OK, what's going on here is a shanty adaptation in progress of C. Fox Smith's fine poem about a tall ship's winning race to bring back to England a cargo of wool from Australia in the 1920's. We're (Roll & Go) currently using a slow version of "The Diamond" as a working tune but we're not entirely satisfied. We've added a chorus with a refrain last line which seems to work great, but we're still tinkering with minor wording changes for clarification or other "improvement." Looking for serious feedback from other nautical wool gatherers and shanty singers. We're not aware of anyone working on this particular poem but it seems a dandy. Note, the "January sales" are the wool market back in England; the first ship in for the season got the best price and that was the only prize.

Pinch O' Salt deserves a lot of credit for refocusing our attention to Cicely Fox Smith's nautical poems and adapting them to music.

A WOOL FLEET CHORUS (2)
(Words by C. Fox Smith In Full Sail: More Sea Songs & Ballads, © 1926 Tune: varient of traditional The Bonny Ship the Diamond Adapted by Roll & Go 2001)

Now fare you well, you Sidney gals,
It's time for us to go!
Blue Peter's at the fore truck,
An' there's five thousand bales below;
We've a dozen shellbacks forrard,
And a skipper hard as nails,
And we're bound for dear old England
And the January sales!

Chorus:

Oh, the January sales, me boys,
The January sales,
We're bound for dear old England
And the January sales.

Soon we'll leave the Snares behind,
Blusterous and strong;
Up'll come the Westerlies,
And hustle her along;
Running like a driven deer,
Through the thundering gales,
Racing under royals
For the January sales!

Oh, the January sales, me boys,
The January sales,
Racing under royals
For the January sales!

Old Cape Stiff'll drop astern,
Like a blinking dream;
Sleet and snow and crashing seas,
Fog and ice a-beam;
Snoring through the tropics
Where Tradewinds never fail,
Norrard on a bowline
For the January sales!

Oh, the January sales, me boys,
The January sales,
Norrard on a bowline
For the January sales!

Then the gals'll get her towrope,
And she'll smell the land again,
And she'll reel the knots off steady
As a blessed railway train;
Seventy days from Sydney Head
The Lizard Light she hails –
First back to the Channel
For the January sales!

Oh, the January sales, me boys,
The January sales,
First back to the Channel
For the January sales!


Here is the original poem, before shanty processing:

A WOOL FLEET CHORUS (1)
(Words by C. Fox Smith In Full Sail: More Sea Songs & Ballads, © 1926)

Fare you well, you Sidney girls,
Time for us to go!
The Peter's at the fore truck,
And five thousand bales below;
We've a dozen shellbacks forrard,
And a skipper hard as nails,
And we're bound for old England
And the January sales!

Soon we'll leave the Snares behind,
Blusterous and strong;
Up'll come the Westerlies,
And hustle her along;
Running like a driven deer,
Through the thundering gales,
Racing under royals
For the January sales!

Old Cape Stiff'll drop astern,
Like a blinking dream;
Sleet and snow and crashing seas,
Fog and ice'll seem;
Snoring through the tropics
With a Trade that never fails,
Norrard on a bowline
For the January sales!

Then the girls'll get her towrope,
And she'll smell the land again,
And she'll reel the knots off steady
As a blessed railway train;
Till seventy days from Sydney Heads
The Lizard Light she hails –
First to the Channel
For the January sales!