056 - A Long Time Ago (F)

This song was very popular in English and American Ships. It was probably, in the nineties of XIX century of the most-used halyard shanty of them all. Even the German and Scandinavians popularized versions in their own tongues. This song was sung as halyard shanty. The stanzas from stanza 5, as suggested in the book (see "A-Rovin'"), comes from "A-Rovin'" from pages 48, 49 (same book 1st edition).
"Shanties from the Seven Seas" by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 101).


A Long Time Ago (F)

In 'Frisco Town there lived a maid,
   - Timme WAY, hay, HO,high ho!
An' she wuz mistress of her trade.
   - Oh a LONG time aGO!

                     *2*
One nighy I crept from my abode,
To meet this fair maid down the road.

                     *3*
I placed my arm around her waist,
Sez she, "Young man, yer in great haste!"

                     *4*
I put me hand upon her knee,
Sez she, "Young man, yer rather free!"

                     *5*
I put my hand upon her thigh,
Sez she, "Young man, yer rather high!"

                     *6*
I towed her to the Maiden's Breast,
From south the wind veered wes'sou'west

                     *7*
An' the eyes in her head turned east an' west,
And her thoughts wuz as deep as an ol' sea-chest.

                     *8*
We had a drink - of grub a snatch,
We sent two bottles down the hatch.

                     *9*
Her dainty arms wuz white as milk,
Her lovely hair wuz soft as silk.

                     *10*
Her heart wuz poundin' like a drum,
Her lips wuz red as any plum.

                     *11*
We laid down on a grassy patch,
An' I felt such a ruddy ass.

                     *12*
She pushed me over on me back,
She laughed so hard her lips did crack.

                     *13*
She swore that she'd be true to me,
But spent me pay-day fast and free.

                     *14*
In three weeks' time I wuz badly bent,
Then off to sea I sadly went.

                     *15*
In a bloodboat Yank bound round Cape Horn,
Me boots an' clothes wuz all in pawn.

                     *16*
Bound round Cape Stiff through ice an' snow,
An' up the coast to Callyo.

                     *17*
An' then back to the Liverpool Docks,
Saltpetre stowed in our boots an' socks.

                     *18*
Now when I got back home from sea,
A soger had her on his knee.