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1. |
High Barbaree
03:05
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High Barbaree
Forebitter or Foc’sle Song and Capstan Shanty
Traditional
There was a gallant lofty ship, A-sailing on the sea,
(Resp): Blow high ! Blow low ! and so sailed we.
And her Captain he was searching for a pirate enemy,
(Resp): A-sailing down along the coasts of High Barbaree.
Look ahead, look astern, look the weather and the lee,
(Resp): Blow high ! Blow low ! and so sailed we.
I see a wreck to windward and a lofty ship to lee,
(Resp): A-sailing down along the coasts of High Barbaree.
O hail her! O hail her!” our gallant cap’n cried,
(Resp): Blow High! Blow low! And so sailed we.
“Are you a man-o’-war or a privateer?” cried he.
(Resp): A-sailing down along the coasts of High Barbaree.
Oh, no I’m not a man-o’-war, nor privateer,” cried he,
(Resp): Blow High! Blow low! And so sailed we.
“But I’m a salt sea pirate, all a-lookin’ for me fee!”
(Resp): A-sailing down along the coasts of High Barbaree.
For broadside, for broadside, a long time we lay;
(Resp): Blow high ! Blow low ! and so sailed we.
Until at last the frigate shot the pirate’s mast away.
(Resp): A-sailing down along the coasts of High Barbaree.
For quarters ! For quarters ! the saucy pirates cried.
(Resp): Blow high ! Blow low ! and so sailed we.
The quarters that we showed them was to sink them in the tide.
(Resp): A-sailing down along the coasts of High Barbaree.
But O ! It was a cruel sight, and grieved us full sore,
(Resp): Blow high ! Blow low ! and so sailed we.
To see them all a-drowning as they tried to swim to shore.
(Resp): A-sailing down along the coasts of High Barbaree.
With cutlass, and with gun, O we fought them hours three;
(Resp): Blow high ! Blow low ! and so sailed we.
The ship it was their coffin, and their grave it was the sea.
(Resp): A-sailing down all on the coasts of High Barbaree.
(Resp): A-sailing down all on the coasts of High Barbaree.
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2. |
Haul Away Joe
01:58
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Haul Away Joe
Tack and Sheet Shanty
Traditional
Oh, when I was a little lad me mother often told me;
Resp: Way, haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe!
That if I did not kiss the girls me lips would grow all moldy.
Resp: Way haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe!
Chorus:
Way haul away, we’re bound for better weather.
Way haul away, we’ll haul away Joe.
I sailed the seas for seven years not knowin’ what I was missin’;
Resp: Way, haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe!
Then I trimmed my sails before the gales and started in a-kissin’.
Resp: Way, haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe! (Chorus)
And then I got a German girl, but she was fat and lazy,
Resp: Way, haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe!
And then I got an Irish girl, she damn near drove me crazy!
Resp: Way, haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe! (Chorus)
King Louis was the king of France before the revolution.
Resp: Way, haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe!
And then he got his head chopped off –
it spoiled his constitution.
Resp: Way, haul away, we’ll haul away, Joe! (Chorus)
Chorus:
Way haul away, we’re bound for better weather.
Way haul away, we’ll haul away Joe.
Way haul away, we’ll haul away together.
Way haul away, we’ll haul away Joe.
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3. |
Marching Inland
02:49
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Marching Inland
Maritime-themed Song
Words & Music © by Tom Lewis
Click here to see a letter to Bounding Main from Tom Lewis
Lord Nelson knew the perfect way to cure your ‘mal-de-mer’,
So if you pay attention, his secret I will share,
To any sea-sick sailor he’d give this advice for free:
“If you’re feeling sea-sick, sit underneath a tree!”
Chorus:
I’m marching inland from the shore, over m’ shoulder I’m carrying an oar,
When someone asks me: “What – is that funny thing you’ve got?”
Then I know I’ll never go to sea no more, no more,
Then I know I’ll never go to sea no more!
Columbus he set-sail to find out if the world was round,
He kept on sailing to the West until he ran aground,
He thought he’d found The Indies but he’d found the U.S.A.,(1)
I know some navigators who can still do that today. (Chorus)
Drake he’s in his hammock and a thousand miles away, (2)
Grenville’s Revenge is at the bottom of the bay,
Many’s the famous sailor never came home from the sea,
Just take my advice, Jack, come and follow me. (Chorus)
Sailors take a warning from these men of high renown,
When you leave the ocean and it’s time to settle down,
Never cast your anchor less than ninety miles from shore,
There’d always be temptation to be off to sea once more. (Chorus)
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4. |
Herzogin Cecile
02:43
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Herzogin Cecile
Maritime-themed song
Ken Stephens
Sailing down the Baltic, where the wreck mark buoys all peal,
Cruisin’ in the Channel, where the steamers never yield.
Beatin’ down the Biscay, where the crew they get no meals,
She’s the mighty sailing ship the Herzogin Cecile. (Chorus)
(Chorus)
Herzogin Cecile, Herzogin Cecile,
She’s the mighty sailing ship the Herzogin Cecile.
Rolling in the doldrums, where the slightest wind she’ll feel,
Tackin’ in the Tasman, where the winds upon her steal.
Roarin’ down the Forties, her braces sing like steel,
There goes the mighty sailing ship the Herzogin Cecile. (Chorus)
Comin’ down from Labrador, with a load of pine and deal,1
Off Tierra Del Fuego, where the albatrosses wheel.
Runnin’ eastward for the Horn, hear her rigging squeal,
She’s the mighty sailing ship the Herzogin Cecile. (Chorus)
Cruising Caribbean calms, where the flying fish appeal,
Now she’s Falmouth bound for orders, where her passage time’s reveal’d.
A shipload strainin’ in her hold, the pull again she’ll feel;
She’s the mighty sailing ship the Herzogin Cecile. (Chorus)
She’s run upon the Boat Tail, in the mist, a test of steel,
She’s hard aground in Sawmile Cove, the rocks have broken her keel.
The deck planks of the Duchess, your feet will nevermore feel:
She’s was the mighty sailing ship the Herzogin Cecile. (Chorus)
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5. |
Bully in the Alley
02:23
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Bully in the Alley
Halyard Shanty
Traditional
Chorus:
So, help me, Bob, I’m bully in the alley
Way, hey, bully in the alley
Help me, Bob, I’m bully in the alley
Bully down in Shinbone Al’
Well, Sally is the girl that I love dearly
Way, hey, bully in the alley
Sally is the girl that I’d splice nearly
Bully down in Shinbone Al’ (Chorus)
For seven long years I courted Sally
All she did was dilly-dally (Chorus)
I bought her silks, I bought her laces
I took her out to all the fine places (Chorus)
Well, I’ll leave Sal and I−ll be a sailor
I’ll leave Sal and ship aboard a whaler (Chorus)
When I get back I’ll marry Sally
We’ll have kids and count them by the tally (Chorus)
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6. |
Northwest Passage
05:10
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Northwest Passage
Maritime-themed Ballad
Written and recorded by Stan Rogers. © Fogarty’s Cove Music
Chorus:
Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin (1) reaching for the Beaufort Sea (2);
Tracing one warm line through a land so wide and savage
And make a Northwest Passage to the sea.
Westward from the Davis Strait (3) ’tis there ’twas said to lie
The sea route to the Orient for which so many died;
Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered, broken bones,
And a long-forgotten lonely cairn of stones. (Chorus)
Three centuries thereafter, I take passage overland.
In the footsteps of brave Kelso (4), where his “sea of flowers” began.
Watching cities rise before me, then behind me sink again,
This tardiest explorer, driving hard across the plain. (Chorus)
And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west
I think upon Mackenzie (5), David Thompson (6) and the rest,
Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me
To race the roaring Fraser (7) to the sea. (Chorus)
How then am I so different from the first men through this way?
Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away.
To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men,
To find there but the road back home again. (Chorus x3)
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7. |
Little Boy Billie
03:12
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Little Boy Billy
Fo’c’sle Song, Forebitter
Traditional
There were three men of Bristol City,
There were three men of Bristol City,
They stole a ship and went to sea,
They stole a ship and went to sea.
There was Gorging Jack and Guzzling Jimmy,
And also Little Boy Billee
They stole a tin of captain’s biscuits,
And one large bottle of whiskey.
But when they reached the broad Atlantic,
They had nothing left but one split pea.
Said Gorging Jack to Guzzling Jimmy,
“We’ve naught to eat – let’s eat Billee.”
“O Little Boy Billee, we’re going to kill and eat yur.
“So undo the top button of your little chemie (1).”
“O may I say my catechism,
“That my dear mother taught to me?”
But when he reached the Eleventh Commandment,
He cried “Yo Ho for land I see!”
“I see Jerusalem and Madagascar,
“And North and South Amerikee”
“I see the British fleet at anchor,
“And our Lord Nelson, K.C.B. (2).”
They hung Gorging Jack and Guzzling Jimmy,
But they made an admiral of Little Boy Billee.
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8. |
A Capital Ship
02:26
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A Capital Ship
Maritime-themed 1885 Song based on a Children’s Nonsense Poem
Charles Edward Carryl (1841-1920)
A capital ship for an ocean trip
was the “Walloping Window Blind.”
No wind that blew dismayed her crew
or troubled the Captain’s mind.
The man at the wheel was made to feel
contempt for the wildest blo-o-ow,
Tho’ it often appeared when the gale had cleared,
That he’d been in his bunk below.
Chorus:
So blow ye winds, heigh-ho,
A-roving I will go,
I’ll stay no more on England’s shore,
so let the music play-ay-ay,
I’m off on the morning train,
I’ll cross the bounding main.
I’m off to my love with a boxing glove,
ten thousand miles away.
The Bosun’s mate was very sedate,
Yet fond of amusement too.
He played hopscotch with the starboard watch,
While the Captain tickled the crew.
The gunner we had was apparently mad,
For he sat on the after ra-a-ail,
And he fired salutes with the Captain’s boots
In the teeth of the booming gale.
(Chorus.)
The Captain sat on the Commodore’s hat
And dined in a royal way,
Off roasted pigs and pickles and figs,
And gummery bread each day.
The Cook he was Dutch and behaved as such
For the diet he gave the crew – oo – oo,
Was a couple of tons of hot-cross buns
Served up with sugar and glue.
(Chorus.)
And we all felt ill as mariners will
On a diet that’s cheap and rude;
And we shivered and shook as we dipped the cook
In a tub of his gluesome food.
Then nautical pride we laid aside,
And we cast the vessel ashore [or-or]
On the Gulliby Isles, where the Poohpooh smiles,
And the Anagazanders roar.
(Chorus.)
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9. |
Irish Rover
03:23
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The Irish Rover
Maritime-themed song
J. M. Crofts (c. 1966)
In the year of our lord, Fifteen- Hundred-and-Six, we set sail from the cold bay of Cork.
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks, for that grand city hall down in York
An elegant craft she was rigged fore and aft, and how the trade winds drove her
She had twenty-three masts, and she stood several blasts, and they called her the “Irish Rover”
Chorus:
So fair thee well, my pretty little girl,
For we are bound away!
Fair thee well, my pretty little girl,
For we are bound away!
There was Barney McGee from the banks of the Lee, there was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnnie McGurk who was scared stiff of work and a chap from Westmeath named Malone
There was Slugger O’Toole who was drunk as a rule, and Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
And your man, Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann was the skipper of the Irish Rover. (Chorus)
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags, we had two million barrels of bones,
We had three million bails of old nanny-goats’ tails, we had four million barrels of stone,
W had five million hogs, six million dogs, seven million barrels of porter,
We had eight million sides of old blind horses hides in the hold of the Irish Rover. (Chorus)
We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out and the ship lost it’s way in a fog,
And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two, ’twas myself and the captain’s old dog.
Then the ship struck a rock [STOMP], Lord, what a shock [STOMP STOMP], we nearly tumbled over!
We spun nine times around, and the poor old dog was drowned –
I’m the last of the Irish Rovers!
Chorus:
So fair thee well, my pretty little girl,
For we are bound away!
Fair thee well, my pretty little girl,
For we are Bounding Main!
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10. |
The Dreadnaught
02:33
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The Dreadnought
A Forebitter; a Fo’c’sle Song
Traditional
Here’s of a packet a packet of fame,
She sails from New York and the Dreadnought’s her name.
‘Cross the wild western ocean she’s bound for to go;
She’s the Liverpool packet, oh Lord, let her go!
Chorus
Derry down, down, down derry down
Oh, the Dreadnought is lying in the river Mersey,
Waiting for the Independence to tow her to sea.
All around that rock light where the salt tides do flow,
Bound away in the Dreadnought to the westward we’ll go. (Chorus)
Now the Dreadnought’s a-howling down the wild Irish Sea,
Her passengers merry, and the drink is so free;
The sailors, like lions, walk the decks to and fro.
Bound away in the Dreadnought to the westward we’ll go. (Chorus)
The Dreadnought’s a-sailing the Atlantic so wide,
Where the high, rolling seas roll along her black sides.
The sails tightly set for the Red Cross to show,
She’s the Liverpool Packet, oh Lord, let her go! (Chorus)
Now the Dreadnought is sailing by the banks of Newfoundland,
Where the water’s so green and the bottom is sand;
The fishes all sing as they swim to and fro,
Saying: “God bless the Dreadnought where ‘ere she may go!” (Chorus)
Here’s health to the Dreadnought and all her brave crew;
To old Captain Samuels and his officers true.
Talk about your flash packets, Swallowtail and Black Ball,
But the Dreadnought’s the ship that can out-sail them all. (Chorus)
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11. |
Cape Cod Girls
03:17
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Cape Cod Girls
Capstan Shanty
Traditional
Cape Cod girls don’t use no combs,
Resp: Heave away, haul away!
They combs their hair with cod fish bones.
Resp: And we’re bound away for Australia!
Chorus:
Heave her up me bully, bully boys.
Heave away, haul away!
Heave her up and don’t ye make no noise,
And we’re bound for Australia!
Cape Cod ships ain’t got no sails,
Resp: Heave away, haul away!
They was all blown off in the Nor’east gales.
Resp: And we’re bound away for Australia! (Chorus)
Cape Cod kids ain’t got no sleds,
Resp: Heave away, haul away!
They slide on down in cod fish heads.
Resp: And we’re bound away for Australia! (Chorus)
Cape Cod shoes don’t have no soles,
Resp: Heave away, haul away!
They all burnt off from walkin’ on coals..
Resp: And we’re bound away for Australia! (Chorus)
Cape Cod cats ain’t got no tails,
Resp: Heave away, haul away!
They was all blown off in the Nor’west gales.
Resp: And we’re bound away for Australia! (Chorus)
Cape Cod girls don’t wear no clothes,
Resp: Heave away, haul away!
We’re Cape Cod bound just as straight as she goes.
Resp: And we’re bound away for Australia!
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12. |
Cadgewith Anthem
01:55
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Cadgwith Anthem / The Robber’s Retreat
Cornish Fo’c’sle Song
Adapted from Traditional by Christie Dalby & Gina Dalby
Come fill up your glasses and let us be merry,
For to rob bags of plunder it is our intent.
Chorus
As we roam through the valleys
Where the lilies and the roses
And the beauty of Kashmir lay drooping his head
Then away, then away
To the caves in yonder mountain,
Where the robbers retreat
As you look around us you’ll see naught of value
For our men do adore us but provide they do NOT
They are shiftless and lazy
They do not earn their keep
And so we have turned to a life of great crime.
So we sneak; and we steal; and we thieve.
Then away to the mountains,
Where we robbers retreat.
Hush, hush in the distance there’s footsteps approaching
Stand, stand and deliver it is our watch cry.
We are skilled in deception.
We are strong-willed and wise.
And our quick-wits and fine forms do serve us so well.
So we plot; and we plan; and we scheme.
Then we get what we want,
And away we retreat.
Don’t be fooled by our beauty or pleasing demeanor.
For we’re lethal young ladies and your loot is ours now!
We would much rather pinch,
Than to earn a days wage,
So you are our victims, we take what we like.
Your coin, your jewels, your men!
Then away to the mountains,
‘Til we meet again!
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13. |
All for Me Grog
03:18
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All For Me Grog
Fo’c’sle Song
Traditional
Used with permission test link test test.
Chorus
And it’s all for me grog, me jolly’, jolly’ grog
Resp: All gone for beer and tobacco
For I spent all me tin with the lassies drinking gin
Resp: Far across the Western Ocean I must wander
Gina:
[Oh] where are me boots, me noggin’, noggin’ boots?
Resp: All gone for beer and tobacco
For the heels they are worn out and the toes are kicked about
And the soles are looking out for better weather (Chorus)
Dean:
Where is me shirt, my noggin’, noggin’ shirt?
Resp: All gone for beer and tobacco
For the collar is all worn, and the sleeves they are all torn
And the tail is looking out for better weather (Chorus)
David:
Where is me bed, me noggin’ noggin bed
Resp: All gone for beer and tobacco
Now the sheets they are all tore, cause I lent it to a whore,
And the springs are looking out for better weather.
New Chorus
Well it’s all for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
Resp: All gone for beer and tobacco
Well, I spent all me loot in a house of ill repute
And I think I’ll have to go back there tomorrow.
Jon with Christie:
Where is my verse, me jolly, jolly verse
Resp: All gone for beer and tobacco
Well the nouns they are all gone and the adjectives, “So Long!”
And the verbs are lookin’ out for better weather (New Chorus)
And I think I’ll have to go back there tomorrow.
Yes, I think I’ll have to go back there tomorrow!
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14. |
Randy Dandy O
03:13
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Randy Dandy O
Capstan and Pump Shanty
Traditional
Now we are ready to head for the Horn,
(Resp) Way, hey, roll an’ go!
Our boots an’ our clothes boys are all in the pawn,
(Resp) Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O!
Chorus:
Heave a pawl, oh, heave away,
Way, hey, roll an’ go!
The anchor’s on board an’ the cable’s all stored,
Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O!
Come breast the bars, bullies, an’ heave her away,
(Resp) Way, hey, roll an’ go!
Soon we’ll be sailin’ her ‘way down the Bay,
(Resp) Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O! (Chorus)
Roust ‘er up, bullies, the wind’s blowin’ free,
(Resp) Way, hey, roll an’ go!
So get the glad-rags on an’ drive ‘er to sea
(Resp) Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O! (Chorus)
Get up on the deck, you parish-rigged bums.
(Resp) Way, hey, roll an’ go!
Get yer hands from yer pockets and don’t suck yer thumbs
(Resp) Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O! (Chorus)
We’re outward bound for Valipo Bay,
(Resp) Way, hey, roll an’ go!
Get crackin’, m’ lads, ’tis a hell o’ a way!
(Resp) Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O!
Chorus:
Heave a pawl, oh, heave away,
Way, hey, roll an’ go!
The anchor’s on board an’ the cable’s all stored,
Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O!
(Repeat)
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15. |
Bounding Bonus Track
03:26
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Good luck!
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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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