Title: Pay Me the Money Down

Print: Hugill; LA Smith; periodical articles from 1858 and 1911.
Performers: The Keeler's; Kimber's Men; Trim Rig & a Doxy; Lime Scurvy

Notes:

Hugill got it from Harry Lauder of St. Lucia, with additional lines from Harding. He thought it may have been a West Indian shore worksong taken to sea (for halyards). It certainly shares characteristics with other Caribbean songs.

The earliest reference I find is in THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY, June 1858, which gives these lyrics to a pumping song:

Solo: Your Money young man is no object to me
Cho: Pay me the money down!
Solo: Half a crown's no great amount
Cho: Pay me the money down!
Solo & Cho: Money down, money down, pay me the money down!

LA Smith's work (1888) basically plagiarizes this source (something, I've noted. she also did elsewhere.)

Harriette Wilbur also mentions the song in an issue of THE CATHOLIC WORLD, 1918. It looks to me like a more well-disguised plagiarizing of the preceding!

There is also the well-known "Pay Me My Money Down," as recorded by Parrish in the Georgia Sea Islands in 1942, which is probably a relative. See up-thread for some of Q's notes on that song, and also Barry Finn's notes here.

But while that song has been widely performed (albeit usually in highly co-opted form), the chantey does not get performed as much. I suspect that any versions ultimately derive from Hugill's text. However, I'd be very interested to hear about what some of the earlier revival performances are. (Most of my references, above, are very recent recordings.)

I also wonder about when the popular line about "half a crown or I don't drop 'em down" may have come into the picture.

Gibb