capstan shanty

Roller Bowler – Liverpool Version

Cant Ye Dance The Polka B

September 17, 2023September 17, 2023 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Cant Ye Dance The Polka B

“Cant Ye Dance The Polka B” was a popular capstan shanty on both American and British ships. This is as Stan Hugill described the normal Packet Rat version – usually sung in a Yankee drawl.
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the capstan shanty (used at the Halyard winch).

The source of the Cant Ye Dance The Polka B

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 372).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 372-373).

The Record of this sea shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Cant Ye Dance The Polka B

Tis I walked down the Broadway.
One evenin’ in July,
I met a maid who axed me trade,
an’ a Sailor John, sez I …

– Than away you Santee,
– My dear Annie!
– Ooooh, ye New York gals,
– Can’t ye dance the polka?

* 2 *

To tiffany’s I took her,
I did not mind expense,
I bought her two gold earrings,
An’ they cost me fifteen cents.

* 3 *

Sez she, ‘You Limejuice sailor,
Now see me home you may.’-
But when we reached her cottage door,
She this to me did say.

* 4 *

My flash man he’s a Yankee,
Wid his hair cut short behind,
He wears a pair o’ long sea-boots,
An’ he sails in the Blackball Line.

* 5 *

He’s homeward bound this evening,
An’ wid me he will stay.
So git a move on, sailor-boy,
Git crackin’ on year way.

* 6 *

Si I kissed her hard an’ proper,
Afore her flash man came,
An’ fare-ye-well, me Bowery gel,
I know yer little game.

* 7 *

I wrapped me glad rags round me,
An’ to the docks did steer.
I’ll never court another maid,
I’ll stick to rum an’ beer.

* 8 *

I joined a Yankee blood-boat,
An’ sailed away next morn.
Don’t ever fool around wid gals,
Yer safer off Cape Horn!

Related to this sea shanty

Good Mornin Ladies All A

Haul The Bowline B

Away Susanna!

September 13, 2023September 13, 2023 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Away Susanna!

“Away, Susanna” or ” Can’t Ye Dance the Polka” was a popular capstan shanty on both American and British ships. This is the first Stan Hugill’s version that was invariably sung to the “shanghaied in San Francisco” theme. Charlie Evans, Arthur Spence, Bosun Chenoworth, “Artie”, an A. B. of the New Zeland brigantine “Aratapu”, and many other Stan Hugill shipmates all sang these words.
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the capstan shanty.

The source of the Away Susanna!

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 369).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 369-371).

The Record of this sea shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Away Susanna!

Shanghaied in San Francisco,
We fetched up in Bombay,
They set us afloat in an old lease boat,
that steered like a bale of hay

– Than away, Susanna,
– My fair maid!
– Oho! ye New York gals,
– Can’t ye dance the polka?

* 2 *

We panted in the tropics,
Whilst the pitch boiled’up on deck,
We’ve saved our hides little else besides,
From an ice-cold North Sea wreck.

* 3 *

We drank our rum in Portland,
We’ve thrashed through the Behring Straits,
An’ we toed the mark on a Yankee barque,
With a hard-case Down-east mate.

* 4 *

We know the quays of Glasgow,
An’ the boom of the lone Azores,
We’ve had our grub from a salt-horse tube,
Condemned by the Navy stores.

* 5 *

We know the track to auckland,
An’ the light of Kinsale Head,
An’ we crept close-hauled while the landsman called,
The depth of the Channel bed.

* 6 *

We know the streets of Santos,
The river at Saigon,
We’ve had our glass with a Chinee lass,
In Ship Street in Hong Kong.

* 7 *

They,ll pay us off in London,
Then it’s oh for a spell ashore,
Then again we’ll ship for a southern trip,
In a week or hardly more.

* 8 *

‘Tis goodbye, Sal an’ Lucy,
‘Tis time we were afloat,
With a straw-stuffed bed, an achin’ head,
A knife an’ an oilskin coat.

* 9 *

Sing ‘Time for us to leave ‘er’,
Sing ‘Bound for the Rio Grande,’
An’ when the tug turns back, we’ll follow her track,
For a last long look at the land.

* 10 *

An’ when the purple disappears,
An’ only the blue is seen,
That’ll take our bones to Davy Jones,
An’ our souls to Fiddler’s Green.

Related to this sea shanty

Seafarers

September 10, 2023September 10, 2023 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Haul The Seafarers

“Seafarers” is the capstan shanty that comes from “Sang Under Segel” by Sigurd Sternvall (1935) (1st ed p 367 – 368). Stan Hugill mentioned this song on the occasion of the description of shanties family incorporating girls’ names. The first section of this family, represented by “Away, Susanna” or ” Can’t Ye Dance the Polka” is a popular shanty on both American and British ships. Sternvall comments on this song as: “The most popular sailor song of the turn of the century. A capstan shanty”. Stan Hugill gives us only one stanza of this song so I will use the full nine stanzas song from Sternvall’s book.
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the capstan shanty.

The source of the Haul The Seafarers

The music: “Sang Under Segel” by Sigurd Sternvall (1935) (1st ed p 367 – 368).
The lyrics: “Sang Under Segel” by Sigurd Sternvall (1935 (1st ed p 367 – 368).
Mentioned in: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 369).

The Record of this sea shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Seafarers

Shanghaied in San Francisco,
we fetched up in Bombay.
They set us afloat in an old Leith-boat,
that steered like a stack of hay.

* 2 *

We have sweltered in the tropics,
when the pitch boiled up on deck,
and we saved our hides, with little besides,
form so ice-cold Northsea wreck.

* 3 *

We know the tracks to Auckland,
and the lights on Sidney Head.
We kept close-hauled, while the leadsman called,
the depths of the channels bed.

* 4 *

We know the quais of Glasgow,
and the loom of the lone azores,
we have found our grub in a salt horse tub,
condemned from Navy stores.

* 5 *

We know the streets of Santos,
and the river at Saigon.
we work have drunk our glass with a Chinese lass
in a houseboat at Canton.

* 6 *

They pay us off in london,
and it’s off for a spell ashore.
And again we ship on a southern trip
in a week or hardly more.

* 7 *

It’s good-bye, sally and sue,
for it’s time to go afloat.
With an aching head and a straw-stuffed bed,
a knife and a oilskin coat.

* 8 *

Sing “Time to leave her, Johnny”,
Sing “Bound for Rio Grand!”
When the tug turns back, we follow her track
for a last long look at land.

* 9 *

Then at last that disappears,
and only the blue is seen,
That will send our bones to “Davy Jones”
and our souls to “Fiddlers Green”.

Related to this sea shanty

Haul The Bowline B

July 2, 2023July 2, 2023 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Haul The Bowline B

“Haul The Bowline” is the shanty that opens the fourth part of the “Shanties From The Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill. Song also opens the family of the shanties with the word “haul”. Stan Hugill tells us that it is quite possible that this is the most ancient of the shanties, seeing that the bowline was a rope of prime importance in medieval times.
This version, Stan Hugill learned from a Welsh deep-water man, and he says that this song (including this particular version), has been sometimes used at the capstan.
The song will be reconstructed by myself as the capstan shanty.

The source of the Haul The Bowline B

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 356).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 356).

The Record of this sea shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Haul The Bowline B

Because she had a fore-top, fore ‘n main t’ bowline,
– Haul on the bowline, the bowline haul,
Because she had a main-top, main ‘n’ mizen t’bowline -,
– Ha-ul on the bowline, the bowline haul,

– Haul on the bowline, Oh Kitty you’re me darlin’ -,
– Haul on the bowline, the bowline haul,

Related to this sea shanty

Good Mornin Ladies All A

June 25, 2023June 25, 2023 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Good Mornin Ladies All A

“Good Mornin Ladies All A” capstan shanty, is the song with the line “Good Mornin Ladies All” which gives us the notion that the song is the negro origin. Cecil Sharp believes it to have some affinity with “Heave Away, Me Johnnies”. This version Stan Hugill took from Tobago Smith, a West Indian shantyman.
This song will be reconstructed as the capstan shanty.

The source of the Good Mornin Ladies All A

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 350).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 350).

The Record of this sea shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Good Mornin Ladies All A

Our ol’ man said to me one day,
– High-ee-yo – ho-ho, High-ee-yo – ho-ho – ho-ho!
Let’s git aboard of our packet ship, an’ we’ll roll’er ‘crosst the Bay – ,
– Ah – ha – ! me yellar gals,
– Good mornin’ ladies all!

* 2 *

Oh, fare-ye-well, I wish ye well,
We’re outward bound on the mornin’ tide, this packet wuz bound ter hell.

* 3 *

We sailed away to the White Man’s Grave,
The Yaller Jack it wiped us out, the divil a man wuz saved.

* 4 *

We shipped some monkeys for the crew,
Our bosun wuz a great big ape, the ‘sails’ a kinkajou.

Related to this sea shanty