022 - Lowlands or My Dollar An' A Half A Day

This originally pumping shanty was later used as windlass and capstan. This the Southern States version, Bullen believes it to be of Negro origin, Whall calls it' American', from the cotton ports. "Mr. Perring said this was a 'typical' ('ti' rhymes with 'my') Negro Chantey, sung by Negro sailors in the East India trade, in complaint at their being harder worked and lower-waged than white seamen. Doerflinger disagrees and thinks it is an English song, taken to the Gulf ports by the English and Irish pocket seamen who worked there loading cotton.
The version I will try to recreate I heard it on Stan Hugill's album - "Aboard the Cutty Sark" (1979).
"Shanties from the Seven Seas" by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 68,69).

Its "Dead Lover" theme definitely originated in Scotland or North England.
This "dead lover" pattern one I sing, of four is:
    "Later southern States version"
another three patterns are:
    "The dead lover is a male",
    "Sailor's dream of his sweetheart"
    "The dead lover is a female"


Lowlands (My Dollar An' A Half A Day)

    Lowlands, Lowlands away my John
    Lowlands away, I heard them say,
    My Dollar an' a half a day.

                      *1*
A dollar an' a half a day is a black man pay,
   - Lowlands, Lowlands away my John!
I thought I heard out Old Man say,
   - My Dollar an' a half a day.

                      *2*
A white man's pay is rather high.
A black man's pay is rather low,

                      *3*
Five dollars a day is a hoosier's pay,
Five dollars a day is a hoosier's pay,

                      *4*
A dollar an' a half a day is mathlow's pay,
A dollar an' a half a day won't pay my way.

                      *5*
Ohwhat shall we poor shellbacks do?
We've got no money an' we can't git home.

                      *6*
I packet me bag an' I'm bound away,
I'm bound away for Mobile Bay.

                      *7*
We're bound away for Mobile Bay,
We're bound away at the break o' day.

                      *8*
Oh, say wuz ye never down in Mobile Bay?
A-screwin' cotton all the day.

                      *9*
Oh, me poor ol' mother, oh, she wrote to me,
She wrote to me to come home from sea

                      *10*
We'll heave 'er up from down below,
Oh, heave 'er up an' away we'll go!

                     *11*
Oh, I though I heard the Ol' Man say,
He'd give us rum three times a day.

                     *12*
I wish I had ten thousand pound,
I'd steer me ship for miles around.

                     *13*
I'd load her up with grub an' gin,
An' stay in the port where we wuz in.

                   *14*
I'd stand ye drinks three times a day,
An' feel ye well am' raise yer pay.

                   *15*
With a bully ship an' a bully crew,
An' a bucko skipper for to kick her though.

                   *16*
Oh, I wished I wuz in Liverpool Town,
With them Liverpool judies I'd dance around.

                   *17*
Wake up, yer bitch, an' let us in,
Wake up, yer bitch, cos we want some gin.