Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?

Subject: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: JWB
Date: 25 Jun 04 - 09:09 AM

There's an old sea song that begins, "I was rolling down Sand Street one fine summer's night". I've come across references to Great Howard Street (Liverpool), Ratcliffe Highway (London), and South Street (NYC) in sailor songs, but this is the only Sand Street I've seen. Hugill's "Sailortown" doesn't list it in the index, so I'm turning to the font of all trivia, Mudcat.

Which old sailortown had a Sand Street?

Thankee,

Jerry

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Flash Company
Date: 25 Jun 04 - 09:26 AM

Don't know if it qualifies as a Sailortown, but google produces a site with photograph of Naval Uniform shops in Sand Street from Life magazine, the Sand Street in question being in New York City!

FC

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Lighter
Date: 25 Jun 04 - 11:49 AM

How about posting the lyrics?

New York's Sand Street is in Brooklyn, a separate city till 1898.

I believe there is also a Sand Street in San Francisco.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Wyrd Sister
Date: 25 Jun 04 - 04:31 PM

Does the "Keel Row" have Sandgate?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 25 Jun 04 - 04:57 PM

JWB-

Well, just as with "Shin Bone Al" you'll probably find a Sand St. in almost every seaport town. However, there ain't one in Portalnd, ME, in case you were wondering.

Have some "Cape smoke" on me!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: JWB
Date: 27 Jun 04 - 11:10 PM

Here are the lyrics:

The Chinatown Bumboat

I was strolling down Sand Street one fine summer night
And I spied a fair damsel as she hove in sight.
I ran up my number, to which she replied,
"I'm a Chinatown bumboat going out with the tide,
"I'm a Chinatown bumboat going out with the tide."

I passed her a hawser and took her in tow,
We crossed down the way like a couple should go.
We turned in an alley not too clean or neat,
And we dropped our mudhooks at the end of the street. (2 times)

She then led me up to a third-story floor,
And in her fine stateroom I soon laid her o'er.
She cleaned up her courses and her red flag downhaul,
Laid her lily-white hand on me reeftackle-fall. (2 times)

I gazed in her sternsheets, saw plenty of room,
And into her hullpipe I shoved my jibboom.
With her fenders o'erhanging like a bent scupper's lip,
Pretty Polly's a pirate who scuttled my ship. (2 times)

She rolled and she pitched like a ship in a storm,
And cried out, "Oh, sailor, you're doing me harm!
You're in the wrong port!" she cried out in alarm.
Well, the wrong port be damned, any port in a storm. (2 times)

She burnt down me rigging clean down to the hull,
And back to the sickbay me punt I did scull.
With me foregaps all bent and me mainmast unstrung,
The doctor said, "Sailor, yer jibboom is sprung." (2 times)

Now I'm lying in sickbay, me stern to the wall,
The Chinatown bumboat the cause of it all.
It's ashes to ashes and dust unto dust,
Tell me, where is the woman a sailor can trust? (2 times)

The tune is Sweet Betsy from Pike in a minor key.

This song is on the new uncensored sailor songs CD, by the way.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:01 AM

There's a Sand Street in Disney World, I see...

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 01:02 PM

McGrath, I don't think that Orlando, Florida would qualify as a seaport town. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 01:13 PM

Global warming will soon see to that, Sol. Florida is pretty low in the water to start with...

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Anglo
Date: 28 Jun 04 - 06:38 PM

So Jerry, I take it you got a copy of the unexpurgated shanties CD people were on about as being available at Mystic. (Oh yes, re-reading your post I see you admit it). But is it any good?
:-/

Cyril Tawney hass a "Ratcliffe Highway" with much the same story, and chorus:
To my rigging grey, come rattle my rigging down,
Come rattle my rigging down Ratcliffe Highway.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 10:24 AM

The song is also very similiar to "Cruising round Yarmouth". I reckon that many songs like this would be changed by the singer to their home port.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Les from Hull
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 02:14 PM

So we're really looking for a seaport with a Sand Street and a Chinatown. Well it's not Hull. From what's been said in this thread, San Francisco seems the most likely.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: GEST
Date: 29 Jun 04 - 04:27 PM

From A Sailor's Look Back:

"Liberty was the highlight of a sailor's life after being out to sea for three to six months. Most sailors had two dress uniforms: one was for inspection GI (government-issued) uniform, another was for liberty. This uniform was tailor made out of the best cloth that could be bought. The tailors on Sand Street in Brooklyn, N.Y. made a fortune making uniforms for sailors."

GEST (originally from Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York) :-)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: JWB
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 02:18 AM

Anglo,

The CD ain't fancy, but you can understand the words very well and there are some rare songs on it. I can recommend it. The website given in the notes is up (after being under construction for a while), but they don't yet have it set up to sell on-line. Here's the link: www.saltydick.com

As for Sand Street and Chinatown, I'm inclined to go with Brooklyn, based on the evidence in this post and in the song. New York has a Chinatown, just as does San Francisco, (though neither is actually at the water's edge). But the lyrics of the song point to a naval origin, as opposed to the merchant service("So back to the *sickbay* my punt I did skull", and I'll wager that Sand Street in Brooklyn, with its shops catering to swabs, would have had a fair number of round-the-corner-Sallys patrolling it. But I'm still open minded, and willing to be persuaded by evidence.

Anyone care to make a case for San Francisco or another port?

Jerry

link corrected - joeclone

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: GEST
Date: 30 Jun 04 - 03:17 PM

I'll make a case against San Francisco simply because the old Sand Hills were moved many, many years ago (19th c.) to help fill some of the bay's marsh areas. Perhaps it was because of this and perhaps the founding fathers had had their fill of sand, but there is no Sand Street in San Francisco. :-)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: GUEST,eddiec
Date: 04 Nov 08 - 01:13 PM

It's Liverpool between China Town, the Cathedral and the docks
Bit late??

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Les from Hull
Date: 04 Nov 08 - 01:31 PM

Do you mean Strand Street?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 05 Nov 08 - 08:58 AM

No Sand Street in Liverpool, according to Google (and they know everything).

Ross

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jan 09 - 09:48 AM

There was a Sand Street in LIverpool in the 19th century.
Kev

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 06 Jan 09 - 09:50 PM

My original inclination was Sand Street, near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but I suspect that it was meant as a generic name in the song.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Which Sailortown has Sand Street?
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 07 Jan 09 - 07:50 AM

sounds like shifting sands to me.

Isn't a "Strand" the sea shore and as such would be a street made of sand before they tarmaced. Just a thought........