Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)

Subject: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Apr 04 - 08:09 AM

An appropriate song, given that it was International Rat Day on April 4th, especially dedicated to the nautical rat crowd (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up the chords):

RODENT MARINERS, THE

(By Hamish MacLaren, Sailor with Banjo, © 1930
Adapted by Charlie Ipcar
Tune adapted from: "Blow the Candle Out")


Dm-------Am----Dm
We are the rodent ma-ri-ne-ers,
Am/Dm---Am
As nobody needs be told,
------------Dm----Am--------Dm
For there's no mis-taking our nau-ti-cal airs,
Am/Dm---Am-----Dm
Our rolling eyes so bold;
Dm-------------------Am
There's never a ship leaves English ground,
------Dm----------------Am
From Liverpool Docks to Plymouth Sound,
----Dm---Am---Dm
For Frisco Bay or Bombay bound,
--------------Am--------Dm
But we have free run of her hold!

We march aboard in companies,
All in the dead of night,
Over the hawsers from the quays
In the shadow of the watch lamplight;
Each roving rat his ship will choose,
From nose to nose we pass the news
Of cargoes, destination, crews,
And none can us affright.

Each roving rat his ship will choose,
From nose to nose we pass the news
Of cargoes, destination, crews,
And none can us affright.

We'll eat like kings once we set sail,
Each vessel leaving land,
A wandering larder which entails
A feast for every hand;
Maize, apples, salmon, barley, rice,
Nutmegs, olives, South Sea spice,
Meats and India merchandise,
And all at our command!

We know the ports of all the world
All warehouses, all quays,
All islets coral-ringed and pearled,
The Blue Hesperides;
And men may search until they die,
And men may blow great fleets sky-high –
But rats alone can hold for aye
The Freedom of the Seas!

And men may search until they die,
And men may blow great fleets sky-high –
But rats alone can hold for aye
The Freedom of the Seas!

This song is from the same 1920's sailor's folk opera as the now famous "Yangtse River Shanty."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Nov 04 - 03:20 AM

I came across this as I was continuing my search for help on the rodents eating my car. This song didn't help at all, but it gave me a good laugh.
It's been a tough week. Had to be towed twice.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 Nov 04 - 08:32 AM

Joe-

Maybe you could combine "The Rodent Mariners" with "The Parking Lot Pirates."

Away, hey, haul 'em away!
The parking lot pirates are we...

Now if your car were a Passat...

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 May 12 - 10:09 AM

This poem and song has now been worked up into a new children's songbook titled The Rodent Mariners: An Adventure Story of Five Sea-Faring Rats, ©Charles Ipcar. Here's a link to a set of illustrations: Click here for PIXS!

I'm also expanded the original poem with a final verse and made some additional changes from what I've posted above:

By Hamish Maclaren, Sailor with Banjo, pp. 23-25, © 1930 (copyright now held by Lucilla Maclaren Spillane)
Adapted for singing by Charlie Ipcar in 1999/2012
Tune adapted from traditional "Blow the Candle Out"

The Rodent Mariners

Em----------Bm----Em---G
We are the rodent ma-ri-ners,
Bm/Em-----Bm
As nobody needs be told,
-------------Em-----Bm----------Em--------G
For there's no mis-taking our nau-ti-cal airs,
Bm/Em-----Bm-----Em
Our roving eyes so bold;
Em---------------Bm----------G--------Bm
There's never a ship leaves English ground,
-------Em---------------------Bm
From Liverpool Docks to Plymouth Sound,
-----Em----Bm-----Em-------G
For Frisco Bay or Bombay bound,
----------------Bm-------------Em
But we have free run of her hold!

Chorus:

With a churr churr,
And a quee quee quee!
'Tis the rodent mariner
Who's Lord of the Sea!

We march aboard in companies,
All in the dead of night,
Over the hawser from the quay
In the shadow of the watch lamplight;
Each roving rat his ship will choose,
From nose to nose we pass the news,
Of cargoes, destinations, crews,
And none can us affright. (CHO)

We'll live like kings once we set sail,
Each vessel leaving land,
A wandering larder which entails
A feast for every hand;
Maize, apples, salmon, barley, rice,
Nutmegs, olives, South Sea spice,
Meats and India merchandise,
And all at our command! (CHO)

We know the ports of all the world
All warehouses, all quays,
All islets, coral-ringed and pearled,
The Blue Hesperides;
And men may live and men may die,
And men may blow great fleets sky-high –
But rats alone will hold for aye
The Freedom of the Seas! (CHO)

When we are old and weather-beat,
Too old to sail about,
In some rum shop we will stop
Till eight bells call us out;
It's there we'll raise our glasses high
And spin our yarns till the taps run dry;
But we'll make sure before we die
To send our sons to sea!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 10 May 12 - 02:16 PM

There be land rats, and there be sea rats, by that I mean there be pie-rats

something like that in the Merchant of Venice

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 May 12 - 02:24 PM

There are black rats as well as brown rats. Generally it's the brown rats that go to sea but I've still got a lot to learn.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: EBarnacle
Date: 10 May 12 - 10:30 PM

As I recall, rattus Norwegicus is also the carrier for plague. Can we make them cuter, a la Disney?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 May 12 - 10:27 AM

I've just posted the rest of the illustrations on Facebook, access via public link above.

Eric-

No, no one can make animals as "cute" as Disney's artists.

I may do some more work on the rats but I do love the way they look when they're dancing down the street and when they're having the party below decks. It probably would be even more effective if I distinguish them some more (other than the French sailor hats) and introduce them each by name. How does "Mitt" strike you as a rat name?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 11 May 12 - 10:43 PM

Mitt strikes me just fine, although I'm not the one to whom you directed the question. GW would work for me, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 11 May 12 - 10:44 PM

Oh, and if some of the rats are going to be females . . . . Do I have to name names?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 May 12 - 09:21 AM

I think I'm looking for three good male rat names and two female rat names. They will probably be introduced in the first set of illustrations, as they dance down the streets of sailortown.

"Ranzo" sounds like a good nautical name for one of the males.

How about "Stormy" for one of the females?

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Artful Codger
Date: 12 May 12 - 06:14 PM

Mother Carey

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 12 May 12 - 09:47 PM

Mother Carey deserves her own book. I'll keep that in mind.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 May 12 - 09:36 AM

One of my niece Jenna's rats was named "Boots." That has potential.

"Mickeys" and "Minnies" need not apply.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)
From: EBarnacle
Date: 13 May 12 - 12:22 PM

Consider putting the names of sail training ships on their hat ribbons. You are then free to put any name you choose the the characters as they are scattered all over the world. Perhaps tying Boris Yeltsin with the Kreuzenschtern?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 May 12 - 04:35 PM

How about "Ranzo, Rita, Rhonda, Rimbaud, and Rousseau"?

Or maybe Humphrey Bogart, Dean Martin, or Frank Sinatra, as associates of the Rat Pack.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 13 May 12 - 05:18 PM

Well, they call the wind Mariah, but maybe that's only way out west.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 14 May 12 - 02:25 AM

What we need is a good tune, can't say I know 'Blow the candle out'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 May 12 - 08:53 AM

Guest-

A good tune is essential. Here's a link to an earlier recording that I made of this song that should giove folks a sense of what the song sounds like: Click here for MP3 sample!

Since then I've done some additional lyrics changes, and added a final verse as posted above.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Rodent Mariners ( Hamish MacLaren/Ipcar)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 May 12 - 08:54 AM

Guest-

A good tune is essential. Here's a link to an earlier recording that I made of this song that should give folks a sense of what the song sounds like: Click here for MP3 sample!

Since then I've done some additional lyrics changes, and added a final verse as posted above.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble