Hi Folks
I used to sing this a long time ago & I'm resurrecting it. I forgot how much I enjoyed singing it.
Hugill has it as Alabama or as an alternative just John Cherokee & says that his friend Harding states that it was common among "colored crowds in the old West Indian Traders". He has the chorus as "With a hauley high, an' a hauley low" instead of the more common version which Captain Robinson's version in 'The Bellman' (Minneapolis 1917) has which is "Way-aye-yah. He believes it comes to sea by way of cotton Hoosiers of Mobile & also believes it dates back to slavery days either in the West Indies or the Southern States. Colcord has this as "John Cherokee" & she says "some of the verbs & the phrase "'just gone dead'" lead me to suspect that it may be of West Indian origin". Then she quotes Captain Robinson "I heard it during the Civil War at Nassau, while the crew was loading cotton on the ship 'Hilja'...Probably it started without any naval quality, & was adapted for such use by reason of its vigor & swing", he has this being used at the capstan.

This is what I have, compiled from mostly Hugill & Colcord with the chorus being as Joanna Colcord has it from The Bellman. The 10th verse comes from Peter Marston's companion songster used for educational programs (televised, which sadly ended many yrs ago as Adventures of the Mimi, I think) aboard his S/V Mimi, Glouchester, Mass. The beginnings of verses 9 & 10 I change slightly so that they could follow each other & still make sense. Verse 8 is the ending from Captain Robinson & verse 11 is Hugill's ending.
For such a well-known & sung song, it's surprisingly missing from the collections of Whall, Harlow, Shay, Hunington, Doerflinger, Terry & Sampson.

So if anyone has additional verses &/or info on this would you be so kind to add to it here?
Thanks to all
Barry

Alabama John Cherokee

1.)Alabama John Cherokee
This is the tale of John Cherokee
Alabama John Cherokee!
Indian man from Miramichi
Alabama John Cherokee! Way, Hey, Yah!
Alabama, John Cherokee! Way, Hey, Yah!
Alabama, John Cherokee!


2.)John Cherokee was an Indian man,
Alabama, John Cherokee!
He run away every time he can.
Alabama, John Cherokee! Way, Hey, Yah!
Alabama, John Cherokee! Way, Hey, Yah!
Alabama, John Cherokee!

3.)They put him aboard of a Whaling ship,
Again an' again he gave 'em the slip.

4.)The captain come up & put him in chains
An' they beat his hide again an' again

5.)They catch him again and chained him up tight,
Down below where there is no light.

6.)They give nothing to eat & nothing to drink
Until his bones began to clink

7.)Nothing to drink and nothing to eat,
He just fall dead at the old man's feet.

8.)So they bury him by the old gate post,
The day he died you can see his ghost.

9.) Sometimes at night his ghost can be seen
Sitting on the main truck, all wet & green.

10.)Some other times his ghost can be seed
A-sitting at the topmast left to bleed

11.)At the break of day he goes below
For that is where the cocks do crow.