Like Dicho said, all the nautical and marine definitions are fine and dandy but they have nothing to do with the word used by Gary Davis, John Hurt and thousands of others in southern song! The whole nautical end doesn't play...period! Jaysus!! It's like hearing the lyric:

"Did you hear what Sister Johnson said?

Always takes a candy stick to bed..."


...and then figuring the candy stick was a peppermint stick. Ain't none too likely now is it?

Spaw