Tune Req: Way Hey for Boston Town O

Subject: RE: Music wanted for Way Hey For Boston Town O
From: Lighter
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 12:00 PM

Thanks, Charley. And I'm not sure why a schooner should be any more clownish than any other vessel, or even what it's supposed to mean.

As Dick suggested, the poem does sound a little like Kipling. But it isn't.

Subject: RE: Music wanted for Way Hey For Boston Town O
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Mar 10 - 08:27 AM

Lighter-

Nicely tidied up.

Charley Noble

Subject: Lyr Add: THE CHANTY OF THE SEA-COOK (Percie Hart)
From: Lighter
Date: 18 Mar 10 - 11:17 PM

The lines make the sum total of "The Chanty of the Sea-Cook," from the story "A Schooner-Errant," by Percie W. Hart, published in 1898.

Hart almost certainly wrote it for the story, as follows:

A full-rigged ship is a r'yal queen,
    Way-ho for Boston town-o !
A lady o' court is a barkentine,   
    An' now our anchor's down-o'.
A bark is a gal with ringlets fair,
A brig is the same, with shorter hair,
A top-sail craft is a racing mare,   
    But a schooner, she's a clown-o!

The suggestion that it's a genuine shanty is belied by the implication that sailors would sing when *letting go* the anchor.
And there's the whole literary-metaphorical thing.

The "town-os" and "down-os" lead me to guess that Hart was thinking of "The Fox Went Out on a Moonlit Night" as he wrote the words. Any good Mudcatter with a mind to sing should be able to adapt the tune.

Subject: RE: Music wanted for Way Hey For Boston Town O
From: Barry Finn
Date: 09 Jul 98 - 06:54 PM

Thanks Dick, I'll be waiting, on edge. Barry

Subject: RE: Music wanted for Way Hey For Boston Town O
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 09 Jul 98 - 12:18 PM

I THINK that that's Kipling. I'll have to check

Subject: Music wanted for Way Hey For Boston Town O
From: Barry Finn
Date: 08 Jul 98 - 09:59 PM

Subject: RE: Songs for Scouts From: Barry Finn Date: 16-Aug-97 - 09:38 PM

15 yrs ago a fellow living a few boats over showed me his scout songbook (1935 or 36), he had been a former sea scout & sailed on a tall ship, way back, with them. The book had alot of very interesting material in it, including something Stan Hugill had been looking to authenticate ( Way Hey For Boston Town O). As a scoutmaster it may still be available to you. Barry

The song goes

A fully rigged ship is a royal queen
CH: Way-ay for Boston town-o A lady at court is a barquintine
CH:
A barque is a gal with ring letters fair
CH:
A brig is the same with shorter hair
CH:
A top's'l schooner's a racing mare
CH:
But a schooner she's a clown-o

I brought this back up out of an old thread hoping I may find some info on it or a tune. Thanks Barry