Le Gabier noir is written in French by Michel Tonnerre (with a specially composed melody) along the lines of the very popular "Maggie May" - a traditional song (popular in Liverpool) that in the 60s had been performed by the Beatles too.
The English song is only a track for Tonnerre who adds a sad refrain on the unjust pay of a black sailor compared to the white colleague already central theme of the sea shanty "My Dollar and a Half a Day", sung like a blues.
see Terre Celtiche Blog https://terreceltiche.altervista.org/le-gabier-noir-michel-tonner/