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-Joe Offer-Subject: RE: Lyr Req: where the Lazy Murray River Rolls al
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 15-Mar-01 - 02:10 AMJoe Offer, I'd be glad to do all those things that you suggest, when I get the lyric, If I knew what the hell you were talking about. I'm new to this electronic marvel, I love it, but I'm not really literate in Computereze. But then I suppose not too many of you are square rig sailing lingo. I bend over backwards to understand what "fore & afters" and landlubbers are saying, (Unlike some hard-asses), and without being snotty about it I try to put things in their language. I hope youll do the same for me. What's a thread? & how does one resirrect it? I know how to cut a frayed piece out of a rope or sampson braid and then splice it back together again, but I don't know how to resurrect a thread. (yes it is "Rope" and not "Line" as the US Navy calls the stuff) (there I go getting snotty) They have a good reason for calling it "line" which I'll explain if your curious. What's a "filter on the forum menu? Put "murray" in what box? Do you think he'll mind? and I haven't a clue how to set any age at all.
You help me out here and I'll "put right" whatever "funny lines" I come across in your Maritime folk songs and Chanteys (two different things entirely) For instance, In the "Greenland Whale Fisheries", the third verse should read OUR CAPTAIN WAS PACING THE QUARTERDECK, A BRAVE LITTLE MAN WAS HE. (up to here, anything similar will do) OVERHAUL, OVERHAUL, YOUR DAVIT TACKLE (pronounced,"take-uhl, from "take all") FALL, AND LOWER YOUR BOATS FOR THE SEA, BRAVE BOYS, LOWER YOUR BOATS FOR THE SEA (I'll understand you if you say "tackle, as in football") Tackles are made up of blocks and falls. I suppose everyone knows what a block is. chunks of wood with pulley wheels set into them through which the rope moves. The "Fall" is the Rope that goes through them. One block (usually the top one) is fixed in position In this case on the davits from which the whaleboats are hung. the other block is attached to the load (the boat) and moves. when the fall, which come out of the tackle and is belayed on a cleat or belaying pin, is hauled on, the load is raised as the blocks come together. When a tackle is "overhauled, the fall is eased into the tackle and the load lowers as the blocks move apart. Sometimes, the falls are helped along when the load is lowered, by pulling on the falls in between the blocks,thereby helping the tackle to "overhaul". This is also called "overhauling" There are many different types of davits, the ones used on most whalers was a simple one that looks like two inverted "U"s with one leg firmly attached to the vessel, which swivels in a socket, and with a davit tackle hanging from the other leg. These are in sets of two. The whaleboat is swung out over the side, and the davit tackles are overhauled thereby lowering the boat. O.K.?There's a drink called a "block and fall," it's 151 rum and lime juice. You walk one block, and fall.
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: where the Lazy Murray River Rolls al
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15-Mar-01 - 03:12 AMHi, Yankee - Sounds like you might be well off to visit the Mudcat FAQ - Newcomer's Guide (click here). It's the first on the list of threads (topics) on the discussion forum menu page. I spent a lot of time designing the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Guide, and I think it would help you a lot if you were to read the first four messages there. We try to make the Mudcat easy to use, but it does help if people read the directions.
As for "Greenland Whale Fisheries, I guess I'd agree that "tackle" shouldn't be "tackles" - but it's a true, traditional folk song, and there are many ways to sing 'em. "Greenland Whale Fisheries" has been assigned Digital Tradition identification number 321. If you put #321 in the blue search box, you'll find several versions of this song.Hope that helps.
-Joe Offer-
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: where the Lazy Murray River Rolls al
From: CRANKY YANKEE
Date: 15-Mar-01 - 03:52 AMJoe Offer. (here I go getting snotty again) Apparrently you didn't pay attention to what you were reading. The way you have all the versions just doesn't make sense. What on Earth could it mean to "let your davit tackles fall"? i SAY AGAIN. tackles (pronounced, "Take-uhl" from "Take all" and not "tac-uhl" as in football) are made up of blocks and falls. The fall is the rope part. "Fall" is a NOUN, NOT A VERB. "Overhaul " is the opposite of "Haul". When you overhaul a davit
tackle , You let the fall (noun) run through the tackle , thereby lowering the bloody whaleboat. That's the opposite of "hauling on the davit tackle fall (noun). when you haul on the damned thing you lift the whaleboat into the davit. Got it? Now I'll read the thing that you wanted me to. So the Line should read, OVERHAUL, OVERHAUL, YOUR DAVIT TACKLE FALL (noun) AND LOWER YOUR BOATS FOR THE SEA, BRAVE BOYS, LOWER YOUR BOATS FOR THE SEA.
Subject: Greenland Whale Fisheries
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15-Mar-01 - 04:47 AMPoint well taken, Yankee, but this is a thread about the Murray River. If you want to talk about "Greenland Whale Fisheries," put Greenland in the filter box on the main page and set the age way beck to 3 years. My point was that there are various versions of "Greenland Whale Fishery" in the Digital Tradition database, and in various songbooks - some have "let your davit tackles fall" (as recorded by Judy Collins); and others have it the way you suggested, which does seem to make more sense. My Webster's New World Dictionary says the nautical pronunciation of "tackle" is as you say, TAKE-ul.
But it seems even more sensible to discuss "Greenland Whale Fisheries" in a thread (topic) that has to do with that particular song.
-Joe Offer-