Ten Thousand Miles Away [408-410] (311-313)

A version of the "Botany Bay" theme, from the era of "transportation" to the penal colonies, this shore ballad also worked well as a fun capstan chantey. It has been cited as a possible source refrain melody of the gold-rush song or chantey "Sacramento," which is in turn debated in terms of coming before or after Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races."
Compare:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9ZlOW_LtuY
However, there are plenty of "source melodies" that one could read into this. "The Harp Without the Crown"/"Wearing of the Green" also comes to mind when hearing it.
This patchwork of typical, familiar melodic bits is realized differently by each author who prints the tune and, I'm sure, every singer who remembers the song...in EACH different performance! For this reason, it did not seem to make much sense to limit myself to Hugill's patchy version. My version has also pieces of Colcord, Harlow, and of course aural versions I've heard, along with my own personal changes.

The "convict" theme not withstanding, this is one of the most family-friendly chanteys I've come across. Perhaps if we found out what the narrator's true love "Meg" did to land herself in chains, it wouldn't be so!

Please check out the whole chanteys project playlist, at http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=58B55DD66F22060C

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ten
• thousand
• miles
• away
• 10000
• botany
• bay
• transportation
• london
• thames
• river

[webmanca]

Sea Shanties like this have their place in the hearts of mariners through the ages, and setting the song to a video like this just warms the heart more. Tank you.

Fair Winds and Following Seas.

[hultonclint]

Amen! Thanks to *you*.

[Colpeperite]

We grew up singing this (with slightly different lyrics) here in Tasmania. I've got up to 15 convicts in my family tree, so it's very pertinent. Most were transported for petty theft - 14 years for stealing some buns and a couple of bits of cloth, in the case of one sailor's wife, who had 8 children to feed. The Meg of the song probably fell into that category. The original convict records are now online to read at the Tasmania Archives site. Thanks for uploading.

[hultonclint]

Thank you for sharing your very interesting experience! If you have not already, you should also watch Raymond's video response -- it shows how this song got adapted and became purely Australian.

[Elmue1954]

Sehr gut gesungen, starker Ausdruck!

Congratulations!

Elmue

[hultonclint]

danke schön, mein Freund

'Ranzo'

[hultonclint]

:-0

[geoff1945]

That one had me rattling my chains.

Did you notice the For Sale sign on the big house at the beginning of the clip.

The previous owners 'got a trip on a government ship' for 'creative' expense claims. lol

Great Renco

[raymondcrooke]

Excellent rendition. I'm more familiar with the Australian version of this one.