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03 Aug 21 - 04:36 PM (#4115297) Subject: Banana Boat Song Written by Tony O'Neill From: GUEST,RogerTCB BBC News - Ever Given: Cargo ship that blocked Suez Canal arrives in Felixstowe https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-58078100 Quite a lot of the contents of the containers on this much delayed ship were perishable and I'm reminded of the song that was written by the late Tony O'Neill of his time as a merchant seaman, when a ship load of rotting bananas had to be hoisted up and thrown overboard at sea before his ship was allowed to dock. Does anyone have the title, words or recording of this because it seems very apposite right now. |
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03 Aug 21 - 07:46 PM (#4115314) Subject: RE: Banana Boat Song Written by Tony O'Neill From: Stilly River Sage BANANA BOAT SONG here at Mudcat. |
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03 Aug 21 - 08:43 PM (#4115318) Subject: RE: Banana Boat Song Written by Tony O'Neill From: Joe Offer Hi, Roger - I did my usual searching and didn't come up with anything. Can anybody tell us more about Tony O'Neill the singer, and lead us to his songs? The song sounds interesting. I did find a Tony O'Neill in a band called "The Bushwackers" - is that the same Tony? |
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03 Aug 21 - 09:30 PM (#4115326) Subject: RE: Banana Boat Song Written by Tony O'Neill From: GUEST,# An additional question for Roger: When and where did you first hear the song? An approximate date would be great, thank you. |
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03 Aug 21 - 11:52 PM (#4115334) Subject: RE: Banana Boat Song Written by Tony O'Neill From: vectis Tilapa Tirade Tony O'Neill Three weeks at anchor, swinging in Cowes Roads, Tilapa, Tucurinca, Tarialba and Tela. Three weeks at anchor but no liberty boats, Chuck 'em in, hoist 'em up and throw 'em over! Chuck 'em in, hoist 'em up and throw 'em over! The dockies are strikin', there's bananas in the hold, Jamaican bananas, all green turning gold. Orders came to lift the hook and sail for the west, Feed the cargo to the sharks, a meal of the very best. The Mate's loafin' on the deck and the Second Mate too, Third Mate's lurkin' in the hold, chuckin' in with crew. The Third "E" and the Fourth "E" and the Juniors all, The Bosun and the Chippy all havin' a ball. There's bananas for breakfast and bananas for lunch, Bananas for dinner, in your cabin another bunch! There's banana fritters and banana soup (eeuch), If we see another banana, we'll belt the bloody cook! One hundred and forty thousand boxes gone, We scraped 'em from the lower hold, cor...what a pong! Eight hours to the Pilot, nearing Barrios town, Spanish "ladies" all around and Cuba Libres abound. Now we're loadin' bananas for the New Orleans quay, "Chiquita" bananas, they can have 'em says we!... Based on true events which occurred on SS "Tilapa" commencing Cowes Week, around 1974, caused by one of the many national dock strikes. Though after ten days steaming slowly back over the Atlantic dumping 50lb boxes of bananas all the way there was general agreement amongst the crew that the "****in' dockies" deserved everything that came to them! Written mainly in Flensburg, in August 1984. 'Chuck 'em in, hoist 'em up and throw them over' refers to the use of cargo nets to dump the bananas |
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04 Aug 21 - 11:54 AM (#4115389) Subject: RE: Banana Boat Song Written by Tony O'Neill From: Mick Pearce (MCP) Tony O'Neill and his wife Pearl used to run the Maidenhead folk club (Berkshire England). After Pearl died he moved to Whitby and he himself died a few years ago after a fall at home. He was known by the Mudcat handle The Admiral and his obit thread is here: 2019 Obit:Tony O'Neill (The Admiral) RIP Mick |