Both Alden and Robinson have "dream" texts, and Robinson is not only *not* quoting from Meloney in this case, he also has a mundane and unique second solo ("She begged me ne'er again to rove"). So it seems to me beyond reasonable doubt that such texts are authentic. (Robinson's second chorus line is "My Lowlands away.") The vastly more important point, however, is that, as Gibb has shown, none of the very few evidently authentic "dream" texts have any kind of extended narrative, much less a ghost. The presence of a drowned male ghost in "Young Edwin" might well have suggested lines to some shantymen, and for all anybody knows, "Lowlands" really may have been inspired by "Young Edwin." But that's all conjecture, and there is no evidence that the lyrics were ever particularly "poetic."

It certainly appears, though, that as far as the known history of the song is concerned, the "ghost" was added by Masefield (author of "Sea Fever," of course, and Poet Laureate from 1930). The presence of Alden and Smith's typo "aray" seems to nail the case, since, as Gibb observes, if Masefield had heard a version at sea he'd have no obvious reason to junk the perfectly ordinary "away." And some of Masefield's lines are just too literary to be true.

Here's another early and apparently independent ref. to the song:

"Minstrelsy on the Sea," N.Y. Times (Jan. 27, 1884):

"A very touching sea air is known as 'Lowlands Away.' The choruses of this are 'Lowlands Away, my John' and 'My dollar and a half a day.' Like the others, the shanty is poor in words but rich in music. The listener is carried in fancy to the far-off lowlands where wages are a dollar and a half a day. Few sounds seem more beautiful than the choruses of 'Lowlands away,' when these come floating over the waters of a quiet harbor from a ship which is heaving up her anchor preparatory to putting out to sea. There are a score or more of these shanties in Jack's repertoire, and nearly all of the airs, if not beautiful, are at least attractive."

No romantic ghostly lover here! ("The shanty is poor in words.") And no ancient Scottish connections. The melody, however, must have been quite something (presumably minor or modal), especially since "Lowlands" is the *first* shanty the writer mentions.

The others are H. C. Work's "Marching Through Georgia" (1865), the milkmaid version of "I was bound for the Rio Grande," "Leave her, jollies, leave her," "Hanging Johnny," "Whisky is the life of man," and "We will pay Paddy Doyle for his boots." Unfortunately only a few words of each are given.

"The Dreadnought" is mentioned as "reserved for forecastle use": "The music is very good and the words are quite passable."