ADD: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)

Subject: Tow Rope Girls
From: GUEST,Old bones
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 12:52 PM

Looking for the lyrics to Tow Rope Girls - C Fox Smith, I think.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks

Subject: Lyr Add: THE TOWROPE GIRLS (Smith, Fitzsimmons)
From: Shanty Kees
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 01:06 PM

Here are the words as sung by Pinch of Salt. Good luck.

THE TOWROPE GIRLS
(Words: Cicely Fox Smith - music: Alan Fitzsimmons)

Oh, a ship in the Tropics a-foaming along,
With every stitch drawing, the Trade blowing strong,
The white caps around her all breaking in spray,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today.

CHORUS: An' it's Haul away, girls, steady an' true,
Polly an' Dolly an' Sally an' Sue,
Mothers an' sisters an' sweethearts an' all,
Haul away, all the way, haul away, haul!

She's logging sixteen as she speeds from the South,
The wind in her royals, a bone in her mouth,
With a wake like a millrace she rolls on her way,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today.

The old man he stood on the poop at high noon;
He paced fore an' aft an' he whistled a tune,
Then put by his sextant an' this he did say;
The girls have got hold of her towrope today.

Of cargoes and charters we've had our full share,
Of grain and of lumber enough and to spare,
Of nitrates at Taltal and rice for Bombay,
And the girls have got hold of our towrope today.

She has dipped her yards under, hove to off the Horn,
In the fog and the floes she has drifted forlorn,
Becalmed in the Doldrums a week long she lay,
But the girls have got hold of her towrope today.

Oh hear the good Trade wind a-singin' aloud,
A homeward bound shanty in sheet and in shroud,
Oh, hear how he whistles in halyard and stay:
The girls have got hold of the towrope today!

And it's oh! for the chops of the Channel at last,
The cheers that goes up when the tug hawser's passed,
The mate's "That'll do" an' a fourteen months pay,
For the girls have got hold of the towrope today.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 19-Apr-02.

Subject: Lyr Add: TOWROPE GIRLS
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 01:09 PM

Here ya go!

TOWROPE GIRLS
C. Fox Smith/traditional (tune--Queen Bungle Rye)

Oh a ship in the tropics, rolling along,
With every stitch drawing, the trade blowing strong,
The white caps around her all breaking in spray,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today!

CHORUS: And it's haul away, girls, steady and true,
Polly and Dolly and Sally and Sue,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
Haul away, all the way, haul away, haul away girls!

She's logging sixteen as she speeds from the south,
With the wind in her royals, with a bone in her mouth,
With a wake like a millrace she rolls on her way,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today!

Of cargoes and charters we've had our full share,
Of grain and of lumber enough and to spare.
Of nitrates at Taltal and rice for Bombay,
And the girls have got hold of our towrope today!

Don't you hear the good trade wind a singing aloud,
A homeward bound shanty in sheet and in shroud,
Oh, hear how she whistles in the halyard and the stay,
"The girls have got hold of the tow-rope today!"

And it's oh, for the chops of the channel at last,
And the cheer that goes up when the tug hawser's cast,
The mate's "that'll do" and fourteen months' pay,
For the girls have got hold of our towrope today!

HTML line breaks rearranged and layout improved, I hope!. --JoeClone, 19-Apr-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 03 Jul 19 - 07:39 PM

Heard KIMBERS MEN’S version of this sung by a fabulous young harmonic female duo. About 90% has been re-written but with about 4 lines kept from the original. —hence, is it a different song? Think it’s the same tune (Queer bungle rye). Not sure about the last girl’s name —sounds like “Loose”

You can find this on YouTube.

Tow Rope Girls by Kimber's Men

The ship's leaving Fisker with cargoes of grain,
Hartigan timber in the fog and the rain,
We're loading nitrate down Ekegay bay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

The last sack of nitrate is stowed down at last,
The Southern Cross burns at the head of the mast,
We'll sing fair thee well as we get under way,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

We're rounding the Horn with our gallant soft set,
Our lee rail is under, we're cursing ya bet!
But the old man's a driver he'll brook no delay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

Cape Stiff is behind us, blue waters beneath,
Her waist like a mill-race, there's a bone in her teeth,
We've entered the trades now we'll soon make her pay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

The mate's on the poop-deck a shootin' the sun,
He'll soon be deducing how far the ship's run,
Let's crack the old hooker and get on our way,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

At last we're in harbour, the rags are all furled,
The girls are a waiting we're on top of the world!
"That’ll do!" Cries a mate now here’s 14 months pay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

It's haul away, all the way, haul away, haul.

Anyone know any more about this?

Brad.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 03 Jul 19 - 08:08 PM

Apologies, that tune should of course be “Quare Bungle Rye”

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Barbara
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 01:24 AM

Bet it's Luce short for Lucia. Though it could be Luz ('light' in Spanish.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 04:18 AM

Thank you Barbara. I'd say "Luce" has a high probability.
Certainly the new lyrics are not the original poem and stripped of the chorus could represent a new poem in the style of the original. It Could perhaps do with a new title, though there is, I think, no restriction on the use of titles. I'm guessing the new version was composed by one or more members of Kimbers Men.(citation needed—- a they say on wikepedia!)

Brad.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 12:00 PM

I think I'd bet on Luz, which is a far more common name than Luce.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 12:41 PM

You could be right Joe. It seems to tie in with “Sarafina” and “Rosita” as non English names. Tow rope girls perhaps being of non British origin.

Brad

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 04:19 PM

Interesting that the Kimbers Men's version is such a complete re-write of Cicely's original poem. I wonder why they felt the need to do that?

Cheerily,
Charlie Ipcar, co-editor
THE COMPLETE POETRY OF CICELY FOX SMITH

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 07:16 PM

Taltal (Chile) and nitrates is a definite connection (according to Wikipedia) in the CFS poem but I’m not convinced about the nitrate and Ekegay connection in the Kimbers song. And Fisker (port/harbour), where is that?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Snuffy
Date: 05 Jul 19 - 04:32 AM

Very likely Fisker is Huasco

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: leeneia
Date: 05 Jul 19 - 02:05 PM

I agree with you, Charlie. In Cicely's poem, the "girls" are winds, and the spirit is playful.    In the newer lyrics, the girls are human beings doing a back-breaking job, and the image of that is nothing playful.

At the modern art museum near me I once saw a painting based on an old photograph. The painting was called "Mother and Daughter," and it showed two Chinese women, their backs bent almost double, hauling a barge. I estimate that the mother weighed maybe 110 pounds, and the daughter 85-90. Terrible!
I feel sure that they were in serious danger of ruined backs.

Let's stick with Cicely.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Jul 19 - 11:41 AM

Pre-Cisely!

Charlie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Gozz
Date: 19 Mar 25 - 09:53 AM

@Charley Noble,
I have found an old version of Kimber's Men singing this song here:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anefSoSvR6Y which was posted by the late Joe Stead. In it he says he got their version from Bob Webb of Maine. He does acknowledge it is "a version", so like many of C. Fox Smith's poems set to music it seems to have been subject to the folk process since some time before 2009.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Mar 25 - 08:19 PM

Yes, Bob Webb did adapt the poem "Tow Rope Girls" for singing.

We all tend to have a favorite version and mine remains the one sung by Pint and Dale.

Cheerily,
Charlie Ipcar

Subject: RE: ADD: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Pappy Fiddle
Date: 21 Mar 25 - 11:00 AM

It strikes me that a lot of people here are from the British Isles and that seafaring knowledge is common; but in other nations like mine, there be a lot o' landlocked lubbers and city slickers. I've read a lot of sea stories, built a dozen ship models, taken a sailing class in college, and owned two sailboats. So in the interest o' bein' helpful here's some terminology according to my knowledge. And anything I get wrong I hope will get corrected. I APOLOGIZE IF THIS IS A BIT LONG-WINDED

the Tropics - latitudes near the equator. Ships coming to Britain from the south Atlantic pass thru here, and the sailors are glad because they'll soon be home. Also it's a little warmer.

a-foaming along - a ship going fast churns the water, making white foam

every stitch drawing - this means they've put on every sail (sails are stitched) because a breeze is blowing. If it were blowing harder they'd have to take in some sails. If it were blowing less they'd be going slower. So it's right at the point in between; rather thrilling.

the Trade blowing strong - the trade winds blow in the tropics from east to west. If you want to go fast in a sailboat you don't want the wind directly behind you; you can only go as fast as the wind, or a little slower. You don't want it directly in your face; a lot of these big ships didn't sail very close into the wind, but only maybe 45 degrees. So if the wind's from the north they have to sail northwest, then northeast, back and forth, which is called tacking. You want the wind from say the east; then you angle your sails and you can actually go north faster than the wind speed. Really thrilling.

The white caps all breaking in spray - a stiff wind stirs up waves, and if there's two or more sets of waves in different directions, they add and subtract constructively. So you get triangular points to the waves. They can get so pointy the top falls over, making white foam, also the wind whips these tops.

For the girls have got hold of her towrope today - as said above, the girls are the winds driving the ship; it's poetic, as if there are invisible women pulling the ship forward by a rope, real fast.

Haul away - various things on these old sailboats had to be moved around by pulling with ropes. A group of sailors would provide the force needed by pulling together in a line.

logging sixteen - to measure the speed of a ship, they'd throw a line out the stern with a drag of some kind, called a log - anciently it probly was a small log - and as it dragged the line out, you count the knots as they go out during a space of time which is timed with a sandglass. Thus the speed of a ship be still measured in knots, which many today suppose to mean 'nautical miles per hour'. Sixteen knots is an astonishing speed for a big sailing ship.

The wind in her royals - the royals are the highest sails up there in the sky, there might be five or six ranks of sails - main, top, topgallants, ?, royals. I forget all the names.

a bone in her mouth - as the bow of the ship shoves thru the water, the water is flung out of the way on either side, so the ship is likened to a dog with a white bone in its mouth. Anything else that you think isn't relevant.

a wake like a millrace - the wake is the foamy water left behind the ship. When the ship goes fast, it's really dazzling to watch the wake rush out behind so fast. A mill race is of course a channel where water was diverted from a stream, shooting down to turn the water wheel on a mill.

she rolls on her way - the ship moving thru the waves rocks back and forth. It makes some people seasick but not us jolly sailors.

the poop - from a French word meaning the back of the ship; the rear deck. Modern cognates... we won't go there

fore an' aft - obvious

put by his sextant - a sextant is used to measure the elevation of a star or planet above the horizon, which gives information as to where you are. To 'put it by' is to lay it down.

charters - hired to carry cargo or maybe people

nitrates - used to make gunpowder by civilized nations, so they can fight wars and fire salutes and stuff. It could be used for fertilizer, if there's any left.

dipped her yards under - these sailing ships had masts, which are the vertical poles, and yards, which crossed the masts and held the sails out open, if they were 'square rigged'. If the yards are dipping under, the ship is laying way over in the wind, almost on her side.

hove to - means turned so the wind doesn't fill the sails, but blows along their surface. So no thrust; ship stops almost. Intentional.

off the Horn - Cape Horn, southern tip of S.America

fog and floes - in Arctic/Antarctic areas, you get fog and floating ice...

drifted forlorn - and no wind. Everything motionless, and cold. So, not happy

Becalmed in the Doldrums a week - this is an area in the middle of the Atlantic, where sometimes the wind dies for days at a time.

shanty - sailor's song, as everybody here knows. Cognate with 'chant'.

sheet - not the sails, but the rope(s) that tighten the sails.

stay - ropes that guy up the masts from the front.

shroud - ropes that guy up the masts on either side, toward the back. Usually with crossed ropes, forming a ladder. So sailors can climb up to work the sails at the risk of their lives, which they love to do, especially in strong, cold wind and driving sleet.

halyard - ropes that control the angle of the yards.

chops of the Channel - choppy seas in the English Channel. I guess; never been there. Or it could be the name of a pork dish.

tug hawser - a tow rope for a tug to pull a ship into the harbor. I think this tug must have been a rowed galley.

The mate's "That'll do" - means the voyage is finished, everything secured.

fourteen months pay - yikes, that's a long voyage! Whalers tho might be out 3 years. And the custom is to drink and gamble and give gifts to friendly women, so you have to go to sea again to make more money; rinse & repeat