The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #152560 Message #3717632
Posted By: Rumncoke
19-Jun-15 - 09:48 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Cheer'ly Man - history (Cheerily Man)
Subject: RE: Cheer'ly Man - history
I know this one from the time when I had a yacht in the 1970s, along with the faster rhythm of 'haul'em away.
there was Hetty Hawkins ey-oh cheerly man In her white stockings ey-oh cheerly man Beats all at knocking ey-oh Cheerly man oh Haul a ey-oh ho! cheerly man.
The two chanteys had similar but not entirely interchangeable words, for instance
little Delis Ducket, haul em away washes in a bucket haul em away she's a whore but doesn't look it, haul em away haul a hay ho, haul em away