Where Bahamian Theodore "Tea Roll" Rolle is singing lyrics at all, it's mostly scat, he's singing the Grits & Grunts version above, sort of. Kennedy also did the recording here.

Library of Congress Catalog: Hoist up the John B. Sail

Library of Congress Audio: Hoist up the John B. Sail


3391 B
Hoist up the John B. Sails
Sung by Theodore Rolle with guitar and trombone.
Key West, Fla., Stetson Kennedy and Robert Cook, Jan, 1940.


Florida Memory Audio: Hoist up the John B. Sail
(starts at 39:00)