119 - Roll The Woodpile Down - Pump Shanty


"Roll The Woodpile Down" is another shanty partially related to "Roll The Cotton Down". This shanty is sea version of Negro song "Haul The Woodpile Down". Stan Hugill's version comes from West Indian seamen and is fairly obvious it originated in either the West Indies or the Southern States of America, most probably in the latter, being, perhaps, one of the many rivermen songs that reached deep-water. No specified type of this shanty in Stan Hugill's book, the grand chorus gives us two options, I decided this time to recreate this song as pump shanty. To be more precise, the tempo is adjusted to the "Downton" pump.
"Shanties from the Seven Seas" by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 160).



Roll The Woodpile Down


'Way down south where the socks do crow,
   - 'Way down in Florida!
The gals they all dance to the ol banjo,
   - An' we'll roll the woodpile down!
   - Rollin'! Rollin'! oh, Rollin' the whole worl' round,
   - That brown gal o' mine's down the Georgia Line,
   - An' we'll roll the woodpile down!

                  *2*
When I was a young man in me prime,
I chased them yaller gals two at a time,

                  *3*
We'll roll him high an' we'll roll him low,
We'll heave him up and away we'll go,

                  *4*
O rouse an' bust 'er is the cry,
A black man's wage is never high.

                  *5*
O Curly goes on the ol' ran-tan,
O Curly's jist a Down-East Man.

                  *6*
O one more heave an' that'll do,
We're the bullies for to kick 'er through.