Lyr Req: Sam's Gone Away (chantey)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam's Gone Away (chantey)
From: r.padgett
Date: 28 May 20 - 03:18 PM

I sing this one thought I had made up, obviously not

Ray

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam's Gone Away (chantey)
From: Lighter
Date: 28 May 20 - 02:45 PM

Evidently the song was was not known beyond the West Indies until the early '70s. None of the earlier collectors, including Stan Hugill, seem to have heard of it.

Now, of course, it even appears in naval fiction set during the War of 1812, sung by USN sailors at work (Walter Jon Williams, "Brig of War," 2011).

And one book (Helen Hollick's "Pirates: Truth and Tales," 2017) dates the chantey confidently to "1700," seemingly on the basis of nothing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Boarding Party (KC)
Date: 25 Feb 00 - 04:15 AM

Sam's Gone Away does a lot of heavy hauling in many other respects. It's a great one to do with kids. All they have to do is come up with one word to keep it going!

Some of the Boarding Party's non-tradition "words" included:

I wish I was awake ... I wish I was the figure head ... I wish I was a maid ... I wish I was a board ...

Punsters can surely do better.

For the anal retentive, its fun to keep the progression up the naval pecking order correct while achieving good (or creative) "scan".

KC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Abby Sale
Date: 23 Feb 00 - 09:04 AM

Barry,

I am also surprised that it doesn't seem to be in Abrahams' book at all (or Hugill). I had a second look & probably wouldn't have missed it again.

John Miller's notes on the Folkways record doesn't give a source other than "West Indies." He does note that a Naval chantey is very unusual - work was generally coordinated by whistles. He suggests it may be an exception and that it may have survived through West Indians' contact with or prior service in the Royal Navy.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Joe Offer
Date: 23 Feb 00 - 03:29 AM

New Golden Ring, eh? I shoulda known that. Sure is a fun song.
-Joe Offer, lacking in short-term memory-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 23 Feb 00 - 03:04 AM

Joe, m'lad, there's nothing I can add to my post in the earlier discussion. The New Golden Ring recordings were made in the very early 1970s, so a lot of people got the song from Jack Stanesco's singing. After we had enjoyed recording the music for the "five days singing," we all went up the the Fox Hollow Festival and performed as a somewhat loosely gathered group. Fox Hollow drew dedicated folk people from all over the country, so a lot of people spread the song around after hearing it there. I'd wager that the song echoing through your memory is the one on the New Golden Ring recording.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 11:11 PM

From the other thread, The song is actually in the DT. check SAM'S GONE AWAY.

One of the shanty-men here in D.C. sings a great version where the sailor explains how they won't go to war no more the second time around.

For example:

I wish I was a Cabin Boy aboard a Man o' War.
....
I'd Forget to wake the Captain and we'd Go to war no more.

People then zip whatever they can think of as the lead goes around the circle. It's great fun.

I wonder if Barry Finn's version has the Same Tune.

JAB.

P.S. We can sing this in next Sunday's Hearme sing and pass the lead from person to person if anyone's game.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 11:01 PM

There was already a thread on this song (I started it). Called "Info Request on Sam's Gone Away (Shanty)".

You should be able to find it here:

Info Request on Sam's Gone Away (Shanty),

What's great is there are some new responses that weren't in the previous thread!

Mudcatters come through again!

JAB

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: JamesJim
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 10:58 PM

p.s. Just found the accompanying words from the Golden Ring album. The introduction reads, "Working on a whaling ship was not the most enviable type of employment. The voyages were long - sometimes several years - the work hard, not to mention dangerous. Numerous whaling ballads attest to these facts. Perhaps this song, being a whaling man's wish to be elsewhere, can be included in that list." Jack Stanesco led the men's chorus on the album.

Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: JamesJim
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 10:50 PM

I also heard this on the New Golden Ring and have known it from years back (can't remember from where, but probably from an older Golden Ring album.

Instead of singing "on board a man o' war," it is sung "on board the ('de')man o'war. The "Hey" after each first line, is really emphasized (by everyone, when singing with a host of folks). Can be sung in unison or harmony (has great harmonies). In addition to Captain, Golden Ring sings "cook,"gunner," "mate" and "steward."

Jim

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Barry Finn
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 10:27 PM

Hi Joe,, there's also another version without the refrain, I don't know if this is the same as what Roger Abrahams has in his "Deep The Water, Shallow The Shore"

Well done, well done for Sam
Sam gone away on bully man-o'-war
Hoorow, hoorow, horrow for Sam
Sam gone away on bully man-o'-war

I wish I was a bos'n aboard the man-o'-war
Sam gone away on bully man-o'-war
Hoorow, hoorow, horrow for Sam
Sam gone away on bully man-o'-war

Walk bach the tackle you you pass
Start again! Sam gone away on bully man-o'-war

Staedy jocking, steady jocking
Sam gone away on bully man-o'-war

Watch out for that roller
Sam gone away on bully man-o'-war
From "Folklore & The Sea" by Horace Beck 1973. Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Abby Sale
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 10:10 PM

Cliff Haslem & John Miller, _Seaport 76: Colonial & Revolutionary Sea Songs; Folkways. Same words as Mary posted. Good song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Troll
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 09:55 PM

Joe, Just a small addition to what has already been said. If memory serves me, Sam Gone Away is a carribean shanty.

troll

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 09:22 PM

Joe, you dropped this at my place:

n

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: bob schwarer
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 07:20 PM

I recall the X-Seaman also did this with two "wishes" to each "pretty work"

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: GUEST,Barbara
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 06:30 PM

And it's on the New Golden Ring, Vol.II, Joe. At least those are the voices I always hear in my head. People over the years have gotten creative with this, i.e. I wish I was a woman on board the ..." .
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: GUEST,Marymac90
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 05:14 PM

Dear Joe,

I think the title is Sam Gone Away. it's kind of a zipper type of a shanty-and role you would hold on a man'o war can be plugged in. It goes like this:

I... wish I was a CAPTAIN, aboard a man o' war-hey!

Sam's gone away, aboard a man o' war!

Pretty work, brave boys, pretty work I say-hey!

Sam's gone away, aboard a man o' war!

You can fit in any role, as I said-First Mate, Bosun, Shanty-man, deck hand, cabin boy, captain's wife, whatever.

(PS... I can hardly believe that li'l ol' me may have an answer for the GREAT Joe Offer!!! )

Mary McCaffrey

Subject: Sam Gone Away - Shanty
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Feb 00 - 04:55 PM

There's a sea shanty running through my head, and I can't remember where I heard it. What I remember from it is:

I wish I was a cook on a British man-of-war
Sam gone away...
(or something like that)

I checked for various word combinations and didn't find it in the database. Can anybody come up with lyrics and background informatio?
-Thanks.
-Joe Offer-