Tune Req: Schooner Industry

Subject: Tune Req: Schooner Industry
From: Barry Finn
Date: 28 May 98 - 06:43 PM

A buddy came up with a song he pulled out of a book or log from the Industry. The title (or reference) is "Schooner Industry's Expedition on a Whaling Cruise, A Song Composed On Her". I have the Industry listed in the Report of Commissioner of Fish & Fisheries as sailing out of Westport, Mass., and headed to the Cape Verde whaling grounds, arriving in Nov., 1822. She netted 70 barrels of sperm-oil. She's listed as being captained by a Captain Boston & the only remark entered "Manned wholly by blacks".

The song starts with a British style "Come All Ye". There's no tune listed or music given, but it was sung & composed by black sailors. From the song, it's obvious that the composer was very much at home with the British song style, so there's quite a marriage, being a black sea-ballad written to an English style.

A. S. Boston was the captain's name. He's also mentioned in the recent book "Black Jacks".

So, has anyone ever heard of this song & if so what was the tune used? Here's the beginning.

Come all you noble colored tars that plow the raging main.
Come listen to my story, boys, a thing that is quite strange.
It was on the 12th of May, my boys, in 1822.
A schooner from Nantucket, boys, with all a colored crew.

We'll be trying some of the obvious places (Nantucket museums etc.), but just hoping for further input from such a wide & diverse group, also will try Mystic while we're there.

Thanks, Barry