Lyr Req: Virginia Variant on The Mermaid

Subject: Virginia Variant on The Mermaid
From: GUEST,Hoot & Fidget
Date: 16 Feb 01 - 11:55 PM

On the Recording Rolling Down To Old Maui the group Jolly Jack recorded a variant of "The Mermaid" which they called "The Sailor's Song". Attributed to the singing Michael Yates, one of the verses goes like this

Well the first on the deck was the captain of the ship
A fine young captain was he
He's ?????????????????????
We've all done wrong
And we'll sink to the bottom of the sea.

My problem is the line with all the question marks in it. I simply can't figure out what they are saying. Can anyone please help me with this?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Virginia Variant on The Mermaid
From: Stewie
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 04:27 AM

I see what you mean. To my ears it sounds like 'He's formed a song, we've all done wrong'. But that makes little sense. 'We've all done wrong' is clear enough - it's the bit before that. I hope someone knows what it is.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Virginia Variant on The Mermaid
From: GUEST,Hoot & Fidget
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 05:09 PM

Well, does anyone else know anything at all about Michael Yates? Maybe I could get some friends at the Library of Congress to help out with this one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Virginia Variant on The Mermaid
From: GUEST,Bruce O.
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 10:28 PM

Michael Yates was an English author of articles on folk songs for the 'Folk Music Journal' of EFDSS. I met him briefly at Cecil Sharp House in 1972.