“Shule Agra” the Irish folk song, is according to Stan Hugill the song related to “Clear The Track Let The Bulgine Run” by a similar melody.
The source of this sea shanty
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 347). The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 347).
The Record
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
Shule Agra
My Johnny he has gone across the sea, He’s left me wid a wee babie, An’ whin he cames back he might wed me, Oh, my Johnny has gone for a soldier –
Shu-le, shu-le, shu-le, shu-le agra, Sure, ah, sure, an’ he loves me, And when he comes back he’ll marry me, Oh my Johnny has gone for a soldier.
Interesting Facts about the De History Ob De World
Here is the “De History Ob De World” effect of the research done by Stan Hugill on the occasion of the description of the “Clear The Track, Let The Bulgine Run” shanty. He tells us that his research has produced this minstrel song, and the theme of the verse is almost that of Whall’s version of Clear The Track – both songs minstrel and Whall’s version of the shanty could be called “Cosmogonic”! Stan Hugill gives us only one verse without the music, fortunately, I found on the internet the original music notation with five verses. Will be reconstructed as the Minstrel Song.
The source of De History Ob De World
The music: “De History Ob De World” by W. M. Parker (1847). The lyrics: “De History Ob De World” by W. M. Parker (1847). Mentioned in: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 344).
The Record
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
De History Ob De World
O, I come from ole Virginny Wid my head full ob knowledge, And I neber went to free school Nor any other colledge But one thing I will tell you Which am a solemn fact, I tell you how dis world was made In a twinkling ob n crack.
– Den walk in, Den walk in I say, – Den walk in. And hear the banjo play,
– Den walk in to the parlor – And hear de banjo ring – And watch dis (players) fingers – While be play upon de string
* 2 *
Oh dis world was made in six days, And den day made de sky, Aand den dey hung it ober head, And left it dat to dry; And den dey made de stars, Out ob (slaver) wenches eyes, For to gib a little light When de moon didn’t rise.
* 3 *
So Adam was de first man, Ebe she was de oder, And Cain walk’d on de treadmill Because he killed his broder; Ole Modder Ebe Couldn’t sleep widout a piller, And de greatest man dat eberlived. Was Jack de Giant killer.
* 4 *
And den dey made de sea, Annd in it put a Whale, And den dey made a raccou Wid a ring around his tail; All de oder animals Was fluished one by one, And stuck against de fence to dry As fast as dey were done.
* 5 *
O lighting is a yellow gal, She libs up in de clouds, And thunder he’s a black man, For he can hollow loud; When he kisses lighting, She dodgers off in wonder, Den he jumps, and tares his trowers, And dat’s what makes de thunder.
* 6 *
O de wind begin to blow, And de rain begin to fall, And de water come so high Dat it drowned de (slavers) all; And it rained forty days and nights, Exactly, by de counting, And it landed Noah’s ark ‘Pon de Alleghany Mountains.
“The American Railway” is the shore version of the shanty ” Paddy Works On The Railway”.Most collectors think it started its life as a music-hall song, however, Richard Runciman Terry disagrees with this opinion. The land version was also sung by the early railroad workers of Young America around the forties and fifties of the nineteenth century. This song will be reconstructed as the shore song.
The source of this song
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 337). The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 337).
The Record
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
The American Railway
In eighteen hundred an’ sixty one, The ‘Merican Railway was begun, The ‘Mericun Railway was begun, The Great American Railway,
– Filimi, oree, airee ay, oh, – fillimi. oree, airee ay, – fillimi. oree, airee ay, – Poor Paddy works on the railway.
Interesting Facts about the Mainsail Haul – Sampson
“Mainsail Haul – Sampson”, comes from “The Seven Seas Shanty Book” by John Sampson (1927 p 66, 67). According to John Sampson, it was a fairly modern sea song well known to old sailing ship men, although the words will vary considerably, as is usual with all songs that are not learned from and sung from a printed edition. Sampson says it is not of the music hall type of sea song but bears the mark of its nautical origin on every line.
The source of this sea shanty
The music: “The Seven Seas Shanty Book” by John Sampson (1927 p 66, 67). The lyrics: “The Seven Seas Shanty Book” by John Sampson (1927 p 66, 67). Mentioned in: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 324).
The Record of the Mainsail Haul – Sampson
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
Mainsail Haul – Sampson
One morning in the month of cold december, And most of my money being spent, What day it was I scarcely can remember, But down to the Shipping Office went
Now that day there’d been a great demand for sailors, For India, China and for France, And I shipped on board of the “Oxford” And went upon the spree with my advance
– Stand Back, take in the slack, – Bear away your capstan, heave a pawl, heave a pawl, – ‘Bount ship, stations boys, be handy, – Rise tacks, sheets and mainsa’l haul.
* 2 *
Now most of our sailors had been drinking, And Some had been heavy on the boose, So I sat upon my chest a-quietly thinking, Whether to turn in and have a snooze,
When I heard a voice above me loudly calling, I listened and I heard the voice again, ‘Twas the chief mate at the fo’c’sle door a-bawling, “All hands lay aft and answer to your name”.
* 3 *
Now when I arrived upon the quarter-deck, Such a sight I’d never seen before, There were scally wages from every tribe and nation, It made my poor heart both sick and sore,
Than I wished that I was back at the “Jolly Sailors”, Along with Irish Kate a-drinking beer, Oh Kitty, my poor heart is breaking, I went for’ard for to shed a pitful tear.
* 4 *
Now in my chest I knew I had a bottle, For I saw the boarding master put it there, So I thought I would go and wet my throttle, Just to drive away my sorrow and my care,
Then I fell down on my knees like thunder, A groping like a pig around a trough, When to my astonishment and wonder, It was bottle of medicine for a cough.
“Heave Away” the song from “The American Songbag” by Carl Sandburg (1927 page 407), is another clue to finding the possible origin of the “Heave Away, My Johnnies” shanty. Stan Hugill on the occasion of this song debated with himself about the shanty having stemmed from the following Negro slave song “Heave Away”. Although the tune bears no resemblance to the shanty the words seem to have some connection. Perhaps this is one of the songs that made it through the shanties of Mobile Bay or New Orleans. But on the other hand, it may be that Negro Hoosiers took it from Irish seamen-stevedores. Carl Sandburg claims that the following song is a “negro fireman’s” song and is one of the “few slavery-era work songs still in existence”.
The source of the Heave Away
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 301). The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 301).
The Record
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
Heave Away
He–aveaway, he-aveaway! I’d rather court a yellow gal Than work for Henry Clay, He–aveaway, he–aveaway! Yellow gal, I want to go. I’d rather court a yellow gal Than work for Henry Clay. He–ave away! Yellow gal, I want to go!
“The Irish Emigrant” is the final piece of Stan Hugill’s research on the very fine shanty “Heave Away, My Johnnies”. After the “Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )” which comes from Mr. T. E. Elwell. Eventually, the full version he took from his Irish friend; a native of Wexford, turned up the full version, which his friend called “The Irish Emigrant”. And eventually the story of the trick used by Mr. Tapscott to use the word ‘meal’. The words pronounced in Irish fashion sounded like ‘mail’, giving rise to the belief that the ship concerned was carrying ‘mail’ and belonged to the fastest in the world smart packet ships. But in actual fact, these ships carried emigrants across to the New World were very often a real thirt-rates, and the food the poor Irish emigrants had daily was “meal” – the Irish pronunciation of which was “male”, hence the error.
The source of The Irish Emigrant
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299). The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 300, 301).
The Record
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
The Irish Emigrant
As I walked out one morning down by the Clarence Dock, I heard a bully Irish boy conversing wid Tapscott; ‘Good morning, Mister Tapscott, would ye be arter telling me, If ye’ve got a ship bound for New York in the state of Amerikee?’
– Lay me down, lay me down, – Lay me down do! – Lay me down, here we go, Mrs. McQuale, – Here we go to, lay me down, Mrs. O’Halligan, – Jinny hooraw! – Fire away, Bridget, I’ll bully for you!
* 2 *
‘Yes, yes, me handsome Irish boy, I’ve got a ship or two, One’s laying at the wharf there, awaitin’ for her crew, She is a handsome packet and on Friday she will sail, And now she’s takin’ her on board a thousand bags o’ meal.’
* 3 *
So then I paid me passage down in solid Irish gold, And when the packet sailed, boys, ’twas on the yellow grog road; There was roars of milly murder, the loikes wuz never known, An’ ev’ry mother’s son, me bhoys, did wish himself at home.
* 4 *
On the day on which we set out, ’twas on the first o’ May, The Capen came upon the deck, these words to us did say, ‘Cheer up, me beefy Irish bhoys, now we have set all sail, We’ll give ye a feed o’ pork an’ beans, tomorrow — yellow meal!’
* 5 *
Next day when we sailin’ down the channel right as rain, A nor’west wind began to blow, an’ druv us back again. Bad luck to the Joey Walker and the day that we set sail, For them packet sailors broken open me chest, an’ stole me yellow meal.
* 6 *
Now that I am in Amerikee, a-working on a canal, I’ll niver go home in a packet ship, I know I niver shall, But I’ll ship in a darn big National boat, that carries both steam an’ sail, With lashin’s o’ beef, an’ plenty to eat, an’ none of yer yellow meal.
Interesting Facts about the Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )
“Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )” is the piece of Stan Hugill’s research on the very fine shanty “Heave Away, My Johnnies”. Stan Hugill tells us about he came across a letter referring to the three songs popular in Liverpool ‘free-‘n’-easies’ during the middle of the XIX century, one of these three songs was a ditty: “Across The Western Ocean. Stan Hugill found the author of this letter Mr. T. E. Elwell of the Isle of Man, the result of the correspondence was this verse with the chorus.
Stan Hugill doesn’t mention the melody for this ditty, but I expect the melody to this ditty comes from the song that predeceases this song in Stan Hugill’s book, which is “Lay Me Down”, so this melody I will use, to reconstruct that beautiful lyric, and will try to turn into a song. The lyrics in some places didn’t match the melody sometimes the length of the phrases is too short, so I will try to repeat some fragments of the phrases to match the music notation and not do much harm to the original climate of the lyrics.
The source of this song
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299). The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 300).
The Record
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
Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )
‘Have you got an emigrant ship that’s bound for Amer-i-kay?’ ‘Oh, yes! I have an emigrant ship, I have got one or two; I’ve got the Georgie Walker and I’ve got the Kangaroo.
– Oh! here we go, there we go, – Lay me down do, – Here we go, there we go, – Mrs. O’Halligan, too, – Jenny, hooroo! – Fire away, laddie, I’ll bully for you!
“Lay Me Down” is the folk song that Stan Hugill acquired from Patrick Shuldam-Shaw. Shuldam-Shaw did not mention exactly when, but what he says: “is when he did the talk about sea shanties in the Cecil Sharp House London”. He met Patrick Shuldam-Shaw and was on the lookout for some personal evidence of the song “Yellow Meal”, He mentioned the matter to him. Shuldam-Shaw said that; on one of his visits to the Shetland Islands collecting folk songs; and take down such a song from the singing of a certain John Stickle of Balla Sound, but he called it “Lay Me Down”. Here is this song.
The source of this song
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299). The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299).
The Record
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
Lay Me Down
As I went one morning down by the Clarence Dock, Who shipped I there. There but Tapscott, “Good morning, Mister Tapscott”, “Good morning, six”, says he, “Have you got any ship bound for New York and the Coast of Amerikee?”
– Layme down, lay me down, – Lay me down dead, – Lay me down, ay-jer-bup, Mrs. McQuale, – Lay me down, ay-jer-bup, Mrs. Mahoolichan, – Jeannie go ‘hooch’! – Fire away, Bridget, I’m dying for thee
* 2 *
‘I have a packet, a packet or two, The one, the Georgie Walker, and the other, the Kangaroo. The one, the Georgie Walker, on Friday she’ll set sail, And all the provisions she’d got on board is a thousand bags of meal.’
* 3 *
Now I’m landed in New York, and working in a canal, For me to go back in a packet ship, a thing I never shall, I’ll go back on one of the White Star Lines. They carry both steam and sail, And there I’ll get plenty of beef and soft tack, and none of your yellow meal.
Interesting Facts about The Ghost of John James Christopher Benjamin Binns
This is the beautiful Victorian ditty “The Ghost of John James Benjamin Christopher Binns” by Harry Randall (1888), no doubt, the original predecessor of the “Rise Me Up From Down Below”, stamp-‘n’-go shanty. Fortunately, I found a musical score for this surely forgotten poem, which had a great time on broadsides of the 19th century. I did not find any publication of this song mentioned, fortunately, Stan Hugill mention it, so this is probably my only opportunity to reconstruct this song and bring it back to life, and show this beautiful ballad to all who want to listen to sound of the past.
The source of this victorian ditty
The music: “The Ghost of John James Benjamin Christopher Binns” by Harry Randall (1888). The lyrics: “The Ghost of John James Benjamin Christopher Binns” by Harry Randall (1888). Mentioned in: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 281).
The Record of this victorian ditty
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
The Ghost of John James Christopher Benjamin Binns – Victorian Ditty
Hear my song, gentle folks, and dont be afraid, I’m only a ghost, a poor harmless shade, I would not hurt any one here if I could; And you couldn’t do me much harm if you would;
Knives will not stab me nor shots thro’ me fly, But oh! the experiment please do not try; It’s not for my self that I care, not at all, I’m only afraid you might damage the wall.
|| For: ||
– I’m the ghost of John James Christopher Ben-jamin Binns, – I was cut down right in the midst of my sins; – For my home is down below, I’m let out for an hour or so; – When the cock begins to crow, Fare well Benjamins Binns.
* 2 *
My wife she would say when I liv’d on this earth, If I should die first, she’d never get wed; To night I call’d on her, through key holes I crept, If ghost could have tears, I am sure I’d have wept;
A man held my wife in his tender embrace, She call’d him her hubby, hed taken my place; To make matters worse, and to crown all my woes, The fellow was wearing my best Sunday clothes.
|| The gass full on _ she could not see me _ ||
|| but I was determined she should hear me, ||
|| So I said -"Hold mortal piece of flesh" _ ||
|| She shrieked and "held" the "mantel piece" _ ||
|| Then I in Sephulcral tones said, ||
- (chorus)
* 3 *
On the day that I died I left up on earth, A fam’ly large and a boy of good birth, Whom I taught to be honest and ever upright, And hold on to money securely and tight;
But a short time thereafter imagine my woe, When I heard that to canada off he did go; “And just like his father” the people now say, “Good riddins, bad rubbish, he’s out of the way!”
|| But I manage to get even with the rascally lad, ||
|| for each night when he lies in restless sleep, ||
|| I crawl up from below and say: ||
- (chorus)
This is another beautiful Sicilian fisherman song comes from Alberto Favara “Canti della terra e del mare di Sicilia”(1921), “Cialoma Di Li Tunnari”. The tune of this beautiful song is reminiscent of the “Boys and Girls Come Out to Play” and its chorus “E amola, e amola”, certainly lends itself to a good drag on a rope.
The source of this fishermen song
The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 247).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 247).
The Record of the Cialoma Di Li Tunnari
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.
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