Up the rope and down the cable

Subject: Up the rope and down the cable
From: Jon W.
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 11:41 AM

Bob Flesher's recording of "O Lud Gals" begins: "It's up the rope and down the cable, forty horses in the stable." The first line seems like a nautical reference to me but I've never heard it in a shanty. Any one know anything about this phrase?

Subject: RE: Up the rope and down the cable
From: Amos
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 02:38 PM

Typically, the cable is used to describe either a large rope or a chain connecting the ship to its anchor. But I have never heard this phrase per se before.

There's a similar couplet yelled out at the end of "The Old Orange Flute" in the Clancy Brothers version, IIRC:

"Up a long ladder and down a short rope
Here's to King Billy, to hell with the Pope...."


A

Subject: RE: Up the rope and down the cable
From: gnomad
Date: 09 Mar 06 - 08:05 AM

Don't know about JW's phrase.

I would hazard a guess at the one in the Old Orange Flute being a reference to hanging someone. If the rope is shorter than the ladder then the feet will end up off the ground.

Subject: RE: Up the rope and down the cable
From: Jon W.
Date: 09 Mar 06 - 12:33 PM

Since I first posted I've found a couple more sources of this song - including Levy's Sheet Music Collection. They all start out the same. Just by context of the song, the line might be more of a riverboat reference than deep sea.