The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #105419   Message #2169322
Posted By: freightdawg
11-Oct-07 - 10:52 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Sloop John B.
Subject: Origins: Sloop John B. Lyric question
Okay, maybe this doesn't fit too well in the "origins" category, but here goes...

In the third verse of the song the line goes, (or at least I thought it did) "The poor cook he caught the fits, threw away all my grits." Now, not being Jamaican nor Cajun, I really couldn't figure out how a Jamaican cook could throw away a traditional southern US breakfast food, but mostly I just went with the flow because...well it rhymed anyway. So then I see an alternate verse that says, "The poor cook he caught the fits, threw away all my grips." Now, I'm a mountain goat and no more a sailor than I am Jamaican or Cajun. But it seems more likely that a cook would throw away something called a grip than it would a southern US breakfast food.

So which is it? Or have I completely screwed everything up with one impressive Mondegreen after another.

Love the song, anyway.

Freightdawg.