Origins: Ranzo Ray

Subject: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From:
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 08:42 PM

Hi there
can anyone confirm for me that the Kate Rusby version of this song which refers to the wild goose saling on the water; os infact simply another boat name like "the beauty" as the boat is refered to in other versions.
cheers

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 08:53 PM

The Forum Search is still down, but meanwhile, here is a previous discussion: ranzo you'll rue the day

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: Richie
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 09:45 PM

Here's some info from my web-site:Click herewith the "Wild Goose nation" in caps. Lyrics from Hugill.

-Richie

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 10:08 PM

That page is completely blank in Netscape 4. Microsoft at work again, I suspect!

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 10:11 PM

Richie's site works only with Internet Explorer.

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: Richie
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 10:34 PM

Malcolm,

Here are the lyrics from Hugill that are on my site that refer to the Wild Goose nation:

Oh, I'm shanteyman of the workin' party
Timme way, timme hey, timme he ho hay
So sing lads, pull lads, so strong and hearty
An' sing Hilo, me Ranzo Ray!

I'm shantyman on the Wild Goose nation,
Got a maid that I lert on the big plantation,

Oh the sassiest gal o' that Wild Goose nation
Is her that I left on the big plantation.

-Richie

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: Melani
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 03:32 PM

I think that one is a different Wild Goose-Ranzo combination. The one I'm thinking of is a bunting chantey:

Did you ever see a wild goose sailing over the ocean?
Ranzo, Ranzo, way hey!
Just like the pretty girls when they get the notion-
Ranzo, Ranzo, way hey!

I've heard the Hugill one above called "Huckleberry Hunting." There are a lot of different chanteys with references to Ranzo and wild geese, not always both in the same song.

Anybody know what the "Wild Goose Nation" refers to?

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: MartinRyan
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 03:38 PM

It has been argued that "Wild Goose nation" refers to Ireland. The "wild geese" is a romantic name applied to the remnants of Irish Gaelic aristocracy/soldiery who left Ireland at the beginning of the 17th century for exile in continental Europe.

Regards

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: Abby Sale
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 04:24 PM

Malcolm: no this time it's the @#$%^&programmers, not MS, themselves. Seems to require Active X. Wisely, you avoided Netscape 6 but Netscape 7.0 works fine (so far) and is actually a decent program. Works better than 4.79 in many (unimportant) way but does load all those new unloadable pages. Only caution - and program that actually depended on older Netscape (eg, used it for browsing or search) may not work under 7.0. It actually is redesigned. It did pick up my bookmarks & prefs ok, though.

Good work on "Hilo," Richie. You might wish to add "Reuben Ranzo" and especially "Wild Goose Chantey." Although probably not related to "Ranzo Ray," it's so easy to confound them that it's handy to distinguish the others whenever you refer to the one.

FYI, the links on this page don't work for me although the same links do work ok from your home page.

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: banjomad (inactive)
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 10:02 AM

Good singer that she is [ and Yorkshire to boot ] Kate Rusby took a perfectly good shanty and turned it into a twee love song.
Now if someone took a nice gentle love song and turned it into a rip roaring shanty ????????
Dave

Subject: RE: Origins: Ranzo Ray
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 10:30 AM

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Kate came up with that version herself - adapted from a more ribald version. Not sure though.

Kate's version is lovely - I think it has a pensive mood, which she does immaculately.

As to turning it into a twee love song - it doesn't have to stay that way! It lends itself to further adaptation into a rip-roaring blues - puts the wild back into the goose! There are similarities of form between call & response shanties & blues - so there's a few experiments to be explored.

I sing the following words (with the odd variation) to a fast skipping blues beat:

D'y'ever see the Wild Goose, sailing on the ocean blue (X2)
Just like them pretty girls - when they gets the notion to.

Oh Reuben Ranzo you gonna rue the day (x2)
Rue that day when that Wild Goose sails away

One morning I was walking all along down by the sea(x2)
When this pretty sailor boy he started bothering me

Oh Reuben Ranzo you gonna rue the day (x2)
Rue that day when that Wild Goose sails away

He said Good morning, and how do you do (x2)
I said None the better lad for the seeing of you.

Oh Reuben Ranzo you gonna rue the day (x2)
Rue that day when that Wild Goose sails away.

One of these days I'm gonna leave this shore (x2)
I'm gonna take that Wild Goose, and you won't see me no more.

Oh Reuben Ranzo you gonna rue the day (x2)
Rue that day when that Wild Goose sails away


And yah-boo-sucks to anyone that says songs shouldn't be tampered with....... :@)


Kris