It's OK Bruce. I think I was there more for song support and crowd control - Barry was the one with the experience and knowledge. Wish I'd at least said "hi" to you, but I didn't want to bother you. (Just me being chicken.)

I don't know much about the song. I got it from the Johnson Girls' CD. The notes say it's a capstain shanty, from the James M. Carpenter collection. It was collected from Welsh seaman William Fender of Barry Docks, who served at sea from 1878 to 1900.

The "Midway Plaisances" mentioned in the song were built for the World's Colombian Exposition, which opened in 1893.