Boney was a Warrior

Paul Clayton was a folklorist who sang a variety of traditional folk songs. One of his specialties was apparently sea shantis sung by sailors and whalermen in the days of Mobey Dick. The subject for those work songs varied from love stories, history, wars, certain lands, etc. And one of them happened to be about Napoleon Bonaparte.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Napoleon
• Bonaparte
• world
• music
• sailing
• folk

[altosax1st]

Wonderful folk song. Who is the John Fronzwa guy they keep refering to?

[sophia9084]

I'm not sure...But there's only one prominent Jean-Francois that I know of around that time....and his last name is Champollion.

So....John Francis? Perhaps he was talking to some lad with the same name.

[johnnycee888]

Georgie, how is it that your sound is so clean now? What are you doing different? Do you have a new webcam or camcorder? Have a good day in paradise.

I Cr 13;8a

[sophia9084]

Oh aye....I got an actual camcorder for Christmas! It's really neat for most things. I'll show it sometime in the blogs (also have a camera that can take two-minute movie clips).

[sophia9084]

You're welcome...

[StJude1978]

Asterix in Corsica anyone?

[Tiwaz81]

@anangryorc

Johny Fransoir, Franswor, Franzwar.. is old slang for a Frenchman, aalso Johnny Crapaud.

Its the same as calling Americans - Johnathon, Englishmen - John Bull, Irishmen - Paddy, Welshmen - Taffy, Hawaians - Kanaka or John Kanaka ect ect

[EmilyGoesCreazy]

not just any frenchmen, this song is about napoleon (russia and waterloo... and then sent away..)

[LdHighEverythingElse]

@StJude1978

A bit belated, but I am amazed nobody else pointed that out

( for those who do not know, Boneywasawarriorawayaix is a Corsican in A in C)

[Octavius0]

@Tiwaz81

This here, is what I was typing, but you saved me the bother.

Good show.

[alpinorico]

sounds better when twenty jack tars are hollerin' it dragging up an anchor

[040392agh]

@altosax1st jean-françois its a french name

[103littlebastard]

mmmm...shoud change the 2nd last vers now to Nonney was murdered in st helena....

its now fact

[jeffkodiac]

Check " le 31 du moi d'Aout " good song ..

[zarathustra2k1]

@anangryorc "Jean Franswor"? It's "Jean Francois" - french for John Francis, if I recall my school-grade french correctly (minus the diacritical cedilla, of course...)

[anangryorc]

Re: Jean-Francois:

That's a reference to another popular shanty of the time, I think.

Sea shanties were as international as the crews that created and sang them. Oftentimes, choruses just got carried over from one song to another in the original language. The "John Franswor" in Boney is probably a similar phenomenon to the "Oh! Mes boués" ("oh! Me boys!") In Jean-Francois.