Rock 'n' Row Me Over [491-492] (364-365)

Here's a relative of the more commonly known "One More Day" chantey. It's a tough one to sing!--that is if the notation is accurate. There's a leap of a major ninth interval...and in a weird chromatic passage at that...and my voice just isn't that flexible, ha!

It's a rare variant, but also one that provokes a few interesting ideas.

Hugill thought it might have been a riverman's song, citing a few other examples. Such songs may have worked their way down river to the deepwater sailors. It may be, then, that this variant represents the 'original' form of what became the more usual sailors' form, i.e.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGEn8OKrqQE&fmt=18

For what it's worth, the present variant sounds to me like something that might have come out of the music hall. The modulating melody (starting in one key-area, then ending in another) seems maybe too weird for an oral creation, and the lyrics are not typical sailor fare-- except of course in the sentimental songs they borrowed from pop music. Hugill cites a line given for the song in Robinson's 1917 article, "The tempest loud is storming," noting it was perhaps too sentimental to be "authentic." However, as I think most of the lyrics here are uncharacteristically sappy (at least compared to the surly, griping tone of the usual "One More Day"), I think that sort of line fits right in to what may have been originally a composed popular piece.

Hugill also suggests that the riverboat origins are perhaps confirmed by the phrase, "Rock 'n' ROW me over," a supposed variation of "Rock 'n' ROLL me over." ROW of course makes no real sense for a deepwater song. ROLL on the other hand is common place, to describe the movement of a ship. For the song "Liverpool Judies," it's my opinion that some have gotten it wrong in singing "ROW, row bullies, row," as it should be "roll, bullies, roll." However, note that in this case the opposite is being argued. Also, just to note an interesting quote by Hugill, back in '61:

"The phrase 'rock 'n' roll'--so popular with today's youth!--goes back quite a bit with seamen,being a very common shout at both capstan and halyards to encourage the effort. It is, I think, of Southern State origin."

See the whole "Shanties from the Seven Seas" project, here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=58B55DD66F22060C

Category:

Music

Tags:

• one
• more
• day
• sea
• shanty
• river
• boat
• song
• chanty
• szanty
• hugill
• rock
• roll
• row
• zora
• neale
• hurston

[philipsmovies]

Brilliant performance/song. And the acoustics on this are brilliant too.

[hultonclint]

It's the acoustics in my garage, ha! The only place nowadays I can get privacy to record. Damn the mosquitos and flies there, though -- I stand by the garbage bin!

[philipsmovies]

There was some excellent editing as well to mould the sounds together. They say wild mint is a deterrent to mosquitos in England, don't know if it works in a warmer climate.