Arrgh, I thought I proofread that part, but I still messed up. Yes, Michael, it's "heave" -- thanks. "Yo Heave Ho" does appear in sailor song (/chant) references, especially of the early times. (In fact, Hugill's collection *does* have a song titled "Yeo Heave Ho", though he probably nicked it from L.A. Smith's collection from way back in 1888.)

Thanks Martin...so I guess this takes us into the "Canadian voyageurs" thing. IMO this O'Grady verse sounds closer to chanty stuff than the Canadian Boat Song. Perhaps someone can fill me in on the current state of the "voyaguers" idea.