The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #126347   Message #2851574
Posted By: John Minear
27-Feb-10 - 11:36 AM
Thread Name: From SF to Sydney - 1853 Shanties Sung?
Subject: RE: From SF to Sydney - 1853 Shanties Sung?
Gibb, your comments on the "windless chanty form" were very helpful in finally getting me to focus on "the form" of these songs. It also helps me understand how the same song shifts from one job to another. I have gone back and looked at the "windless" chanties in Hugill - and yes, you are right, his layout does force one to look at the relationships among chanties differently than one would if you just follow categories like "capstan", "halyard", etc. - and here is what I've come up with in this context. A few are admittedly a stretch, but if you refer back to the possible African-American songs that may underlie them you can see how they might have evolved. And for Charlie's sake, as well as everyone else's, they are alphabetical this time.

Across the Rockies

A-Rovin' (?)

Billy Boy

Clear the Track, Let the Bullgine Run

Doodle, Let Me Go

Fire Down Below (a)(b)(c)(e)

Goodbye, Fare Ye Well

Heave Away, Cheerily O!

Heave Away, Me Johnnies / We're All Bound to Go (a)

Hooker John

Jamboree (cf. G. Conway's version from Sharp)

Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her

Lowlands Away

Miss Lucy Long (cf. "O Take Your Time Miss Lucy Long")

Mr. Stormalong

Only One More Day

Poor Lucy Anna

Rio Grande

Roller Bowler (cf, "Ladies in the Parlour")

Santiana

- Round the Bay of Mexico

Shenandoah

South Australia

- The Codfish Shanty

Southern Ladies (fr. Sharp)

Ten Stone

How did I do? Also, I should add "Abel Brown the Sailor" as a halyard chanty, according to Hugill on pages 440-442/'61.