Saucy Sailor

A little gold and silver can go a long way it appears, when it comes to overlooking a
certain ragged, dirty and smelly appearance. However, jolly Jack (or possibly Henry)
is not taken in by the country girl's expression of adoration after she learns what he's
got in his pocketses, and he then promptly displays an approach to true love which is
equally mercenary. I rather like this cynical example of gender equality.

As the lady in the lounge of the Star seems to have spotted towards the end of verse
two, I learned this version from Steeleye Span, and it is probably drawn from the
older 'The Saucy Sailor Boy'.

An 1887 edition of "(50) SAILORS SONGS OR 'CHANTIES'" (Frederick J.
Davis RNR) lists The Saucy Sailor Boy as a "Song for Pumping the Ship Out", and
according to Stan Hugill (known as the "Last Working Shantyman") in all likelihood
the song originated on shore, sometime in the 18th century. In The Saucy Sailor Boy,
the protagonists are a sailor and a fisher girl, though other variants have the woman
engaged in a somewhat more 'earthy' occupation. A similar idea crops up in the well
known 'Wild Rover', where the sailor goes to an alehouse and pretends to have no
money, and the landlady refuses him credit, only to welcome him with open arms
once he reveals that he does indeed have a few readies to hand.

A Victorian collector, William Alexander Barrett, maintained that The Saucy Sailor
has been in print since at least 1781. He cited it as being highly popular with East
London factory girls.

Well. There you go.

(Thanks to Mudcatters everywhere for the academicky bits)


Rob

Come me own one, come me fair one,
Come now unto me
Could you fancy a poor sailor lad
Who has just come from sea?

You are ragged love, and you're dirty love
And your clothes smell much of tar
So be gone you saucy sailor lad
So be gone you Jack Tar

If I'm ragged love, and I'm dirty love
And me clothes smell much of tar
I have silver in me pockets love,
And gold in great store.

And when she heard him say so
On her bended knees she fell
"I will marry my dear henry,
For I love sailor lad so well."

Do you think that I am foolish love?
Do you think that I am mad?
For to wed with a poor country girl
Where no fortunes to be had

I will cross the briney ocean
I will whistle and sing
And since you have refused the offer love
Some other girl will wear the ring

I am frolicsome and I am easy,
Good tempered and free
And I don't give a single pin me boys
What the world thinks of me.

Rounding the Horn

Rounding Cape Horn was one of the most treacherous sea navigations that a ship could undertake and was the quickest route to Chile until the dawn of air travel. In this song, despite the ship being kitted out with all new sails and rigging, two souls are lost despite the best efforts of the crew; however the rewards for a sailor seem to fully make up for the journey although on leaving one wonders how they were getting back home! It's certainly a ripping yarn with the camaraderie between the ship mates and those on other ships providing an excellent backdrop to the action. A real spurring tale to have at a sing around!

As a geographical note, it has to be said in the third verse that the Magellan strait is not close to the Horn itself, the term "beating off" must be taken with a pinch of salt methinks (any other suggestions?)

This song, collected from Mr W Bolton in 1907 by Anne Gilchrist was published by Bert Lloyd and Ralph Vaughan Williams in the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs is a surprising rarity in that only one other variation on it has been collected, again by Gilchrist, maybe it was just that good...

Tim and Rob perform this one

The gallant frigate, Amphitrite, she lay in Plymouth Sound,
Blue Peter stood at the foremast head for she was outward bound;
We were waiting there for orders to send us far from home;
Our orders came for Rio, and thence around Cape Horn.

When we arrived at Rio we prepared for heavy gales;
We set up all our rigging, boys, and bent on all new sails.
From ship to ship they checred us as we did sail along,
And wished us pleasant weather in rounding of Cape Horn.

While beating off Magellan Strait it blew exceeding hard;
Whilst shortening sail two gallant tars fell from the topsail yard.
By angry seas the ropes we threw fiom their poor hands were torn
And we were forced to leave them to the sharks that prowl around
Cape Horn.

When we got round the Horn, my boys, we had some glorious days
And very soon our killick dropped in Valparaiso Bay.
The pretty girls came down to us; I solemnly declare
They are far before the Plymouth girls with their long and curling hair.

They love a jolly sailor when he spends his money free;
They'll laugh and sing and merry, merry be, and have a jovial spree.
And when our money is all gone they won't on you impose,
They are not like the Plymouth girls that'll pawn and sell your clothes.

Farewell to Valparaiso, farewell for a while,
Likewise to all the Spanish girls all on the coast of Chile;
And if ever l live to be paid off l'll sit and sing this song:
"God bless those pretty Spanish girls we left around Cape Horn."

When Spring Comes in

I was feeling rather Springy this week and so asked Rob for some notes on this pretty little number that he sings so well:

"Still a while to go before Spring gets sprung, but the days are begining to lengthen, and we are seeing one or two bright clear days.

'When Spring Comes In' is from the collection of the Copper family of Rottingdean, Sussex, and may not even have been collected anywhere else. It heads up the chapter for April in Bob Copper's book A Song For Every Season, and is one of my favourite seasonal songs, and though it does have a somewhat 'lost England' faux nostalgia feel to it now, I don't think there's anything wrong with a bit of romanticism now and again.

It is not a particularly complex song, either musically or lyrically but it does remind us rather neatly that although Spring is a time of new life and new beginnings, nevertheless "..the daffa-down dillys which we admire, will die and fade away". Alan Seeger the American poet killed in action in World War I, wrote that "I Have a Rendezvous with Death ... When Spring comes round again this year And the first meadow-flowers appear". It may be Springtime, but the old guy with the scythe is never far away.

Nonetheless, it is a great upbeat and fun song to sing, especially when surrounded by good ale and good company. As Bob copper says in that same chapter:

"Although a song sung alone on the hillside under the wide blue sky helps the day along, a song with good companions in the hot smoky atmosphere of the tap-room is something altogether more cheery and satisfying."

I'll second that."

Rob

When Spring comes on then the birds do sing,
The lambs do skip and the bells do ring
While we enjoy their glorious charm so noble and so gay.

Chorus: The primrose blooms, the cowslips too,
The violets in their sweet retire, the roses shining through the briar,
And the daffodown-dillies which we admire will die and fade away.

Young men and maidens will be seen
On mountains high and meadows green,
They will talk of love and sport and play
While them young lambs do skip away,
At night they homeward wend their way
When evening stars appear.

(Chorus)

The dairymaid to milking goes, her blooming cheeks as red as a rose,
And she carries her pail all on her arm so cheerful and so gay,
She milks, she sings, and the valleys ring.
The small birds on the branches there sit listening to this lovely fair
For she is her master's trust and care,
She is the ploughman's joy.

(Chorus)

Bold Riley

Bold Riley by A Sunday Song

Today's song is Rob's take on the shanty Bold Riley:

"'Oh the rain it rains, all day long' - how English is that. The English folk tradition is rich in nautical songs, notably The Shanty, although most have come a long way since being sung by the Jolly Jack Tars of yesteryear. To paraphrase the great Tom Lewis, if the sailors in those days had sung 'em at the pace we sing 'em now, they'd have died of exhaustion within the hour!

Shanties were work songs, and there were three main types, short haul, halyard and capstan, some were only ever sung on the outward voyage, others on the homeward leg, sailors being very superstitious. On the other hand, singing "Goodbye my darling" when you're on your way home does seem a bit daft.

Bold Riley is a great favourite at the Sunday Star session, backed here by Ali singing harmony and Tim's beautiful guitar work filling in the spaces.
And who was bold Riley? We don't know, and we don't care, but we do hope he made it safely back home to Mary."


Oh the rain it rains all day long,
Bold Riley-o, Bold Riley,
And the northern wind, it blows so strong,
Bold Riley-o has gone away.

Chorus
Goodbye my sweetheart,
goodbye my dear-o
Bold Riley-o, Bold Riley,
Goodbye my darlin',
goodbye my dear-o,
Bold Riley-o has gone away.

Well come on, Mary, don't look glum,
Bold Riley-o, Bold Riley,
Come White-stocking Day you'll be drinkin' rum
Bold Riley-o has gone away.

Chorus

We're outward bound for the Bengal Bay,
Bold Riley-o, Bold Riley,
Get bending, me lads,
it's a hell-of-a-way,
Bold Riley-o has gone away

Words taken from Kate Rusby's Bold Riley on the album Hourglass