Fireship/One of the Roving Kind

Subject: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Sep 99 - 03:47 PM

Wally Macnow brought this up in another thread, and now it's bugging me. He said somebody named Guy came out with a pop recording of The Fireship in the 40's. I wasn't around for it the first time the recording came out, but I heard it quite frequently in the 80's on a radio station that played the "Music of Your Life" format. I can hear the song in my head, but I can't remember who the singer was, or what he called the song. Can anybody help?

Now, I know the Weavers recorded a pop rendition of this song on Decca in 1950 and called it "The Roving Kind." In fact, their Decca CD says the song was written by Jessie Cavanaugh and Arnold Stanton. I admit that until I started hanging around here, I thought of the song as a minor pop hit from the 40's, but the Traditional Ballad Index says the earliest known version of this song dates back to 1612.

So, anyhow, who was the guy that recorded the song? I think you'd call him a baritone.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Dale Rose
Date: 11 Sep 99 - 03:57 PM

Guy Mitchell?

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Joe Offer
Date: 11 Sep 99 - 04:15 PM

Well, that was quick, Dale - that led me to a book that says "The Roving Kind," by Jessie Cavanaugh and Arnold Stanton, was recorded by Guy Mitchell with Mitch Miller and his orchestra in 1951. I didn't think Mitchell's voice was that deep.
I was amazed when I found "The Fireship" in the Digital Tradition. Cavanaugh/Stanton sure didn't change much to claim their copyright on that one.
I'm listening to the Weavers Decca CD right now. They sure sound strange with a full orchestra.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: bob schwarer
Date: 11 Sep 99 - 04:39 PM

Still have a 45 rpm disk of this around here somewhere. I think he did a nice job on it.

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Dale Rose
Date: 11 Sep 99 - 05:09 PM

I just experienced one of those aggravating lockups, and didn't get right back. I DID get to the Guy Mitchell homepage, though, and also checked out a sound clip of The Roving Kind at one of the usual places ~~ hadn't heard it in a long time. I had never heard of the Fireship before, but you are right, there is little difference. Guy Mitchell died on 1 July 99, aged 72.

What really got me excited though was that the Guy Mitchell site featured a link to THE BELL SISTERS, one of my favorite groups as I was growing up! I had not thought of them in ever so long. I have a 78 of their recording Bermuda/June Night. Darn near wore it out when I was a kid. The site was put up by their nephew, and features real audio of virtually everything they ever did. I am happily listening to them sing with Bing Crosby at the moment. No, make that Spike Jones now.

Oh, this is a Guy Mitchell discussion, right? OK, here's a picture of Guy Mitchell and Cynthia Bell from the movie, Those Redhead From Seattle.

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Wally Macnow
Date: 11 Sep 99 - 05:12 PM

Guy Mitchell! Thanks for the last name. My brain sometimes doesn't work too good no more.

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From:
Date: 11 Sep 99 - 10:50 PM

The old version, whose date isn't precisely known, is "Watten Towns End" in the Scarce Songs 1 file at www.erols.com/olsonw

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 12 Sep 99 - 01:10 AM

Our guardian angel at work again. Hey, Angel! We gonna see you at the Getaway? I'd sure like that!

Sandy

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: WATTON TOWN'S END
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Sep 99 - 03:26 AM

I hope it's OK to post that "Watten Towns End" so people can easily compare.
-Joe Offer-

Watton Town's End:

As I cam up to Arpendeen
And straight to Wattontown
And there I met a pretty wench
That looked like lay me Down.
[Chorus:]
At Watten Towns end,
At Watten Towns end,
At every door there stands a whore
At Watten Towns end.

The Frigat's name was Thunder-bolt,
Her sails were all of Silk;
Her tacklen was of silver twist
Her colour like the Milk.

Her planks were all of ivory
Her bottom beaten-gold
Her deck was alabaster pure
She look'ed briske and bold.

Her keep was guilded o'er an o'er
Her wanton flay did flye
And I was mad to be aboard
So much a fool was I.

She seemed a stately pleasure-boat
With tempting good attire
But little knew that (under deck)
Her gun room was in fire.

I lodged with her, I laid her down,
I slept with her all night
I supped upon a Coney fatt [Coney, rabbit, and slang for vagina]
Whose Gravy was delight

She gave to me a Syrrup sweet
Was in her placket box
But o're three minute went about
It proved the French-pox. [Syphilis]

The fire-ship she did blow me up
As my effigies shows
And all may read upon my face
The loss of teeth and nose.

Now as I walk along the street
They gaze upon my face
And every one that looks at me
Salutes me with disgrace.

By me beware then Gentlemen
From King to country clown,
And when you see a pretty Wench
Remember lay me down.

[c 1620, but extant copies are much later. Its tune had same title, and is in C. M. Simpson's BBBM, 1966. This Frigate 'Thunder-bolt 'is easily recognized as the great,...., great grandmother of "The Maid of Amsterdam."]
^^
X:290
T:B290- London is a Fine Town (Watton Towns End)
S:(1st/2)
Q:120
L:1/8
M:C|
K:Gdorian
c/B/|AF FF A c2 B/A/|GA B3/2c/d3e|\
fg/f/ ed/e/ fFFF|GG A3/2B/G3:|]

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From:
Date: 12 Sep 99 - 01:43 PM

Correction to date above. "Watten Towns End" is called for as the tune of a ballad whose date has been esitmated as c 1612, "Turner's dish of Lentten stuffe", so the date of the ballad "Watten Towns End" is probably c 1610-15, but could be a little earlier.

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Rex
Date: 12 Sep 99 - 03:07 PM

I have a 78 of The Roving Kind by Rex Allen. Is that your baritone?

Rex

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 12 Sep 99 - 03:52 PM

It was recorded by the Black Family on their wonderful CD called (what else?) "The Black Family".

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 12 Sep 99 - 11:17 PM

If anyone recalls, it was sung by a somewhat alcoholic SWedish chemist in Sinclair Lewis' Arrowsmith.

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Dave Swan
Date: 13 Sep 99 - 12:25 PM

We sing a closing verse which doesn't appear in the DT. Doug Olsen brought it to us.

So all you lovesick seamen that on the streets do sail
If you would have companionship, beware the ship you hail
For I'd barely left my fireship, it was hardly a week gone past
When I found the fire that burned in her was a-raging in my mast

Ouch, Dave

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Sep 99 - 01:17 PM

Thank, Rex! I think you may be right that the recording I remember was by Rex Allen. The recording I hear in my head just doesn't sound like the Guy Mitchell I'm familar with.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 14 Sep 99 - 07:57 AM

Didn't Oscar Brand do a bowdlerized version of it?

Linn

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Sep 99 - 03:02 PM

Hi, Linn- In addition to the Levy Sheet Music Collection, there's an excellent resource at the Johns Hopkins University library called Folk Music - an Index to Recorded Resources (click). That index says that Oscar Brand recorded "Roving Kind" [the version of "Fireship" that was composed (?) by Jessie Cavanaugh and Arnold Stanton] - that's the same version recorded by the Weavers on Decca, and by Guy Mitchell. I have to say that I kinda like THE ROVING KIND (click for lyrics) - maybe because it's the first version I heard. As I said above, I thought it was a big band song when I first heard it on a nostalgia station in the 1980's, and had no idea it was traditional. I was kind of surprised that my father's generation would sing something that spicy. Makes me wonder what else my father sang that I don't know about....
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: DougR
Date: 15 Sep 99 - 02:32 PM

I remember this old Guy Mitchell song well. I believe it was popular in about 1951 or 52. He had another, "Sparrow in a Treetop," about the same time. I was listening to NPR one day, the day Guy Mitchell died I believe, and the narrator said that the latter song was offered to Sinatra but he thought it was silly and wouldn't record it. Mitchell did it and it flew (so to speak) to the top of the charts.

DougR

Subject: RE: Fireship/One of the Roving Kind
From: bob schwarer
Date: 15 Sep 99 - 03:52 PM

Looked around for my Guy Mitchell 45, but no luck.
Did find a recording of it by The Weavers. Also found Guy Mitchee 45 of Pittsburg Pennsylvania. There was a thread on this song several eons ago.

Bob S.