22 Oct 23 - 11:15 PM (#4186139) Subject: Lyr Add: THE GLENALOON; OR, THE SKIPPER'S YARN From: GUEST,Julia L How about some good creepy seafaring ghosts or ghost ships? here's a good one to start- found in Phillips Barry's collection from Mr. Chas F. Alley, Jonesport, ME 1930 and Sandy Ives got a version with a tune. It's in our book "Songs of Ships & Sailors" THE GLENALOON; OR, THE SKIPPER'S YARN. “Founded on fact.” Francis Alexander Durivage
ONLY a ripple, and just a puff
No headway on the old barky now!
Bloody red, but silver soon,
There was no rock or reef on the chart
We pulled away for the shapeless hulk
There was a rubbish of splintered spars—
Surly old chap! I raised his hat—
Then walking aft—the deck was flush—
As we pulled from the brig o'er the steel-black sea,
In the sunny calm of the following day [As found in The Glenaloon and Other Poems, by Francis Alexander Durivage (New York: Trow’s Printing and Bookbinding Co., 1881), page 41.] |
23 Oct 23 - 02:05 PM (#4186140) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seafaring ghost songs From: GUEST,Rick Pollay (aka Saul T. Dawg) A classic from 1874 Newfoundland is Ghostly Fishermen by Harry L. Marcy (1874) aka Ghostly Sailors, Ghostly Crew, Ghost Ship Many versions in Nova Scotia and NWFLD. It' not too spooky as the ghosts prove to be helping hands. You may all smile if you want to, or perhaps you'll lend an ear To a tale that I will tell you, that goes back nigh forty year I have sailed across the water, from Western Banks to Grand on many different vessels that went from Newfoundland And I've seen storms, I tell you, where things looked rather blue But I was always lucky, and managed to get through I cannot brag, however, I'm not saying much, but then I'm not as easily frightened, as most of other men The stormy night I speak of, we were off shores quite a ways I never will forget it, in all my mortal days When on my dark late-night watch, I felt a chilling dread Steal over me as if I heard, a calling from the dead Well, o’er the rail they clambered, all silent one by one A dozen dripping sailors! (Now, wait till I am done) Their faces pale and sea-wet, shone ghostly in the night Each fellow took his station, as if he had the right And homeward steered the vessel, until land come in sight Or rather I should say, we saw a lighthouse tower light And then those ghostly sailors, moved to the rail again And vanished in the dawn’s grey mist, before the sun’s on them We sailed into the harbour, and every mother’s son Will tell you the same story, the same as I have done These were the very fellows, I hope God rest their souls, That crewed a ship that sank that year while fishing on the Shoals And now you've heard my story: it was just as I say So I believe in spirits until this very day |
23 Oct 23 - 05:07 PM (#4186141) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Seafaring ghost songs From: Robert B. Waltz The Ballad Index has sixteen songs with the keyword combination "ghost" and either "ship" or "sailor" or "navy." In descending order of number of citations: The Cruel Ship's Carpenter (The Gosport Tragedy; Pretty Polly) [Laws P36A/B] Lowlands (My Lowlands Away) The Ghostly Crew [Laws D16] Nancy of Yarmouth (Jemmy and Nancy; The Barbadoes Lady) [Laws M38] The Nightingale [Laws M37] The Flying Dutchman (Vanderdecken) [Laws K23] Beam of Oak (Rambling Boy, Oh Willie) Ben Backstay Stormy Weather Boys Admiral Hosier's Ghost The Fog-bound Vessel The Wreck of the Glenaloon Bill Jones ('Twas off the coast of Guinea Land) Willie Was As Fine a Sailor The Knight's Ghost [Child 265] The Cruise of the Bouncing Sally Some of those are a bit marginal, but most of them are clearly sailor/ghost songs.
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