Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song. Round the Bay of Mexico DESCRIPTION: "Round the Bay of Mexico, Way, oh Susiana, Mexico is the place that I belong in...." The singer tells of courting girls "two at a time" and having them love him "because I don't tell everything that I know." He heads off to the fishing ground
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1935 (field recording, Henry Lundy & David Pryor)
KEYWORDS: sailor courting
FOUND IN: Bahamas
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lomax-Singing, pp. 88-89, "Round the Bay of Mexico" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 83, "Round the Bay of Mexico (Bay of Mexico)" (1 text)
Roud #207
RECORDINGS:
Henry Lundy & David Pryor, "Round the Bay of Mexico" (AAFS 512 B2, 1935; on LC05, LomaxCD1822-2)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Cape Cod Girls" (lyrics)
NOTES: This is listed as having "new lyrics" by Paul Campbell (the Weavers, collectively), and "music adaption" by Tom Geraci. I have seen relatively little of the material elsewhere; this looks more like a new song from traditional materials than a touched-up traditional song. - RBW
Nope -- the song as touched up by the Weavers and friends is still quite close to the field recording from the Bahamas in 1935. - PJS
Last updated in version 3.2
File: FSWB083B
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And the Digital Tradition lyrics:
ROUND THE BAY OF MEXICO (from Digital Tradition)
It's 'round the Bay of Mexico
Way, Oh, Susianna,
Mexico is the place that I belong in,
Round the Bay of Mexico.
Those Nassau girls they love me so,
'Cause I don't tell everything I know.
When I was a young man, in my prime,
Take those pretty gals two at a time.
Nassau girls ain't got no comb,
Comb their hair with a whipper backbone.
Pretty gals in Mexico
Wriggle their arse with a roll and go.
Goodbye gals of Nassau town,
I'm bound away for the fishing ground.
Recorded by Killen- Fifty South, L of C Henry Lundy and Pappie
@sailor
filename[ BAYMEXCO
TUNE FILE: BAYMEXCO
CLICK TO PLAY
RG
The DT lyrics are almost the same as what I found in the Folksinger's Wordbook: snw words by Paul Campbell (the Weavers) TRO © 1953 Folkways Music Publishers. Are there any sources earlier than the 1935 Lomax "Southern Journey" recording from the Georgia Sea Islands?
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sj