Around the Horn and Home Again

from "Hunger in the Air," by Phil Garland, 1987

1. I've traded with the Yankees, Brazilians and Chinese, ^one
   I've courted Maori beauties beneath the kauri trees. ²
   I've travelled along with a laugh and a song
   in the land where they call you lot mate, ³
   Around the Horn ⁴ and home again, for that is the sailor's fate.

       Across the Line ⁵ , the Gulf Stream ^vi , I've been in Table Bay ^seven
   Around the Horn and home again, for that is the sailor's manner.

   
   
2. I've run ashore in many a sound, without a airplane pilot aboard,
   Longboat lowered by lantern light, pushed off and gently oared.
   Row-lock ⁸ creaking, a thumping swell and a wind that'd make y'all anguish,
   Who would canvas the vii seas and share a sailor's fate?

   

3. We've sailed away to Northward, we've hauled away to East,
   Nosotros've trimmed our sail in the teeth of a gale and stood in the calmest seas.
   We've set our course past a Southern Star, past Stewart ^ix through the Strait, ¹⁰
   Westward round by Milford Sound, ¹¹ for that is the crewman'southward fate.

1. Brazilians and Chinese. His ship had probably docked in the harbours of the
Rio Grande and Shanghai.2. B eneath the kauri copse . The huge old kauris grow in Northland and Coromandel
in New Zealand. The sailor was probably whaling out of 1830s Kororareka in
Northland.3. Where they call you mate. Australia. Sealers were working out of Sydney harbour.
But see 13 below.4. Around the Horn. Greatcoat Horn is at the bottom of South America. Earlier the Panama
Canal was built, this was the sea route from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.
Very cold and stormy.5. Across the Line. The Equator, a line on the map. Hot and often windless.
Sailing ships could be becalmed for days on terminate.six. The Gulf Stream. A strong nor-easterly electric current flowing out of the Gulf of Mexico
and up the eastern cost of the USA.7. Table Bay. A natural harbour disregarded past Greatcoat Boondocks near the Cape of Good Hope
at the bottom of Arfica. Before the Suez Canal was built, this was the sea route
from the Atlantic to the Indian Bounding main, with a run downwind to New Zealand.

8. Row-lock. Information technology gives leverage to your oar. Pronounce information technology as "rollick."9. Stewart. Stewart Island is below New Zealand'due south two other bigger islands.
Wild, wet, windy, cold. x. The Strait is Foveaux Strait between Stewart Island and the South Island of NZ.
A crude and dangerous stretch of h2o. Sealers were working in this area
in the early 1800s.

11. Milford Sound. Sheltered harbour for sealers, 200 nautical miles nor'west of
Foveaux Strait.

1851 - Australian gold

In 1851, alluvial gold was discovered at Ballerat, 115 km north-west of Melbourne. Tens of thousands flocked to the diggings. Two tons of gold was banked every week.

In club to carry these miners, and supplies for them, more efficiently, and to get the gold back to England faster, clippers, bigger, narrower sailing ships with more sails, were brought into service, sailing the slap-up circle route that used the westerly gales far south of the Indian Body of water to reach Melbourne harbour, and the same westerlies south of the Pacific Body of water to return to England about half dozen months afterwards they left, having gone around the world and home again.

1861 - The Otago gilt blitz

British steam ships had been making ocean voyages since the 1830s. But they needed xl tons of coal a mean solar day, and could non comport plenty to reach Australia or New Zealand.

Early sailing ships carring passengers to New Zealand took 100-130 days to sail from England to New Zealand. Atmospheric condition on them were cramped and unhygenic and many passengers died, especially children.

But clipper ships in the 1860s did the trip to New Zealand in lxxx-100 days. And the ships were big, good for you and comfortable. The 1860s was the heyday of the clipper ships on the round-the earth-and-home-over again route.

1.  1866 - Allingham's poem

William Allingham (b. 1824, d. 1889) was built-in and raised in the port of Ballyshannon, in Galway Bay, Ireland, and every bit a young customs officer, he boarded sailing ships that had just returned from year-long round-the-world voyages.

He first published this verse form in the Tyrone Constitution, an Irish newspaper, in 1866, when he was 22 years old.

                HOMEWARD Spring

Head the ship for England, shake out every sail
Blithe spring the billows, merry sings the gale
Captain, work the reck'ning, how many knots a twenty-four hours?
Round the earth and home again, that's the sailor's manner!

We've traded with the Yankees, Brazilians, and Chinese
We've express mirth'd with dusky beauties, in shade of alpine palm trees
Beyond the Line and Gulf-stream, round by Table Bay
Everywhere and home again, that's the sailor'due south fashion!

Nightly stands the North Star, higher on our bow;
Directly we run for England, our thoughts are in it at present.
Jolly time with friends on shore, when we've fatigued our pay
All about and domicile once again, that's the sailor's way!

Tom volition to his parents, Jack will to his dear
Joe to wife and children, Bob to pipes and beer
Dicky to the dancing-room, to hear the fiddles play
Circular the world and abode over again, That'due south the crewman'due south fashion!

2. The Sailor's Way

Allingham'due south poem was soon developed into entertainment for sailors. This is a music hall tune, then it probably started as an on-shore song earlier beingness taken to bounding main. The written version is from the collection Stan Hugill. He was the shantyman on the Garthpool, the last British commercial sailing send, wrecked in 1929 off the Cape Verde Islands. His printed lyrics have exist bowdlerised to "We've courted gay Peruvian girls" simply cruder language would have been used aboard transport.

We've courted gay Peruvian girls and French girls and Chinese
Spanish girls and Dutch girls and dainty Japanese
To far Australia and Honolulu where the Hawaiian maidens play
A dissimilar girl in every port for that's the sailor's way

O shining is the northward star equally it hangs off our starboard bow
We're homeward bound for Liverpool town and our hearts are in it at present
for nosotros've crossed the line and the gulf stream, been round by Tabular array Bay
Around the Horn and dwelling again, for that's the sailor's way

And information technology's goodbye to Deirdre, we're off to sea one time more than
Crewman Jack e'er comes back to the gals he do adore
He'll cross the line and the gulf stream, go round by Table Bay
Effectually the Horn and abode once more for that'southward the crewman'south way

In calm or storm or pelting or smooth the shellback doesn't listen
On the ocean swell he works like hell for the gal he's left behind
He beats it north, he runs far s, he doesn't get much pay
He's always on a losing game, for that'south the sailor's style

We'll get paid off in Liverpool and go out on a spree
Nosotros'll swallow and drink and have some fun and forget the encarmine body of water
And Jack will go with his sugariness Marie and Pat with his 'Cushla play
Only I'll become drunk and plow in me bunk for that's the sailor's manner

And it'southward goodbye to Maggie, we're off to sea again
Sailor Jack e'er comes dorsum to the gals he do adore
He'll cross the line and the gulf stream, go round by Table Bay
Around the Horn and domicile again for that'south the crewman's way

1870s - Steam and the Suez Culvert

By 1870, steam ships could travel faster for longer distances, thanks to hgher banality pressures, chemical compound steam engines and stronger, lighter hull designs. They needed only 20 tonnes of coal to travel 450 km in 1 mean solar day.

And the Suez canal had opened for steamships, cutting 7000 km off the trip effectually the bottom of Africa. The steam ships returned to England the same Suez route. The days of the Roaring Forties and Greatcoat Horn were coming to an stop.

3. Yellow Girls

In that location is a version from Nova Scotia, collected by William Doerflinger in 1930, set to the melody of the epic slave ship chanty The Flying Cloud. Information technology is in his 1951 songbook, Shantymen and Shantyboys.

I've sailed among the Yankees, the Spaniards and Chinese.
I've lain down with the yellow girls beneath the tall palm copse.
I've crossed the Line and Gulf Stream, and around by Table Bay,
And around Greatcoat Horn and habitation again. Oh, that'south the crewman's style!

Oh, Bobby'll become to his darling, and Johnny'll go to his love,
And Mike will go to his wife and fam'ly, and Andrew for pipes and beer;
But I'll go to the dance hall to hear the music play,
For effectually Cape Horn and home again, oh, that is the sailor's way!

4.  1900s - Nostagia

Topsail men moved to the bigger, slower, steel-hulled windjammer cargo vessels, and so to smaller coastal schooners.

Waterfront journalist James Cowan collected this song telling of romantic voyages long ago. He published it in his The Bush Poet commodity in 'The Canterbury Times', 24 September 1913.

Yankees have become Maoris, and yellow girls under tropical palm trees have become part-European girls in New Zealand's Northland.

"I've traded with the Maoris, Brazilians and Chinese,
I've courted half-caste beauties beneath the kauri trees; ¹²
I've travelled along with a express joy and a vocal
In the state where they grow "mate", ¹³
Around the Horn and habitation again,
For that is the sailor'south way .

Chorus
I've crossed the Line, the Gulf Stream, I've been in Table Bay;
Around the Horn and Dwelling once more, For that is the crewman's manner!"

12. Half-caste beauties beneath the kauri copse. From 1789 on, sailing ships visited the Kaipara Harbour for cargos of kauri timber to employ for ships masts and spars. The half-caste beauties were the daughters of Maori women and before European sailors.

thirteen. Mate is yerba mat�. Apparently it is correctly pronounced equally "mo-TA," simply was probably sung as "mar-tay" in this version, to rhyme with "sailor'south way." Yerba mat� is a tea fabricated from the foliage of Ilex paraguariensis, the Paraguayian holly, and is widely drunk throughout South America for its choice-me-up caffeine properties. Paraguay is of course land-locked, but yerba mat� is also grown in Brazil and Argentina. So the sailor had spent time ashore when his ship docked in Buenos Aires

In his same 1913 Canterbury Times article, Cowan also mentioned a version of this vocal heard on coastal vessels in the Auckland region. It had these variant lines.

Eastward round by Dusky Audio, and Pegasus - through the Strait,
Port Cooper, Ocean, Tom Kain'southward Bay, for that is the coaster's fate.

Sam Sampson writes:

"Dusky Sound is a rather remote part of the SW corner of the South Island of NZ.

"Port Pegasus is at the southward end of Stewart Island, and Foveaux Strait at the northward stop of the island. If the weather was OK, the sailing ships took the shorter road through the Strait - if shitty they went s into rougher water - only at least at that place was searoom out there."

Port Cooper (Lyttlton Harbour, near Christchurch), Tom Kain's Bay (O'Kains Bay nigh Akaroa) and Ocean Bay (near Blenheim) are on the eastward declension.

five.  C olquhoun version

In the 1950s Neil Colquhoun recorded this vocal, using Cowan's words published in 1913, and a tune by Wellington folkie Jim Delahunty. It was published in "Songs of a Young Country" in 1965, and you can meet and hear a few differences from today's rendering of it.

6.  Chants De Marins: Sea Shanties from Dublin to Auckland

Rudy Sunde and his Auckland maritime mates recorded this version, on a CD released in France.

I've traded with the Maoris, Brazilians, and Chinese.
I've courted dark-eyed beauties beneath the kauri trees.
I've traveled along with a laugh and song
in a country where they telephone call you mate,
Around the Horn and home again, for that is the crewman's fate.

CHORUS: I've crossed the Line and Gulf Stream,
been round to Table Bay
Around the Horn and home again,
for that is the sailor's way.

I've run ashore in many a sound without a pilot aboard.
Longboat lowered past candlelight, pushed off and gently oared.
Rollicks creaking, a thumping corking, a wind that would make you ache.
Who would sail the seven seas and share in a sailor'southward fate? CHORUS

I've sailed out to the northward. I've sailed out to the due east.
I've stripped the sail in many a gale, and stood in the calmest seas.
E leap by Dusky Sound, and Pegasus through the straits.
Port Cooper, Bounding main, Tom Kain Bay, for that is the coaster's fate. CHORUS

7.   Bellowhead's half-remembered 2006 version

Their melody was borrowed from Clube Da Esquina No. 2 by Milton Nascimento, and their words were half-remembered past Jon Boden from a shanty album he had listened to a decade previously.

I've sailed the whole world over, across the seven seas,
I courted my sweetheart underneath the Kauri trees.
I traveled with the north wind, upward to the Bering Strait,
Around the horn and home again; for that is the sailor'due south fate.

Chorus (after each poesy):

Across the line, the Gulf Stream,
Working your life away,
Around the horn and home once again
For that is the sailor's way

Beyond the barren wasteland of the frozen Chill sea,
Through Polynesian breezes and southern storms sailed we.
The wind all in the rigging sings a lonely lullaby;
A sailor I accept e'er been, a sailor I volition dice.

We sailed upwardly to the n, we sailed upwards to the east,
We reefed our sail in the strongest gale and stood in the calmest ocean.
Ocean bound by Dusky Sound and Pegasus through the Strait,
Port Cooper, Ocean, Tom Kane Bay; for that is the sailor's fate.

ABC note

Ten: 1
T:Across the Line
M:four/4
L:one/4
Q:100
Thousand:G
"C"C|C>CCC| GG2G|"F"A3/ B/ A E|"C"G3G|"F"A3/A/AE| "C"GE2E|
"G7"D3/E/DA,|"C"C3 C|"C"C/C/ CC C/C/|GG/G/G G/G/|"F"AB/B/AE|
"C"G3G|"F"A3/A/"Am"AE|"C"GE"Am"D2z/C/|"G7"D/DE/CA,|"C"C3"CHORUS"C|c3/B/"Am"(A2|A)G(EG)|
"C"G3G|"F"ABAE|"C"G3 C|"F"c3/B/"Am"(A2|A)E"C"GE|"Am"D3C|"G7"D/DE/DA,|"C"C3|| .

Song List - Dwelling

Published on the spider web September 25, 2001, updated August 2006, revised 2015.

huotsawley51.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.folksong.org.nz/acrosstheline/index.html

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