Lyr Req: The Diamond Ship (from The Gaugers)

Subject: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Roberto
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 12:21 PM

I'd like some help to complete and correct this transcription of the version of The Bonnie Ship the Diamond recorded by The Gaugers in Awa wi the rovin' sailor. No liner notes on the cd. I can't get some words in the second two-lines stanza and I'm not sure of some more words. Thanks. R

Oh, the bonnie ship "The Diamond Ship" goes fishin' for the whale
We will leave oor sweethearts and oor wives a-standin' on the quay
Ah, but dinna greet ma bonnie lass 'thou ye are left behind
For the rose will grow on Greenland's ice afore I change ma mind

Oh, provisions we got plenty and we've liquor in great store
And wi oor ... we'll reach Stromness (?) and we'll gar yon tavern roar

Ay, and jovial be the day, ma lads, when the Greenland men come hame
For they are men of honour belonging tae oor toon
And they'll gar the cradles for the rock and the blankets for tae tear
Ay, and aa young queans in Aiberdeen sing "Hish-ye-ba, ma dear"

Here's a health untae the Hercules, the Diamond and her crew
And tae aa young brave and bonnie lads a-wear the jacket blue

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Barry Finn
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 12:23 PM

Enter "the Diamond" into the search box & you'll find the words +threads on this song.
Good Luck
Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Roberto
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 12:49 PM

Barry, the search box leads to one of the usual texts to this song, but the recording by The Gaugers is from a different version, both text and tune are not the same as the most common version of this song. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 12:58 PM

I haven't heard the record, so I can't help much, Roberto, but "Stromness" must be correct (it's nice little town on the island of Lewis & Harris in the Hebrides).

"Cradles for tae rock" is in the usual text. Everything else you have is perfectly sensible.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Roberto
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 01:51 PM

The problems are with this line:

And wi oor ... we'll reach Stromness (?) and we'll gar yon tavern roar

No one has this cd? R

Subject: Lyr Add: BONNIE SHIP THE DIAMOND
From: Effsee
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 02:27 PM

Guest, Lighter, your geography is a wee bit oot! Stromness is a port in the Okney Isles. It was a supply stop, for men and provisions, for a lot of the whalers back then.
The version on the Rovin' Sailor CD is a bit unusual lyric and tune-wise.
Tom Spiers (Ex Gauger)sings another version of the song on the Shepherd, Spiers & Watson album "They smiled as we cam' in" , Springthyme SPRCD 1042.Highly recommended!

BONNIE SHIP THE DIAMOND.

The Diamond is a ship, ma lads, for the Davis Strait she's bound,
The quay it is aa garnished wi' bonny lasses roon;                            (aa = all)
Captain Gibbons gives command, tae sail the ocean wide,
Far the sun it niver sets, my lads, nor darkness dims the sky,            (Far = where)

cho: Sae be cheerful my lads, let your herts niver fail,
For the bonny ship, the Diamond goes a-fishing for the whale.

Along the quay at Aiberdeen, the lasses stan aroon,
Their shawls aa pu'ed around them, their saut tears rinnin' doun;
"Dinna greet, my bonny lassie, though ye've be left behind,
The rose'll grow on Greenland's ice afore I change ma mind."

cho:
Best wishes tae the Greenland fleet and aa the whalin trade,
And likewise tae the sailor lads fa earn their dailly breid,                (fa = who)
They wear the trousers of the white and the jackets o the blue,
Fan They get back tae Aiberdeen they'll find sweetherts a-new.    (Fan = when)
cho
Sae jovial it will be the day, fan the Greenland lads come hame,
Wi ships that's full o oil ma lads and money tae their names,
They'll mak the cradle for tae rock and the blankets for tae teer,    (teer = tear)
And every lass in Aiberdeen cry "Hish-a-ba ma dear"
cho.

Here's a health untae the Hercules and anither tae the Jane,
A health untae the Bon-accord and the Diamond, ship of fame;
A health to Captain Gibbon, and aa the Diamond's crew,
A health to every bonnie lass that's got a hert that's true.

cho:

I'll try and find the lyrics for the other version.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Roberto
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 02:37 PM

Thank you, Effsee. I hope you will succeed. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 02:39 PM

Did he say where he got it?

Assuming (as I may as well, as a working hypothesis) that the Gaugers recorded an arrangement collated from the various texts and tunes in the Greig-Duncan Collection, then the couplet (one of two from a Mrs Clark, August 1906, whose set was the only one beginning "The bonnie ship, the Diamond ship") would run

Provisions we've got plenty, we've liquor up in store
Wi' our tarred dress we'll reach Strathness and we'll gar yon tavern roar.

Obviously some small changes have appeared, as you'd expect; and the Gaugers also tended to introduce broader dialectal forms than their sources had necessarily used. Of course, they may have got it somewhere else entirely; it's a pity they didn't say. Greig remarked in his MS notes that it was a pretty well known song, but that it was difficult to get complete copies of the words.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Effsee
Date: 13 Aug 06 - 02:48 PM

Malcom, that sounds about right from memory. I'll be able to check sleeve notes on Tues evening. Meanwhile I've e-mailed Tom and he may post here himself.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Roberto
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 01:50 AM

Thank you very much, Malcolm, that's it. I had put a question mark at "Stromness" because it wasn't exactly what I could hear: "Strathness" would be the right name (but where is Strathness?). And "our tarred dress" were the missimg words. Once again, thank you. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Anglo
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 10:16 AM

Listening to the CD, I hear the following (maintaining Roberto's spelling):

:Oh, the bonnie ship "The Diamond Ship" goes fishin' for the whale
We will leave oor sweethearts and oor wives a-standin' on the quay
Ah, but dinna greet ma bonnie lass 'though ye are left behind
For the rose will grow on Greenland's ice afore I change ma mind

Oh, provisions we've got plenty and we've liquor in great store
And wi oor tar dress we'll reach Strathness and we'll gar yon tavern roar

Ay, and jovial be the day, ma lads, when the Greenland men come hame
For they are men of honour belonging tae oor toon
And they'll gar the cradles for the rock and the blankets for tae tear
Ay, and aa young queans in Aiberdeen sing "Hish-ye-ba, ma dear"

Here's a health untae the Hercules, the Diamond and her crew
And tae aa yon brave and bonnie lads a-wear the jacket blue


Just a couple of small changes there. I can't locate Strathness either, I'm afraid.

The tune is also the one from Mrs Clark in Greig-Duncan, so I would say the evidence for Malcolm Douglas' reading is overwhelming.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE DIAMOND SHIP (from The Gaugers)
From: Effsee
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 10:56 AM

Here are the lyrics posted to me from Tom.

The Bonnie ship the Diamond ship
Goes fishin for the Whale
We will leave oor sweethairts and oor wives
A' stanin on the quay

Ah but dinna greet my bonnie lass
Though ye are left behind
For the rose will grow on Greenland's ice
Afore I change my mind

Oh, provisions we've got plenty
An we've liquor in great store
An wi oor tarred dress we'll reach Strathness
An we'll gar yon tavern roar

Aye an jovial be the day my lads
Fan the Greenland men come hame
For they are men of honour
Belongin tae oor toon

An they'll gar the cradles for tae rock
An the blankets for tae teer
Aye an a yon quines in Aiberdeen
Sing hish ye ba mi dear

Here's a health untae the Hercules
The Diamond and her crew
An tae a yon brave and bonnie lads
Fa wear the jacket blue

And in his own words;-
"this is a collation I put together (and tampered with) from Greig~Duncan variants, so it will not be found in this form anywhere else."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: Roberto
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 11:12 AM

Thank you Effsee and Anglo. R

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Gaugers' The Diamond Ship
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 06 - 12:33 PM

Of course you're right, Effsee. For some reason I was thinking of "Stornaway." Very embarrassing !