Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 03 May 12 - 08:27 PM

"Storm Along Stormy" is the lead track of my forthcoming CD Songs from an Old Sea Chest. It's an old minstrel song which I think is based on an older stevedore work song. There was no tune included with the lyrics. So I fitted it to "Sail Away Ladies, Sail Away." Here's a fresh link to the lyrics and a MP3 sample: click here for lyrics and MP3!

Enjoy!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 May 11 - 08:35 AM

Thanks to the Joe Clone (or Joe himself) who have posted the links to other threads related to Old Stormy.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 May 11 - 10:06 PM

Gibb's around. I have him to thank for provoking me into finding this song. I like to think it scores high as filling in a gap in the evolution of sea shanties.

There's a couple of other minstrel songs that are in the same category, seem more mature so to speak than some of the more simple minstrel stuff.

"Coal Black Rose" is a different category. It was a very popular minstrel songs but when it was converted into a sea shanty only a couple of verses and the title survived and a lot more generic shanty verses were added.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 17 May 11 - 04:42 PM

Songs outright composed by the early minstrel troups tend to be of two or three types, mostly quite simple, but I'd say in this case Smith was very likely trying to imitate or borrow something he had heard on the river.

And though some chanteys have come direct from minstrel songs, I think the greatest probability here is the chanteys derive directly from the river songs.

Where's Gibb when you need him?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 May 11 - 06:10 PM

Steve-

Exactly!

That's what makes songs like this fun. Which came first, the minstrel song with "Stormy" in it or a stevedore worksong adapted by a minstrel singer?

Well, old Stormy ain't telling. He's dead and gone.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 16 May 11 - 03:48 PM

It also presents us with an intriguing possibility that some Stormy chanteys evolved from the river song and some from the minstrel song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 16 May 11 - 03:43 PM

Great stuff, Charley.
The early minstrels were adapting black culture material into their performances even if they were gross exaggerations in most cases, and 1854 is early enough for that to still be the case.
Much of Gibb's threads points to New Orleans as the cradle of shantying via river chants.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 May 11 - 07:53 AM

Lighter-

Good point.

It does seem to have the right feel for a traditional stevedore song.

Now here's what I've done with it, restructuring it into four-line stanzas, adding a grand chorus, and borrowing a verse of two from related songs (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up chords):

Based on the singing of J. Smith of White's Serenaders at the Melodeon, New York City, from White's New Ethiopian Song Book, published by T. B. Peterson & Bros., Philadelphia, US, © 1854, p. 71.
Adapted by Charles Ipcar 3/29/10
Tune: after "Sail Away, Ladies, Sail Away"

Storm Along Stormy-2

C-----------------------G-------C
Now I wish I was in Mobile Bay,
-----------------------F---C
Storm along, Stor-my, storm along!
------------------------G-C
Screwin' cotton all de day,
-----------------------F---C
Storm along, Stor-my, storm along!

Chorus:

---------------------F
Oh, you rollers, storm along,
---------------------C
Oh, you rollers, storm along,
F-------C---------G
H'ist that bale an' sing dis song --
-----------------------F---C
Storm along, Stor-my, storm along!


I wish I was in New Orleans,
Storm along, Stormy, storm along!
Dancin' with them Cajun queens,
Storm along, Stormy, storm along! (CHO)

I wish I was in Baltimore,
Storm along, Stormy, storm along!
Dancin' on dat sanded floor,
Storm along, Stormy, storm along! (CHO)

Now I thought I heard our Captain say,
Storm along, Stormy, storm along!
"Sun's g'wan down, go get your pay!"
Storm along, Stormy, storm along! (CHO)

(same as chorus)

Drop your hook an' give a hollar,
Drop your hook an' give a hollar,
We's ashore for the Yankee dollar --
Storm along, Stormy, storm along!


And here's a link to a MP3 sample to how I sing it, inspired by "Sail Away, Ladies, Sail Away": click here!

I'm not sure what the original tune sounds like but maybe someone else can figure that out.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 15 May 11 - 10:40 PM

Ordinarily I'm suspicious of minstrel songs that have allegedly been taken over from the "folk," but this one may be an exception. There's not a word in it that doesn't sound like a real shanty.

The eight-line stanzas may be no more than a printing convenience to save space and make it look less like a work chant.

Thanks for posting, Charley!

Subject: Lyr Add: Storm Along Stormy (Minstrel Song)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 15 May 11 - 08:52 PM

As sung by J. Smith of White's Serenaders at the Melodeon, New York City, from White's New Ethiopian Song Book, published by T.B. Peterson & Bros., Philadelphia, US, © 1854, p. 71,

Storm Along Stormy

O I wish I was in Mobile bay,
Storm along, Stormy!
Screwing cotton all de day,
Storm along, Stormy!
O you rollers storm along,
Storm along, Stormy!
Hoist away an' sing dis song --
Storm along, Stormy!

I wish I was in New Orleans,
Storm along, Stormy!
Eating up dem pork an' beans,
Storm along, Stormy!
Roll away in spite ob wedder,
Storm along, Stormy!
Come, lads, push all togedder,
Storm along, Stormy!

I wish I was in Baltimore,
Storm along, Stormy!
Dancing on dat Yankee shore,
Storm along, Stormy!
One bale more, den we'be done,
Storm along, Stormy!
De sun's gwan down, an' we'll go home.
Storm along, Stormy!

The eight-line format was in the minstrel song as printed, and does make it potentially more interesting to sing than a standard four-line format. One wonders if this was the precursor to the set of "Storm-Along John" sea shanties.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble