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03 Sep 11 - 04:01 PM (#3217693) Subject: Lyr Add: DRINK TO THE MEN WHO HAVE GONE ASHORE From: Charley Noble Here's a newly composed Singapore sailortown song inspired by a poem by marine engineer and writer William McFee. There wasn't a lot to the original verses but I liked the chorus and with the help of Stan Hugill's description of Singapore from his book Sailortown I've composed a tale which I hope is infused with the right spirit (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up the chords): By William McFee, 1909 From Songs of the Sea and Sailors' Chanteys, edited by Robert Frothingham, published by Houghton Mifflin Co., Cambridge, US, © 1924, p. 208; first published in The New York Evening Post. Verses by Charles Ipcar, © 2011 Tune: Charles Ipcar, © 2011 Drink to the Men Who've Gone Ashore Dm--C--Dm-------C---F-----Dm--C---- Dm Now the Skipper and Chief have gone ashore -----------------F----C-Dm They're off to Sail-or-town, --------Gm--------------------Dm---F-Dm So I'll tell you a tale of Old Sing-a-pore, -------------C---Dm-C-----Dm While we pass the bottle round. ---Gm----------------------Dm-F-Dm I'll tell you a tale of Old Sing-a-pore, ----Gm-------------Dm Of famous Malay Street, ------Gm---------------Dm-F--Dm With its samshu dives by the score, -----------C---Dm-C------Dm And the rick-sha girls so sweet. Chorus: Dm-------C------F----Dm--- C-----Dm So drink to the men who've gone ashore, --------------------F-------C----Dm With a one-two-three – rum-tum! Gm--------------------------Dm--F------Dm Half a dozen men on the mess room floor, C-----------------------------F----C-Dm Drink to the men who've gone a-shore, Gm-------------------------Dm-----F--Dm Six good men with their throats all sore – ----C--Dm-C---------Dm Yo ho for a bottle o' rum! As I was cruising down the Street, After a drop or twa, I spied a girl just like a pearl, Alone in a Jin-rick-sha. So pretty and neat with long black hair, Dressed in silks so fine, She smiled at me and waved her hand, And her jade green eyes did shine. (CHO) So I climbed aboard and off we rolled, Through the shadows of the night; Till we fetched up to her compound gate, Gleaming in the pale moonlight. She pulled the cord and a gong did sound, The dragon gate swung wide; She took my hand and led me on To her chamber deep inside. (CHO) She brought me a glass of samshu wine, And smiled at me again; She knelt beside me on the mat And my head began to spin; Now when I awoke, late next morn, My head was still aflame; I was lying naked on the quay, Bruised and in great pain. (CHO) So heed my warning, one and all, If you cruise Old Singapore, Don't cha spend your nights with the rick-sha girls, They'll rock and roll you sure; Don't cha spend your nights with the rick-sha girls, Don't cruise Old Singapore, But get married, lads, and settle down, And go to sea no more, And go to sea no more! Here's a link to an MP3 sample of how I sing this song: click here for mP3! By William McFee, 1909 From Songs of the Sea and Sailors' Chanteys, edited by Robert Frothingham, published by Houghton Mifflin Co., Cambridge, US, © 1924, p. 208; first published in The New York Evening Post. Drink to the Men Who Have Gone Ashore (original poem) The Skipper and Chief have gone ashore And each is a married man, So I'll tell you a tale of Singapore, Of the ladies of old Japan; The Second Mate's guitar will twang And everyone must sing While Geordie Muir o' Cambuslang Will gi' ye a Hielan fling: – O drink to the men who have Gone Ashore With a one-two-three – rum-tum! Half a dozen men on the Mess Room Floor, Drink to the men who have Gone Ashore – Yo ho for a bottle o' rum! I told the tale of Singapore And they laughed till the tears ran down, So I told another (they asked for more) Of dear old London Town: Then Geordie Muir, who'd been to Japan, He told us a tale or twa Of a little brown woman and a big brown man Alone in a Jin-rick-sha: – O drink to the men who have Gone Ashore (I 'spect they're drinkin' some). Half a dozen men on the Mess Room Floor, Six good men with their throats all sore Drinkin' to the men who have Gone Ashore – (Both of 'em married – O dear, O Lor!) Yo ho for a bottle o' rum! Notes from a contemporary reporter: Karayuki-san The development of the Japanese enclave in Singapore was connected to the establishment of brothels east of the Singapore River, namely along Hylam, Malabar, Malay and Bugis streets during the late 1890s. The Japanese prostitutes or Karayuki-san dubbed Malay Street as Suteretsu, a transliteration of the English word "street". A Japanese reporter in 1910 described the scene for the people of Kyushu in a local newspaper, the Fukuoka Nichinichi: Around nine o'clock, I went to see the infamous Malay Street. The buildings were constructed in a western style with their facades painted blue. Under the verandah hung red gas lanterns with numbers such as one, two or three, and wicker chairs were arranged beneath the lanterns. Hundreds and hundreds of young Japanese girls were sitting on the chairs calling out to passers-by, chatting and laughing... most of them were wearing yukata of striking colours... Most of them were young girls under 20 years of age. I learned from a maid at the hotel that the majority of these girls came from Shimabara and Amakusa in Kyushu. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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04 Sep 11 - 01:36 PM (#3218092) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Drink to the Men Who've Gone Ashore From: Charley Noble Two times around spins our gallant thread! Charley Noble |
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04 Sep 11 - 01:44 PM (#3218101) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Drink to the Men Who've Gone Ashore From: Q (Frank Staplin) Singapore now a financial capital. Such is progress! |
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04 Sep 11 - 04:21 PM (#3218179) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Drink to the Men Who've Gone Ashore From: Charley Noble Q- International finance, hmmmm? Less of an interesting topic for songwriting. Charley Noble |
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06 Sep 11 - 08:59 AM (#3218948) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Drink to the Men Who've Gone Ashore From: Charley Noble Three times around... Charley Noble |
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20 Oct 11 - 01:12 PM (#3241991) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Drink to the Men Who've Gone Ashore From: Charley Noble Here's an addition note on "samshu," which according to Stan Hugill, is a Chinese bean-wine, very fiery and potent. Cheerily, Charley Noble |