ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'

Subject: ADD: The Fall Guy
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 08:11 PM

As I was arranging the songbooks in the new apartment, a yellowing, typewritten page (much chewed by silverfish) fell out of something, with this song. Any info? I don't find anything here or via Google. Does it fit the structure of any other songs -- as in, is there an existing tune that clearly fits?

~ Becky in Tucson

THE FALL GUY

If the ship begins to roll, call the mate.
If the cook runs out of coal, call the mate.
If the old man goes to bed, if you see a squall ahead,
If you need a sounding lead, call the mate.

If the running lights go out, call the mate.
If the latitude's in doubt, call the mate.
If the wind begins to howl, if the sailors start to gowl,
If the whistle cord gets foul, call the mate.

If you're coming into port, call the mate.
If the midnight lunch runs short, call the mate.
If the cargo starts to shift, if the work boat goes adrift,
If the fog begins to lift, call the mate.

If you you want to drop the hook, call the mate.
If you're looking for the cook, call the mate.
If you run a light abeam, if the chief can't give you steam,
If the messboy has no cream, call the mate.

If you need the crew on deck, call the mate.
If the gang plank is a wreck, call the mate.
If the winch is on the blink, if the load falls in the drink,
If you don't have time to think, call the mate.

Yes that's who the fall guy is, it's the mate.
All the petty griefs are his, ask the mate.
And at that the poor old bird never gets a pleasant word,
Thank the Lord I'm just the third, NOT THE MATE.

[I have added commas at the end of the third lines; in the 4th verse, last line it's typed as "co cream" and I corrected it to "no cream".]

Subject: RE: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: GUEST,999
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 12:50 AM

http://www.searovers.asn.au/PHPbb2/viewtopic.php?t=682&sid=ae5994e53fff5a4bf8f3f1ba7468f1fe

You might try reaching the fellow from Australia who posted it to the hot-linked site. BTW, his posted version is slightly different.

The scansion would work well with

"If you're happy and you know it clap your hands..."

Subject: ADD: The Chief Mate
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 01:10 AM

THE CHIEF MATE

If the ship begins to roll, call the Mate,
If the cook runs out of coal, call the Mate,
If the Skipper goes to bed, if you see a squall ahead,
If you need the sounding lead, call the Mate.

If the running lights are out, call the Mate,
If your lattitude's in doubt, call the Mate,
If the wind begins to howl, if the sailor's start to growl,
If the whistle cord is foul, call the Mate.

If your'e coming into port, call the Mate,
If the overtime is short, call the Mate,
If the cargo starts to shift, if the jolly-boat comes adrift,
If the fog begins to lift, call the Mate.

If you want to drop the 'hook', call the Mate,
If your'e looking for the cook, call the Mate,
If you run a light abeam, if the Chief won't give you steam,
If the steward has no cream, call the Mate.

If you need a hand on deck, call the Mate,
If the gangway is a wreck, call the Mate,
If the capstan's on the blink, if a drunk falls in the drink,
If you don't have time to think, call the Mate.

If the fridges won't defrost, call the Mate,
If the chart room key is lost, call the Mate,
If the windlass it won't work, if the reefer's gone berserk,
If the Second Mate's a jerk, call the Mate.

Yes that is who the "fall guy", is,
All the petty griefs are his,
That poor old 'bird', gets no good word,
Thank heaven I'm just the "Third", not the Mate.


Source: http://www.searovers.asn.au/PHPbb2/viewtopic.php?t=682&sid=ae5994e53fff5a4bf8f3f1ba7468f1fe

Contributor: "Captain Dick"
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

(LINK PROVIDED BY 999)

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 08:06 PM

Any more ideas? The "If You're Happy" tune relationship is unfortunate...!

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 07:56 PM

nada?

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: Charley Noble
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 08:26 PM

This song is not one collected in Cyril Tawney's GREY FUNNEL LINES.

Any clue where your song sheet came from?

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 09:17 PM

I was thinking that it fell out of a book that I bought a year ago or so at a used bookstore in L.A., but now that I look at the book again, I think it might have belonged to my parents (who sang with YMCA outing friends during WWII, and with Appalachian Mountain Club canoeing friends in the 50s. Guess I should write home about it!

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 07 Jan 10 - 09:22 PM

(Their activities were in the New York - New Jersey area.)

~ B in T

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: GUEST,N Riding 2nd officer
Date: 08 Jan 12 - 02:04 AM

Ive seen it before on a company vessel and in a sailers bar named the seabreeze in Lowestoft England.

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: GUEST,Michael Marquardt, Master Mariner
Date: 27 Jul 21 - 11:05 AM

This was published first in a Boston/Mass. seamans paper in 1957.
The last line read: Thank God I'm just the agent, not the mate.

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 27 Jul 21 - 12:27 PM

Lyrics identical to OP version except whistle strings not cords.

Comes with the intro:
"...But now the third officer of the SS. West Ison* has come to the defence of the mates with the following:..."
[The Province, Vancouver, BC, 26 July 1925, p.36]

'Transcribed' from the OCR garble at newspapers.com. There's more I couldn't make sense of.

*S. S. West Ison, (Struthers & Dixon) 5773 gross; 410 long; 11 V2 speed.
c.1921 - On twenty-day schedule from Seattle to Japan, China, Philippines, Saigon, Singapore.

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: Charley Noble
Date: 28 Jul 21 - 03:56 PM

Good work, Phil!

Subject: RE: ADD/Origins: sea song: 'The Fall Guy'
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 29 Jul 21 - 06:51 AM

RE: origin: If You're Happy and You Know It- How old? (1957)

Scanison would be to the previous year's How Do You Do? Billy Jones & Ernest Hare (Flemimg, Harrison, DeVoll, 1924)