March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 09 Mar 03 - 03:17 PM

Is "Fresh Water Whaling" the same as "Farewell, Superior Sperm"?

"Now the first ship that I sailed on was called The Great Saint Paul.
Its oak sawed sides were sturdy; its cornstalk masts were tall.
The captain was an older man though well preserved with rum.
He'd only started drinking when a perch bit off his thumb.
Chorus"

Linn

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Mar 03 - 03:28 PM

Yep - Micca got it. Linda sent me two songs. I loved 'em both and learned 'em both. I believe you heard "Luckiest Sailor" at the Feb nautical song sing. Micca, I don't remember hearing (emphasis on 'remember') that Linda heard the '01 Getaway recording. I'm glad she did, and I'm glad I'm not in trouble!

I believe it's "Tossi Aaron," not "Aaron Tossi." Thanks for starting the other thread, kat, since Tossi's not a member and therefore can't PM Tom. Besides, I and others would enjoy the subject.

Nightie, "Drifting Away With the Thread" might be good. I'm working on "The Final Troll" at the moment.

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Mar 03 - 03:43 PM

Linn-

"Fresh-Water Whaling" and "Farewell, Superior Sperm" are pretty much the same thing, although I added a chorus and a few lines which shifted the whaling grounds from some mytical lake in Minnesota to the great Green Bay. The song had haunted me for years after hearing it first sung by Si Kahn at the Wheatland Festival in Michigan in the late 1970's; that image of setting out the whale decoys in the misty morn.

I've refreshed the thread which has much of this discussion, as a thread drift from "Fishfingers."

Just drifting along...singing this song...side by each!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: SINSULL
Date: 09 Mar 03 - 06:36 PM

Thanks, Micca. "Sparehand" is a powerful song and Jeri does it justice. So when is Jeri going to break down and do a CD?

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Mar 03 - 10:03 PM

Whoops, thanks, Jeri! My apologies to Tossi.

This ones a great thread, too, ya'll, even to a landlubber from COlorado!

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 09 Mar 03 - 10:06 PM

So does "Farewell Superior Sperm" haev anything to with the song "Warlike Semen"? (Ducking while I can)hee hee hee

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 11:09 AM

Ooooo! Ooooooooooooooo!

Linn

(This, I think, is the stupidest post I've ever made -- or at least the most inarticulate.)

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: MMario
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 11:15 AM

That's okay BG - it takes time for some people to work up to the level of inarticulatelessness that comes naturally to some of us.

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Brían
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 12:05 PM

I was really enjoying the site Charley informed us of. I think we should all get together & book a tour. I'm araid the next Shanty Session will be too close to my surgery, but I'll keep everyone posted. I suspect I'll be close to the computer at that tome.

Brían

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 01:18 PM

Brian is referring to this site for sore eyes (for info on Great Lakes Whale Watching): www.geocities.com/lakemichiganwhales/

Sure, I'd do a "blue clicky" but they never seem to work for me.

You know, they still haven't responded to my e-mail...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Brían
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 04:31 PM

Sheesh, I couldn't get it to work. I'm interested in their response.

Brían

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Tinker
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 09:12 PM

Here's your link Charlie for those Lake Michigan Whales.

I've almost re-adjusted to being home... but I definately brought home a new set of memories. The variety of double ententre woman/ship songs were a real hoot. And I'm sorry I missed meeting both Namenson and Uncle Jacque.... But I'll be back... And hopefully not quite so hesitant. Hope to see Charley when he's down at South Street next month.

Oh, Brian thanks for the giggles all the way home. YOu did a great job handling two old ladies... Now we just have to get you to Getaway! I suppose if you must you could bring your lovely lady along too.... Keep in touch while your healing.

Kathy

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 09:25 PM

Old ladies???? Speak for yourself, Tinkle!

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Brían
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 09:38 PM

My other half actually seems quite interested in going down. It's hard to think ahead of having my face rearranged. Of course as far as the teasing I get it coming and going. I had to explain to my wife that the reason I was running out the door was so no one would have to try to come up that front walk which is glare ice right now, not because I was getting into the car with 2 strange women. Of course she's alreadt met Sinsull at the Press Room.

Brían

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Tinker
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 10:42 PM

Shhhhhh...(Ahh SINS that was just to lull the boy and reassure the wife.... we know the truth ourselves now don't we....) BG

Tinker

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 11 Mar 03 - 01:12 AM

It was a great sing, seems to be the way it's headed. Well attended & well sung. Already looking forward to the next one.


Hey Jeri, I thought you & Sinsull did quite a good job (especially since that it was our 1st go at it) taking & leading the high refrain. Thanks


Wouldn't mind hearing some more stories from Captain Bunker. I'm amazed at his knowledge of events pertaining to the sea & the ships, the sailors & the waterfronts. There's more that a song or 2 there, more like a book.


Hi Charley, the "Come Down You Roses" I got from the Boarding Party. It was picked up in 1935 by Lomax in Nassau, Bahamas. It was sung there in 2 parts, a high lead & the Basser would come from underneath.


Hi SINSULL, I left out the 2nd verse (it's been many yrs since I sang this) it's as follows.

The song is also known as Captain Roger's Cruelty.


"Twas on the quarterdeck they laid him

Gagged him with an iron bar

Wasn't that most cruel usage

To put apron a British tar".

The Martha & Jane, a barque, homeward bound put into Barbados for repairs in 1856. Captain Henry Rogers came onboard to assume command as did Andrew Rose. While still in harbor 2nd mate Charles Seymore found fault with able seaman Rose & beat him. Rose jumped ship but was returned by the police. Once out to sea Rose was beaten again by Seymore along with the captain & 1st mate William Miles. This kind of abuse became almost daily. For singing a hymn he was gagged by an iron bolt for 1 1/2 hrs. The captain taught his dog to bite him tearing out pieces of his flesh. The first mate was the one sending him aloft while whipping him up & down the rigging. Also he was put in a water cask, the top put on leaving only the bunghole as source of air then the cask was rolled round the deck then lashed to the bulwarks for 12 hrs. Finally, Rose was suspended from the mainmast by a rope round his neck until near suffocation. 2 or 3 days later Rose lost his reasoning & died. His body was dragged to the ship's side at the end of a rope & thrown overboard without ceremony. The ship arrived at Liverpool on June 9, 1857. Rose's shipmates went to the police the captain & both mates were arrested & stood trial. The log showed that Rose died due to his "going rotten inside". With evidence from the seaman the 3 were found guilty & sentenced to death. The mate's sentences were commuted to imprisonment but not Rogers. On Sept 12 a crowd of 20-30 thousand gathed for the execution outside of Kirkdale (now Walton) Gaol, included many sailors one cheering "luff, luff & weather hell" while another saying "My word he'll a different man on THAT quarterdeck than he was on the Martha & Jane". From the 'Oxford book of Sea Songs'.

Colcord mentions that British sailors would taunt Yanks with "Blow, Boys, Blow" & that Yanks would counter with "Andrew Rose".


Really good to see/hear you Tinker. Knowing how far away you are, at 1st I could swear it just couldn't have been you. Sometimes it's nice to be wrong.


Hi Night Owl, nice to see you in this thread, it's been long time since hearing from you last. Hope you'll find an excuse to make one of these sessions. It'd be good to see you again. I'm working hard on that excuse.

Good night all, Barry

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Mar 03 - 08:38 AM

Barry-

I had read the notes and lyrics to "Captain Roger's Cruelty" but had never heard anyone intrepid enough to sing this long grim ballad. Good job! And I'm sure that Andrew Rose's ghost appreciated your work.

Looks like I'm gonna miss the next Press Room shanty swap. I'm planning to roll down to NYC for the South Street Sea Port shanty swap, stay with my brother's family in Brooklyn; there are rumors that a couple of Mudcatters may be traveling with me. Maybe we could swap verses back and forth by cellular phone!!!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Uncle Jaque
Date: 11 Mar 03 - 09:43 PM

Sorry to have missed the ship AGAIN, Mates.

Having inquired as to my "agenda" for the Weekend Friday Evening, Management gave my several options due consideration, after which it was announced that we would be going to visit our recently engaged Daughter in Winthrop Saturday.

Which, of course, is exactly what we did.

I had even been playing Roll & Go's CD to bellow along with as practice while in the galley cooking supper the preceeding couple of Afternoons. But alas, Cookie must go where the Captain bids, of course - and we did have a good visit with "the Wylde One" after all.

Management also advises that with a Wedding in the works and a lakeside wood-lot we purchaced in Winthrop as a Family Camp-ground last year, that planning on much of anything (like Reenacting) outside of those concerns this Spring and Summer will likely be a study in futility.

Hopefully, I'll manage to get down to at least one of these despite the mileage involved. The good times, company, and music are indeed missed!

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Mar 03 - 03:20 PM

Well, it sounds like it was quite a session. I wish I'd been there. I REALLY wish I'd been there.

I will write up my California adventure for my thread on going to Los Angeles. I have friends who want me to do that so they can share it with friends of theirs. They share stories like this so they can feel relief at only having to put up with their own troubles. (There, but for the grace of God, go I...)

Saturday I spent cooped up in a plane and then standing in a cold parking garage waiting for AAA. 'Nuff said.

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Mar 03 - 07:52 PM

Damn, Brett. I live 15 minutes from the airport. we have to plan better next time if only that you leave me a set of keys to start your car and keep the battery alive.

You know it just hit me - we have had three shanty sings at the Press Room and not one performance of Shenandoah or any permutations thereof. Is someone collecting on that PBS joke about getting paid not to sing it?

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Mar 03 - 09:14 AM

Shh! If you bring it up we'll have to reveal the payments we're receiving.

I thought of calling you, Sinsull, but it wouldn't have done any good except to bring you out into the cold with me. And the additional key, while it is a great idea, only works if you HAVE an additional key.

I have one now!

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Mar 03 - 10:12 AM

Naemanson-

I do have this old poem by Hamish Maclaren (author of Sailor with Banjo) that I've been wondering what to do with. It features a man wandering around the world with a key around his neck looking for the proper door to fit it into. Maybe I'll post it.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: MMario
Date: 13 Mar 03 - 10:33 AM

autos, autos everywhere,
with batt'rys not alive
autos, auto everywhere
nor any fit to drive?

About, about, in reel and rout
The frost sprites danced all night;
The ice and snow, lay all around
Lay cold, so cold and white

Subject: RE: March Shanty Session at the Press Room (NH)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Mar 03 - 11:00 AM

LOL Brilliant!

But said vehicle is a red Ford pick-up.

Charley Noble