Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)

Subject: Tow Rope Girls
From: GUEST,Old bones
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 12:52 PM

Looking for the lyrics to Tow Rope Girls - C Fox Smith, I think.

Can anyone help?

Many thanks

Subject: Lyr Add: THE TOWROPE GIRLS (Smith, Fitzsimmons)
From: Shanty Kees
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 01:06 PM

Here are the words as sung by Pinch of Salt. Good luck.

THE TOWROPE GIRLS
(Words: Cicely Fox Smith - music: Alan Fitzsimmons)

Oh, a ship in the Tropics a-foaming along,
With every stitch drawing, the Trade blowing strong,
The white caps around her all breaking in spray,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today.

CHORUS: An' it's Haul away, girls, steady an' true,
Polly an' Dolly an' Sally an' Sue,
Mothers an' sisters an' sweethearts an' all,
Haul away, all the way, haul away, haul!

She's logging sixteen as she speeds from the South,
The wind in her royals, a bone in her mouth,
With a wake like a millrace she rolls on her way,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today.

The old man he stood on the poop at high noon;
He paced fore an' aft an' he whistled a tune,
Then put by his sextant an' this he did say;
The girls have got hold of her towrope today.

Of cargoes and charters we've had our full share,
Of grain and of lumber enough and to spare,
Of nitrates at Taltal and rice for Bombay,
And the girls have got hold of our towrope today.

She has dipped her yards under, hove to off the Horn,
In the fog and the floes she has drifted forlorn,
Becalmed in the Doldrums a week long she lay,
But the girls have got hold of her towrope today.

Oh hear the good Trade wind a-singin' aloud,
A homeward bound shanty in sheet and in shroud,
Oh, hear how he whistles in halyard and stay:
The girls have got hold of the towrope today!

And it's oh! for the chops of the Channel at last,
The cheers that goes up when the tug hawser's passed,
The mate's "That'll do" an' a fourteen months pay,
For the girls have got hold of the towrope today.

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 19-Apr-02.

Subject: Lyr Add: TOWROPE GIRLS
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Apr 02 - 01:09 PM

Here ya go!

TOWROPE GIRLS
C. Fox Smith/traditional (tune--Queen Bungle Rye)

Oh a ship in the tropics, rolling along,
With every stitch drawing, the trade blowing strong,
The white caps around her all breaking in spray,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today!

CHORUS: And it's haul away, girls, steady and true,
Polly and Dolly and Sally and Sue,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
Haul away, all the way, haul away, haul away girls!

She's logging sixteen as she speeds from the south,
With the wind in her royals, with a bone in her mouth,
With a wake like a millrace she rolls on her way,
For the girls have got hold of her towrope today!

Of cargoes and charters we've had our full share,
Of grain and of lumber enough and to spare.
Of nitrates at Taltal and rice for Bombay,
And the girls have got hold of our towrope today!

Don't you hear the good trade wind a singing aloud,
A homeward bound shanty in sheet and in shroud,
Oh, hear how she whistles in the halyard and the stay,
"The girls have got hold of the tow-rope today!"

And it's oh, for the chops of the channel at last,
And the cheer that goes up when the tug hawser's cast,
The mate's "that'll do" and fourteen months' pay,
For the girls have got hold of our towrope today!

HTML line breaks rearranged and layout improved, I hope!. --JoeClone, 19-Apr-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 03 Jul 19 - 07:39 PM

Heard KIMBERS MEN’S version of this sung by a fabulous young harmonic female duo. About 90% has been re-written but with about 4 lines kept from the original. —hence, is it a different song? Think it’s the same tune (Queer bungle rye). Not sure about the last girl’s name —sounds like “Loose”

You can find this on YouTube.

Tow Rope Girls by Kimber's Men

The ship's leaving Fisker with cargoes of grain,
Hartigan timber in the fog and the rain,
We're loading nitrate down Ekegay bay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

The last sack of nitrate is stowed down at last,
The Southern Cross burns at the head of the mast,
We'll sing fair thee well as we get under way,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

We're rounding the Horn with our gallant soft set,
Our lee rail is under, we're cursing ya bet!
But the old man's a driver he'll brook no delay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

Cape Stiff is behind us, blue waters beneath,
Her waist like a mill-race, there's a bone in her teeth,
We've entered the trades now we'll soon make her pay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

The mate's on the poop-deck a shootin' the sun,
He'll soon be deducing how far the ship's run,
Let's crack the old hooker and get on our way,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

At last we're in harbour, the rags are all furled,
The girls are a waiting we're on top of the world!
"That’ll do!" Cries a mate now here’s 14 months pay,
For the girls have got hold of our tow rope today.

Goodbye Sarafina, Rosita and Loose (?)
The girls on the tow rope are steady and true,
Mothers and sisters and sweethearts and all,
It's haul away, all the way, haul away haul.

It's haul away, all the way, haul away, haul.

Anyone know any more about this?

Brad.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 03 Jul 19 - 08:08 PM

Apologies, that tune should of course be “Quare Bungle Rye”

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Barbara
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 01:24 AM

Bet it's Luce short for Lucia. Though it could be Luz ('light' in Spanish.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 04:18 AM

Thank you Barbara. I'd say "Luce" has a high probability.
Certainly the new lyrics are not the original poem and stripped of the chorus could represent a new poem in the style of the original. It Could perhaps do with a new title, though there is, I think, no restriction on the use of titles. I'm guessing the new version was composed by one or more members of Kimbers Men.(citation needed—- a they say on wikepedia!)

Brad.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 12:00 PM

I think I'd bet on Luz, which is a far more common name than Luce.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 12:41 PM

You could be right Joe. It seems to tie in with “Sarafina” and “Rosita” as non English names. Tow rope girls perhaps being of non British origin.

Brad

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 04:19 PM

Interesting that the Kimbers Men's version is such a complete re-write of Cicely's original poem. I wonder why they felt the need to do that?

Cheerily,
Charlie Ipcar, co-editor
THE COMPLETE POETRY OF CICELY FOX SMITH

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: GUEST,Bradfordian
Date: 04 Jul 19 - 07:16 PM

Taltal (Chile) and nitrates is a definite connection (according to Wikipedia) in the CFS poem but I’m not convinced about the nitrate and Ekegay connection in the Kimbers song. And Fisker (port/harbour), where is that?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Snuffy
Date: 05 Jul 19 - 04:32 AM

Very likely Fisker is Huasco

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: leeneia
Date: 05 Jul 19 - 02:05 PM

I agree with you, Charlie. In Cicely's poem, the "girls" are winds, and the spirit is playful.    In the newer lyrics, the girls are human beings doing a back-breaking job, and the image of that is nothing playful.

At the modern art museum near me I once saw a painting based on an old photograph. The painting was called "Mother and Daughter," and it showed two Chinese women, their backs bent almost double, hauling a barge. I estimate that the mother weighed maybe 110 pounds, and the daughter 85-90. Terrible!
I feel sure that they were in serious danger of ruined backs.

Let's stick with Cicely.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tow Rope Girls (C Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 08 Jul 19 - 11:41 AM

Pre-Cisely!

Charlie