
– Där finns ej man så glad som jag
– På hela Sveriges kust!”

Related to this Forebitter

Blow Ye Winds (C)

Oh Susanna

December 13, 2023March 27, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Oh Susanna

Oh, Susanna, another song from the time when the Gold Rush of 1849 happens was “Oh, Susanna”. Stan Hugill says, is that this song has never been in print, with the exception of Miss Colcord’s fragmentary version listed in her book as a fo’c’sle song.

So this is what Joanna C. Colcord gives us in her book (“Songs of American Sailormen” – 1938, in the “Roll & Go” – 1924, in both books we can find, the same amount of verses):
“It was singular that with all the vast pride and delight of the sailor in his ship, so few songs were sung in celebration of the qualities of individual vessels. There was about California clipper “Sovereign of the Seas”, which went to the same tune as the ‘fourty-niners’ song”…

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Songs of American Sailormen” – by Joanna Carver Colcord (1938).

The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 116).

The Record of the Oh Susanna

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Oh, Susanna

* 1 *

Holystone the cabin,
And get down on your knees,
None of your limejuice touches,
In the Sovereign of the Seas!

* 2 *

Oh, Susanna,
Darling, take your ease,
For we have beat the clipper fleet,
The Sovereign of the Seas!

Related to this Forebitter

Oh, Aye, Rio

December 9, 2023March 17, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Oh, Aye, Rio

Oh, Aye, Rio was first printed in a book by Stan Hugill, and he stated that he learned it from an old sailor at Port Adelaide, South Australia. It’s a dragging song, totally dirty, so Stan Hugill had to camouflage it a bit, keeping the original theme as much as possible. According to Stan Hugill, this song is a forebitter.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 96). I try to recreate this song from hearted Stan Hugill’s version from the album “Shanties From The Seven Seas” (1962), with The York & Albany Crew. Intriguingly, in this song, Stan Hugill only sings himself, without the crew in the chorus.

The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 96).

The Record of the Oh, Aye, Rio

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Oh Aye Rio

Ooh, lady have; you a daughter fine?
– Oh aye Ri-ho!
Ooh lady have; you a daughter fine,
Fit for a sailor that’s crossed the Line.
– To me way, hay, ho, high, a long, long time ago!
– To me way, hay, ho, high, a long, long time ago!

* 2 *

Oh, yes I have a daughter fine,
Oh, yes I have a daughter fine,
Fit for a sailor that’s crossed the Line.

* 3 *

But madam, dear madam, she is too young,
But madam, dear madam, she is too young,
She’s never been courted by anyone.

Related to this Forebitter

Susannavisan (Stan Hugill Translation)

The Five-Gallon Jar

December 2, 2023March 6, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about The Five-Gallon Jar

This version of The Five-Gallon Jar is a forebitter, (Only the first verse and all choruses are Hugill’s version), which Stan Hugill took from old Irish Sailor Paddy Delaney. We see the story of Jack Ratcliffe and Marry Ann, a couple who were crimps and took profit from the “Shanghaiing” sailors.
Shanghaiing or crimping is the practice of kidnapping people to serve as sailors by coercive techniques such as trickery, intimidation, or violence. Those engaged in this form of kidnapping were known as crimps.

The source of this forebitter

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 61).

The lyrics: The first full verse and all Choruses come from: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 61). To make the song story complete, and give it a sensible length I added other 3 verses from (Doerflinger – ‘Songs of the Sailor and Lumberman’ – p111) Doerflinger’s version of “The Big Five-Gallon Jar” comes from Capitan Henry E. Burke.

To keep the consistency of the song I replaced Doerflinger verses I replaced the original wife’s name from “Caroline” into Hugill’s “Mary Ann”.

The Record of The Five-Gallon Jar

The musical notation

The full lyrics

The Five-Gallon Jar

In Liverpool there lived a man, Jack Ratcliffe was his name
An’in the days of the Cape Horn Trade, he played the Shanghai Game,
His wife’s name was Mary Ann, sailors knew both near an’far,
an’ when they played the Shanghai Game, They used the big stone Jar,

– In The Old Virginia Lowlands, Lowlands Low
– In The Old Virginia Lowlands Low.

* 2 *

There were drunkards in the corner and bummers at the bar
And [Mary Ann]Caroline was supplying them with a big five-gallon jar
……………
……………

* 3 *

Said old Jack to old [Mary Ann]Caroline, I’ll tell you what we’ll do,
There’s a ship lying down to McKinnon’s Wharf; I think she wants a crew.
We’ll go down around the corners to get some drunken tars
We’ll shanghai them away out of Liverpool Bay with a big five gallon jar.

* 4 *

So Jack and Cal[Ann] they worked their game when the ships signed on their tars,
Skys’l Jack and Pete and Bowline Bill helped to judge old Cal’s five gallon jar.
Now we’ll bid adieu to Cal and Jack and set our sails for ports afar
Dear Shanghai Cal, we’ll all come back, and sample Jack’s five-gallon jar.

Related to this Forebitter

The Limejuice Ship (Short Chorus)

December 2, 2023March 6, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about The Limejuice Ship (Short Chorus)

The Limejuice Ship (Short Chorus) was often used at pumps and sometimes at the capstan, but it is forebitter really. This version is sung to a similar tune for verses as the “long chorus” version, but with five verses, the fifth one being the long chorus. And the chorus however is shorter.

The source of this forebitter

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 58, 59).

The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 58, 59).

The Record of The Limejuice Ship (Short Chorus)

I will sing and play this song as a forebitter.

The Limejuice Ship (Short Chorus) - Forebitter

The musical notation

The full lyrics

The Limejuice Ship (Short Chorus)

Now, if ye want a merchant ship to sail the sea at large
Ya’ll not have any trouble if ye have a good discharge,
Signed by the Board o’ Trade an’ ev’rything exact,
For there’s nothin’ done on a Limejuice ship contrary to the Act.

– Shout, boys, shout! For I tell you it’s a fact
– There’s nothin’ done on a Limejuice ship contrary to the Act.

* 2 *

Now when ye join a merchant ship ye’ll hear yer Articles read.
They’ll tell ye of yer beef an’pork, yer butter an’ yer bread,
Yer sugar, tea an’ coffee, boys, yer peas an’ beans exact,
Yer limejuice an’ vinegar, boys, according to the Act.

* 3 *

No watch an’ watch the first day out, according to the Act.
Ten days out we all lay aft to get our limejuice whack.
Fetch out her handy billy, boys, and clap it on the tack,
For we gonna set the mains’l, oh, according to the Act.

* 4 *

Its up the deck, me bully boys, with many a curse we go,
Awaiting to hear eight bells struck that we might go below.
Eight bells is struck, the watch is called, the log is hove exact;
Relieve the wheel an’ go below, according to the Act.

* 5 *

So haul, boys, yer weather main brace an’ ease a-way yer lee
Hoist jibs an’ tops’ls lads an’ let the ship go free,
Hurrah, boys, hurrah! We’ll sing this Jubilee,
Damn an bugger the Navy, boys, A merchant ship for me!

Related to this Forebitter

The Limejuice Ship (Long Chorus)

December 2, 2023March 5, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about The Limejuice Ship (Long Chorus)

“The Limejuice Ship (Long Chorus)” is the forebitter really. Stan Hugill tells us about this song was also used at pumps, and sometimes at the capstan. The Merchant Shipping Act came out in the year 1894. The document laid down the amount of food, water, etc. sailor was allowed when on shipboard. This doling out of rations was known to him as “Pound and Pint”. The Act also covered fines and punishments for delinquent mariners, such as “For concealing Knuckledusters, Slung-shot, sword-stick, etc. 5s. for each day of concealment’, and many commandments and regulations in a similar strain. According to Stan Hugill, the item around which the sarcastic song was built; has the Yanks’ origin. This is because American sailors call English sailors “Limejuicers”, It was due to the daily issuing of lime juice to British crews when they had been at a certain number of days at sea.

Stan Hugill’s version

Stan Hugill’s version of the song is partly that of his father and partly that of a shipmate, Arthur Spencer. The sailors sang this song in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia version of the song is one about “Sauerkraut and bully” sung in the Lunenburg dialect.

The source of this forebitter

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 58, 59).

The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 58, 59).

The Record of The Limejuice Ship (Long Chorus)

I will sing this song as a forebitter.

The Limejuice Ship (Long Chorus) - Forebitter

The musical notation

the-limejuice-ship-long-horus - music notation

The full lyrics

The Limejuice Ship (Long Chorus)

– So haul, boys, yer weather main brace an’ ease a-way yer lee
– Hoist jibs an’ tops’ls lads an’ let the ship go free,
– Hurrah, boys, hurrah! We’ll sing this Jubilee,
– Damn an bugger the Navy, boys, A merchant ship for me!

* 2 *

* 3 *

* 4 *

Related to this Forebitter