The song was collected in Norfolk, Virginia, where it was being used in shipbuilding. It was recorded recently by the Boarding Party (Fair Winds and a Following Sea, available from Folk Legacy) and more recently by my brother Ken in his album with Alison Kelley, (The NexTradition, also available through Folk Legacy). Ken and Alison give the history very succinctly:

"In 1918 at Colanna's Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, 17-year old John Mantley used this chant to set rhythm while caulking seams with 'oakum,' a mixture of tar and bits of frayed rope. It was a two-person job demanding great precision - one man held the 'horsing iron' into the filled seam, and the other struck the iron witha heavy mallet."

We sing it "Come Along Down Buddy," but it is clearly the same song.

For MUCH more detail you can check out the notes from the Boarding Party's version, reprinted in our own Digital tradition here .

Dan Schatz