Sleeve Notes from New Voices - Topic 12T125 - 1965

"The Captain W B Whall was the first to print this song in his pioneer collection of 'Sea songs and Shanties' . He says 'It is evidently the work of a seaman . . . and was very popular between the years 1860 and 1870 .' Its a Foc'sle song , a forebitter , not a shanty . The Bow Wow chorus is borrowed from an influential Music hall song of the mid nineteenth century "