Thanks, John.

The stamp'n'go-s form a funny group. First, "Johnny Come Along" seems unlikely as a stamp 'n' go. Apparently it was ascribed that task in German ships. One could argue that any song with a steady beat and a bright tempo could work, still I think this one is really ill-matched, and more trouble than it's worth. Here's a thread attempting to get at the origins (and my rendition of the chantey form, at the end).

Recall that my categories will by form, which relates to job function but which doesn't correspond exactly. "Hieland Laddie" I've already put into the category of call/response/call/response (Lighter's "stanzaic," or if you will, "classic" chantey form as our discourse is beginning to refer to it). Without the "mock chorus" (my term), it has the form of a typical halyard chantey (and has been ascribed as such), and with that chorus it is suitable for capstan and stamp 'n' go. The related "Donkey Riding" was another possible stamp'n'go. Just WHY these may have been specifically ascribed as such is unclear. Their form, I argue, does not really suit them better to the task than, say, "Marching to Pretoria." I think it was probably more a matter of happenstance that certain songs got linked to that task. Also consider that that task may very well have been circumscribed by constraints like time period and crew size. As I've been discussing, my understanding is that the practice of stamp'n' go preceded (chronologically) the 2-pull halyard maneuver. It did not die out (as evidenced by the German "Johnny Come Along"), but it was more suitable for large vessels with lots of space and for large crews. (Incidentally, I got to do a stamp'n'go a few times last summer at Mystic, but it was on a small schooner, and it felt kind of silly, tripping and running about. ) And, it seems to have been used in later times at braces rather than halyards.

If there were anything about the form of "Donkey Riding" to specifically connect it to stamp'n'go, I'd guess the pattern of three phrases, followed by the long chorus. This is just reaching; I only say it because "Drunken Sailor" also has three phrases. It may just be that the actual lyrics "Way hay, and away we go," inspired the action. But again, I tend to think it was probably just an association that formed. So "Hieland Laddie" is in the "classic" form (Donkey Riding is an adaptation of that).

I just don't think these stamp'n'go-s cohere into any formal category. "Rise me Up" evokes "Drunken Sailor" with its "rise him/her/me up." It's repetition also bears similarity, and that may be a stamp'n'g feature. The same could be said for the repetition in "John Dameray." But the forms are consistent.

Two consistent forms are those of "Drunken Sailor" and "Roll the old Chariot" (to be added to the list). Their form is that of a phrase sung solo, then 2 repetitions of that in chorus, followed by a full chorus. There is no rhyme, no "stanza." It is quite a different beast, I think, from the "classic" chanties. "Drunken Sailor" appears to hail from the earlier navy days, when stamp'n' go was the thing, and when it was actually more often carried out to drumming and fifing (?). [I am trying to bring a lot of things together here, so forgive me for not fact-checking every statement!]

FWIW, other chanties have the form of three phrases repeated at the start. However, I wouldn't say that is specific to chantey repertoire. (My personal, pet name for these is "boring chanties"!) An example is "The Arabella." They generate lots of time-pass, with minimal textual variation or creativity. And I think these could be filed into a category that might reveal a common "origin" (e.g. European, or military songs, or something).

So I am not willing to create any major category out of the scanty stamp'n'go material. Dana may have used them. Howevr, his comment of "a chorus at the end of each line" does not appear to describe the forms of stamp'n'go chanties that are available.

On to short drags a bit later.