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1. |
South Australia
01:54
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South Australia
Capstan and Pump Shanty; sometimes a Halyard Shanty ; also sung as a Forebitter
Traditional
As I walked out one morning fair,
(Resp.) Heave away, haul away,
There I met Miss Nancy Blair,
(Resp.) We’re bound for South Australia. (Lead call in Chorus)
(Chorus)
Haul away, you rolling king,
Heave away, haul away,
Haul away, oh hear me sing,
We’re bound for South Australia.
There’s just one thing that grieves me mind,
(Resp.) Heave away, haul away,
To leave Miss Nancy Blair behind,
(Resp.) We’re bound for South Australia. (Lead call in Chorus)
I rung her all night, I rung her all day,
(Resp.) Heave away, haul away,
I rung her before we sailed away,
(Resp.) We’re bound for South Australia. (Lead call in Chorus)
I shook her up, I shook her down,
(Resp.) Heave away, haul away,
I shook her round and round the town,
(Resp.) We’re bound for South Australia. (Lead call in Chorus)
Miss Nancy Blair ain’t come to harm,
(Resp.) Heave away, haul away,
Been seen at night on a new man’s arm,
(Resp.) We’re bound for South Australia. (Lead call in Chorus)
Haul away, you rolling king,
Heave away, haul away,
Haul away, oh hear me sing,
We’re bound for South Australia.
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2. |
To Ireland We'll Go
03:07
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To Ireland We’ll Go
Maritime-themed, Irish-themed Song
Lyrics and Music © 2003 Maggie Hannington
We traveled ten countries and the Straits of Japan,
Since we left our good country a long time ago.
We’ve seen treasures plenty and the Promised Land,
But we’re glad to be bound for the Ireland we know.
Chorus:
We’ll cross the seas ’til we reach Kinsale,
Then round the south to the shores of Dungloe.
By the blessings of Niamha our travels won’t fail.
We’ve a fortnight until back to Ireland we’ll go.
We’ll pass by the Shetlands and the Stornoway Sound,
When we head for our country from a long time ago.
We’ll sail the North Channel as we’re Galway bound.
We’ve two ports until back to Ireland we’ll go. (Chorus)
We’ll fold up the mains’l and take down the mast,
When we come to our country from a long time ago.
We’re hoping our ale and our spirits do last.
We’ve two seas until back to Ireland we’ll go. (Chorus)
Well, no more the sea spray shall tangle my hair,
When I’m back in my country from a long time ago.
But I know I’ll soon long for the smell of salt air.
And away from my homeland from Ireland we’ll go! (Chorus)
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3. |
Leaving of Liverpool
02:57
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Leaving of Liverpool
Forebitter and Capstan Shanty
Traditional
Farewell to you, my own true love,
For I’m sailing far away,
I am bound for Valparaiso,
And I know that I’ll be back some day (Chorus)
(Chorus)
So fare thee well, my own true love,
For when I return, united we will be,
It’s not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me,
But my darlin’ when I think of thee.
I’m bound to California,
By way of ol’ Cape Horn,
And I bet that I will curse the day
And the hour that I was born. (Chorus)
I have shipped on a Yankee sailing ship,
Davy Crockett is her name,
And Burgess in the captain of her,
And they say that she’s a floating shame. (Chorus)
‘Tis me second passage with ol’ Burgess,
And I think I knows him well.
If a man’s a sailor, he can get along,
But if not, he’s sure in hell. (Chorus)
Oh, the sun is on the harbor, love,
And I wish I could remain,
For I know it will be a long, long time,
Before I see you again. (Chorus)
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4. |
Johnny Come Down to Hilo
02:17
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Johnny Come Down to Hilo
Capstan Shanty
Traditional
This is not a traditional arrangement, but it is the way Bounding Main performs it.
Male: Ain’t seen the like since I’ve been born,
Female: An Arkansas farmer with his sea boots on. (Chorus)
Chorus:
ALL Johnny come down to Hilo, poor old man.
MEN So wake her!
WOMEN Wake her!
MEN shake her!
WOMEN Shake her!
ALL wake that gal with the blue dress on.
WOMEN Johnny come down to Hilo,
ALL poor old man.
Male: I got a gal across the sea,
Female: She’s a ‘Badian beauty and she says to me. (Chorus)
Male: Sally’s in the garden picking’ peas,
Female: Hair on her head hanging down to her knees. (Chorus)
Male: My wife died down in Tennessee,
Female: They sent her jawbone back to me. (Chorus)
Male: I set that jawbone on the fence,
Female: And I ain’t heard nothing but the jawbone since. (Chorus)
Male: So hand me down my riding cane,
Female: I’m off to see Miss Sarah Jane! (Chorus)
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5. |
Old Dun Cow
02:36
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When the Old Dun Cow Caught Fire
Music Hall Song (1893)
Harry Wincott (Pseud. of Alfred James Walden) 1867-1947
Some Friends and I in a public house.
Was playin’ dominoes one night,
When into the pub a fireman ran,
His face all a chalky white.
“What’s up,” says Brown, “have you seen a ghost,
“Or have you seen your Aunt Moriah?”
“Me Aunt Moriah be buggered!” says he,
“The bleedin’ pub’s on fire!”
Chorus
And there was Brown upside down,
Moppin’ up the whiskey on the floor.
“Booze, booze!” The firemen cried,
As they came knockin’ on the door (clap, clap)
Oh, don’t let ’em in till its all drunk up!
And somebody shouted MacIntyre! (“MacIntyre!)
And we all got blue-blind paralytic drunk,
When the Old Dun Cow caught fire.
“Oh, well,” says Brown, “what a bit of luck,
“Everybody follow me,
“There’s booze in the cellar,
“If the fire’s not there,
“Then we’ll have a grand old spree!”
So we all went on down after good old Brown,
The booze we could not miss!
And we hadn’t been there ten minutes or more,
Till we were quite like this … (Chorus)
Then [Insert Victim’s Name Here] walked over to the port wine tub,
And gave it just a few hard knocks. (clap, clap)
Started takin’ off his pantaloons,
Likewise his shoes and socks.
“Hold on,” says Brown, “That ain’t allowed,
“Ya cannot do that in here.
“Don’t go washin’ your trousers in the port wine tub,
“When we got Bud Lite beer!” (Chorus)
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6. |
Blow Liza Blow
03:54
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Blow, Liza, Blow
Traditional Bahamian Song c. 1935
Anonymous
Chorus
This is the winter,
Every spring and summer,
We need another jolly boy,
To lead this cable over.
Blow Liza blow, (now)
Blow dear Liza blow,
Blow Liza, blow Liza,
Blow Liza blow.
Tell you ’bout my Liza,
That’s a tough-lookin’ woman.
That Liza, she’s blowin’ forever,
Blow Liza blow. (Chorus)
You know what I’m tryin’ to,
Love you Liza, tell you true.
I’ve got the woman I’m gonna love,
Blow Liza Blow.
Callin’ you Liza,
Three pairs and three mates.
One jolly man come back alive,
Blow Liza blow. (Chorus)
Sometimes, people on the land,
Just trouble in mind.
Wind he was mad and called his grip,
Blow Liza blow
Some was workin’,
To the land to him.
Before the high wind strike,
Blow Liza blow.
Up sails,
Try to bring it ’round.
One of them fall right over,
Blow Liza blow. (Chorus)
I got time,
I better dance these girls in town.
People in town just trouble in mind,
Blow Liza blow.
I got time, now all right,
People in the boat.
Turn the yard up to port,
Blow Liza blow.
Now the men calling
Who made ’em in, eh?
All those callin’, “Who come back, hey?”
Blow Liza blow. (Chorus)
No more today,
Tellin’ the tale.
I didn’t see them, I just come back, me,
Blow Liza blow.
I got time,
People swallowed up on the ocean.
I could hear some people cry,
Blow Liza blow.
Tell you,
That boy way young to die.
That’s the word his woman cry’n,
Blow Liza blow.
(Chorus)
This is the winter,
Every spring and summer,
We need another jolly boy,
To lead this cable over.
Now this is the winter,
Commence the spring and summer.
Now we need another jolly boy,
To lead this cable over.
Oh that storm,
That wonderful storm.
Blow Liza, blow Liza, blow Liza, blow.
Oh that storm,
Going to make the men alone.
And that storm will blow today,
Blow Liza blow.
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7. |
Bristol Girls
01:57
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Bristol Girls
Capstan Shanty
Adapted from Traditional by Dean Calin
Shanghaied in Valparaiso, we fetched-up in Bombay,
They set us afloat in a leasehold boat that steered like a bale of hay.
We know the track to Auckland, the light at the Kinsale Head,
We’ve crept close-hauled while the leadsman bawled the depth of the Channel bed. (Chorus)
(Chorus)
And away you Santee, my dear Annie,
Oh, you Bristol Girls, you love us for our money.
We’ve panted in the tropics, while the pitch boiled-up on deck,
We saved our hides, little else besides from an ice-cold, North Sea wreck.
We know the streets of Santos, the river at Saigon,
We’ve had a glass with a Chinese lass in houseboat in Canton. (Chorus)
They’ll pay us off in London then after a spell ashore,
Again we’ll ship on a southern trip in a week or barely more.
So – Goodbye Mistress Quickly, it’s time we were afloat,
With a straw-stuffed bed, an aching head, a knife and an oilskin cloak. (Chorus)
Sing: “Time for us to Leave Her,” sing: “Bound for the Rio Grande,”
As the tug turns back we’ll follow her track for a last long look at land.
As the purple disappears and only the blue is seen,
Commend our bones to Davy Jones, our souls to Fiddler’s Green. (Chorus)
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8. |
Toss and Roll
03:17
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Toss and Roll
Maritime-themed Song
Lyrics and Music © 2007 David Yondorf
(Chorus)
WE don’t know where we’re rowin’,
Don’t know which way we’re blowin’,
WE don’t know where we’re goin’,
As we toss & roll
WELL David is the worst kind of rag-tag sailor,
Stench like a score of scurvy-struck whalers,
His clothes are supplied by blind-drunk tailors,
As we toss and roll! (Chorus)
NOW Deano’s got the stuff of a good midshipman.
A gale-force wind it barely tips him,
But, after a couple of pints he’s listin’,
As we toss and roll! (Chorus)
Gina sails with a barrel of ginger,
Without it the slightest swells unhinge ‘er.
She and her sis are like “Cringe” and “Cringer,”
As we toss and roll! (Chorus)
Christy sails a lot like her sister, Gina,
Gets just as sick, but a little bit meaner,
Staggers the decks like a drunken ballerina,
As we toss and roll! (Chorus)
Maggie is our sure and steadfast gunner,
Always on the lookout for loot and plunder,
Sweet and delicate voice like thunder,
As we toss and roll! (Chorus)
Jon has the focus of a drunken monkey,
Can’t hide the fact he’s a jugglin’ junkie,
Never in his live settled on just one key-ey-EEE
As we toss and roll! (Chorus x2)
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9. |
Ocean Liner
03:23
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Ocean Liner
Maritime-themed Song
Barry Skipsey
Click here to read Skip’s letter to us regarding Ocean Liner.
When I was a’fishing up in the Gulf,
Out on the open sea,
I think of those pretty girls back on shore,
And wish that they were out here with me.
Chorus:
So step on board (step on board) the ocean liner,
Step on board without delay, me lads.
Step on board, there’s nothing finer,
And together we’ll sail away.
Well I made up me mind to follow the waves,
Hearing of good returns.
And the very next morning I found myself prawning,
And me stomach it began to churn. (Chorus)
Working twenty-bloody-four hours a day,
With me eyes hanging out of me head.
Twenty-fours hours barely making a wage,
And wish that I was bloody-well dead. (Chorus)
Well I’m a long way from mother up here in the gulf,
A long way from family.
And I’m a bloody long way from being a sailor,
That my mother oh so wanted me to be. (Chorus)
Well the Captain’s a big man, he stands so high,
His head’s nearly touching the rigging.
And the crew they’re all druggos and they’re so high,
I think they’ve left the land of the living. (Chorus)
Well we’re catching and shelling and sorting prawns,
Till they bloody-well come out of our ears!
And the cook gives me the chills in more ways than one,
And I think I’m on my very last run. (Chorus x2)
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10. |
Blow Boys Blow
03:11
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Blow, Boys, Blow
Tops’l Halyard Shanty
Traditional(-ish)
(Say,) Was you ever down the Congo River?
Resp: Blow, boys, blow!
Where fever makes the white man shiver.
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
A Bristol ship comes down the river,
Resp: Blow, boys, blow!
A Bristol ship with a Bristol skipper,
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
How do you know she’s a Bristol clipper;
Resp: Blow, boys, blow!
Her masts and yards they shine like silver.
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
And how do you know she’s a Bristol cutter;
Resp: Blow, boys, blow!
By the blood and guts rollin’ in her scupper.
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
Who do you think is captain of her?
Resp: We don’t know!
Why, Bully Hayes is the captain of her
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
What do you think they had for breakfast?
Resp: Cheerios!
The starboard side of an old Sou’wester.
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
What do you think they had for dinner?
Resp: Chicken toes!
Belayin’ pin pie and a trip through the wringer.
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
What do you think they had for supper?
Resp: Marshmallows!
Belayin’ pin pie and a roll in the scupper!
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
Oh, what did they play right after supper?
Resp: Touch your toes? Dominoes? Nintendo-“z”?
Oars a rowin’ and holy stone scrubbin!
Resp: Blow, my bully boys, blow!
O, blow today and blow tomorrow,
Resp: This song blows!
Blow me from this ship of sorrow.
Resp: Please, Jon, let us go!
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11. |
Fire Marengo
01:49
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Fire Marengo
Uncertain origins, likely a cotton-screwing shanty
Traditional
Lift him up and carry him along,
Fire Marengo, fire away,
Send him down where he belongs,
Fire Marengo, fire away.
Stow him down in the hold below,
Fire Marengo, fire away,
One more turn and then we’ll go
Fire Marengo, fire away.
Ease him down and let him lay,
Fire Marengo, fire away,
One more turn and then we’re away
Fire Marengo, fire away.
When I gets back to Liverpool town,
Fire Marengo, fire away,
I’ll pass a line to little Sally Brown
Fire Marengo, fire away.
I’ll haul her high, I’ll haul her low,
Fire Marengo, fire away,
I’ll bust her blocks and make her go
Fire Marengo, fire away.
Sally, she’s a pretty little craft,
Fire Marengo, fire away,
Sharp to the fore with a rounded aft
Fire Marengo, fire away.
Screw the cotton, screw it down
Fire Marengo, fire away,
Let’s get the hell from Mobile town
Fire Marengo, fire away.
Lift him up and carry him along,
Fire Marengo, fire away,
Send him down where he belongs,
Fire Marengo, fire away.
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12. |
Pass the Mug
03:03
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Pass the Mug
Maritime-themed Song
Music and Lyrics © 2003 Christie Dalby & Gina Dalby
(Chorus)
So pass the mug around me boys,
Pass it ’round again.
Don’t be stingy, don’t be shy,
We’re drinkin’ to a friend. (DRINK!)
Pass the mug around me boys,
Shout and raise ’em high.
It’s always greater to have said,
BETTER HIM THAN I!
Now Jon he was a fine young lad,
We loved him like our own.
Said, “be careful son, where you go,
how far away you roam.
The ladies they will cheat ya boy,
With pretty words they lie.”
He strayed one night, never seen again,
BETTER HIM THAN I! (Chorus)
Now Davey was a strapping lad,
Brave and strong of will.
Said, “Be watchful boy of who you know,
The nicest ones can kill.
The crimps are all so crafty,
So mind your mug of rye.”
He didn’t heed and was shipped away,
BETTER HIM THAN I! (Chorus)
Now Dean he was a sailor true,
Had a smile for all his mates.
Said, “Be steady man where you sail.”
He always tempted the fates.
He took a dare to face a gale,
Heaved off with a laugh and a sigh,
Surrendered over to Davy Jones
BETTER HIM THAN I! (Chorus)
Gina’s plans they had all worked out,
The girls’ schemes were played,
And Christie’s traps had all been sprung,
They hadn’t been afraid.
The boys were gone, the girls were free,
To slip out on the sly.
With map and ship they sailed away,
Laughin’: BETTER HIM THAN I!
(Chorus, repeat last line.)
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13. |
Golden Vanity
02:19
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Golden Vanity
Capstan or Pump Shanty
Traditional
Oh there was a lofty ship and she sailed on the sea
And the name of that ship it was the Golden Vanity
And she feared she would be taken by the Turkish Enemy
(Chorus)
As she sailed on the lowland, lowland low
As she sailed on the lowland sea
Up leapt the cabin boy, the age of twelve and three
And he said to the Captain what will you give to me
If I swim alongside of the Turkish Enemy (Chorus)
Oh I will give you silver and I will give you gold
And the hand of my daughter if you will be so bold
As to swim alongside of the Turkish Enemy (Chorus)
So up jumped the Cabin Boy and overboard dove he
And he swam alongside of the Turkish Enemy
And with his little drilling tool he boar-ed in holes three (Chorus)
Well about turns the Cabin Boy and back again swam he
And he hollered to the Captain to pull him from the sea
But the Captain would not heed, for his daughter he did need (Chorus)
Well the crew they pulled him out, but upon the deck he died
And they wrapped him in his blanket so very soft and wide
And they threw him overboard to drift along the tide (Chorus)
Oh there is a lofty ship and she sails on the sea
And she sails without her Cabin Boy, the age of twelve and three
And she fears she will be taken by the Turkish Enemy (Chorus)
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14. |
Fareweel Tae Tarwathie
04:19
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Fareweel tae Tarwathie
Maritime-themed song; Fo’c’sle Song; Forebitter
George Scroggie (1826-18??)
Farewell to Tarwathie, adieu Mormond Hill
And the dear land o’ Crimond, I’ll bid you fareweel
I’m bound out for Greenland and ready to sail
In hopes to find riches in hunting the whale.
Adieu to my comrades, for awhile we must part
And likewise the dear lass that fair won my heart
The cold ice of Greenland, my love will not chill
And the longer my absence, more loving she’ll feel.
Our ship is well rigged and she’s ready to sail
Our crew, they are anxious to follow the whale
Where the icebergs do float and the stormy winds blow
Where the land and the ocean are covered with show.
The cold coast of Greenland is barren and bare
No seed time nor harvest is ever known there
And the birds here sing sweetly on mountain and dale
But there isn’t a birdie to sing tae the whale.
There is no habitation for a man to live there
And the king of that country is the fierce Greenland bear
And there will be no temptation to tarry long there
With our ship bumper full, we will homeward repair.
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Bounding Main Chicago, Illinois
Bounding Main is a group of vocalists that sing richly harmonic versions of traditional maritime songs. “Beautiful Harmonies with a Maritime Flair!” Their shows are filled with spirit, humor and harmony; their arrangements of traditional nautical music bring the listener into the world of fellowship, adventure and romance. ... more
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