The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #22865 Message #4108004
Posted By: The Sandman
29-May-21 - 01:41 AM
Thread Name: Penguin: Rounding The Horn
Subject: RE: Penguin: Rounding The Horn
This is the version i prefer , there is another version with two extra verses. for me the point of the song is the difficulty of sailing round the horn, the two extra verses that appear in print from 1905 are in my opinion mediocre at best and confuse the message of the song
2. Next day we weighed our anchor, boys, and waved goodbye all round; And some of us we knew would never more see Plymouth Sound; But still our hearts were light and gay, and when all was taut and snug; We foraged out the bumboat grog and each man filled his mug.
3. We drank success to Plymouth girls, to Kate and Poll and Sue; And arguing o'er their various charms, struck up a fight or two; Jim Crab he landed Bonny Nodge a clout that made him snort; And to this day his nose has got a heavy list to port.
So earlier in the song we have a warning about Plymouth girls, then we later have the singer singing their praises all of which is a side show and a red herring compared to the powerful descriptions about beating off Magellan Straits, and the poetic description of the glorious days. The two extra verses look to me to be the work of some other author.