Lyr Add: Mail Day

Subject: Lyr Add: MAIL DAY
From: GUEST,Jim the Filker
Date: 06 Mar 07 - 11:58 AM

MAIL DAY
Trad.

Well every mail day,
Oh, Lordy, mail day I gets a letter.
Well every mail day,
Oh, Lordy, mail day I gets a letter.
Sayin' "Daddy come home."
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
"Daddy come home."

Well I can't go home,
'Cause I ain't got no ready money.
Well I can't go home,
'Cause I ain't got no ready money.
To pay my way.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
To pay my way.

Well all I need is
I need just one more dollar and a quarter.
Well all I need is
I need just one more dollar and a quarter.
And I can go right now.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
I can go right now.

Oh, captain can't you see?
There's a dark cloud a-rising over yonder.
Oh, captain can't you see?
There's a dark cloud a-rising over yonder.
Well its a sign of rain.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
A sign of rain.

Oh, captain don't you know?
Oh, Lordy, know your crew is going to leave you?
Oh, captain don't you know?
Oh, Lordy, know your crew is going to leave you?
On the next pay day.
Oh, Lordy, Lord, Lord,
The next pay day.

Notes: This is apparently a loading shanty, although it also seems to have been used on the chain gangs, from the comments of J.B. Sutton on The Warner Collection, Vol 1. This version is from "A Chesapeake Sailor's Companion" by John Townley.

JP

***********************

MAIL DAY 2
Trad.

Every mail day
Every mail day I gets a letter.
Every mail day
Mail day I gets a letter.

Oh, son come home.
Lord, Lord, son come home.

I couldn't leave it.
Leave it to keep from crying.
I couldn't leave it.
Leave it to keep from crying.

To save my soul.
Lord, Lord, to save my soul.

Notes: This song has apparently been used as a loading shanty, although this version was used by convicts, from the comments of the singer, J.B. Sutton, on The Warner Collection, Vol 1, who states that he heard men on the chain gang singing it.

JP

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: MAIL DAY
From: GUEST,Jim again
Date: 06 Mar 07 - 12:00 PM

Any further information available on this chanty/blues? I couldn't find anything by searching the Mudcat, which has to make this one of the most obscure songs around! (Usually a search here yeilds tons of information!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 02:49 AM

Ya Jim, two other vrsions of "Mail Day" are on a CD called 'Won't You Help Me To Raise 'Em' by the Manhaden Chanteymen & these were also used as net hauling shanties. They're very similar to their singing of "Lazzarus" & another one called "I Gonna Roll Here" again net hauling shanties which I'd say are all related. The tunes are all the same (except for Ol Alabama, below). Some of the verses above are (the first 2 of the first one printed above) the same used in "I'm Gonna Roll Here". It's also a close cousin to "Ol Alabama" a prison worksong, in this case used for log cutting I believe. These songs of the manhaden fishmen come from the costal regions of the Carolinas & Virginia where the manhaden fishing industries were located though they fished from Long Island Sound as far south as Florida. There are still 2 groups of ex manhaden fishermen that perform these songs that they sung at work. The Manhaden Chanteymen, as mantioned above & the Northern Neck Shanty Singers, the later who'll be preforming at Mystic this year (the others performed a number of yrs back). The singeres are generally in the age group of 70 to 90. The trade died out around the mid 60's. This are the sweetest bluest shanty singers singing the sweetest bluesest shanties I've ever heard. I believe both have CD's out.


Ol Alabama joins the state of Florida (3X)
At Mobile, Lordy, at Mobile

Ya know your men gonna leave you(3)
Next payday, lordy, next payday

some verses uses swaped around between all 4 songs

Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 02:59 AM

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 03:06 AM

Sorry about that above blank.
Here a few threads that are somewhat related that give a bit more on the backgound.
If you can't get the tune or a copy of a recording PM me your tel# & I'd be happy to sing "Mail Day" into a message machine fo you.

High Sherriff thread

I'm gonna roll here thread

Good luck

Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 03:49 AM

Thanks, Barry; I noticed the similarity to "High Sherriff," but hadn't thought that they'd be all that closely related. I have the two recordings I mention in the initial post, so I know how the tune goes. I like it enough that the Roving Tars (the sea music group I belong to) will probably learn it. The info regarding the Manhaden Chantymen was exactly the kind of information I was hoping to get when I asked. Thanks for responding.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 07:14 AM

I just listened to John singing "Mail Day", he pretty much right on with the Manhaden Chanteymen & his versin is the same as used for the others mentioned. The two songs he uses in the notes that are iother versions, the "Biting Spider" & "Evalina" can be found on a CD called "Virgina Traditions", Virgina Work Songs (CD1007) put out by Global Village Music, 245 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001
[phone]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 07:23 AM

Sorry, I hit submit before I was finished.
Here's a link to the Globle Village site.

If you listen to John's track, on your same CD of his, to "See You When The Sun Goes Down" it's again come from the manhaden fisheries & can be found on the same CD done by the Manhaden Chanteymen, gives you another example of their style used in net hauling.

Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 07:55 AM

Hi again Jim
I should go on about the Virginia Traditions CD, sorry for doing it in lumps. "Biting Spider" done by Willie Williams & group done by a prison gang & is not as a shanty. Also on this CD is "Every Mail Day" & "Lazrus", so you get a grouping of versions. Another song on this CD "Drinking That Wine" is done as a shanty but it very closely resembles the way it's done as a prison worksong. A note about "Every Mail Day" & "Drinking that Wine", they're the few of only a handful that I've been able to find that are used both as shanty & prison worksong. It seems that very few worksongs have made that cross over, at least that I can find (maybe I should start a thread n that topic?) & it's mostly that I find those of the shanties are from the Manhaden Fishing industry. This is a great CD with a good mix of prison worksongs & Virgina shanties (mostly manhaden shanties).

Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mail Day
From: Scrump
Date: 07 Mar 07 - 08:09 AM

Is it? Happy Mail Day to all Mudcatters :-)