Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: EBarnacle
Date: 21 May 08 - 11:10 AM

It may also be that the singer is a transportee, following his lady, who was also transported.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Dead Horse
Date: 21 May 08 - 07:25 AM

Maybe the boxing glove was worn to stave off self abuse during the long trip to meet his love.
Sorry, my mind is like that.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Gurney
Date: 20 May 08 - 06:01 PM

Cyril Tawney sang:
'I'm taking a trip on a Government ship, ten thousand miles away."

No nonsense in that version. A song of a man following a 'transported' lover.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: EBarnacle
Date: 20 May 08 - 09:52 AM

Either DebC's or Guest's explanation makes sense. I guess we will have to wait until Carryl is resurrected to find out what he meant.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: DebC
Date: 19 May 08 - 09:51 PM

Here I am, Jack!!! :-)

I recorded "The Walloping Window Blind" on my last CD "Dad's Dinner Pail and Other Songs From the Helen Hartness Flanders Collection". I wondered about the "boxing glove" line as well and I did get an explanation of sorts a couple of years ago.

I performed the song at South Shields Folk Club and a gentleman came up to me at the interval and told me that when young boys were at boarding school, boxing gloves were put on their hands to prevent them from "choking the chicken" under the covers.

Now whether this is true or not, I don't know. But it makes for great stage banter and I get a few nods from some of the gents in the audience when I offer that explanation.

You can hear the song on my MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/debracowan

Deb Cowan

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: GUEST
Date: 19 May 08 - 09:42 PM

My elementary school music teacher told us that the "love with a boxing glove" was a kangaroo--that the sailor was going off to Australia and was making a wry reference to the lack of women out there. Seem likely?

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 13 May 08 - 11:08 AM

I have in front of me the original c1860 sheet music for 'Ten Thousand Miles Away, popular song and chorus, written, composed and sung by J B Geoghegan' also sung by Harry Liston, pub. Hutchings and Romer of 9 Conduit Street, Regent St London. Geoghegan, who also wrote several other songs still sung in oral tradition and folk clubs, gave us Hey John Barleycorn. 'Walloping window Blind' must be a parody on this. On my copy someone has added a few bawdy lines from an oral version. It has 5 stanzas and the usual chorus. The boxing glove original line runs 'For I'm on the move to my own true love, Ten.......' As with most songs like this the parodies are much more fun.
An accessible copy is in the 'Scottish Students Songbook' also attributed to Geoghegan. If you want to know more try 'Yorkshire Garland' website and click on the notes for 'Glossop Road'.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Jack Campin
Date: 12 May 08 - 08:42 PM

Paging Deb Cowan... I'm not going to pre-empt her magnificent explanation of this one...

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: GUEST,Gordon
Date: 12 May 08 - 03:52 PM

I listened to this as a child on Tom Chapin's album "Mother Earth". He does a great rendition of it (he skips the last two verses too) and I loved it so much. I never understood it really, but I knew it was silly, so it was perfect.

I was recently reminded of it when I heard my little cousin listening to it in the car. It's astounding how much of it I remember after what must be at least 12-15 years of never hearing it.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 10:43 PM

G'day Dani,

The song quoted by Radriano raises the question of prior versions. That version is a fairly weatherworn version of the 10,000 Miles Away that is well known in Australia as a "Convict" song (more likely, a music Hall send up of a genuine convict era song ... much like Botany Bay ... the Toora li oora li aye one). This was well enough known in the goldrush era to spawn the song 1,000 Miles Away, about the Palmer River Rush of the 1870s and a later cattle droving The Roma Railway, from around the 1890s.

The 10,000 miles reference (the approximate distance from England to Australia by sailing ship), would be lifted from the first-mentioned song, which is in DigiTrad and (according to Stan Hugill) dates from the early 1800s. He may be right, but if so, it has been 'worked over' by the music hall.

I seem to remember coming across the Capital Ship version in 'Community Song books' from the 1920s/30s era.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Mooh
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 09:59 PM

Dani, thanks. Mooh.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Dani
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 09:36 PM

Blessings on the Mudcat, blessings on Max, blessings on you and your precious memories of your dad, Mooh.

Dani

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Troll
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 08:37 PM

I always looked on 'em as two different songs that shared a melody and a line or two.
As for the boxing glove, it rhymes with love. Do you really expect sense from a song with rubbley ubdugs,rugbug bark and a cook who makes,"...A number of tons of hot cross buns done up with sugar and glue." as the crew's principle diet?
I rest my case Your Honor.

troll

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Mooh
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 07:46 PM

You folks brought tears to my eyes.

I'd all but forgotten this song. My Dad, who died 3 weeks ago, would sing this (to me I always thought, but maybe as much to the open air)when we were motoring around in our little boat which he had built himself. I never had any idea what it all meant, but just going off to one's love with a boxing glove was enough to amuse me as a child, never mind the sight of Dad dropping all choral discipline and shouting this over the roar of the ancient 3 horse outboard as we rolled along with the waves. He had lots of old songs in his head, from a time before my childhood understanding, and I wish I could hear them one more time. I don't think I'd heard this one for 30 years or more, but I was immediately transported to a time when Dad was only a little older than I am now and I viewed him as a kind of protector.

Sorry for crying on the community shoulder. I AM happy I now have these words.

Peace and love, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Tiger
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 06:36 PM

Of course it's silly, it's a kids' song. As I understand it, it was written after watching his kids playing sailor using an old shutter as the ship, with assorted other kidlike props.

We do enjoy the song, always have, but seldom sing the last three verses - it makes the song awfully long, and they're REALLY silly.

And for Kendall and 'cleese, 50 choruses of "On top of Spaghetti."

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Snuffy
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 06:35 PM

It's been in the DT since before they started putting dates in. Type Capital in the DigiTrad Lyrics Search box at the top of the page.

Wassail! V

Subject: Lyr Add: MY TRUE LOVE SHE IS BEAUTIFUL (L Graham)
From: radriano
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 06:31 PM

I'm familiar with this as a sea song and I've been confused by the gloves line as well. I'd not heard the children's poem but Len Graham sings a version of the sea song that doesn't have the gloves line:

My True Love She is Beautiful

Len Graham


My true love she is beautiful, my true love she is young
Her eyes are as blue as the violets true and silvery sounds her tongue
Silvery sounds her tongue me boys (as I seen yer slay)
But she's due in a grand and a distant land, ten thousand miles away

Chorus:
Blow ye wind, hie-hoe, a-roving we will go
I'll stay no more in Erin's shore, let the music play
I'm off in the morning train, to cross the raging main
For I'm in the mood of my true love, ten thousands miles away

It was in a dark and a dismal night when first I met my Penn
She's a government band around her hand and another one round her neck
Another one round her leg, me boys (as I seen you slay)
But she's due in a grand and a distant land, ten thousand miles away

Hurrah for a gay and a gallant barque and a light and a gentle breeze
A captain too, and a jolly crew for to carry me o'er the sea
To carry me over to my true love, dressed up like a lady gay
Goodbye, says she, remember me, ten thousand miles away

And the sun shines bright in the Belfast fog and the tide is smooth and clear
May the ocean brine turn into wine if ever I see my dear
If ever I see my dear, my boys, dressed up like a lady gay
Goodbye, says she, remember me, ten thousand miles away
Radriano

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: TonyK
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 01:59 PM

I always thought it had to do with sailing, but I don't remember why. I'm going to a weekend gathering of folkies and will ask around.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: kendall
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 11:07 AM

Naw! that lime jello would raise hell with boxing gloves..

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Barbara
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 10:59 AM

I think that kendall's got the right of it, and it's foolishness that rhymes -- he's going 10,000 miles to have a boxing match with his true love, or some such. Maybe it's really a wrestling match ;~>
Blessings,
Barbara

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Jeri
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 10:27 AM

The poem can be found here.

If you back up a bit and look at Joe Horn's Archive of Great Poetry, there are some good 'uns in there!

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Judy Cook
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 09:59 AM

The poem was written by Charles Edward Carryl who also wrote some good children's books, like _Davy and the Goblin_. The words he wrote vary in some minor details from those Tiger posted above... "Toasted pigs and pickles and figs", "...where the Poohpooh smiles, and the Anagazanders roar", "rubagrub tree", things like that.

I have the poem in Louis Untermeyer's _The Golden Treasury of Poetry_

I think it's a wonderful song and have also sung it since I was very small. Thanks for bringing it up.

--Judy Cook

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: sophocleese
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 08:44 AM

I'm with kendall on this one. I always thought it was rhyming nonsense.

Subject: Lyr Add: A CAPITAL SHIP
From: Tiger
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 08:38 AM

This has been sung at home as long as I can remember, at least the first three stanzas. I think the original poem was written by a well known children's poet, perhaps James Whitcomb Riley.

A Capital Ship

A capital ship for an ocean trip
Was the "Walloping Window-Blind."
No wind that blew dismayed her crew,
Or troubled the captain's mind.
The man at the wheel was made to feel
Contempt for the wildest blow-w-w,
Though it oft' appeared when the gale had cleared
That he'd been in his bunk below.

CHORUS (each stanza)
So, blow ye winds, heigh-ho,
A-roving I will go;
I'll stay no more on England's shore,
So let the music play-ay-ay;
I'm off for the morning train,
I'll cross the raging main,
I'm off for my love with a boxing glove
Ten thousand miles away.

The bo'sn's mate was very sedate,
Yet fond of amusement, too.
He played hopscotch on the starboard watch,
While the captain tickled the crew.
And the gunner we had was apparently mad,
For he sat on the after rail-l-l
And fired salutes with the captain's boots
In the teeth of the booming gale.

The captain sat on the commodore's hat,
And dined in a royal way
Off pickles and figs, and little roast pigs,
And gunnery bread each day.
The cook was Dutch and behaved as such,
For the diet he served the crew-ew-ew,
Was a couple of tons of hot-cross buns
Served up with sugar and glue.

Then we all fell ill as mariners will
On a diet that's rough and crude;
And we shivered and shook as we dipped the cook
In a tub of his gluesome food.
All nautical pride we cast aside,
And we ran the vessel ashore-o-ore
On the Gulliby Isles, where the poopoo smiles,
And the rubbily ubdugs roar.

Composed of sand was that favored land,
And trimmed with cinnamon straws,
And pink and blue was the pleasing hue
Of the tickle-toe-teaser's claws.
We sat on the edge of a sandy ledge,
And shot at the whistling bee-ee-ee,
While the ring-tailed bats wore waterproof hats
As they dipped in the shining sea.

On rugbug bark from dawn to dark
We dined till we all had grown
Uncommonly shrunk, when a Chinese junk
Came up from the Torrible Zone.
She was chubby and square, but we didn't much care,
So we cheerily put to sea-ee-ea,
And we left all the crew of the junk to chew
On the bark of the rugbug tree.

Subject: RE: Help: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: kendall
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 08:38 AM

More nonsense I always thought.

Subject: Capital Ship's 'boxing glove'?!?!
From: Dani
Date: 28 Aug 00 - 08:13 AM

This is such a fun song to sing. But I HATE when there are words I can't figure out!

Some of them are obviously made up, but in the chorus you sing "I'm off to my love with a boxing glove 10,000 miles away. Anyone know why?

Dani