MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER
When the editor suggested I should write about Songs of the Sea, my mind went into a fog. I'm not really a water person - more of a Little Old Wine Drinker - and the only song which immediately came into my head was the above, although it's not really a sailing song.
Then I recalled those glorious sea shanties we all used to sing at school - that's something else modern kids are missing out on. My favourite was "A-Roving", and little did I know then how true were the words, "Since roving's been my ruin, I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid."
Another favourite was "The Mermaid" - a rousing shanty of roaring, raging seas, sailor boys aloft and landlubbers lying down below. Many years later I was to recall the words of "The Bay of Biscay" as the ferry on which I was travelling from northern Spain to Plymouth was forced to lay anchor during the mother and father of all storms.
More recently, I was talking to my window cleaner who happened to be a member of a group of singers who performed folk songs and shanties around local pubs and clubs here in Plymouth. He told me there was to be a concert up on The Hoe the following Sunday lunchtime, so along I went. It was a memorable experience, with an audience mainly comprised of obviously nautical elderly men, sitting in a large tent and singing "What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?" Many bottles of wine - and maybe rum - were being passed amongst them during the singing, which added considerably to the atmosphere.
All of these songs were, of course, traditional, handed down over the years. I was surprised to discover that "trad" was the composer of a song, which I had always regarded as modern. "The Sloop John B" was a big hit for The Beach Boys in the 1960's and I assumed it was written about that time. I discovered my error while visiting an intriguing site on the Internet to research this article. The site - scubamom.com - contains a wealth of material covering matters nautical, including a library of songs.
It's neatly divided into categories to suit all tastes. For example there's "For Romantic Sailors" which includes, somewhat surprisingly, the Rod Stewart popular hit "Sailing". "For Junior Sailors" features "Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore" and Shirley Temple's "The Good Ship Lollipop". Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat Song" makes an appearance as does the song from the German war film "Das Boot".
I was drawn, for some reason, to a song entitled, "Boat Drinks". It turned out to be modern folk and contains the lyrics:
" Waitress, I need two more boat drinks
Before I go where it's warm;
I Gotta go where it's warm."
Reading this, I was suddenly transported back in time to sunny Algarve, where I spent many rest days, for more than twenty happy years, just messing about on boats.
by
michael Johnson
Then I recalled those glorious sea shanties we all used to sing at school - that's something else modern kids are missing out on. My favourite was "A-Roving", and little did I know then how true were the words, "Since roving's been my ruin, I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid."
Another favourite was "The Mermaid" - a rousing shanty of roaring, raging seas, sailor boys aloft and landlubbers lying down below. Many years later I was to recall the words of "The Bay of Biscay" as the ferry on which I was travelling from northern Spain to Plymouth was forced to lay anchor during the mother and father of all storms.
More recently, I was talking to my window cleaner who happened to be a member of a group of singers who performed folk songs and shanties around local pubs and clubs here in Plymouth. He told me there was to be a concert up on The Hoe the following Sunday lunchtime, so along I went. It was a memorable experience, with an audience mainly comprised of obviously nautical elderly men, sitting in a large tent and singing "What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?" Many bottles of wine - and maybe rum - were being passed amongst them during the singing, which added considerably to the atmosphere.
All of these songs were, of course, traditional, handed down over the years. I was surprised to discover that "trad" was the composer of a song, which I had always regarded as modern. "The Sloop John B" was a big hit for The Beach Boys in the 1960's and I assumed it was written about that time. I discovered my error while visiting an intriguing site on the Internet to research this article. The site - scubamom.com - contains a wealth of material covering matters nautical, including a library of songs.
It's neatly divided into categories to suit all tastes. For example there's "For Romantic Sailors" which includes, somewhat surprisingly, the Rod Stewart popular hit "Sailing". "For Junior Sailors" features "Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore" and Shirley Temple's "The Good Ship Lollipop". Harry Belafonte's "Banana Boat Song" makes an appearance as does the song from the German war film "Das Boot".
I was drawn, for some reason, to a song entitled, "Boat Drinks". It turned out to be modern folk and contains the lyrics:
" Waitress, I need two more boat drinks
Before I go where it's warm;
I Gotta go where it's warm."
Reading this, I was suddenly transported back in time to sunny Algarve, where I spent many rest days, for more than twenty happy years, just messing about on boats.
by
michael Johnson
