Lyr Req: The Wavertree

Subject: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: GUEST,Peterr
Date: 29 Jul 19 - 06:26 PM

Listening yet again to the Fellside 'Landmarks' 3 CD issue, I decided that 'The Wavertree' by Hughie Jones had now reached the top of my To Learn list.
I was surprised that I couldn't find the lyrics anywhere, but as I still think the best way to learn a song is to play it over and over, writing the words down as and when you can, that's what I did.
I think I've got 98%, but there are still a few gaps. Has anyone else had a crack at it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Noreen
Date: 29 Jul 19 - 07:44 PM

Put what you've got up here, and we'll have a look :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: GUEST,Peterr
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 04:17 AM

What I've got so far is as follows, with ? where I can't get a word and (?) where I'm not sure.

When I were small at me grandad's knee
He'd sing his old songs and his yarns to me
Of sailing ships and years long past
And serving time before the mast.
Sometimes a faraway look would come
And I knew I'd be hearing a special one.
Of every ship on every sea his favourite was the 'Wavertree'.

Running the easting down, running the easting down.
Proud to be a signed(?) AB on a Liverpool ship, the 'Wavertree'
Bowling along in a westerly, running the easting down.

A full-rigged ship two thousand ton
Southampton built for the Calcutta run.
When demand for jute began to fade
She entered the Australia trade.
In later years her ? crew ? a dirty cargo off Peru.
When she sailed ? eventually, a damn near starving(?) 'Wavertree'.

Running the easting down etc

For 25 years she played her part
'Til a Cape Horn snorter broke her (heart/mast?)
Almost forgotten, tired and worn
An old windjammer ? before.
If grandad were alive today he'd not believe it if you'd say
A century on a New York quay would berth his favourite 'Wavertree'.

Running the easting down etc.

All clarifications and corrections welcome.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 05:59 PM

I have a partial fix for you:

In verse 1: “he’d yarn to me”

In verse 2:
“In later years her cut-back crew
Hung dirty cargo off Peru.
When steam beat sail eventually...”

I assume “cut back” just means reduced in number.

In verse 3:
“If granddad was alive today”

I still don’t know what goes after “windjammer” but it rhymes with “worn.”
It sounds like “windjammer’s [something] corn” but I can’t make sense of it.

I believe the rest of your guesses are correct.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Jul 19 - 07:30 PM

Wikipedia has an article about The Wavertree.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: leeneia
Date: 02 Aug 19 - 09:56 PM

Thanks. A good song and a good ship. I wish I could have seen it when I was in New York.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Stewie
Date: 02 Aug 19 - 10:34 PM

Sounds to me like a slurring of 'an old windjammer's been reborn'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 03 Aug 19 - 11:09 AM

Here's my transcription.

Mick

---

THE WAVERTREE
(Hughie Jones)

When I was small at me grandad's knee
He'd sing his auld songs and he'd yarn to me
Of sailing ships and years long past,
And serving time before the mast.
Sometimes a faraway look would come,
I knew I'd be hearing a special one;
Of every ship, on every sea,
His favourite was The Wavertree.

  Chorus:
  Running your Easting down,
  Running your Easting down.
  Ain't you proud to be signed AB
  On a Liverpool ship, The Wavertree,
  Bowling along in a Westerly.
  Running your Easting down.

A full-rigged ship, two thousand ton,
Southampton built for the Calcutta run.
When demand for jute began to fade
She entered the Australia trade.
In later years her cutback crew
Humped dirty cargo off Peru.
When steam beat sail eventually,
They damned near starved in Wavertree.

  Chorus

For twenty-five years she played her part
'Til a Cape Horn snorter broke her heart.
Almost forgotten, tired and worn,
An old windjammer's been* reborn.
If grandad were alive today
He'd not believe it if you'd say
A century on a New York quay
Would berth his favourite Wavertree.

  Chorus
  Running your easting down.


* - sounds like beer, but that doesn't seem to make sense!

Source: Hugie Jones - cd, Hugie's Ditty Bag

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 03 Aug 19 - 07:39 PM

In the songbook that line is

Can windjammers be reborn?


Don't take that as 'gospel' though, there are quite a few variations between what's written and what's sung
e.g.
In later years her reduced crew
Loaded dirty cargo off Peru.

& in the chorus
Making an Easting down

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: GUEST,Peterr
Date: 04 Aug 19 - 08:38 AM

Many thanks to all. Amazing how obvious some of the words seem now.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 04 Aug 19 - 09:06 AM

Freddy - thanks for the lines from the songbook.

Having listened again to the recording that line in v3 is almost
as you've given it from the songbook:

  Can old windjammers be reborn?

Perhaps a mod can edit my transcription above.

The other lines are as I transcribed them. As you say there are often variations between what's written and what's sung. How often those lyrics in record inserts (remember them?!) differed from the recording!

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Stewie
Date: 04 Aug 19 - 09:10 PM

You are quite right, Mick. I too can now hear 'Can old windjammers be reborn' quite clearly now.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 05 Aug 19 - 06:30 AM

One of the oddities of hearing Stewie - sometimes we need to know what someone said before we can hear it! It's not the first time I've needed someone to tell me what I'm listening to so that when I go back to it it's clear as day!

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Wavertree
From: GUEST,Peterr
Date: 11 Aug 19 - 10:40 AM

I thought that the song really needed to be longer, giving people another chance to join in the excellent chorus. I'm sure Hughie Jones would have written more verses, but decided on the three we have. Researching the Wavertree's history on the www gave me enough material for an attempt at stretching (many would say padding) the story, and for better or worse I've come up with the following.
THE WAVERTREE
(Hughie Jones)

When I was small at me grandad's knee he'd sing his auld songs and he'd yarn to me
Of sailing ships and years long past, and serving time before the mast.
Sometimes a faraway look would come, I knew I'd be hearing a special one;
Of every ship, on every sea, his favourite was The Wavertree.

  Chorus:
  Running your Easting down, 
  Running your Easting down.
  Ain't you proud to be signed AB
  On a Liverpool ship, The Wavertree,
  Bowling along in a Westerly.
  Running your Easting down.

A full-rigged ship, two thousand ton, Southampton built for the Calcutta run.
When demand for jute began to fade she entered the Australia trade.
In later years her cutback crew humped dirty cargo off Peru.
When steam beat sail eventually, they damned near starved in Wavertree.

  Chorus

For twenty-five years she played her part 'til a Cape Horn snorter broke her heart.
Dismasted, too far gone to save, bound for a South Atlantic grave.
A storage hulk in Magellan Strait then a sand barge on the River Plate
Til a man who loved tall ships at sea searched and found the Wavertree.

Chorus

They towed her to a friendly shore last seen over seventy years before
Almost forgotten, tired and worn, but the old windjammer's been reborn.
If grandad were alive today he'd not believe it if you'd say
A century on a New York quay would berth his favourite Wavertree.

  Chorus
  Running your easting down.