Lyr Add: Auckland to the Bluff (Rudy Sunde)

Subject: Lyr Add: AUCKLAND TO THE BLUFF (Rudy Sunde)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Jan 08 - 03:55 PM

Here's a nice fresh sea song from New Zealand about a lad who goes to sea and never want's to go to sea again. It's composed by Rudy Sunde of The Maritime Crew (Click here for website).

If you'd like to line up the chords below, copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12.

By Rudy Sunde ©1981
As recorded on AUCKLAND TO THE BLUFF by The Maritime Crew, © 2005

Auckland to the Bluff


C--------------------------F C
I left the city when just a lad,
-----------------------------G7
Times were hard and no work to be had,
-----C--------------------F
So I went to sea in the Flo-ra Belle,
G7--------------------------------------C
Little did I know 'twas a ship from hell.
--------------------------F----------------C
The ship was old and leak-ing at the seams,
---------------------------------------G7
A dir-ty old tub somewhat broad in the beam,
---C-------------------------F
Its sails were torn, some planks were rot-ten,
--G7---------------------------------C
It lay at the wharf a gent-ly rock-in.

C------------------------------F------C
I've sailed from Auck-land to the Bluff
---------------------------G7
A thousand miles and that's e-nough
--C--------------------------F
A thousand miles on the heav-ing sea -
G7---------------------------------------C
Glo-ry Hal-le-lu' that's e-nough for me
        
We set sail on the evening tide;
It was early on a Saturday night;
All went well till the Tiri light
And then, by God, I got a fright;
The ship was hit by a big beam sea
Christ, I thought, it's all up for me;
She rolled and she lollopped like a big tin drum –
Hell! I swore, my time had come. (CHO)

"Shorten sails," the skipper cried;
"Shorten the sails or you buggers will all die!
Get aloft, get aloft, right up the mast!
Get aloft, get aloft, and get up there fast!"
Never in my life had I been so scared;
Never in my life had I wished I was dead;
But I climbed up the mast and I shortened sail -
Then I climbed down again and was sick o'er the rail. (CHO)

Notes:

Auckland is about three quarters of the way up the North island while Bluff is a port at the base of the South Island (of New Zealand).

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Auckland to the Bluff (Rudy Sunde)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Jan 08 - 09:36 PM

Bugger!

There are three more verses to this song. Here's the whole thing, bits and pieces of which have been mentioned in previous Mudcat threads (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords):

By Rudy Sunde ©1981
As recorded on AUCKLAND TO THE BLUFF by The Maritime Crew, © 2005

Auckland to the Bluff


C--------------------------F C
I left the city when just a lad,
-----------------------------G7
Times were hard and no work to be had,
-----C--------------------F
So I went to sea in the Flo-ra Belle,
G7--------------------------------------C
Little did I know 'twas a ship from hell.

--------------------------F----------------C
The ship was old and leak-ing at the seams,
---------------------------------------G7
A dir-ty old tub, somewhat broad in the beam,
---C-------------------------F
Its sails were torn, some planks were rot-ten,
--G7---------------------------------C
It lay at the wharf a-gent-ly rock-in.

C------------------------------F------C
I've sailed from Auck-land to the Bluff
---------------------------G7
A thousand miles and that's e-nough –
--C--------------------------F
A thousand miles on the heav-ing sea
G7---------------------------------------C
Glo-ry Hal-le-lu' that's e-nough for me
        
We set sail on the evening tide
It was early on a Saturday night
All went well till the Tiri light
And then, by God, I got a fright;

The ship was hit by a big beam sea
Christ, I thought, it's all up for me;
She rolled and she lollopped like a big tin drum
Hell! I swore my time had come. (CHO)

"Shorten sails" the skipper cried
"Shorten the sails or you buggers will all die;
Get aloft, get aloft, get up the mast
Get aloft, get aloft, and get up there fast."

Never in my life had I been so scared
Never in my life had I wished I was dead
But I climbed up the mast and I shortened sail
Then I climbed down again and was sick o'er the rail. (CHO)

"Man the pumps!" the skipper roared,
"Man the pumps or you'll see the ocean floor!"
So I pumped all night till me hands was raw,
And I pumped and I pumped till the coming of the dawn;

How we survived that night I don't know,
The winds it did roar and the winds it did blow
The sun came up and the wind went down
The wind it did ease, and we headed South. (CHO)

For breakfast we had moldy bread
For lunch we had the very same fed;
Supper was a stinking stew,
Cookie couldn't eat his own damn burgoo;

The skipper was an old man, old and mean,
Tough as nails and just as lean,
A voice like a foghorn in the gloom:
When he cursed was the voice of doom. (CHO)

The work was hard and the pay was mean,
The food was rotten and the quarters none too clean;
A journey south was always rough,
So I jumped the ship when we pulled into Bluff;

So I rambled up and settled down,
Never again will I leave this town;
Never again will I go to sea,
Never again will it see me! (CHO)

I may have mucked up a few of the words but Rudy promised to send me hard copy by snail mail and in a few weeks I'll do a corrected version. Meanwhile, if you're interested, you can learn this one.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble