Other Types

The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye (Alan Lomax) -River Song

Blow The Wind Southerly – Shore Song

December 23, 2023April 24, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about Blow The Wind Southerly

The melody and text of the Blow The Wind Southerly, which you will hear in my reconstruction, were taken from the earliest source I can achieve W. G. Whittaker’s “Blow The WInds Southetly” (1921 by J.Curwen & Sons Ltd.), but the origin, of course, is much older and some part of this song was first in print in the Sharp, Cuthbert, ed. (1834) “The bishoprick garland, or A collection of legends, songs, ballads, &c. belonging to the county of Durham”. This song generally is called “The Fishes”, it is the origin of the shanty under the same title. What we know about it this song is undoubtedly a Scottish fishermen’s song.

The song will be reconstructed by myself as the shore song.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Blow The WInds Southetly” by W. G. Whittaker (1921 by J.Curwen & Sons Ltd.).

The lyrics: “Blow The WInds Southetly” by W. G. Whittaker (1921 by J.Curwen & Sons Ltd.).

Mentioned in: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 197).

The Record of the Blow The Wind Southerly

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Blow The Wind Southerly

Blow-the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow–the wind south o’er the bonnie blue sea;
Blow-the wind southerly southerly southerly
Blow bonnie breeze, my lover to me

They told me last night there were ships in the offing.
And I hurried down to the deep rolling sea;
But my eye could not see it, wherever might be it
The barque that is bearing my lover to me.

* 2 *

Blo.w the wind southerly, southerly, southerly
Blow the wind south, that my lover may come;
Blo.w the wind southerly southerly southerly,
Blow bonnie breeze, and bring him safe home.

I stood by the lighthouse the last time we parted,
Till darkness came down o’er the deep rolling sea!
And no longer I saw the bright bark of my lover–
Blow bonnie ‘breeze, and ‘bring him to me.

* 3 *

Blo.w the wind southerly, southerly, southerly
Blow the wind south, that my lover may come;
Blo.w the wind southerly southerly southerly,
Blow bonnie ‘breeze, and ‘bring him to me.

Is it not ‘sweet to ‘hear the breeze singing,
As lightly it comes o’er the deep rolling sea?
But sweeter and dearer by far when ’tis bringing
The bark of my true love in safety to me.

Related to this song

The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye (Alan Lomax) -River Song

December 20, 2023April 19, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye

This is one of the origins, of the “Shenandoah”, the most popular of all capstan and windlass shanties. Mentioned origin is the “The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye”, given by J. A. Lomax & Alan Lomax “American Ballads & Folk Songs” (1934), his version is ‘cavalry version’. It seems to be nothing more than a river song–one of the songs used by boatmen of the great American rivers (like Ohio). The story from Lomax’s book is this:
“The cavalry jealously claims this song for its very own, having acquired it, no doubt, during for frontier days. Sometimes the ‘would not have me for a lover’ stanza is followed by one beginning, ‘Because I was a wagon solider’, but the cavalry claims this to be a field artillery intrusion and an attempt to steal its song.”

The song will be reconstructed by myself as the river song.

The source of this river song

The music: “American Ballads & Folk Songs” by John Avery Lomax & Alan Lomax (1934).

The lyrics: “American Ballads & Folk Songs” by John Avery Lomax & Alan Lomax (1934).

Mentioned in: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 173).

The Record of The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye

This song will be performed as an average song, not even in intention is to recreate this song by me as a shanty.

The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye (Alan Lomax) -River Song

The musical notation

The full lyrics

The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye

For seven long years I courted Nancy,
– Hi! Ho! the rolling river!
For seven long years I courted Nancy,
– Ha! Ha! I’m bound away
– for the wild Miz-zou-rye!

* 2 *

She would not have me for a lover–
She would not have me for a lover–

* 3 *

And so she took my fifteen dollars–
And so she took my fifteen dollars–

* 4 *

And then she went to Kansas City–
And then she went to Kansas City–

* 5 *

And there she had a little sh-sh-baby–
And there she had a little sh-sh-baby–

* 6 *

She must have had another lover–
She must have had another lover–

* 7 *

He must have been a ——th Cavalry Solider–
He must have been a ——th Cavalry Solider–

* 8 *

I’m drinkin’ of rum and chawin’ tobacco–
I’m drinkin’ of rum and chawin’ tobacco–

* 9 *

I learned this song from Tommy Tompkins–
I learned this song from Tommy Tompkins–

Related to this song

Roll The Wood-pile Down – Shore Song

December 18, 2023April 4, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about Roll The Wood-pile Down – Shore Song

Roll The Wood-pile Down is the Negro version, sailors sometimes sang the chorus from this version: “Haul the woodpile down”. This song will be sung in a halyard shanty tempo, but of course, it is a shore song.

The song will be reconstructed by myself as the shore song.

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 161).

The Record Roll The Wood-pile Down – Shore Song

The full lyrics

Roll The Woodpile Down

Old Aunt Dinah had a farm
– Way down in Florida
Old Aunt Dinah had a farm
– Haul the woodpile down

Related to this song

Roll The Woodpile Down – Shore Song

Timber Drogher’s Shanty

December 15, 2023April 3, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about Timber Drogher’s Shanty

Timber Drogher’s Shanty was one of the most unclear cases for me to investigate, this piece of musical notation and text Stan Hugill gives us this description: “Whall gives a short variant of this shanty with a different tune. He calls his version a “timber drogher’s shanty” (by “this shanty” Stan Hugill means “Highland Laddie” or “Donkey Riding”).
So I did go to my shelf where I have a copy of W. B. Whall’s “Ships. Sea Songs and Shanties, unfortunately, searched page by page and did not find this song, my copy is a 3rd edition from 1913. What’s going on then? Maybe Stan Hugill gives the wrong reference? Doing research I found in the description only one existing record of this song by Gibb Shreffler, who wrote in the description of his performance, that he saw this song in the 4th edition of Walls book, so my track directs me to buy a higher edition than mine. Fortunately, I have been lucky to buy the 6th edition of Walls book from 1927, and eventually, I Found It! On page 115 I found this:

"Timber droghers would sing-

Was you ever in Quebec,
a launchin' timber on the deck?
Because she  was a young thing,
lately left her mammy O!

…end of the story.
To be honest, I didn’t find what I hope, means in the whole song two or three full stanzas, I found the same piece that prints Stan Hugill. Of course, now I know for sure there is not more than we can find in “Shanties from the Seven Seas”, in fact, W. B. Whall’s 6th edition really contains more content than the 3rd edition, so is a win-win anyway.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 150).

The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 150).

The Record of the Timber Drogher’s Shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Timber Drogher’s Shanty

Was you ever in Quebec,
a launchin’ timber on the deck?
Because she was a young thing,
lately left her mammy O!

Related to this song

The Wild Miz-Zou-Rye (Alan Lomax) -River Song

The Powder Monkey – Shore Sea-Song

December 15, 2023April 3, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about The Powder Monkey

Stan Hugill in his book gives us only a chorus of The Powder Monkey, it seems to be based on “Donkey Ridding” shanty, he didn’t remember the source or composer, of this ditty, the song according to the description from Stan Hugill point this song in time around the 50s of nineteen century.

Unfortunately in “Shanties from the Seven Seas” we can find the only chorus, so I took the first stanza from this beautiful shore song from Michael Watson, The Powder-Monkey (An Old Salt’s Story) – 50th edition (London: Patey & Willis, [n.d.]), and I add to this first verse-chorus from Stan Hugill. It was also done a bit of musical work because in the book the song was in G note, so I had to transpose it down to F note, to match the chorus from Stan Hugill. Also worth noting is that stanzas 2 and 3 are not confirmed. This is the first song from “Shanties from the Seven Seas” which is not shanty or forebitter, as Stan Hugill mentions it is a “shore sea-song”.

The song will be reconstructed by myself as the “shore sea-song”.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “The Powder-Monkey (An Old Salt’s Story) – 50th edition” by Michael Watson (1885).

The lyrics: “The Powder-Monkey (An Old Salt’s Story) – 50th edition” by Michael Watson (1885).

Mentioned in: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 148).

The Record of The Powder Monkey

The musical notation

the-powder-monkey-shore-sea-song music notation 1

The full lyrics

The Powder Monkey

A yarn I’ve got to spin as how Ive heard my old dad tell,
Of a gallant little hero who aboard the vict’ ry fell,
He was brimming full o’ courage, an’ was just the sort of lad,
To make the sort o’ sailor that our Navy’s always had.
As powder monkey, little Jim was pet o’ all the crew,
with his flaxen hair so curly, an’ his pretty eyes o’ blue;
An’ the bo’s’un always said as how that what got over him,
Was the chorus of a sailor’s song as sung by little Jim.

– Soon we’ll be in London Town, sing, my lad, yo ho o!
– and see the king in a golden crown, sing, my lads, yo, ho!
– Heave ho! on we go, sing, my lads, yo, ho!
– And Who’s a-feared to meet the foe? sing, my lads, yo, ho!

* 2 *

In ninety-eight we chased the foe right into ” Bourky Bay,”
And we fought away like (nigger) slavers’s, all the night till break of day,
The foeman’s flag ship “Orient,” was blowed away sky-high,
With the Admiral an’ all his crew an sare em right says I.
Now little Jim was in the thick of fall the fire and smoke
And he seemed to think that fighting hard was nothing but a joke,
For he handed up the powder from the maghzines below,
And all the while a singing, as if his pluck to show.

* 3 *

But little Jim was booked as the fight was just on won,
A musket bullet pick’d him off, afore his song was done,
They took him to the cock-pit, where a smiling he did lie,
And the sailors—Well, there warn’t a man but somehow piped his eye,
Says Jim, “my lad, don’t fret for me, but if the shore ye see,
Give a kiss to dear old mother, and say it comes from me,
And there never was a braver heart, that served our gracious Queen.
When the little powder monkey, who so gallantly used to sing.

Related to this song

Roll The Woodpile Down – Shore Song

Roll The Woodpile Down – Shore Song

December 15, 2023April 3, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Hieland Laddie (B) – stevedores chant

One of the most famous “stamp-‘n’-go shanty. The “Hieland Laddie” comes from the old Scottish march and dance tune.
This song Hieland Laddie (B), with these particular lyrics, was sung in two versions, first, is the version sung with the full chorus that was used by timber drogher’s crews at the capstan when loading cargo, heaving in and out, in the timber ports of Canada, and nor’- east America. The second version without a grand chorus was used in halyards or, at the ‘screws’ used to roam tight bales of cotton down the holds of the Cotton Traders. the ‘screwing’ the cotton job was extensively described by Nordhoff, and He was actually the oldest source who gave this text, to us.

The song will be reconstructed by myself as the stevedores’ chant.

The source of this chant

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 143).

The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 145).

The Record of the Hieland Laddie (B)

The Version of my reconstruction will be ‘screw’ the cotton song, which is actually not ‘Shanty’ only ‘chant’ – this is how Nordhoff described songs of cotton stevedores. This is one of the great examples, of why not every ‘work song’ is called ‘shanty’.

The full lyrics

Hieland Laddie (B)

Wuz ye ever in Quebec,
– Hieland laddie! Bonnie laddie!
Launching timber on the deck?,
– Me Bonnie Hieland laddie O!

– Way, hay an’ away we go!
– Hieland laddie, bonnie ladie!
– Way, hay, heels an’ toes, me bonnie Hieland laddie O!

* 2 *

Wuz ye ever in Mobile Bay,
Screwin’ cotton on a summer’s day?

* 3 *

Wuz ye ever off Cape Horn,
Where the weather’s niver warm?

* 4 *

Wuz ye ever in Mirramashee,
Where ye tie up to a tree?

* 5 *

Wuz ye ever in London town,
Where them gals they do come down?

* 6 *

Wuz ye ever in Bombay,
Drinkin’ coffe an’ bohay?

* 7 *

Wuz ye ever in Vallipo,
Where the gals put up a show?

* 8 *

Wuz ye ever in ‘Frisco Bay,
Where the gals all shout ‘Hooray’?

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