MAIL DAY
Trad.

Well every mail day,
Oh, Lordy, mail day I gets a letter.
Well every mail day,
Oh, Lordy, mail day I gets a letter.
Sayin' "Daddy come home."
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
"Daddy come home."

Well I can't go home,
'Cause I ain't got no ready money.
Well I can't go home,
'Cause I ain't got no ready money.
To pay my way.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
To pay my way.

Well all I need is
I need just one more dollar and a quarter.
Well all I need is
I need just one more dollar and a quarter.
And I can go right now.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
I can go right now.

Oh, captain can't you see?
There's a dark cloud a-rising over yonder.
Oh, captain can't you see?
There's a dark cloud a-rising over yonder.
Well its a sign of rain.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
A sign of rain.

Oh, captain don't you know?
Oh, Lordy, know your crew is going to leave you?
Oh, captain don't you know?
Oh, Lordy, know your crew is going to leave you?
On the next pay day.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
The next pay day.

Notes: This is apparently a loading shanty, although it also seems to have been used on the chain gangs, from the comments of J.B. Sutton on The Warner Collection, Vol 1. This version is from "A Chesapeake Sailor's Companion" by John Townley.

JP

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MAIL DAY 2
Trad.

Every mail day
Every mail day I gets a letter.
Every mail day
Mail day I gets a letter.

Oh, son come home.
Lord, Lord, son come home.

I couldn't leave it.
Leave it to keep from crying.
I couldn't leave it.
Leave it to keep from crying.

To save my soul.
Lord, Lord, to save my soul.

Notes: This song has apparently been used as a loading shanty, although this version was used by convicts, from the comments of the singer, J.B. Sutton, on The Warner Collection, Vol 1, who states that he heard men on the chain gang singing it.

JP