Handsome Cabin Boy, The

Cabin.jpg

A popular broadside ballad of shipboard carryings-on.
This version from Louis Killen; it derives from that sung by one of the
greatest ballad singers of all times, Jeannie Robertson of Aberdeen.
The sailors made up these tales to amuse themselves on their long
voyages.

The guitar on this is a Rickenbacker 730L/12 acoustic, in two
inversions, E and with a capo on the second fret in the D position.

Lyrics:
E D E
It’s of a pretty female as you will understand
Her mind was set on rambling into a foreign land
She dressed herself in man’s attire and boldly did appear
And she engaged with a captain to serve him for a year.

The captain’s lady being on board, she seemed in great joy
To think that the captain had engaged such a handsome cabin boy
And many’s the time she cuddled and kissed, and she would have
liked to toy
But ’twas the captain found out the secret of the handsome cabin
boy

Her cheeks they were like roses, her hair was all a-curl
The sailors often smiled and said, he looks just like a girl
But eating the captain’s biscuit, well, her color it did destroy
And the waist did swell of pretty Nell, the handsome cabin boy.

It’s doctor, dearest doctor, the cabin boy did cry
My time has come, I am undone, surely I must die
The doctor ran with all his might, a-smiling at the fun
For to think a cabin boy could have a daughter or a son

Now when the sailors heard the joke, they all began to stare
The child belongs to none of us, they solemnly did swear
And the lady to the captain said ‘My dear I wish you joy
For it was either you or I betrayed the handsome cabin boy.’

Come all of you bold fellows and we’ll drink success to trade
And likewise to the cabin boy who was neither man nor maid
And if the wars should rise again, us sailors to destroy
Well, here’s hoping for a jolly lot more like the handsome cabin
boy.
� 1998 McGuinn Music – Roger McGuinn

Bound To Australia

Ship_w.gif

Lyrics:
D G
I am leaving old England, the land that I love
D A7 D A7
And I’m bound for across the sea;
D G
Oh, I’m bound for Australia, the land of the free
D A7 D
Where there’ll be a welcome for me.

When I board me ship for the southward to go
She’ll be looking so trim and so fine,
And I’ll land me aboard, with me bags and me stores
From the dockside they’ll cast off each line

Chorus

D G
So fill up your glasses and drink what you please
D A7 D A7
For whatever’s the damage I’ll pay
D G
So be easy and free, while you’re drinkin’ with me,
D A7 D
I’m a man you don’t meet every day!

To land’s end we’ll tow, with our boys all so tight,
Wave a hearty good-bye to the shore,
And we’ll drink the last drop to our country’s green land
And the next day we’ll nurse our heads sore.

We’ll then pass Cape Looin all shipshape and trim,
Then head up for Adelaide Port,
Off Semaphore Roads we will there drop our hook,
And ashore boys we’ll head for some sport.

Chorus

When I’ve worked in Australia for twenty long years,
One day will I head homeward bound,
With a nice little fortune tucked under me wing
By a steamship I’ll travel I’m bound

So ’tis good-bye to Sally and good-bye to Sue
When I’m leavin’ Australia so free
Where the gals are so kind, but the one left behind
Is the one that will one day splice me.

Chorus

� 1998 McGuinn Music Roger McGuinn

Finnegan's Wake

finnegan.gif

Finnegan's Wake is an old Irish tune, but these words were added later for music-hall use during the Victorian era. Some Irish people have objected to them as an English inspired stereotype, but I first heard this song sung by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, at the Gate of Horn in Chicago, in the late 50s. To me, no one was more Irish than they were. Here it is in honor of Saint Patrick's Day.
Lyrics:
[C] Tim Finnegan lived on [Am] Walker Street
And a [F] gentle, Irishman, [G] mighty odd;
[C] He'd a beautiful brogue [Am] so rich and sweet
And to [F] rise in the world he [G] carried a [C] hod.
You see he'd a sort o' the [Am] tipplin' way
With a [C] love of the liquor poor [Am] Tim was born
And to [C] help him on with his [Am] work each day
He'd a [F] 'drop of the cray-thur' [G] every [C] morn.

Chorus:
[C] Whack fol the die do, [Am] dance to your partner
[F] Welt the floor, your [G] trotters shake;
[C] Wasn't it the [Am] truth I told you
[F] Lots of fun at [G] Finnegan's [C] wake!

2. One mornin' Tim was rather full
His head felt heavy which made him shake;
He fell from the ladder and broke his skull
And they carried him home his corpse to wake.
They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
And laid him out upon the bed,
With a gallon of whiskey at his feet
And a barrel of porter at his head.
Chorus:

3. His friends assembled at the wake
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch,
First they brought in tea and cake
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch.
Biddy O'Brien began to cry
'Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see?
'Tim, mavourneen, why did you die?'
'Arragh, hold your gob' said Paddy McGee!
Chorus:
4. Then Maggie O'Connor took up the job
'O Biddy,' says she, 'You're wrong, I'm sure'
Biddy gave her a belt in the gob
And left her sprawlin' on the floor.
And then the war did soon engage
'Twas woman to woman and man to man,
Shillelagh law was all the rage
And the row and eruption soon began.
Chorus:

5. Then Mickey Maloney raised his head
When a noggin of whiskey flew at him,
It missed, and fallin' on the bed
The liquor scattered over Tim!
Tim revives! See how he raises!
Timothy rising from the bed,
Says,'Whirl your whiskey around like blazes
Thanum o'n Dhoul! Did you think I'm dead?'
Chorus:

Brandy Leave Me Alone

brandy.gif

This can be taken either as a love song, or as a cry
for deliverance from alcohol abuse. It’s origins are said to be African.
In honor of February 14, I prefer to interpret this as a romantic song.
Lyrics:
E
Oh, Brandy, leave me alone
A
Oh, Brandy, leave me alone
B7
Oh, Brandy, leave me alone
E
Remember I must go home

My home it is far away
My home it is far away
My home it is far away
Remember I cannot stay

Oh Brandy, you broke my heart
Oh Brandy, you broke my heart
Oh Brandy, you broke my heart
Remember that we must part

Oh, Brandy, leave me alone
Oh, Brandy, leave me alone
Oh, Brandy, leave me alone
Remember I must go home

My home it is far away
My home it is far away
My home it is far away
Remember I cannot stay

Oh Brandy, you broke my heart
Oh Brandy, you broke my heart
Oh Brandy, you broke my heart
Remember that we must part

� 1998 McGuinn Music – Roger McGuinn

Cold Cold Coast of Greenland, The

Cold.jpg

This is a variation of a mid seventeenth century
naval war ballad, The Lowlands of Holland. A newly married couple is
torn apart by the practice of recruiting young men against their will,
and placing them in harms way on whaling vessels. As a result of losing
her husband, the young woman goes insane and vows never to enjoy the
pleasures of life again. The last verse is a common theme in Greenland
whaling songs.
Lyrics:
Dm C
Last night I was a-married and on my marriage bed
Dm C Dm
There came a bold sea captain and he stood at my bed’s head
Dm C
Saying ‘Arise arise you brisk bonny lad and come along with me
Dm C Dm
To the cold cold coast of Greenland and the sperm whale fishery’

She held her love all in her arms a-thinking he might stay
Till the cru-el captain came again he was forced to go away
‘It’s many a bright and bold young man must sail this night with me
To the cold cold coast of Greenland and the sperm whale fishery’

Her love he went on shipboard and a lofty ship was she
With a score of bold young whaler men to bear him company
But the main mast and the riggin’ they lie buried in the sea
Off the cold cold coast of Greenland in the sperm whale fishery

Said the father to the daughter ‘What makes you so lament?
There’s many a lad in our town can give your heart’s content’
‘There is no lad in all our town, no lord nor duke said she
Can ease my mind now the stormy wind has claimed my love from me’

No shoe nor stocking I’ll put on nor comb go in my hair
Nor broad daylight nor candle light shall in my room appear
Nor shall I wed with any young man until the day I die
Now the cold cold coast of Greenland has parted my love and I

Oh Greenland is a dreadful place, a place that’s never green
It’s too wild a habitation for a lover to be in
Where the icebergs grow and the whales do blow and the sunset’s
never seen
And the cold cold coast of Greenland lies between my love and me

� 1998 McGuinn Music – Roger McGuinn

Mary Had A Baby

Mary.jpg

This is an old Christmas spiritual that I found without a melody. In keeping with the folk process, I came up with a tune.

My guitar is tuned down to C#, where Lead Belly used to tune his Stella 12-string.

Lyrics:
[E] Mary had a baby oh my Lord
[A] Mary had a baby oh my Lord
[G] Mary had a baby [B7] oh my Lord
[A] People keep a-comin' an' the [B7] train done gone

What did she name Him oh my Lord
What did she name Him oh my Lord
What did she name Him oh my Lord
People keep a-comin' an' the train done gone

She named Him Jesus oh my Lord
She named Him Jesus oh my Lord
She named Him Jesus oh my Lord
People keep a-comin' an' the train done gone

Where was He born oh my Lord
Where was He born oh my Lord
Where was He born oh my Lord
People keep a-comin' an' the train done gone

Born in a stable oh my Lord
Born in a stable oh my Lord
Born in a stable oh my Lord
People keep a-comin' an' the train done gone

And where did she lay Him oh my Lord
And where did she lay Him oh my Lord
And where did she lay Him oh my Lord
People keep a-comin' an' the train done gone

She laid Him in a manger oh my Lord
She laid Him in a manger oh my Lord
She laid Him in a manger oh my Lord
People keep a-comin' an' the train done gone

Copyright (c) 1998
Roger McGuinn
McGuinn Music

Wagoner’s Lad

wagoner.gif

Last week, I had the pleasure of performing at a
tribute concert for The Harry Smith Anthology, sponsored by the
Smithsonian, The Folk Alliance, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was a wonderful night of music and re-acquaintance with old
friends. Ella Jenkins was there, whom I hadn’t seen in over thirty
years, as well as the New Lost City Ramblers, and new friends, Jeff and
Jay from Wilco.

This is one of my favorite songs from the Anthology. It’s one of
those melodies that stays with you long after you’ve heard the song.

The original recording is from 1928, by Buell Kazee, with just vocal
and 5-string banjo. I have done it again, keeping the sound as close to
the original as possible.

The format is interesting; the first verse is by a narrator, the
second by the girl, the third by the boy and the fourth and fifth verses
are split between the boy and girl.

She’s trying to talk the Wagoner’s Lad into staying with her, and he’s dead set on leaving.

Lyrics:
[G] Oh hard is the [C] fortune of all women [G] kind.
They’re [D] always [G] controlled, they’re always [D] confined
Controlled by their [G] parents until they are [D] brides
Then [C] slaves to their husbands for the rest of their [G] lives

Oh I am a poor girl, my fortune is sad
I have always been courted by the wagoner’s lad
He courted me daily both by night and by day
And now he is loaded and going away

Your parents don’t like me because I am poor
They say I’m not worthy of entering your door
I work for my living, my money’s my own
And if they don’t like me they can leave me alone

Your horses are hungry, go feed them some hay
Come sit down beside me as long as you may
My horses ain’t hungry, they won’t eat your hay
So fare thee well darling, I’ll be on my way

Your wagon needs greasing, your whip’s for to mend
Come sit down beside me as long as you can
My wagon is greasy, my whip’s in my hand
So fare thee well, darling, no longer to stand
� 1998 McGuinn Music – Roger McGuinn

Wild Goose

goose.gif

'Wild Goose' is a sea chantey, that some say has political overtones; the implication being that the 17th century Irish patriots who fled their country to take service with foreign kings were known as 'Wild Geese.'

But the song is also a subtle joke on the sailor's difficulty in luring pretty young women. The wild goose is a fresh water bird and would not be seen flying over the ocean for any extended period of time.

When we were in Anchorage last month, a flock of wild geese flew in and landed on a portion of Cook Inlet, behind our hotel. We were walking after dinner, and loved the sight, and sounds of the birds honking in the twilight. I sang this song to them, and as I sang, they stopped honking and listened. As soon as I finished, the honking resumed! I repeated this several times, and each time they would quiet down during the song. It was amazing!

Lyrics:
Did you ever see a wild goose
Sailin' o'er the ocean?
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!
It be just like one of them pretty girls
When she gets the notion
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!

The other day I was walking down by the river
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!
When I spied one of them pretty girls, her topsails all a-twitter
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!

I said 'Fair young maden, how you doin' this mornin'?
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!
She said' 'None the better for the seeing of you.'
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!

Did you ever see a wild goose
Sailin' o'er the ocean?
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!
It be just like one of them pretty girls
When she gets the notion
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way- hey-ay!

Go To Sea Once More

Sea.gif

‘Go To Sea Once More’ is a favorite song of mine. I
have wonderful memories of walking into the old Gate of Horn in Chicago,
and hearing Alan Rebeck and Albert Grossman singing it. They would be
at a table near the door, Alan would straddle his chair with its back
facing outward and his classical guitar propped on top. He and Grossman
would harmonize on this and other sea chanteys for hours.

This, as many a sailing song, warns of the dangers of the sea as well of those of shore leave.

I decided to record this song for the Folk Den because we’re on tour
in Anchorage, Alaska, and there is a reference to the Acrtic Sea in the
song. I don’t know of an Arctic Sea, but there is an Arctic Ocean on the
north coast of this state.

Thanks to Anchorage radio station, KOOL FM for donating their studio
and to Brian Roberts ( kool973@alaska.net ) for engineering the
recording.

Lyrics:
When [Em] first I come to [D] Liverpool, I [C] went upon a [Em] spree
Me money at last I spent it fast, got drunk as [D] drunk could [B7] be
And [Em] when me money was all gone ’twas then that I [D] wanted [B7] more
[Em] But a man must be blind or be [D] out of his mind to [C] go to sea once [Em] more

I spent that night with Angeline, too drunk to roll in bed
Me clothes they were new and me money was too in the morning with ’em she fled
And as I walked the streets alone, the whores they all did roar
There goes Jack Tarr, that poor sailor lad, he must go to sea once more

As I was walkin’ down the street, I run into Rapper Brown
I asked him for to take me in and he looked at me with a frown
He said last time you was on-board with me you chalked no score
But I’ll take your advance and I’ll give you the chance
and I’ll send you to sea once more

He shipped me aboard of a whaling ship bound for the Arctic Sea
Where the cold winds blow through the frost and the snow and Jamaica rum would freeze
Alas I had no luck with me gear, for I’d spent all me money ashore
‘Twas then that I wished that I was dead of safe with the girls ashore

Some days we catchin’ whales me lads some days we catching none
With a twenty foot oar stuck in your hand from four o’clock in the morn’
And when the day is over lads, you sit on your weary oar
It’s then that you wish that you were dead, you’d go to sea no more

So come all you bold seafaring lads who listen to my song
And when you go out on them long trips, pray that you don’t go wrong
Take my advice, drink no strong drink, don’t go sleepin’ with no whore
But get married lads and have all night in and go to sea no more

� 1998 McGuinn Music – Roger McGuinn

South Australia

australia.jpg

South Australia is a capstan shanty used by the wool traders who worked the clipper ships between Australian ports and London.

This is well known as a farewell song, sung at the docks as the big
ships were leaving. The men grew a sentimental attachment to the song
and were even known to request a rousing chorus on their death beds, so
that they could die happy.

Lyrics:
[D] In South Australia [G] I was [D] born
[G] Heave [D] away! [G] Haul [D] away!
[D] South Australia [A] round Cape [D] Horn
And we’re bound for [A] South [D] Australia

[G] Haul away you [D] rolling king
[G] Heave [D] away! [G] Haul [D] away!
[G] All the way you’ll [D] hear me sing
And we’re bound for [A] South [D] Australia

As I wlaked out one morning fair
Heave away! Haul away!
It’s there I met Miss Nancy Blair
And we’re bound for South Australia

There ain’t but one thing grieves my mind
Heave away! Haul away!
It’s to leave Miss Nancy Blair behind
And we’re bound for South Australia

I run her all night I run her all day
Heave away! Haul away!
Run her before we sailed away
And we’re bound for South Australia

I shook her up I shook her down
Heave away! Haul away!
I shook her round and round and round
And we’re bound for South Australia

And as you wollop round Cape Horn
Heave away! Haul away!
You’ll wish that you had never been born
And we’re bound for South Australia

� 1998 McGuinn Music Roger McGuinn