Coming Around the Horn.
[AIR—Dearest May.]

Now, miners, if you'll listen, I'll tell you quite a tale,
About the voyage around Cape Horn, They call a pleasant sail;
We bought a ship, and had her stowed with houses, tools and grub,
But cursed the day we ever sailed in the poor old rotten tub,

Chorus:
Oh, I remember well, the lies they used to tell,
Of gold so bright, it hurt the sight, and made the miners yell.

We left old New York city, with the weather very thick,
The second day we puked up boots, oh, wus'nt we all seasick!
I swallowed pork tied to a string, which made a dreadful shout,
I felt it strike the bottom, but I could not pull it out.
Oh, I remember, etc.

We all were owners in the ship, and soon began to growl,
Because we hadn't ham and eggs, and now and then a fowl;
We told the captain what to do, as him we had to pay,
The captain swore that he was boss, and we should him obey.
Oh, I remember, etc.

We lived like hogs, penned up to fat, our vessel was so small,
We had a "duff" but once a month, and twice a day a squall;
A meeting now and then was held, which kicked up quite a stink,
The captain d—d us fore and aft, and wished the box would sink.
Oh, I remember, etc.

Off Cape Horn, where we lay becalmed, kind Providence seemed to frown,
We had to stand up night and day, none of us dared sit down;
For some had half a dozen boils, 'twas awful, sure's you're born,
But some would try it on the sly, and got pricked by the Horn.
Oh, I remember, etc.

We stopped at Valparaiso, where the women are so loose.
And all got drunk as usual, got shoved in the Calaboose;
Our ragged, rotten sails were patched, the ship made ready for sea,
But every man, except the cook, was up town on a spree.
Oh, I remember, etc.

We sobered off set sail again, on short allowance, of course,
With water thick as castor oil, and stinking beef much worse;
We had the scurvy and the itch, and any amount of lice,
The medicine chest went overboard, with bluemass, cards and dice.
Oh, I remember, etc.

We arrived at San Francisco, and all went to the mines,
We left an agent back to sell our goods of various kinds;
A friend wrote up to let us know our agent, Mr. Gates,
Had sold the ship and cargo, sent the money to the States.
Oh, I remember, etc.


Put's Original California Songster, pp. 37-38



Lyrics and tune in Dwyer & Lingenfelter, The Songs of the Gold Rush, pp. 29-30

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What's a "duff"? "bluemass"?

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Click to play

[Tune notes by Artful Codger]
"Dearest Mae" was written by Frances Lynch (words) and James Power (music) ca. 1847. Sheet music can be found online in the Library of Congress Music for the Nation collection. (A correction to a common misattribution: although L.V.H. Crosby did prepare an arrangement for pianoforte, James Powers wrote the original music.)

Mudcat thread on "Coming Around the Horn," including an ABC.

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