Lyr Req: Yangtze River...? / Yangtse River Shanty

Subject: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' song?
From: GUEST,Willie-O
Date: 15 Feb 01 - 10:22 AM

Back in the previous millennium I heard that Yangzte River shanty at the session in Portland...Naemanson weren't you going to dig up the lyrics for us?

"Away boys, walk and look away."

Or is that
"Away boys look and walk away."

My recollections are fading fast, I just know I still want that song!

Still waiting, landlocked as usual and snowlocked to boot.

Willie-O

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' sg
From: GUEST,Roll&Go-C
Date: 15 Feb 01 - 02:20 PM

Willie-o,

I provided the lyrics to "Yangtze River" in a thread entitled Sailor with Banjo, the name of the sailor's folk opera that I originally got the song from. I'll try to refresh that thread foryou and anyone else who's interested. Our version of the song has been heavily folk-processed.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: treaties1
Date: 14 Nov 03 - 05:07 PM

I have a tape of Barry Finn singing this shanty weekend 26 October. It's by Charley Noble I think and it's absolutely great. I've just learnt it and sang it out for the first time last Monday in Lancashire England where it was really well received

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Nancy King
Date: 14 Nov 03 - 05:17 PM

It's the best song (IMHO) on the fine CD "Outward Bound" by Roll & Go. Reset your cookie, Willie-O, and PM Charley Noble, who surely can tell you how to get a copy.

-- Nancy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 14 Nov 03 - 07:00 PM

G'day,

Nancy/Willie-O: Charley Noble might be a week or two geting back to where he can sell you a CD. He and his wife Judy ("Landlady's Daughter") are flying out of Sydney this morning to Port Douglas, in tropical Far North Queensland, for a week or so before heading back to Sydney for a week or two of hectic greetings and sessions with Aussie Mudcatters. See the OZ Foray from Maine & Guam-Late November thread ... if you can brave the

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 14 Nov 03 - 07:03 PM

Oooops ... !

Pressed the wrong icon! I meant to continue: " ... brave the 265 + posts on the thread!"

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: Lyr Add: YANGTSE RIVER SHANTY (Hamish MacLaren)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 15 Nov 03 - 08:07 AM

Hi Willie-O
Hi treaties1, this is for you too. With you singing it, I'm sure it was well received.

There are a couple treads on this. Part of this was copied from one of them. Aside from Charlie (with Roll & Go on their CD Outward Bound (see http://www.rollandgoseasongs.com) self produced by Roll & Go) the only other recording that I know of is by John Roberts on his CD "Ye Mariners All" sung by 'Ye Mariners All' on 'Golden Hind Music'. Charlie's version (slightly changed from the original) is already going through the folk process. I changed up the tune & tempo slightly & put the chorus after every verse instead of Charlie's every other verse & John changed his singing of it slightly from mine. All in all, even with the changes John & I kept very close to Charlie's. John also added a verse of his own, (own his CD see http://www.goldenhindmusic.com) see changes below in (). Charlie's done a great job marrying words & tunes (here & else where) together.

YANGTSE RIVER SHANTY

(By Hamish MacLaren, (in his) Sailor with Banjo, © 1930 Anchor Shanty adapted by Charlie Ipcar Tune: Tommy's Gone to Hilo/Congo River)

Chorus:

G Am
Away-ay, boys, away-o!
C G
Blow me down this Yangtse River,
D7 G
Away, boys, lift and walk away!

G C G
My lotus lady, I'll see no more,
C G/Am
Away, boys, away-o!
C G
Since I left her on the China shore,
D7 G
Away, boys, lift and walk away!
(cords put here from Charlie)

When we first met, she was like a queen,
Away, boys, away-o!
Prettiest little thing (gal by BF) I'd ever seen,
Away, boys, lift and walk away...(Chorus)

She'd flashing eyes and long black hair,
Away, boys, away-o!
All I could do was stand and stare,
Away, boys, lift and walk away!

I bought her silks and a golden comb,
Away, boys, away-o!
Trouble's over now, the anchor's home,
Away, boys, lift and walk away...(Chorus)

("The sweetest flower my Yangtze honey
My own good gal she spend my money")[I think that's how John's verse goes)

I blowed my silver for to win her,
Away, boys, away-o!
Now there's nothing left but donkey's (pork for by JR) dinner,
Away, boys, lift and walk away!

We're outward bound, cookie's in the galley,
Away, boys, away-o!
Farewell, Young Moon, of the Yangtse Valley,
Away, boys, lift and walk away...(Chorus 2X)

Barry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Dead Horse
Date: 15 Nov 03 - 03:23 PM

A Yankee hippy come down the river,
With Blow, boys, blow
And now he's got hepatitus and a rotten liver
From Blow, me bully boys, blow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Barry Finn
Date: 16 Nov 03 - 02:13 AM

Hi Dead Horse
Something tells me you're up to no good here & having a grand laugh at it too. Well, always being one who doesn't know when to stop I hope you don't mind the add on below.
Barry

A dippy Yankee was seen way down river
Blow boys blow
We'll keep him down wind with his rotten liver
Blow boys blow

He's got great long scars, when he walks they shimmer
He's got cramps in his legs & his feet & his fingers

His face is yeller & his eyes are too
The skin on this yeller guy's a clammy hue

What do you think that he had for dinner
Seaweed stew & a donkey's liver

Can you guess what he had for supper
Oh a kidney pie that's been aged in the scuppers

We'll ship him home to Davy Jones
So low in flesh so high in bone

How would you know if he had hep C
You could tell by his smell & his darkened pee

His back's been fractured & his snoze's been broke
He's a walking, talking, fall-down joke

To see him run you'd laugh like thunder
There's more steel in his heels than in a 40-pounder

When he walks & he works hear his breath go shallow
His ears don't hear & his sight is narrow

He's a hard case Yankee with a soft-shelled brain
To see the drool on his lips you could bet he's insane

When it's his time to go he may get called up yonder
Though with the flies & fleas he'll feel the flames down under

This poor ol Yank came swimming down the river
With a smile on his face & a brand new liver

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Dead Horse
Date: 16 Nov 03 - 04:16 AM

Thats more like it, a serious shanty thread. lol
You definately kept the original theme going, my hat off to you Mr Finn (any relation to Micky?)
What can we assasinate next....

Nivver seen the like since I wuz born
A Mudcat junky wiv his T-shirt on
Johnny gone down the folk charts
Oh poor ole man.
Oh wake him, oh shake him
Wake that guy wiv a T-shirt on
Johnny gone down the folk charts
Poor ole man.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Charley Noble
Date: 16 Nov 03 - 05:53 AM

Glad to see folks are having fun with this song!

"The sweetest flower my Yangtze honey

My own good gal she spend my money."

Is actually one of Hamish's original verses that I dropped that John salvaged. It's worth a look at the original verses. It's a shame that the tunes of his sailor's folk opera, SAILOR WITH BANJO, have not surfaced. I've been in correspondence with one of his namesake nephews who has been trying to track down his trunk of writings, which probably someone threw out as a last attempt to tidy up the memory of the family black sheep.

My own version of this song is probably a 50% rewrite, and the verse tune is based on "Jenny's Gone to Ohio" and the chorus tune on "Congo River."

Now back to vacation time in lovely Port Douglas!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, aka Roll & Go-C

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Nov 03 - 01:10 PM

*big smile at Barry's creative way of telling a sad story that turned out pretty well*

(was trying to do something with "..away, you yeller boys, doodle let me go.."...but I think I'll just leave it there.)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hey, where is that 'Yangtze River' s
From: Willie-O
Date: 16 Nov 03 - 05:33 PM

Thanks a million for the lyrics and chords Barry. Good things come when you wait for them!

Oh, and I did reset my cookie, thanks--a few dozen times since 2001.

W-O