Morning journal and courier., 1892-07-20

from the light and frivolous, used when
the Urinary bilge water is being pumped
out, to the sad and pathetic, which are
sometimes chanted while half the crew are
trying to keep a ship sfioat and the other
half have to clesr the boats ready for leav-
ing her.
As sailor of many years. experience, 1
may safely state that the chanty bears no
relationship whatever to the modern sea-
song, with its inevitable refrain of srYeo.n
"Hillee Haullee," and its allusions to Polly
and Nancy. In fact, / cannot call to mind
one In which these young ladies are men
toned at all. The sailors heroine In the
chanty is generally certain Sally Brown,
who appears in great many of them. In
one she figures as q fisherman's daughter,
in smother as q bright mulstto, and In ali
as Jacks darling and the object of bis
courtship. Suke, Sal and Kitty we hear
of in turn. There is an outward-bound
windlass chanty in which an sffectionate
adieu is hidden to dsmsels of these names
We're outward bound, heard him say,
Goodbye, fare you well,
To snke and Sal and Kitty: too.
Goodbye, fare you well,
This song, with little transposition, does
also for a homeward- bound vessel, there
being girls to leave behind and bid fare
we'll to in every port Kitty is also i'm
| mortalized In beautiful old ehanty;
Haul on the bowlne,
Kitty Is my darling"
But the Polliss and Nanciss of the draw
| ing-room nautical ditties are quite un-
known in the sailing ships OF the mer-
chant service.
In "chantying" one man sings the air,
nd fo IA r. -
others take up the chorus, which comes In
every other line As the songs are neces-
| sarily long, to suit the time taken to hesve
up an anchor or hoist a sail, the verses
have to be added to, or invented, or spun
out by the chautymsn, and frequently be-
| come somewhat dwelling toward the
| close, though 1 have heard some old sslts
able to go on with really clever verses for
| great length of time. Many sarcastic
illusions are made to such current events
| as happen on board, especially If the Off
GERS chance TO be unpopular, or the food
| more than usually loathsome. But these
| illusions are generally tackled on after the
old story has been thoroughly hammered
| out.
The words of these old songs are often
historical. Where some of them have
| come from is a mystery almost as great as
| many of the people and events they allude
to; but occasionally we find one the origin
| of which is clear enough. There is q top
| sail haulysrd chanty which tells the story
of the retreat of Napoleon I. from Mos
| cow, though the chantyman of the period
who first reeled off the words as the spirit
moved him does not appear to have been
| much of poet.
Solo: "old Bony was a warrior,
Chorus To me way-ay-oh!
Old Bony was a warrior,
John Francois"
We follow the warrior to Moscow
| through endless verses and numerous vi
! cissitudes, until we find that
Moscow was n blazing
To me way-ay-oh."
After which sudden end is put to every
body as follows:
so they all died OF frost and cold
John Francois"
Among the many topssil haulyard chan
ties very fsvorite one goes at great length
to tell the story of the difficulties of one
"Reuben Ranzo," who, having shipped on
a whsler, and being unable to do his duty,
was taken to the gangway, where he was
severely ropes ended, which castigation
seems to have done him 60 much good that
after few more stanzss we find him an
excellent skipper.
Now Ranzo Is our old man (captAin),
Ranzo-boys-Ranzo."
| This lyric goes on to say that Ranzo was q
| captain who supplied his men with q gen.
erous amount of grog, which probably &C.
| counts for his popularity; and the lines
| alluding to this trait in his character are
| sung in a very pointed manner when the
| captain is near, on a ship where no grog
or very little is allowed. The words of
| several of these more or less historical
| songs refer to America, some of them, no
| doubt, dating before the war of Indepen-
dence- A pretty and pathetic one tells
the tale of sailor who fell desperately in
love with the daughter of "ShannAdor,"
whoever he may have been.
"oh, shannador; 1 love your daughter.
Hooroar, Rolling river.
Oh. Shannador, love your daughter.
For the bright Missouri"
1t goes on with the ordinary story of how
Jack tried for seven long years to gain the
affections of the girl, only to fud at the
end of that time that she had forsAken
him for soldier, very common chsnty
catastrophe. Another, which evidently
alluded to some American fight and hero,
runs as follows:
Hooroar. Santi-auna;
oh! SauttAnna's gained the day,
all on the plains OF Mexico"
Many refer to Sandy Hook and New
York, and more especially the New York
girls. That elysium of sailors, Ratcliffe
| Highway, is by no means forgotten in the
songs they sing when very far away from
it. One runs thus:
AS JACK was a-wslkipg down Ratclifre High
A fair pretty maiden he chanced to espy;
| But when he did see her most beautiful face
why, he hoisted his top sai's and for her gave
1 chase,
TO me 'ow di-'ow derry way"
After relating the sailors adventures with
this damfel, which occupy many verses
4 a,,1 taf, . -. -, -
politest or most refined society, the song
| goes on to point its moral.
| Now all you young sailors take warning by me.
| Avoid the Highway when you go on the spree;
Don't rattle your Rigging down Ratciiffe High.
| TO me 'ov dow derry way"
Superstitions are not by any means for
gotten in these sea-songs. One alludes
| with great distinctuess to the bad effects
of setting sail on Friday, and one that
in bad weather is used when furling a
foresail or mainsail, as the ''bunt" is being
rolled, tells a strange tale. 1t rune:
Wen yfz4HyoyesssIhGs pay fsddy Doyle sSr his boots"
1t is supposed to originate in the idea that
O man once sailed without paying his
boot-maker Hence this token of peni-
tence and promise of amendment which 10
sung to propitiate the fury of the Storm
King or fend who, in answer to the curses
of Paddy Doyle, the disappointed shoe
maker, Is imagined to be pursuing the
ship. Fanciful and really poetical ideas
are not wanting in these relics of the re-
mote nautical ages. While making sail
after gale the following is sung:
.old storm-aiong is dead and gone;
| Ay-ay-ay-is the seamens cry;"
which has for refrain in second and third
verses,
/