Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: autoharper
Date: 20 Oct 09 - 08:04 AM

"Sailors were so accustomed to singing out when there was a pull to be made, that I have actually heard an old sailor give a 'Yip-Ho-Hip' when pulling on his sea boots…"
        -Frederic Pease Harlow _Chanteying Aboard American Ships_
         (Harlow went to sea in 1870)

-Adam Miller

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 20 Oct 09 - 07:05 AM

Join the Q!

Just for completeness Kilgarriff has it in Adams's repertoire c1880 which fits the earlier 1878 date well enough. I see that Adams and Weatherley co-operated on a number of songs. They seem to have specialised in writing stuff in a folky idiom, but as far as I know none of their material was ever collected in folk tradition. It just goes to show that what makes it into oral tradition is not dependent on style but more simply whether it's a good song or not with some sort of appeal.

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 07:50 PM

Mudcat won't let me 'pull away' from this thread. Try again

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 07:04 PM

Steve - Burnand was a humourist and dramatist (and, as the Adams' Song site said, a Punch contributor for a long time - got a knighthood for that).

There are plenty of referneces to him on the web. Here's the Wikipedia article on him for starters: Francis Burnand

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 06:36 PM

Thanks, Mick and Hazel.
I wasn't far wrong in postulating Fred Weatherley as the author. He and Adams are much of a muchness. I wonder if Burnand is another pseudonym of Adams/Maybrick.

Problem solved.
I see by the copy of a broadside I have that it isn't actually lacking a first line as I assumed.

Many thanks,
Steve

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 08:51 AM

This catalogue of Stephen Adams songs confirms the author as Francis Burnand: The Songs of Stephen Adams, alias Michael Maybrick. So not so traditional after all!

He also points out an alternative title: I have also noted a number called The Sailor's Farewell, which turns out to be an alternative US title for The Tar's Farewell. The words were by Punch contributor F. C. Burnand.

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 08:43 AM

Just to add, there are a couple of copies at LOC. One of them: Tar's Farewll (1) (published Boston: White, Smith & Co., 1878), attributes the words to F.C.Burnand.

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 07:46 AM

I should have added tut, tut, Steve. Fancy not looking for that first line in Roud ;-).

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 07:44 AM

Several catalogue references in Roud broadside index, plus 2 to books. You can find a set with music in Heart Songs Dear To The American People (1909) at archive.org. (Use page n209 in the online reader to see it). The credit there is Stephen Adams, which I'm guessing is the pseudonym use for composer Michael Maybrick (1841-1913), who probably did the setting, but I haven't pursued that to check.

Mick

Subject: RE: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: nutty
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 07:09 AM

It's traditional Steve.

It's in the Bodliean as The Tar's Farewell

See Here

Subject: Origins: Pull away, my boys, pull away
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Oct 09 - 06:50 AM

Yes, checked Digitrad and not apparently there.
I have a piece of sheet music c1890 'Rocked in the cradle of the deep'.
Written out on the back of page are the words to a song which has this chorus. Unfortunately the sheet has been cropped at the top and at least the first line is missing.
It looks very much like one of Fred Weatherley's pieces in imitation of tradition, but there is a slim chance it may be trad.
Here is what's left of the first stanza. If anyone can supply the missing first line(s)I'd be obliged, or put a title to it. The obvious title would be 'Pull Away' or that given above.
'......................................
When forced to bid farewell to Loo
                            Pull away, my boys, pull away,
I did not know what I should do,
       Pull away, pull away,
I left her weeping on the quay,
She said she would be true to me,
As we sailed to the Southern Sea
          Pull away, pull away, pull away.

There is one other stanza of 9 lines inc. refs which makes it pretty obvious there is only one line missing.

Thanks for looking and any help appreciated.
SteveG