Lyr Req: You may have been in sailing ships...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: You may have been in sailing ships
From: Strupag
Date: 28 Dec 03 - 11:02 AM

Hi Roymuir,
In the 60's I did a trip as Radio Oficer on the Baron Belhaven and I remember the song being sung often but I can't remember the words.
Here's the chorus

"Ye might have been on sailing ships or ye might have been on tramps,
Or ye might have been on Whalers off the great Newfoundland Banks,
Ye might have been on passengers having a hell of a time.
But you've never been through the mill boys, until you've sailed with Barron Line"

The trip was great but the conditions were awful. We flew out from Prestwick and went to St John NB to join the ship. We then sailed up St Lawrence and went to Sept Isle, Montreal and Quebec. After that we went right down the US eastern seaboard stopping at ports all the way down. After that it was through the Panama canal and on to New Zealand.
We discharged our cargo there all round North and South Islands. We then went over to Newcastle, NSW and took a cargo out to Neumea, New Caledonia. We then went back to a wee place in Queenland called Innisfail and took on a cargo of sugar. We went home to Scotland with that stopping off at Maritius, Cape Town and Dakar on the way. When I got home, I wrote a song about the Baron Line that I never quite finished.
Chorus: -

"Thought this life would do me fine 'till I joined old Baron Line,
Never thought I'd tire of sailing all my days,
But a man needs to be fed so I'll find another trade,
I could earn a better living many ways"

In real life I actually stayed on at sea for another 5/6 years but I never went back with Baron Line.
The company was taken over by Scottisn Ship Managment and conditions improved greatly. SSM then merged with Denholms and I think they still manage a few ships today.
I still get the odd nightmare of being bitten by cockroaches while in my bunk.
I apologise for wandering off the subject but this thread did send my memory back to that time.
If your really keen in getting the words they an add in the UK publication "Ships" might get a response.

Andy Mitchell

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I closed this thread in an attempt to avoid splitting the discussion. Please post here (click).
Thanks.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: You may have been in sailing ships
From: Áine
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 09:56 AM

Dear roymuir,

Have you tried searching for 'sailing' in the Digitrad Lyrics Search? See the box at the top right of this page. You might find what you looking for there.

-- Áine

Subject: You may have been in sailing ships
From:
Date: 16 Nov 99 - 07:58 AM

I am trying to find the lyrics to a song about a Scottish shipping company called Baron Line or Hungry Hogarths. It starts (I think), You may have been in sailing ships, you may have been in tramps....