116 - Lower The Boat Down - Halyard Shanty


Here halyard version of the shanty "Roll the cotton down", described by Joanna C. Colcord in her "Roll And Go - Songs Of The American Sailormen" (1924). Joanna Colcord claims this song has Negro origin, is almost the same as a version (C) from Stan Hugill's book, without a grand chorus. Miss Colcord claims the words being very likely borrowed from shanty "Rolling King", However Stan Hugill is closer to the theory that words are from "South Australia". To take the case even more complicated, Cecil Sharp gives similar words in his version of "One More Day". About reconstruction, I will perform the first stanza that comes from "Shanties From The Seven Seas", second from Cecil Sharp's "English Folk-Chanteys". (1914).
"Shanties from the Seven Seas" by Stan Hugill (1st ed p 159).



Lower The Boat Down


There's only one thing grives me,
   - Oh, lower the boat down!
It's my poor wife and bayby,
   - Oh, lower the boat down!

                     *2*
I'm bound away to leave you
Don't let my parting grieve you