BONEY WAS A WARRIOR
(Halliard Shanty)
Oh Boney was a warrior-
Way-ay-oh!
Oh Boney was a warrior-
Way-ay-oh!
First he fought the Rooshians-
Way-ay-oh!
And then he fought the Prooshians-
Way-ay-oh!
Moscow was a-burning-
Way-ay-oh!
A-blazing and a-burning-
John Frans-waw!
He went to Saint Helena-
Way-ay-oh!
He broke his heart and died there-
John Frans-waw!
Oh Boney was a warrior-
Way-ay-oh!
Oh Boney was a warrior-
John Frans-waw!
Notes by CFS:
Some authorities define the time-honoured ditty of "Boney" as the sailor's "generous tribute to a fallen foe." Of course it would be very nice if such were true, but I am inclined to doubt it. The sentiment was rather too high-falutin' for an age which had not developed tolerance to the pitch it has attained at the present day, or learned to win a war only to make the enemy a free gift of the peace. It strikes me as far more likely that the shanty was to a certain extent writ sarcastic. As for the tune, we had rather a habit of borrowing from our opponents in those days in such matters as the build of frigates, which may quite conceivably have been put into practice here. The ironical humour of the proceeding would have been exactly calculated to appeal to the sailormen of the period.
Colcord version in the DT.
X:1
T:Boney Was A Warrior
C:C. Fox Smith 'A Book of Shanties' p 33
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Eb
z4zB|B2A B2c|B2A E3|B3c3|A4zA|
w:Oh! Bo-ney was a war-ri-or Way-ay-oh! Oh
A2G F2E|D2F c3|B3B3|G6
w:bo-ney was a war-ri-or John Frans-waw!