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02 Aug 07 - 03:02 PM (#2117575) Subject: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Here's a poem I've been meaning to work on for some time, as a kind of introduction to the poetry and life of Cicely Fox Smith (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords): By Cicely Fox Smith, from the book Ship Models by Cicely Fox Smith (page 87) published by Conway Maritime Press in 1972 from an original Country Life publication of 1951. Adapted by Charlie Ipcar 8/2/07 Tune: after "The Old Orange Flute/Sweet Betsy from Pike" A SHIP IN A BOTTLE C--------------------------------------G------------C In a sailormen's restaurant down Rotherhithe way, -------------------------Am----------G------------G7 Where the din of the docksides is loud all the day, ----------F---------------C--------------F----------C And the breezes come sweeping off basin and pond -------------------------------G---------C And all the piled acres of lumber be-yond, --------------------------------F Among the stale odours of hot food and cold, ----C------------Am--------G------------G7 In a fly-spotted window I there did be-hold --F--------C--------------F-----------C A ship in a bottle some sailor had made ---------------------Am-------------G-----------------C In his watches be-low, swinging South with the Trade. Chorus: C---------------------F A ship in a bottle a-sailing away, -------C-----------Am----------------G-------------G7 In the flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, ------F----------C------------F---------------C Over oceans of wonder by headlands of gleam, ----------------------Am-----------G----------C To the harbours of youth on the wind of a dream! In fancy I saw him-all weathered and browned, Deep crows'-feet and wrinkles his eyelids around, A pipe in the teeth that seemed little the worse For Liverpool hardtack and stringy salt horse – The hairy forearm with its gaudy tattoo Of a bold-looking female in scarlet and blue – The fingers all roughened and toughened and scarred, With hauling and hoisting, so calloused and hard. So crooked and stiff you would wonder that still They could handle with cunning and fashion with skill The tiny full-rigger predestined to ride To its cable of thread on its green-painted tide; In its wine-bottle world while the old world went on, While the sailor who made it was long ago gone. And still as he worked at the toy on his knee He would spin his old yarns of the ships and the sea. (Chorus) In fancy I listened, in fancy could hear The thrum of the shrouds and the creak of the gear; And I looked on my youth with its pleasure and pain, And the shipmate I loved was beside me again – In a ship in a bottle a-sailing away In the flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, Over oceans of wonder by headlands of gleam, To the harbours of youth on the wind of a dream! (Chorus) Here's the original poem by Cicely Fox Smith: A Ship in a Bottle In a sailormen's restaurant Rotherhithe way, Where the din of the docksides is loud all the day, And the breezes come bringing off basin and pond And all the piled acres of lumber beyond, From the Oregon ranges the tang of the pine And the breath of the Baltic as bracing as wine ... Among the stale odours of hot food and cold, In a fly-spotted window I there did behold A ship in a bottle some sailor had made In watches below, swinging South with the Trade, When the fellows were patching old dungaree suits, Or mending up oilskins and leaky sea-boots, Or whittling a model, or painting a chest, Or smoking and yarning and watching the rest. In fancy I saw him-all weathered and browned, Deep crows'-feet and wrinkles his eyelids around, A pipe in the teeth that seemed little the worse For Liverpool pantiles and stringy salt horse ... The hairy forearm with its gaudy tattoo Of a bold-looking female in scarlet and blue ... The fingers all roughened and toughened and scarred, With hauling and hoisting so calloused and hard, So crooked and stiff you would wonder that still They could handle with cunning and fashion with skill The tiny full-rigger predestined to ride To its cable of thread on its green-painted tide, In its wine-bottle world while the old world went on, And the sailor who made it was long ago gone. And still as he worked at the toy on his knee He would spin his old yarns of the ships and the sea, Thermopylae, Lightning, Lothair and Red Jacket, And many another such famous old packet- And many a tough bucko and daredevil skipper In Liverpool blood-boat and Colonies clipper- The sail that they carried aboard the Black Ball, Their skysails and stunsails and ringtail and all, And storms that they weathered, and races they won, And records they broke in the days that are done. Or else he would sing you some droning old song, Some old sailor's ditty both mournful and long, With queer little curleycues, twiddles and quavers, Of smugglers and privateers, pirates and slavers, 'The Brave Female Smuggler', the 'packet of fame That sails from New York, an' the Dreadnought's her name', And 'All on the coast of the High Barbaree', And 'The flash girls of London were the downfall of he'. In fancy I listened, in fancy could hear The thrum of the shrouds and the creak of the gear, The patter of reef-points on tops'ls a-shiver, The song of the jibs when they tauten and quiver, The cry of the frigate-bird following after, The bow-wave that broke with a gurgle like laughter: And I looked on my youth with its pleasure and pain, And the shipmate I loved was beside me again ... In a ship in a bottle a-sailing away In the flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, Over oceans of wonder by headlands of gleam To the harbours of youth on the wind of a dream! Poem Notes: This poem is taken from the book Ship Models by Cicely Fox Smith (page 87) published by Conway Maritime Press in 1972 from an original Country Life publication of 1951. The title is that of the Chapter it opens. Further Note by Charlie Ipcar: This is the first time I've noticed this additional reference to Cicely's apparent sailor love: And I looked on my youth with its pleasure and pain, And the shipmate I loved was beside me again ... In a ship in a bottle a-sailing away In the flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, Over oceans of wonder by headlands of gleam To the harbours of youth on the wind of a dream! Many of CFS's poems mentioned a sailor named Dan and in "Lee Fore Brace" Dan was one of the three sailors lost that night and as she says to herself in that poem: An' I'll drink my drink an' I'll sing my song, An' nobody'll know but me A lump o' my heart went down with Dan That night in the wild Horn sea! I do wonder how I should try to pronouce "Rotherhithe." Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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02 Aug 07 - 03:33 PM (#2117592) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: GUEST,Guest, dw Rotherhithe: 3 syllables; "Rother" rhynes with "bother"; "hithe" rhymes with "lithe". |
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02 Aug 07 - 04:04 PM (#2117628) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble dw- Thanks, I hope... Rotherhithe, Rotherhithe, Rotherhithe! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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02 Aug 07 - 09:45 PM (#2117899) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Celtaddict Charley, I am guessing that should be sung to the tune of "Rawhide, rawhide, rawhide" which doesn't quite match the poem but can be made to fit. |
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03 Aug 07 - 08:49 AM (#2118205) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Celtaddict- There are many tunes that I've tried with this poem but I kept coming back to "The Old Orange Flute" and finally decided that resistance was futile! I really don't need another nostalgic CFS poem in my repertoire, but the last verse does give voice to what I believe was a unique romantic episode in her life with the shantyman Dan. And the chorus works well. I'm not sure if the tune to "Rawhide" works well but feel free to experiment. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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14 Aug 07 - 04:49 PM (#2125478) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Well, I've pared this song down by another four lines and made some other word changes. Now it's perfect! Copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords: By Cicely Fox Smith, from the book SHIP MODELS by Cicely Fox Smith (page 87) published by Conway Maritime Press in 1972 from an original Country Life publication of 1951. Adapted by Charlie Ipcar 8/2/07 Tune: after The Old Orange Flute A Ship in a Bottle C--------------------------------------G------------C In a sailormen's restaurant down Rotherhithe way, -------------------------Am--------------G------------G7 Where the din of the docksides rings loud all the day, ----------F---------------C--------------F----------C And the breezes come sweeping off basin and pond, --------------------Am-----G-----------C And all the piled acres of lumber be-yond; --------------------------------F Among the stale odours of hot food and cold, ----C------------Am--------G------------G7 In a fly-spotted window I there did be-hold --F--------C--------------F-----------C A ship in a bottle some sailor had made ---------------------Am-------------G-----------------C In his watches be-low, swinging South with the Trade. Chorus: C---------------------F A ship in a bottle a-sailing away, -------C-----------Am----------------G-------------G7 In the flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, ------F----------C------------F----------------C Over oceans of wonder by headlands that gleam, ----------------------Am-----------G----------C To the harbours of youth on the wind of a dream! In fancy I saw him all weathered and browned, Deep crows'-feet and wrinkles his eyelids around, A pipe in his teeth that seemed little the worse For Liverpool hardtack and stringy salt horse – The hairy forearm with its gaudy tattoo Of a bold-looking female in scarlet and blue – The fingers all roughened, toughened and scarred, With hauling and hoisting, so calloused and hard. (Chorus) A tiny full-rigger predestined to ride To its cable of thread on its green-painted tide – In its wine-bottle world while the old world rolled on, Tho' the sailor who made it was long ago gone, In fancy I listened, in fancy could hear The thrum of the shrouds and the creak of the gear; I thought of my youth with its pleasure and pain, And the shipmate I loved was beside me again – (Chorus) Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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14 Aug 07 - 11:32 PM (#2125716) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: GUEST,leeneia Thanks for posting, Charley. It's nice to see a song on a new topic. My husband once made a ship in a bottle to while away the evenings in Kansas motels. It now occupies a place of honor by the stereo. |
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15 Aug 07 - 08:23 AM (#2125923) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Leeneia- I've been fascinated with "bottle ships" for years, and this poem seemed a good candidate for processing. I'll probably feature a favorite photograph of a bottle ship that I took recently at the China Sea Marine Trading Co. in Portland on the cover of a forthcoming CD, along with this song. The photograph captures some of that Twilight Zone element that resonates in the song. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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18 Aug 07 - 10:55 AM (#2128543) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Well, I sang this one at our local coffeehouse and it needs further revision. My mother had several good suggestions which I'm now incorporating (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords): By Cicely Fox Smith, from SHIP MODELS by Cicely Fox Smith, published by Conway Maritime Press in 1972. p. 87 from an original Country Life publication of 1951. Adapted by Charlie Ipcar 8/2/07 Tune: after Old Orange Flute A Ship in a Bottle C-------------------------------------G------------C In a sailormen's restaurant down Rotherhithe way, -------------------------Am--------------G------------G7 Where the din of the docksides rings loud all the day, --F----------------C-----------F--------------C A-mong the stale odours of hot food and cold,, ------------------------------G-------------C In a fly-spotted window I there did be-hold; ---------------------------F A ship in a bottle some sailor had made ------C------------------------------G----------------G7 In his watches be-low, swinging South with the Trade; --F--------C---------F---------C A ship in a bottle a-sailing a-way, ----------------Am---------------G--------------C In flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray – Chorus: C---------------------F A ship in a bottle a-sailing away, ---C-------------------------------G-------------G7 In flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, ------F----------C------------F-------------C Over oceans of wonder by headlands a-gleam, ----------------------Am-----------G----------C To the harbours of youth on the wind of a dream! In fancy I saw him all weathered and browned, Deep crows'-feet and wrinkles his eyelids around, A pipe in his teeth that seemed little the worse For Liverpool hardtack and stringy salt horse – The hairy forearm with its gaudy tattoo Of a bold-looking female in scarlet and blue – The fingers all roughened, toughened and scarred, With hauling and hoisting, so calloused and hard. (Chorus) A tiny full-rigger predestined to ride To its cable of thread on its green-painted tide – In its wine-bottle world while the old world rolled on, Tho' the sailor who made it was long ago gone; In fancy I listened, in fancy could hear The thrum of the shrouds and the creak of the gear; I thought of my youth with its pleasure and pain, And the shipmate I loved was beside me again – (Chorus) The major change is getting rid of lines 3 and 4 which distract from the flow of the poem and ending that verse with the lines that begin the chorus. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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21 Aug 07 - 02:22 PM (#2130525) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Well, evidently this song needed some more tinkering. I've gone back to the original poem and substituted a few more lines in the first verse, and re-arranged the order again within the second and third verses. Maybe I've got it right this time (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords): By Cicely Fox Smith, from SHIP MODELS by Cicely Fox Smith, published by Conway Maritime Press in 1972. p. 87 from an original Country Life publication of 1951. Adapted by Charlie Ipcar 8/2/07 Tune: after Old Orange Flute A Ship in a Bottle C-------------------------------------G------------C In a sailormen's restaurant down Rotherhithe way, -------------------------Am--------------G------------G7 Where the din of the docksides rings loud all the day, --F----------------C-----------F--------------C A-mong the stale odours of hot food and cold, ------------------------------G-------------C In a fly-spotted window I there did be-hold – ---------------------------F A ship in a bottle some sailor had made ------C------------------------------G----------------G7 In his watches be-low, swinging South with the Trade, -----------F-------------C------------F----------C While his mates were patchin' old dungaree suits, ------------------Am----------G----------C Or mending up oilskins and leaky sea-boots. Chorus: C---------------------F A ship in a bottle a-sailing away, ---C-------------------------------G-------------G7 In flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, ------F----------C------------F-------------C Over oceans of wonder, by headlands a-gleam, ----------------------Am------------G----------C To the harbours of youth, on the wind of a dream! That tiny full-rigger predestined to ride To its cable of thread on its green-painted tide – In its wine-bottle world while the new world rolls on, Tho' the sailor who made it was long ago gone; His fingers all roughened, toughened and scarred, With hauling and hoisting, so calloused and hard; So crooked and stiff you might wonder that still They could fashion that ship with such cunning and skill. (CHO) In fancy I saw him all weathered and browned, Deep crows'-feet and wrinkles his eyelids around, The hairy forearm with its gaudy tattoo Of a bold-looking female in scarlet and blue; In fancy I listened, in fancy could hear The thrum of the shrouds and the creak of the gear; And I thought of my youth with its pleasure and pain, And the shipmate I loved was beside me again – (CHO) Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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10 Sep 07 - 11:21 AM (#2145482) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Here's a link to my website for a MP3 sample of how I sing this song: Click here and search for lyrics! I think it's a keeper. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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11 Sep 07 - 01:08 AM (#2146103) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: GUEST,leeneia It's a keeper, all right. Good work, Charlie. I'm going to copy this and add it to my archives. One thought - perhaps that should be 'south with the trades' in line 6. I believe I have heard the trade winds referred to as 'the trades.' For any Americans interested, Charley's tune is based on what we know as 'Sweet Betsy from Pike.' (I never would have gussed that Rotherhithe is pronounced the way you've pronounced it.) |
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11 Sep 07 - 09:25 AM (#2146340) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Leeneia- Thanks for the positive feedback. "South with the Trade" is in the original poem and is indeed a shorthand reference to a particular Trade Wind, the Northeast prevailing wind in the southern hemisphere, from the Canary Islands to the "bump" of Brazil. "The Old Orange Flute" and "Sweet Betsy from Pike" are certainly related but "Sweet Betsy" lacks the B-part, making it more monotonous, and has no minor chords. I did query folks from the UK above on how to pronounce "Rotherhithe" and the response I got was that it sounded like "bother" and "lithe." I confess to lingering uncertainties and would hesitate to sing this song anywhere near Rotherhithe for fear of being stoned! The original poem, as posted above, is much longer and I have certainly taken liberties in condensing it for singing. Someone else might choose to sing the whole poem, or choose different verses or lines. However, after reading the final lines of the original poem I knew where my song version had to go and what would be the chorus: And I looked on my youth with its pleasure and pain, And the shipmate I loved was beside me again ... In a ship in a bottle a-sailing away In the flying-fish weather through rainbows of spray, Over oceans of wonder by headlands of gleam To the harbours of youth on the wind of a dream! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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11 Sep 07 - 12:35 PM (#2146480) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: GUEST,leeneia Upon close inspection I see that we have two, not just one, ship in a bottle on the stereo. I was an active assistant in their making. for one thing, we would survey hobo hangouts looking for the just right bottles for ships. (Wine bottles would never do.) They had to be the right shape and had to have part of the label left on around the neck. We're talking booze here. The masts were cut from rulers, for the boxwood of rulers was one form of very strong, stable wood available to a poor person. Holes were drilled in them with a sewing-machine needles, and staples were threaded through the holes and into the ship to hold the masts. The sails were made from will & trust paper from the law firm where I work. They have kept their shape for ten or fifteen years now. It is my belief, Charley, that the love interest makes the song too complicated. The song already has a street, a restaurant, a narrator, a ship in a bottle and the sailor who made it. Adding a long-lost love is too much. The problem may be simply that 'shipmate' is the wrong word. Two sailors working the same ship would be shipmates. Cicely and her sailor cannot be shipmates. (Actually, it took me a while to figure out what she was talking about.) Perhaps And the sailor I loved was beside me again Interestingly enough, Rotherhithe came up in the recent thread about "gay and grinding." A hithe is a small harbor. |
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11 Sep 07 - 01:18 PM (#2146514) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Leeneia- "the love interest makes the song too complicated" I can see your point and you may well be right in a general sense. But I've been on the trail of Cicely's love interest for the sailor Dan for too long to ignore such a reference. "Dan" she described as one of her favorite shantymen and informants and there are more poems with his name in them than any other name. In her poem "Shipmates" their relationship is spelled out, and "shipmate" appears to be her word for describing their endearment (see also "Hastings Mill"). It's unclear why Dan never returned after sailing away. However, she describes several ways that he may have died (i.e. "Lee Fore Brace"). But Dan may simply have fled! All of these poems mentioned, by the way, I've adapted for singing and may be found on my website. I do love to meditate on ships in bottles. For me they represent a Twilight Zone where one never quite knows what one might find -- much more than the sticks, paper sails, and painted sea. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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11 Sep 07 - 01:26 PM (#2146521) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Barry Finn My friend George Herbert built ships in the bottle, sadly I can't tell you where you could see one. The only copy of his where his work lies was given to a fellow at Mystic to copy & he never returned it. He also has a 'cat n'nine tail' somewhere at the Smithstoneian. It would take him over a year to do the bottled ships. Barry |
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12 Sep 07 - 09:05 AM (#2147246) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: GUEST,leeneia Charley, I see what you mean. Barry, I would have liked to see your friend's ships. If they took a year to make, they must have been quite detailed. |
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12 Sep 07 - 09:22 AM (#2147261) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Amos There are several at the San Diego Maritime Exhibit, some quite detailed; they date back as far as the nineteenth century. A |
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12 Sep 07 - 10:06 AM (#2147306) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble C. Fox Smith was thinking that "ships in bottles" evolved beginning in the early 1850's, inspired by flowers in bottles and other objects bottled in the Far East. Charley Noble |
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12 Sep 07 - 10:32 AM (#2147331) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Barry Finn Hi leeneia I believe you'd have to veiw them somewhere in Australia, he was a native of England but once he gave up the sea he spent the later part of his life in West Geelong. Barry |
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12 Sep 07 - 07:47 PM (#2147805) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Ship in a Bottle (C. Fox Smith) From: Charley Noble Barry- Another mission for when we're in Australia this fall? Geelong appears to be on Port Phillips Bay but perhaps I should be looking for a maritime museum in Melbourne. George Herbert? I wonder if he had a favorite relative? Cheerily, Charley Noble |