I decided to research this song a bit. I've e-mailed the library at Mystic Seaport, as well as Johnny Collins, asking about the background to the sea song, "Strike the Bell, Second Mate." While I have not heard back from either source yet I did speak to John Roberts this weekend. He did the first in this year's sea concerts series aboard the Balclutha in San Francisco. One of the songs he sang was "Strike the Bell, Second Mate" - he didn't know who wrote the words but he did feel that Henry Clay Work's song "Ring the Bell, Watchman" was written first, then came "Click Go the Sears" and then "Strike the Bell, Second Mate." "Strike the Bell, Landlord," obviously, is a much more recent work.


Regards to all,
Radriano