Lyr Req: Sail Away, Ladies

Subject: Lyr Req: Sail Away Ladies . . .
From: GUEST,Sieffe
Date: 22 Sep 05 - 09:38 PM

ok . . .I've done my homework . . .founmd several versions of "Sail Away Ladies" . . . none of them contain the words I have been faithfully singing for about 30 years . . . the verse I have goes "Ever I get my red dress on, Sail away ladies, sail away, gonna dance until the dawn, sail away etc . . . ."

I did find another neat verse "I got a letter from Shiloh town . . .
It read "St Louis is burning down" . . . that's a keeper, along with the other verses:
"Ain't no use sittin' crying" SALSA . . . hey! I never noticed the acronym for the refrain before . . . . hahahahaha! . . . but I digress . . .
"you'll be an angel bye an' bye, SALSA"

"Ever I get my new house done,
Give my old one to my son"

"Wish I was in Tennessee,
That's the place I wanna be . . ."
(Better than being on a road out of Texas, I say . . . .)

Anyone recognise the song version I have? And I would love to add more verses if they weren't yuk ones about spitting tobacco juice etc (you know the one I mean . . .)

cheers, Sieffe (New Zealand)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away Ladies . . .
From: Peace
Date: 22 Sep 05 - 10:19 PM

If you google

sail away ladies, lyrics

You will be taken to many sites with various words.

Also try a google with sail away ladies in quotation marks.

There is also one in the DT.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away Ladies . . .
From: GUEST,Sieffe
Date: 22 Sep 05 - 10:36 PM

ermm . . . . what did you think I had done, Peace? None of those had chucked up anymore than I said . . .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away Ladies . . .
From: Peace
Date: 22 Sep 05 - 10:45 PM

Very sorry.

"Anyone recognise the song version I have?"

In answer to your question, no. Won't trouble you again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away Ladies . . .
From: GUEST,Sieffe
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 05:08 AM

need more input people . . . . need to perform this song very shortly . . .

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away Ladies . . .
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 01:51 AM

The Traditional Ballad Index has a few songbook and recording citations in its entry:

Sail Away Ladies

DESCRIPTION: Dance tune with floating verses: "Ever I get my new house done/Sail away, ladies, sail away/Give the old one to my son/Sail away...." "Don't you worry, don't you cry... You'll be angels by and by" Etc. "Chorus: "Don't'ye rock 'em, di-de-o (x3 or x4)".
AUTHOR: Words assembled by Uncle Dave Macon
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (recording, Uncle Bunt Stephens)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Dance tune with floating verses, and some that should be: "Ever I get my new house done/Sail away, ladies, sail away/Give the old one to my son/Sail away, ladies, sail away"; "Children, Don't You Grieve and Cry/You're gonna be angels by and by"; "Come along, girls and go with me/We'll go back to Tennessee". Chorus: "Don't'ye rock 'em, di-de-o (3-4x)". "Sail away, ladies, sail away" is the verse refrain.
KEYWORDS: dancing drink humorous nonballad floatingverses
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 203, "Sail Away Ladies" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 250-251, "Old Doc Jones"; "Sail Away Ladies" (2 text, the former a two-verse fragment which is closer to this than anything else)
MWheeler, p. 15-16, "Oh, When I Git My New House Done" (1 text, 1 tune -- a fragment with no chorus but verses similar to this)
Silber-FSWB, p. 42, "Sail Away Ladies" (1 text)
DT, SAILLADI*
RECORDINGS:
Henry L. Bandy, "Sail Away Ladies" (Gennett test pressing GEx14361, 1928; unissued)
Logan English, "Old Doc Jones" (on LEnglish01)
Uncle Dave Macon & his Fruit Jar Drinkers, "Sail Away Ladies" (Vocalion 5155, 1927; on TimesAint02)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Sail Away, Ladies" (on NLCR05)
Parker & Dodd "Sail Away Lady" (Romeo 5250, 1933)
Uncle Bunt Stephens, "Sail Away Ladies" [instrumental version] (Columbia 15071-D, 1926; on AAFM2)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Down the River I Go" (words)
Notes: This started out as a fiddle tune, to which Uncle Dave [Macon] added his own unique brand of nonsense--some original, some floating verses. -PJS
Not to be confused with the song sung by W.C. Handy: "Sail away, ladies, sail away; Sail away, ladies, sail away. Never mind what de sisters say, Just shake your Dolly Varden and sail away." - RBW
File: CSW203

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2005 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

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The songbooks cited are:
• Cohen/Seeger/Wood Old-Time String Band Songbook (formerly the New Lost City Ramblers Songbook)
• Darling - New American Songster
• Wheeler - Steamboatin' (I believe it is, anyhow)
• Silber - Folksonger's Wordbook

Sieffe, I think the song you learned is the same one I heard as a kid - and I believe it's the W.C. Handy song. I'll do more research tomorrow, but She Who Prepares Lists of Duties has a list for me...
-Joe offer-

Subject: RE: LYR ADD/Lyr Req: Sail Away Ladies . . .
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 11:15 AM

The Parker & Dodd version has a tune like the Uncle Dave Macon standard, but differs in verses and has a different last line to the chorus. Interesting contrast:

Christmas comin' down the road (3)
Gonna get married, don't you know.

CHO Sail away ladies, sail away, (3)
          God's gonna get you some day.

Cut that wood and pile it high...
Winter's comin' by and by.

Possum up a simmon tree...
Big far sump'm for you and me.

Rub my dog with turpentine...
Now that dog is hard to find.

Cook that bacon good and brown...
Saddle my horse and go to town.

Swing your partner round and round...
Spit your 'backers on the ground.

Tends to suggest that before Uncle Dave did a version so good he put his personal stamp on the song, there were lots of other variants. Most of them sung today, though, seem to follow his version pretty closely.

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away, Ladies
From: GUEST,Laney
Date: 13 Feb 11 - 09:04 PM

Bruce Molsky's version... what are the chords.. I hear C and F. Am I missing one?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away, Ladies
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 13 Feb 11 - 10:44 PM

"Chorus: "Don't'ye rock 'em, di-de-o (x3 or x4)".===

Have generally heard this as "Don't you rock me, Daddy-o". Is this a mishearing, on my part, or somewhere down the line; or simply an alternative version? Seems an odd place to have an actual mondegreen, in a nonsense chorus!

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away, Ladies
From: Snuffy
Date: 14 Feb 11 - 12:46 PM

It has indeed been recorded as DON'T YOU ROCK ME DADDY-O. According to lyricsplayground.com, songwriter credits go to Bill Varley and Wally Whyton.

Recordings by (inter alia) Lonnie Donegan; Vipers Skiffle Group; Bill Sherrill; Ivor & the Engines; Chas McDevitt; and Van Morrison.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sail Away, Ladies
From: GUEST,Laney
Date: 14 Feb 11 - 03:22 PM

Bruce Molsky's version he is singing..."Don't you rock me Daddy-O" as well.