Lyr Add: Various Shanties incl The Whale

Subject: Various Shanties incl The Whale
From: GUEST,John in Brisbane
Date: 20 Nov 01 - 08:15 PM

Last January I had the pleasure of meeting ang singing with Nicole Gardner at the Woodford Festival. Not only does she sing a huge range of shanties, but is a working crew member of 'Duyfken', the replica of the first European ship to land on Australian soil (NW Queensland). Duyfken is currently in Capetown and won'e be back in Australia for a few years.

Nicole has a shanty website (though not updated for quite some time), which I've been chasing for the last 10 months. While many of the lyrics are probably fairly well known to you shanty devotees, there are some that I've not seen in the DT. I'm not sure whether a lyrics request for 'The Whale' has previously been satisfied - but it's in there. (I couldn't locate the previous thread).

www.members.tripod.com/~devil_incarnate/shanties.html

I really should start another thread but Nic sings a delicious modernish song known as 'The Sailors Arms' about a bloke looking for some action in what turns out to be a UK gay pub. Any clues please?

Regards, John [e-mail]

Subject: Lyr Add: THE SAILOR'S ARMS
From: MMario
Date: 21 Nov 01 - 05:45 PM

THE SAILOR'S ARMS

Weh-heh-yeh-heh-weh-heh-yeh-heh-hell!
(Weh-heh-weh-heh-wang-dang-a-wang-dang-dang-dang)
I met her at the Sailors Arms; a bar down by the docks;
Full of prostitutes and deviants, and fellas wearing frocks.
Went there to drown my sorrow, my misery and pai-ee-ai-ee-ain!
With fourteen multicoloured pills and a pint of heavy ale!
(Heavy Ale)
Then I saw this girl across the way who was smiling through the wine,
So I begged her, "Come on over! Come on over; spend some time!"
I spilled my life before her and she seemed to understand;
Although she was a girl, we were talking man to man.
(Man to man)

Oh, love is where you find it; wherever that may be --
For me 'twas in the Sailors Arms at twenty-five past three. (Mmm-mmm-mmm)
There's something strange about her I can't put my finger on … …
But I wanna tell the world that she's the one --
(She's the one)
I wanna tell the world that she's the one! (Wang! Wang! Wang-wang-wang!)
She strolled up to the toilets – she strolled into the gents.
I asked her why she did it; why – she'd gone to pay the rent.
We arm-wrestled and I lost – she beat me with a spike.
(Plonk)
Told me seedy jokes that were quite unladylike,
(Ladylike)
It was four in the morning and through the smoky haze,
I could've been mistaken but she needed to shave.
(To shave)

Well, love is where you find it; wherever that may be --
For me 'twas in the Sailors Arms with a better man than me;
(Mmm-mmm-mmm)
Her husky voice seduced me, my heart was in a mess … …
I sat upon her knee and something twitched beneath her dress;
There's something that's not her knee beneath her dress.

"You've got nice eyes", says I,
("Oh sir, I am surprised!")
"What large hands", I said,
("All the better to touch you with!")
"God, your arms look strong"
("A woman's work is never done!")
"Your legs are quite hirsute!"
("Aren't you the saucy one!") Hey!
Weh-heh-yeh-heh-weh-heh-yeh-heh-hell!
(Weh-heh-weh-heh-wang-dang-a-wang-dang-dang-dang)
I was feeling less than stable when she said her name was Ken.
(Ken?!)
Well if I had suspicions, Lord, I should've had them then.
(Then?)
She cried as she told me how she was so confused;
One more visit to the doctor, she'd have nothing left to lose.
(Toulouse … Lautrec)
I ran my fingers through her wig, she lightly stroked my hair;
She said she was a man, and I …
("Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! She said she was a man?!")
… a man?! …
("A man called Ken – bull-twang!")
"But lots of men are called Ken …"
("Huh?") ("So what did you say, Paul?")
I told her, "I don't care"
(He doesn't care!)
(He doesn't care!)

Love is where you find it; wherever that may be --
For me, 'twas in a hopper-bin with my trousers round my knees.
There's something strange about here I just put my finger on …
"Oh, by Jesus! Feel that, just above the perineum there – that's a bit of plastic surgery, isn't it?"
"Get your filthy fingers away from it, Richard!"
And I wanna tell the world that she's the one,
(He's the one!)
I wanna tell the world that it's the one!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Various Shanties incl The Whale
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 21 Nov 01 - 09:43 PM

G'day John,

If that's the "Di, di, di ..." one, I think I supplied that to someone earlier this year ... but I can't see it in my tracers.

I'll do a bit more detailed search and get back to you.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Various Shanties incl The Whale
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 22 Nov 01 - 01:38 AM

G'day again,

It was Ted that supplied the words ... I manged to track down the authors. Have a Whale of a time!

Regards,

Bob Bolton