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I came across eleven threads discussing the John Tams song When We Go Rolling Home and a few messages discussing "I've Got Sixpence" when the Tams song was wanted, and one requesting Eric Anderson's Rollin Home. I found very little mention of "Rolling Home to Dear Old England/Old New England," and I think it would bve worthwhile to discuss the origins and versions of this lovely song. To start things off, here are the versions we have, along with the Traditional Ballad Index entry.
-Joe Offer-
ROLLING HOME 2
Pipe all hands to man the windlass.
See our cable running clear.
As we heave away the anchor,
For old England we will steer.
Rolling home, rolling home,
Rolling home across the sea.
Rolling home to dear old England,
Rolling home, fair land, to thee.
Let us all heave with a will, boys,
Soon our cable we will trip,
And across the briny ocean
We will steer our gallant ship.
Man the bars; heave with a will, lads,
Let all hands that can clap on;
And while we heave round the capstan
We will sing that well-known song.
To Australia's lovely daughters
We will bid a fond adieu.
We shall ne'er forget the hours
That we spent along with you.
We will leave you our best wishes,
We will leave your rocky shores.
For we're bound to dear Old England,
To return to you no more.
Up aloft amongst the rigging
Blows the wild and rushing gale,
Straining every spar and backstay,
Stretching stitch in every sail.
Eighteen months away from England,
Now a hundred days or more
On salt-horse and cracker-hash, boys,
Boston beans that made us sore.
Eastwards, ever eastwards
To the rising of the sun.
Homewards, ever homewards
To the land where we were born.
Ten thousand miles now lay behind us,
Ten thousand miles or more to roam.
Soon we'll see our native country,
Soon we'll greet our dear old home.
Round Cape Horn one winter's morning,
All among the ice and snow
You could hear them shellbacks singing,
``Sheet her home, boys, let her go!''
Heave away, you sons-of-thunder,
For the nor'ard we will steer,
Where the gals and wives are waiting,
Standing there upon the pier.
Cheer up, Jack, bright smiles await you
From the fairest of the fair.
There are loving hearts to greet you
And kind welcomes everywhere.
And the gal you love most dearly,
She's been constant, firm and true.
She will clap you to her bosom,
Saying, ``Jack, I still love you.''
And we'll sing in joyful chorus
In the watches of the night,
And we'll greet the shores of England
When the grey dawn breaks the light.
@sailor @home
See also ROLLHOME
filename[ ROLLHOM2
BR
ROLLING HOME TO OLD NEW ENGLAND
Call all hands to man the capstan
See the cable running clear
Heave away and with a will, boys
For new England we will steer
Rolling home, rolling home
Rolling home across the sea
Rolling home to old New England
Rolling home dear land to thee
Fare you well, you Spanish maidens
It is time to say adieu
Happy times we've spent together
Happy times we've spent with you
"Round Cape Horn one frosty morning
And our sails were full of snow
Clear your sheets and sway your halyards
Swing her out and let her go
Up aloft amid the rigging
Blows a wild and rushing gale
Like a monsoon in the springtime
Filling out each well known sail
And the waves we leave behind us
Seem to murmur as they flow
There's a hearty welcome waiting
In the land to which you go
Many thousand miles behind us
Many thousand miles before
Ocean lifts her winds to bring us
To that well remembered shore
@sailor @home
Ed Trickett learned from Lawrence Older
Recorded on Golden Ring
filename[ ROLLHOME
SOF
ROLLING HOME 3
Call all hands to man the capstan
See the cable flaked down clear.
Heave away, and with a will, boys,
For ol' England we will steer.
Rolling home, rolling home
Rolling home across the sea,
Rolling home to dear ol' England
Rolling home, fair land to thee.
Now Australia we are leavin'
For Old England give a cheer,
Fare thee well, ye dark-eyed damsels
Give three cheers for English beer!
Goodbye Heads, we're bound to leave you
Haul the tow=rope all inboard,
We will leave old Aussie sternward
Clap all sail we can afford.
Round Cape Horn on a winter's morning
Now among the ice and snow,
You will hear our shellbacks singin'
Sheet her home, boys, let 'er go!
WIghteen months away from England
Only fifty days, no more,
On salt horse and cracker-hash, boys
Boston beans that mke us sore.
Now the Lizard Light's a-shinin'
And we're bound up to the Nore,
With the canvas full an' drawin'
Soon we'll be on England's shore.
From Songs of the Sea, Hugill
@sailor @home @work
filename[ ROLLHOM3
Tune file : ROLLHOM3
CLICK TO PLAY
RG
PLEASE NOTE: Because of the volunteer nature of The Digital Tradition, it is difficult to ensure proper attribution and copyright information for every song included. Please assume that any song which lists a composer is copyrighted ©. You MUST aquire proper license before using these songs for ANY commercial purpose. If you have any additional information or corrections to the credit or copyright information included, please e-mail those additions or corrections to us (along with the song title as indexed) so that we can update the database as soon as possible. Thank You.Rolling Home
DESCRIPTION: The sailors are "Rolling home, rolling home, rolling home across the sea, Rolling home (to wherever home is)." They describe they voyage, the girls or whatnot they have left behind, and the joys of returning to home (and sweethearts)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906
KEYWORDS: ship travel return reunion
FOUND IN: US(MA,NE) Australia
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Doerflinger, pp. 155-160, "Rolling Home" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 54-55, "Rolling Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, p. 95, "Rolling Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 320-321, "Rolling Home" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 96, "Rolling Home" (1 text)
DT, ROLLHOME ROLLHOM2 ROLLHOM3
RECORDINGS:
Capt. Leighton Robinson w. Alex Barr, Arthur Brodeur & Leighton McKenzie, "Rolling Home" (AFS 4230 A, 1939; on LC27; on LC27, in AMMEM/Cowell)
Notes: Silber credits this to Charles Mackay, but I have seen no other support from this claim, and the variety of verses known to me (most of which do not occur in Silber) implies that this is a genuinely traditional song. - RBW
File: Doe155Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index InstructionsThe Ballad Index Copyright 2002 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
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I know there are other songs that use this tune. I'd like to have a list of them here; but if the songs are related to this one just by tune, maybe we could discuss them in another thread. The tune we have for "Rolling Home 3 (CLICK TO PLAY) is almost like the tune we have for Kevin Barry in the Digital Tradition (and exactly the tune I know for Kevin Barry). I know "Rolling Home to Old New England" from the Golden Ring recording - with a different tune. I don't think we have that tune posted anywhere, and I think we should have it.