Boston (sea song)

Captain W.B. Whall gave this sea song in his 1910 SEA SONGS AND SHANTIES. It was later picked up and printed, with minor changes, by Colcord (ROLL AND GO) and Harlow (CHANTEYING ABOARD AMERICAN SHIPS). Whall noted that he had never heard of the song in any other book. It is presented as a forebitter.

However a book from 1911, A SHIP OF SOLACE by E. Mordaunt, has the song as an actual halyard chantey. The form of it is slightly different, accordingly. Whall's version, which I sing here, has a refrain that looks like it was borrowed from another ballad. The one in Mordaunts book, however, is like so:

From Boston Harbour we set sail,
And the wind it was blowing the devil of a gale. Royals free—Royals free.
With a Ring-tail set all abaft the mizzen peak,
To see Britannia a-ploughing up the deep. Royals free—Royals free, Studding sails aloft, boys, Royals free.

Since this came out after Whall's book and it is a work of fiction, it is possible that it adapted Whall's text. On the other hand, it may be a more authentic reference to this song.

The "story," for those who are unclear, is about a heartless, callous captain who makes his crew sail recklessly, needlessly, in bad weather, and without a drop of comfort...and their response!

Sometimes also known as "Boston Harbour."

Category:

Music

Tags:

• sea
• song
• forebitter
• focsle
• seaman
• sailor
• chantey
• boston
• harbour
• harbor

[FunnyDigestion]

good performance-- you got good at singing from doing this project

[hultonclint]

Thank you! And thanks for noticing; I think I have improved quite a bit since the beginning.

[raymondcrooke]

Good, as always. Thanks for all the work you're doing on this unique project.

[hultonclint]

It's my pleasure, thanks.

[oopspaw]

i love it! ... =D ... 'he will have a watery grave' ... boy, he drove them hard, eh? LOL

[hultonclint]

Here's why we know it's not a chantey (work-song) -- because if sailors were singing this while out in the open at work, the captain would not stand for the insult! :)

[Larkworthy]

Bravo!

[oopspaw]

so true! hahaha ... =D