Lyr Req: The Montague (and other shipwreck songs)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: GUEST,Helena
Date: 16 Jul 04 - 05:37 PM

Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle (Gordon Lightfoot).

Subject: Lyr Add: CAPTAIN BARTON'S DISTRESS ON BOARD THE...
From: JWB
Date: 16 Jul 04 - 03:11 PM

Here's one about shipwreck and slavery, from Roy Palmer's "Oxford Book of Sea Songs" (recently republished as "Boxing the Compass").

CAPTAIN BARTON'S DISTRESS ON BOARD THE LICHFIELD

being under Slavery seventeen months and fourteen days

Come all you brave seamen that ploughs on the main,
Give ear to my story so true to maintain,
Concerning the Lichfield that was cast away
On the Barbary shore by the dawn of the day.

The tenth of November, the weather being fine,
We sailed from Kinsale, five ships of the line,
With two bombs and two frigates, with transports also,
We was bound unto Goree to fight our proud foe.

The twenty-ninth of November by the dawn of the light
We spied land that put us in a fright.
We strove for to weather but we run quite aground;
The seas mountain high made our sorrow abound.

Our masts we cut away our wreck for to ease,
And being exposed to the mercy of the seas,
Where one hundred and thirty poor seamen did die,
Whilst we all for mercy most loudly did cry.

Two hundred and twenty of us got on shore;
No sooner we landed but were stripped by the Moors,
Without any subsistence but dead hogs and sheep
That was drove on shore by the sea from the ship.

For seven days together with us did remain,
Our bodies quite naked for to increase our pain,
'Til some Christian merchant that lives in the land
Sent us relief by his bountiful hand.

Unto our fleet the same fate did share,
Then unto Morocco we all marched there,
Where they are captives in slavery to be
'Til old England thought proper for to set them free.

When the black king we all came before
He stroked his long beard, by Mahomet he swore,
"They are all stout and able, and fit for the hoe.
Pray to my gardens, pray let them go."

We had cruel Moors our drivers to be.
By the dawn of the day at the hoe we must be
Until four o'clock in the afternoon,
Without any remission, boys. Work was our doom.

If that you offer for to strike a Moor,
Straightway to the king they will have you before,
Where they will bastinade you 'til you have your fill.
If that will not do you, blood they will spill.

So now in Morocco we shall remain
Until our ambassador cross the main,
Where our ransom he'll bring, and soon set us free,
And then to Gibraltar we will go speedily.

So now, my brave boys, to old England we're bound.
We will have store of liquors our sorrow to drown.
We will drink a good health. Success never fail.
Success to the bawds and the whores of Kinsale.


No tune given by Palmer. I sing it to the tune of "The Silk Merchant's Daughter" -- which is also a shipwreck, disaster at sea with cannibalism song.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: Leadfingers
Date: 16 Jul 04 - 09:13 AM

Interesting that no one has mentioned Stan Rogers' Mary Ellen Carter which does the shipwreck AND recovery . OR 'The Ship In Distress' , a
song of Near Shipwreck and almost cannibalism !

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: John P
Date: 16 Jul 04 - 08:25 AM

William Pint and Felicia Dale recorded a song called Lost on their newest album, Seven Seas. The lyrics are here . It's very powerful -- mostly a recitation of the names of ships that were lost at sea.

John Peekstok

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: EBarnacle
Date: 15 Jul 04 - 09:54 AM

The Flowers of Bermuda, Stan Rogers.

He was the Captain of the Nightingale,
21 days from Clyde in Coal.
He could smell the Flowers of Bermuda
when he struck on the North Rock Shoal.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: JWB
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 11:31 PM

There's also The Flying Dutchman. Don't have time to type the whole thing out right now, but the first verse is

'Twas on a dark and cheerless night to the south'ard of the Cape,
And from a strong nor'wester we had just made our escape.
Like an infant in its cradle all hands lay fast asleep,
As peacefully we sailed along in the bosom of the deep (2x).

Jerry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 11:02 PM

Here are a few more all in the digitrad

LOSS OF THE RAMILLIES
THE LOSS OF THE CEDAR GROVE
THE LOSS OF THE BAY RUPERT
THE LOSS OF THE ALBION
THE BAY OF BISCAY, OH
THE OCEAN RANGER
TITANIC
THE WRECK OF THE HURON
THE SINKING OF THE REUBEN JAMES
THE JEANNIE C.
THE MERMAID
BOLD BENJAMIN
LOST ON THE LADY ELGIN
THREE SCORE AND TEN
THE LOST BOYS OF EAST BAY
SCILLY ROCKS
WHEN THE "EVENING STAR" WENT DOWN
THE SAILOR'S PRAYER
SUSAN STRAYED THE BRINY BEACH
NIGHTINGALE (Wreck)
REILLY'S FAREWELL
THE LIFEBOAT MONA
THE LOSS OF THE EVELYN MARIE
PERSIA'S CREW
THE IRISH ROVER
FIFTEEN SHIPS ON GEORGES' BANKS
EYEMOUTH TRAGEDY
FAREWELL DEAR ROSANNA
GET HER INTO SHORE
BEAVER ISLAND BOYS
THE ANFORD-WRIGHT

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: GUEST,Julia
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 10:06 PM

Eilan Vannen by Hugh Jones a great song about the wreck of mail boat from the Isle of Man in 1909

Also how about Let Her Go Down
and of course The Edmund Fitzgerald

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: Stewart
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 05:12 PM

Here's a link to a shipwreck registry. No songs, but a nice poem "Liverpool Bay" which I've set to music HERE. And it's an interesting resource for shipwreck information.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: ADD: The Montague
From: nickr90
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 02:59 PM

This is from Songs of the Wexford Coast collected by Father Ranson and last published in the 1970s priced £ 1


THE 'MONTAGUE'

The Montague packet left Wexford at ten.
With a fine stock of cattle and a fine crew of men
Hee, Ho, Heave away, ho.

She sailed down the river so gay and so grand,
Till she came to the Dogger and stuck in the sand.
Hee Ho, Heave away, ho.

Bob Kirwan cried out, Oh, what's to be done!
I've lost my fine cow that I bought in Taghmon.
Hee Ho, Heave away, ho.

Jack Leary, six sheep and young Belton, a cow,
Nickie Byrne, a big goat, and Bob Brennan, a sow.
Hee Ho, Heave away, ho.

I got this song or shanty from Johnny Hoy, aged about eighty years, of High St., Wexford, when he was in the Co. Home in April, 1943. It is incomplete and one would like to have come across the rest of it. Bob Kirwan and Belton Haves were butchers in Wexford.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: nickr90
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 02:53 PM

will try scanning and ocr - may be tomorrow before i get it

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 02:49 PM

Nicky, if you can post them here, that would be wonderful. Many of us may be interested.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: GUEST,nickr90
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 02:33 PM

I have lyrics of Montague as referred to by The Mariner.
I can scan and send.
Nicky

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: MARINER
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 02:12 PM

Shantyjohn, Would that be the song that goes. "The "Montague" Packet left Wexford at ten" (Songs of the Wexford Coast. 1949)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 02:25 AM

Hi, Shantyjohn - this link (click). Should lead you to threads on wrecks, most of which will be about shipwrecks. a Digital Tradition Keyword Search for "wreck" will bring up what we have in the Folk Song Database.

I thought we had a song on the Wreck of the HMS Montague, but I can't find it.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Req: Shipwrecks
From: GUEST,Shantyjohn
Date: 14 Jul 04 - 02:12 AM

Lyrics to a song - The Montague, anyone? Also any other shipwreck songs or links.

Ta