The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #49444   Message #2819998
Posted By: John Minear
23-Jan-10 - 09:52 PM
Thread Name: Hugill/Dana's missing shanties
Subject: RE: Hugill/Dana's missing shanties
I am wondering if there is any general agreement on the current identity of any of the shanties listed by Dana in TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST, here (scroll down to page 285):

http://books.google.com/books?id=SXQaAAAAYAAJ&dq=Richard+Henry+Dana+%22Two+Years%22&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=ucVUS

To overdo the obvious one more time, they are:

"Heave, to the girls!"
"Nancy O!"
"Jack Crosstree"
"Cheerly, Men"
"Heave round hearty!"
"Captain gone ashore!"
"Dandy ship and a dandy crew"
"Time for us to go!"
"Round the corner"
"Tally high ho! you know"
"Hurrah! hurrah! my hearty bullies!"

I have been seeing lots of tantalizing hints, but can we really identify any of these shanties? The more I read the more skeptical I become. I believe this thread started long ago with an assumption that some had been identified and some were "lost". Are Hugill's own conclusions on this matter holding up to today's scrutiny?