The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-07-17
"CHANTIRS."
Some OF the Queer Songs That sesiora
Sing While at Work.

From Black and White
Chanties are songs sung by sailors =,
tighten the tedium of their work. Soma
are used while at the windlass In heayins
up an anchor, others IN making sail ~
sweating up ropes; and there are also
chanties that are sung at the pumps, rany.
ing from the light and frivolous, used when
the ordinary bilge water Is being pumns6
out, to the sad and pathetic, which are soma-
times chanted while half the crew are irving
70 Keep ship afioat and the other half hsys
to clear the boats ready for leaving her.
AS sailor OF many years experience. I
may safely state that the chanty bears no
relationship whatever 20 the modern sep.
song, With its inevitable refrain of "Yeo.n
or "Hillee Haullee," and its illusions tn
Polly and Nancy. In fact l cannot call to
/ mind one in which these young ladies are
mentioned at all. The sailors heroine in the
chanty is generally a certain Sally Brown.
who appears In great many of them. In
one she figures as tisherman's daughter, in
another as a bright mulatto, and In all as
Jacks darling and the object of his court.
ship. Suke. Sal and Kitty we hear of in
turn. There is an outward-bound windass
chantv in which an afPectionate adieu ia
| hidden to damsels Of these names.
We're outward bound, heard him say,
"GoOd-bY, fare you well.
To Suke and Sal, and Kitty, too,
Good by, fare you well.
We're outward bound"
This song, with little transportation, does
also for a homeward-bound vessel, there
being girls to leave behind and bid farewell
to in every port Kitty is also immortalized
in q beautiful Old chanty:
Haul on the bovine,
Kitty is my darling"
But the Polles and Nancies OF the drawing
room nautical ditties are quite unknown in
the sailing ships Of the merchant service.
In ''chantying," one man sings the air,
and is called the chantyman, while the
others take up the chorus, which comes in
every other line AS the songs are necessa-
| rily long. to suit the time taken to heaveup
an anchor or hoist q sail, the verses have to
be added to or invented, or spun out by the
chantYmaD, and frequently become some
what drIvelinR toward the close, though l
| have beard some old salts 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 officers chance to be uu-
popular, or the food more than usually
loathsome. But these illusions ara gener-
| ally tackled on after the old story has been
| thoroughly hammered out.
The words of these old song 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 hauls
yard chanty which tells the story of the re-
treat of Napoleon |. from Moscow, though
| the chentymen 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 Boney was a warrior,
Chorus: To me Way-ay-ohi
Old Boney was warrior,
John Francois"
We follow the warrior to Moscow
| through endless verses and NUNS
erous vicissitudes, until we find that
Moscow was a-blazing
To me way-sy-oh.
After which a sudden end is put to every
body as follows:
50 they all died of frost and cold
John Francois.
Among the many topsail haulyard chan
ties very favorite one goes at great length
| to tell the story of the difficulties of one
! "Reuben Runzo," who, having shipped on
wnaler, and being unable to do his duty
was taken to the gangway, where he was
| severely rope's-ended, which castigation
seems to have done him so much good that
! after a few more staDZas 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 lien With a gen.
erous amount OF grog, which probably &C
| counts for his popularity; and the lines all
| luding 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 allow The words OF several of
these, more or Jess historical songs refer to
America, some of them. no doubt, dating
before the war of independence. A pretty
| md fall fha fal a M anil Oxs
who fell desperately IN love with ths
daughter OF "Shannador," whoever he may
| have been.
20. Shannador, love your daughter,
| Hooroar. Rolling river!
| Q, Shannador, love your daughter,
Ha-ah-we're bound away
| For the big Missouri"
| It goes on with the ordinary story of how
Jack tried for seven long years to gain the
| affections Of the girl, only to find at the end
of that time that she had forsaken him for
| a soldier, very common chanty catas-
trophe. Another, which evidently alluded
to some American fight and hero, runs as
| follows:
"Ol Santi- Annals gained the day,
HOoroar. Santi-Anna;
0 Santi-Anna'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 etysium of sailors, Radcliffe
High way, is by no means forgotten in the
songs they sing when very far away from
| it. One runs thus:
GAS Jack was a-walking down Radcliffe High
| way,
A fair pretty maiden he claimed to espy;
| But when he did see her most beautiful face
Why, he hoisted his topsails and for her gave
| chase.
To me 'ow dow derry way"
After relating the sailors adventures with
this damsel, which occupy many verses and
are not always fit to mention In the 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 whom yon go on the spree:
And all you young maidens take warning
! pray
Don't rattle your rigging own Radcliffe High
| way.
TO me 'ow dow derry way"
Superstitions are not by any means for
gotten in these sea songs. One alludes with
great distinctness TO the bad effects of set
ting sail on Friday. and ono that in bad
weather is used when furling a foresail or
mainsail, as the "buntn is being rolled, tells
strange tale IL runs:
"Away-ay-ay-ay-oh
| Well pay Paddy Doyle for his boots"
1t is supposed to originate in the idea that
man once sailed without paying his boot