The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #152560   Message #3568382
Posted By: Gibb Sahib
19-Oct-13 - 07:24 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Cheer'ly Man - history (Cheerily Man)
Subject: RE: Cheer'ly Man - history
The earlier mentioned Irishman who traveled to Australia in 1853 remembered this version for halyards, which he gives two "verses" with score.

>>Cheerily men!
Oh upreef'd topsail hi ho!
Cheerily men!
High in the sky, hi ho!
Cheerily men!
Oh! rouse him up, her, hi ho!
Cheerily, men!
Oh! he hi ho,
Cheerily, men!...

Cheerily men! 

Who stole my jacket, hi ho!
                    Cheerily men! 

Sold the pawn ticket, hi ho!
                    Cheerily men! 

Oh, that was shameful, hi ho!
                    Cheerily men! 

Oh ! he hi ho,
Cheerily men! <<

"Cheerl'y" man was known to the first writers to address chanties in a focused fashion. In Allen's Oberlin Monthly piece (1858), it is a halyard song.

>>Oh haulee, heigho, cheeryman!
O! pull like brothers, heigho, cheeryman,
And not like lubbers, heigho, cheeryman;
O! haulee, heigho, cheeryman… <<

Likewise, the Once a Week article (1868) has it,

>>Pull together, cheerily men, 

'Gainst wind and weather, cheerily men. 

For one another, cheerily men, O, 
   
Cheerily men, O, cheerily men…

Oh, rotten pork, cheerily men, 

And lots of work, cheerily men, 

Would kill a Turk, cheerily men. oh,
Cheerily men.

Nothing to drink, cheerily men, 

The water does stink, cheerily men, 

And for Christians, just think, cheerily men, 
   
Oh, cheerily men. <<

We may suppose that an 1860s form is what was learned by Capt. Whall, who printed it with tune.

>>O Nancy Dawson, Hio!
Cheer'ly man;
She'd got a notion, Hio-o
Cheer'ly man;
For our old bo'sun, Hio!
Cheer'ly man,
O! Hauley, Hio-o!
Cheer'ly man… <<

And likely of a similar time period, Capt. John Robinson's version—one of the earliest chanties in his memory—with score, is simply titled "Catting the Anchor":

>>Pull one and all.
Hoy, Hoy, Cheery men!
On this cat fall!
Hoy! Hoy! Cheery men!
Answer the call!
Hoy, Hoy! Cheery men!
Hoy, Haulee, Hoy! Hoy! Cheery men! <<

Three more rhyming verses follow. It is clear from Whall's and Robinson's writing that the fourth (e.g. "Hoy, Haulee") line was sung entirely in chorus.