I meant to get back to this thread earlier, but got caught up in work and stuff. Quoted below is Fender's text, with Robert Young Walser's notes, as given in The Folk Music Journal, vol.7 no.4, 1998. When Carpenter met him, Fender was living at 16 Sydenham Street, Barry Docks, South Wales.FIRE DOWN BELOW
William Fender sang at least twenty-two shanties for Carpenter, several of which are unreported elsewhere. According to Carpenter's notes, Fender went to sea in 1878 and left sail in 1900. In common with other versions of Fire Down Below, Fender's rendition is marked for use at the capstan by Carpenter's note, "Vast heaving!" -the order to stop work at the capstan.Fire in the fore-top, fire in the main-top,
Fire down below,
Oh boys! Fire down below!
I thought I heard our old man say,
Two pound ten won't pay my way,
Another set of words from William Fender runs as follows:
I don't care what the captain say,
I'll take my clothes and run away,
I'll run away at the break of day,
Because I can no longer stay,
I'll go to my girl round 'Frisco Bay;
I know very well 'tis with me she will stay.
Because she know I have twelve months pay,
And we'll go down to the Midway Plasances [sic -RYW]
See the pretty girls dance the Hula-Hula dances.
[Spoken] Vast Heaving!
A midi of the notation can, for now, be heard via the South Riding Folk Network site: