The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #40410   Message #1080934
Posted By: Strupag
28-Dec-03 - 11:11 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Don't Work for the Baron Line
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Baron line
Hi Ossonflags,
I was looking at this thread and then surfed off to one of the links that Jim posted.
I then mistakenly posted to and older thread - Oh Hell it's that time of year. I'm going to give up drinking until next year!

Any I've cut and pasted what I posted

"Hi Roymuir,
In the 60's I did a trip as Radio Oficer on the Baron Belhaven and I remember the song being sung often but I can't remember the words.
Here's the chorus
"Ye might have been on sailing ships or ye might have been on tramps,
Or ye might have been on Whalers off the great Newfoundland Banks,
Ye might have been on passengers having a hell of a time.
But you've never been through the mill boys, untill you've sailed with Barron Line"

The trip was great but the conditions were awful. We flew out from Prestwick and went to St John NB to join the ship. We then sailed up St Lawrence and went to Sept Isle, Montreal and Quebec. After that we went right down the US eastern seaboard stopping at ports all the way down. After that it was through the Panama canal and on to New Zealand.
We discharged our cargo there all round North and South Islands. We then went over to Newcastle, NSW and took a cargo out to Neumea, New Caledonia. We then went back to a wee place in Queenland called Innisfail and took on a cargo of sugar. We went home to Scotland with that stopping off at Maritius, Cape Town and Dakar on the way. When I got home, I wrote a song about the Baron Line that I never quite finished.
Chorus: -
"Thought this life would do me fine 'till I joined old Baron Line,
Never thought I'd tire of sailing all my days,
But a man needs to be fed so I'll find another trade,
I could earn a better living many ways"
In real life I actually stayed on at sea for another 5/6 years but I never went back with Baron Line.
The company was taken over by Scottisn Ship Managment and conditions improved greatly. SSM then merged with Denholms and I think they still manage a few ships today.
I still get the odd nightmare of being bitten by cockroaches while in my bunk.
I apologise for wandering off the subject but this thread did send my memory back to that time.
If your really keen in getting the words they an add in the UK publication "Ships" might get a response.

Andy Mitchell"