200 - Reuben Ranzo (Patterson version) - Halyard Shanty


Now, this is a shanty built around the dirtiest "sailor" whoever shipped - Reuben Ranzo. This Halyard shanty was one of the most rousing of all of the halyard shanties. This shanty due to the some of the themes was very popular amongst whalers.
Again as Stan Hugill mentioned, if we talk about the most unusual version of any shanty we know that will be usually Patterson's version, the refrains of his shanties in the main being longer than those normally used, and he also has a trick of putting short refrains where normally they don't exist. So yes, reconstructing this shanty will be a really difficult task, and for one hundred percent I'm sure from the time of the published Patterson book, there is no record of this shanty surviving. During the reconstruction of this sea shanty, first of all, I will follow the most faithful reconstruction of this shanty in terms of its usefulness as a halyard shanty.
This version is given to us by J. E. Patterson in "The Sea's Anthology" 1913, labeled this song as 'hoisting'.
Mentioned in "Shanties from the Seven Seas" by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 242).


Reuben Ranzo


Sing a song of Ranzo, boys, sing—
   - RANZO, boys, RANZO!
Sing a song of Ranzo, boys, sing—
   - SING a song of RANZO!

*2*
O-o, you know my Ruben Ranzo—
O-o, you know my Ruben Ranzo—

*3*
Ranzo took a notion to sail upon the ocean —
Ranzo took a notion to sail upon the ocean —

*4*
He was a New York tailor, thought he'd be a sailor —
He was a New York tailor, thought he'd be a sailor —

*5*
So he shipped himself on a Yankee whaler—
So he shipped himself on a Yankee whaler—

*6*
She sailed away in a whistling breeze—
She sailed away in a whistling breeze—

*7*
She was bound high up on the northern seas —
She was bound high up on the northern seas —

*8*
O poor Ranzo, thought he'd be a sailor—
O poor Ranzo, thought he'd be a sailor—