The sea poems of John Masefield have attracted the attention of singers ever since they were published in the early 20th century, and the process of adapting such poems for singing has been a process continuing to the present day. I will begin this perma thread by posting some of the poems as set to music by Andy Kenna of Liverpool Forebitter, some poems I've adapted myself, and poems adapted by others.

I would welcome other contributions and comments but if you are posting poems that have been adapted for singing please follow this format:

The original poem and a literary reference.

The poem as adapted for singing with chords, if possible a link to a MP3 sample of how it is sung, and a credit to the artist.

In some cases there are alternative adaptations, which is fine. Some singers prefer to stick to the text of the original poem, some make slight wording changes, while some add chorus or refrains, or drop or add entire lines or verses. All contributions are welcome for discussion, civil discussion; I will delete what I consider "uncivil discussion" or posts that stray too far from the major purpose of this perma thread.

Here's an appropriate song to launch this thread titled "Pier-Head Chorus":

From Salt Water Poems And Ballads, John Masefield, published by The Macmillan Co., NY, © 1912, p. 51.

A Pier-Head Chorus
(John Masefield)

Oh I'll be chewing salted horse and biting flinty bread,
And dancing with the stars to watch, upon the fo'c's'le head,
Hearkening to the bow-wash and the welter of the tread
Of a thousand tons of clipper running free.

For the tug has got the tow-rope and will take us to the Downs,
Her paddles churn the river-wrack to muddy greens and browns,
And I have given river-wrack and all the filth of towns
For the rolling, combing cresters of the sea.

We'll sheet the mizzen-royals home and shimmer down the Bay,
The sea-line blue with billows, the land-line blurred and grey;
The bow-wash will be piling high and thrashing into spray,
As the hooker's fore-foot tramples down the swell.

She'll log a giddy seventeen and rattle out the reel,
The weight of all the run-out line will be a thing to feel,
As the bacca-quidding shell-back shambles aft to take the wheel,
And the sea-sick little middy strikes the bell.


Notes:

A classic "outward bound" poem!

"Salted horse" is how the sailors often referred to the preserved meat they were served.

"Rattle out the reel" is a reference to how the speed of a sailing ship was determined by use of the log-line.

Adapted for singing by Charlie Ipcar in 2007, as recorded on Old Sailor-Poets, © 2007 (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords)
Tune: after Little Black Train

A PIER-HEAD CHORUS-2
(John Masefield)

C-------------------F---C
Now I'll be chew-ing salt horse an' biting flinty bread,
F
Dancing with the stars upon the fo'c's'le head;
C--------------F---C
Harkening to the bow-wash an' the welter of the tread –
-----F--------------------------------------C
Of a thousand tons of clipper running free.


Chorus:

C---F---C------------F---C
For the tug has got the tow-rope, she'll lead us to the Downs,
-----F
Her paddles churn the river-wrack to muddy greens and browns;
----C-------------------F--C
But I have swapped the river-wrack an' all the filth of towns
---------F-------------------------------------C
For the rolling, surging, combers of the sea.
---------F---------------------------------G--C
For the rolling, surging, combers of the sea.


For we'll sheet her tops'ls home, glide on down the Bay,
The sea-line blue with billows, the land-line blurred an' grey;
The bow-wash will be piling high an' thrashing into spray,
As the clipper's fore-foot tramples down the swell. (CHO)

She'll log a giddy seventeen an' rattle out the reel,
The weight of all that run-out line will be a thing to feel,
As the bacca-chewing shellback shambles aft to take the wheel,
An' the sea-sick little middy strikes the bell. (CHO)

Here's a link to a MP3 sample of how this is sung: Click here for MP3 sample!

Here's an alternative setting for this poem as adapted for singing by Andy Kenna as recorded on Salt Water Ballads, Liverpool Forebitter, © 2002

A Pier-Head Chorus-3

C---------------------G--C--------------------------F
Oh I'll be chewing salt horse and biting flinty bread,
---------------------------C----------------------------F-C-----G
And dancing with the stars to watch, up-on the fo'c's'le head,
C---------------------G----C------------------------------F
Hearkening to the bow-wash and the welter of the tread
--------------------------C--------G--------C
Of a thousand tons of clipper running free.

Chorus:

----------G----C-----------------------------------F
'Cause we're rollin' (rollin'), rattlin' out the reel;
-----------------------------------C-----------------------F----C--G
As the bacca-quidding shell-back shambles aft to take the wheel;
-----------------C----------------------------------------F
'Cause we're rollin' (rollin'), to the welter of the tread,
-----------------------------------C---------------------------G-----C
An' we'll bid farewell to the Mersey, lads, an' the old pier-head!


For the tug has got the tow-rope and will take us to the Downs,
Her paddles churn the river-wrack to muddy greens and browns,
And I have given river-wrack and all the filth of towns
For the rolling, combing cresters of the sea. (CHO)

We'll sheet the mizzen-royals home and shimmer down the Bay,
The sea-line blue with billows, lads, the land-line blurred and grey;
The bow-wash will be piling high and thrashing into spray,
As the hooker's fore-foot tramples down the swell. (CHO)

She'll log a giddy seventeen and rattle out the reel,
The weight of all that run-out line will be a thing to feel,
As the bacca-quidding shell-back shambles aft to take the wheel,
And the sea-sick little middy strikes the bell. (CHO)

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

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This is an edited PermaThread® to document the sources of the poem-songs of John Masefield. This thread will be edited by Charley Noble. Feel free to post to this thread, but remember that all messages posted here are subject to editing or deletion.
-Joe Offer-