Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over

Subject: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Barry Finn
Date: 28 Dec 97 - 10:16 PM

Never got all the words to this (as the old fella called it) old ditty. Looking to find out anything about it. It starts as follows;

When my spell on the (Carthaginian) is over
No more sailoring for me
And when I leave this god damn Hooker
Oh how happy I will be

No more scrubbing decks on Sundays
No more shinning dirty brass
You can go and tell (Van Hope) the skipper
He can go and tra la la la la

The Carthaginian is a brig, on where I first (& only) heard it sung durning a party & Van Hope was the master in charge of her restoration, so these names were subs I'm sure, the tra la la la la part, could be just that or the shyness on the singers part, in mixed company he'd refrain from any form of vulgarity. The Hooker is a type of sailing vessel common to Galway. Thanks Barry

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 29 Dec 97 - 08:41 AM

"Hooker" was always a general term for a boat, as far as I know - though it survives best in Galway!

Regards

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Barry
Date: 29 Dec 97 - 04:52 PM

Thanks Martin, I always thought that the Galway Hooker was a working sail vessel, used mostly for fishing, gaffed rigged a bit larger than a Smack or a Prawner. Really, I just wanted to seperate it from the street walking kind. Barry

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Pete M
Date: 29 Dec 97 - 07:42 PM

"Hooker" is a generic term for a ship, refering to her anchor. The other common usage is in " bleedin' (or other suitable epithet) 'ook" refering to the anchor badge worn by killicks in the Andrew. (Translation : leading seamen serving in the Royal Navy). What's the street walking sort?

The song sounds like a variation on "When this bloody war is over", but which came first I wouldn't know. The tra la la bit is *definitely* a euphemism.

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Barry
Date: 30 Dec 97 - 01:52 AM

Pete, thanks, checked out When This Bloody War Is Over, in the DT, tunes are the same, some wording is the same (no more sailoring for me, etc..), goals, duties, etc. are similar, just different trades. I don't believe mine is Navy, though. George, who I got it from was only in the Merchant service, starting at 13 as cabinboy, back around 1905 & quit (to become a master rigger) the sea in the 30's, (did have any Navy in him) there's also no references connecting it to anything Naval. It's says it the DT recorded by MacColll, WWII, do you of anyone else know anymore about it. Again Pete, Thanks Barry

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Martin Ryanreland in summer.
Date: 04 Jan 98 - 01:51 PM

|Barry Your description of a Galway hooker is fair enough! The main distinguishing characteristic is the exagerated "tumblehome" (curvature of the topsides of the hull). They're now raced enrgetically on the West Coast of Ireland, in summer. Apart from fishing, their other main use was in transporting turf.

Regards

p.s. In Athlone, where I live, there was a pub called "The Hooker", for many years. There was a constant stream of women getting their photograph taken standing outside it! They didn't seem interested in the model boat in the window!

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Martin Ryan
Date: 04 Jan 98 - 07:24 PM

No idea how the scrambling in the above message happened!

Regards

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Pete M
Date: 05 Jan 98 - 03:40 PM

Getting off the original subject a bit, but my understanding is that "Hooker" from the Dutch "hoeker" as described by Martin, like "Scow" from the Dutch "schouw" a flat bottomed coater built for estuary work and typically loaded over the side once the tide had fallen and the ship,was grounded (Incidentally these were in use in New Zealand into the sixties); and "Lugger" from the lugsail rig, all originally refered to a specific design of small costal craft or rig, and are now frequently used as terms of, sometimes semi affectionate, derision. I assume that this arose from the deep water sailors sense of superiority over the small costal craft.

Back to the song, "when this bloody war is over" is to the tune commonly used for the hymn "What a freind we have in Jesus" and thus dioubly offended the self righteous amongst the civilian population when sung during WW1(which no doubt added to its popularity amonst squaddies) . It has existed in the oral tradition in the UK at least since then, but became more widely known and sung as a result of its inclusion initially in the program on the songs and music of WWI in the BBC series to mark the wars fiftieth anniversary, and secondly in the show and film "Oh what a lovely war".

Subject: RE: Sea Song? When My Spell Is Over
From: Barry
Date: 05 Jan 98 - 07:56 PM

Sounds as if both songs kept the same spirit going to the ire of the friends of Jesus. If any have more words to the sea version, or knows which begot the other, please post. Thanks Barry