JW Sparrow leads October 3rd Song Circle!

John Wesley Sparrow was born a long time ago and far, far away but quite near his mother. Shocked and surprised to find himself in bed with a woman, he immediately began singing loudly for his supper. His father heard the noise and believing he detected a nascent budding of musical genius, he swaddled the infant in an old coat and carried it straightway to the doorstep of a nearby conservatory of music.

John was taken under the wing of Professor Dieter Von Helgenringer to matriculate a classical music education. He was drilled in memorizing the first seven letters of the alphabet, how to count to four and to sit on his own stool. Further education was abruptly ended when he was told by the lunchroom overseer to eat every potato and pea on his plate and did.

Returning home, John was given a warm welcome by his family until the day his father bought him a suitcase for his 16th birthday and his mother packed him a lunch. Venturing out into the world, the boy began a long sojourn occasionally interrupting his natural proclivities for sloth and indolence by working for brief periods of time as a pearl diver, broomsman, sewing machine repairman and yellow journalist. The occupations did not secure his attention however, and he chose not to apply himself to anything much beyond storytelling.

His storytelling abilities can be traced back to his early years where he was very gifted in telling whoppers. It was his mother's fault. She was much too curious and rather than hurt her feelings, he began to elaborate and fabricate until he was quite good at it. Not good enough to fool her, of course, but still and all better than average. This gift lead him into many colorful adventures and form the basis for a truly remarkable set of songs.

John has been a married man for over 40 years. It was to four different women, but who's keeping count? He has no children and believes the secret to happiness is to have your grandkids first. There is some old man who stands on stages from time to time and tells everyone that he is John Sparrow. His songs have been sung and recorded by many artists. Most of them sound better than John but that doesn't discourage him from trying.

John is the founding member of Victory Sings at Sea, Vol 1. His songs have been recorded by Hank Cramer, Shangied on the Willamette, The Shifty Sailors, The Ferryboat Musicians and more, and is about ready to release a new CD… and will have it available at our Oct 3rd shanty sing.

Invite yer family, invite yer friends to our free, community song circle and sing-along. Some bring instruments, some dance a jig. "Singin' is encouraged, but knot required."Coffee, tea and songbooks provided.

Time: 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Location: 620 Tyler Street, Port Townsend

Need a ride from and to the Whidbey Island Ferry? Pop us an email to: singshanties(at)gmail(dot)com.

See you there, mateys!

Join us on August 1st for our next Sing Shanties Song Circle, led by Matthew Orr!

Matthew Orr, local boatbuilder and shantyman, leads our August shanty sing. Enjoy the camaraderie and fun as we each take a turn singing a song, requesting a song, or sitting back to enjoy hearing and learning some of the tunes that were, and many which still are, sung by the working crew aboard tall ships here and abroad. Songbooks available. 

Join us for our June 6 Song Circle with Helen Gilbert!

 We will meet at the Uptown Community Center from 6-8:30 p.m. Bring your family, invite your friends! Coffee and tea provided. Snacks welcome! This is a free, fun, family-friendly community gathering. Songbooks available. Singin' is encouraged, but knot required."

Join us for our April 4 Song Circle with Shantyman Mark Olson

Please join us for our next, first Thursday shanty sing with our April songleader, Shanty man Mark Olson. Mark is a Port Hadlock resident, active participant in our monthly song circles and regularly posts articles on Sing Shanties, aka the Longwinded Shantyman.

Mark first took the helm of a junk-rigged schooner in fourth grade. After a childhood of racing rubber-band-powered paddle boats and collecting cartons for the Milk Carton Derby race on Seattle's Green Lake, it was just a matter of time before he stumbled upon a tall ship.

Mark slipped in through the hawse pipe and eventually worked his way up to Mate before becoming the Northwest Regional Port Captain of the Grays Harbor Fleet. During his many years with the fleet, Mark had the opportunity to work with many of the nation's top shanty men and women, using the traditional working songs of the sea in the context in which they were first created and sung: To hoist anchor, sail, and yard - to load and stow - to pass the time - and to pass on the multitude facets of the life of a sailor through the medium of song.

This is a FREE, family-friendly gathering where "singin' is encouraged, but knot required". Coffee and tea is provided. Snacks are welcome. We have songbooks to sing from during song circle, and new ones available for purchase.

Location: The Uptown Community Center at the corner of Tyler Street and Lawrence Street across from Aldrich's Market. 

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

'Bout Adventuress, sing shanties (shanties)!

February 7, 2013 - What a great night we had! Folks trickled in, but before you knew it, fifty-six of us shanty enthusiasts were singing 'round the song circle. Wayne Palsson of Northwest Seaport in Seattle led the evening, drawing from his impressive repertoire on maritime songs he has committed to memory over the years. We gathered at the Uptown Community Center in Port Townsend. New songs were introduced and songs were sung from our songbook that some of us have never heard before. 

Wonderful to see new faces among the familiar; members of the Sage Club, a couple from Sequim... we got started with a small band of first-comers, but within a half hour the room was filled with people and the robust sound of singing. I love the camaraderie, the sense of community. Congratulations to Cindi Dinan, who won this month's gift certificate from Courtyard Cafe. Anybody know who that young boy was who belted out the last line of Eddy Stone Light? Thank you to Mark Olson, for teaching us the chorus to "Whale of a Tale" (check the next blog post about the contest to write some of your own lyrics). Mike James, strumming his guitar, serenaded us with the most beautiful love song; it brought tears to me eyes. I don't recall it's name. Thank you for your beautiful song, Jean. And thank you Helen Gilbert for teaching us the words to "Red Rose Cafe".Thank you to those who treated us with sweet treats. What a delightful and eclectic community of shanty enthusiasts!

About a third of the way around the circle, someone requested Paddy Lay Back. This song just happens to be both a forebitter and capstan shanty, which was selected to sing at the Flash Shanty to celebrate the Schooner Adventuress' 100th Birthday. It was our intention to record our group singing Paddy Lay Back as a tribute to the Adventuress 100 year celebration... so we did!  This song is a crowd pleaser, because there's a lot of energy and rhythm as end-words in the chorus lines are repeated back, adding a unique cadence to the song. According to Stan Hugill, this song was "sung by Liverpool seamen engaged in the West Coast Guano Trade." Paddy Lay Back is also known as the "Mainsail Haul", "The Liverpool Song" or "Valparaiso Round the Horn." 

Here is our Sing Shanties Song Circle singing Paddy Lay Back with Wayne Palsson leading out with  a number of the nineteen or more verses that are known of this song (some are not "family-friendly", but there were no children about to cover their ears). At the very end of the video, Wayne is asked about the phrase "heave a pawl".

Happy Birthday, Adventuress!

Paddy Lay Back

Lyrics from Shanties from the Seven Seas, by Stan Hugill

'Twas a cold an' dreary mornin' in December, (December)
An' all of me money it was spent (it was spent),
Where it went to Lord I can't remember (remember),
So down to the shippin' office went, (went, went),

Paddy, lay back (Paddy, lay back)!
Take in yer slack (take in yer slack)!
Take a turn around the capstan - heave a pawl - heave a pawl!
'Bout ship, stations, boys, be handy (be handy)!
Raise tacks, sheets, an' mains'l haul!

Alternative final line of chorus:
For we're bound for Valaparaiser 'round the Horn!

That day there wuz a great demand for sailors (for sailors),
For the Colonies and for 'Frisco and for France (an' for France),
So I shipped aboard a Limey barque the Hotspur (the Hotspur),
An' got paralytic drunk on my advance ('vance, 'vance),

Paddy, lay back (Paddy, lay back)!
Take in yer slack (take in yer slack)!
Take a turn around the capstan-heave a pawl - heave a pawl!
'Bout ship, stations, boys, be handy (be handy)!
Raise tacks, sheets, an' mains'l haul!

Now I joined her on a cold December mornin',
A-frappin' o' me flippers to keep me warm.
With the south cone a-hoisted as a warnin',
To stand by the comin' 0' a storm.

Now some of our fellers had bin drinkin',
An' I meself wuz heavy on the booze;
An' I wuz on me ol' sea-chest a-thinkin'
I'd turn into me bunk an' have a snooze.

I woke up in the mornin' sick an' sore,
An' knew I wuz outward bound again;
When I heard a voice a-bawlin' at the door,
'Lay aft, men, an' answer to yer names!'

'Twas on the quarterdeck where first I saw 'em,
Such an ugly bunch I'd niver seen afore;
For there wuz a bum an' stiff from every quarter,
An' it made me poor ol' heart feel sick an' sore.

There wuz Spaniards an' Dutchmen an' Rooshians,
An' Johnny Crapoos jist acrosst from France;
An' most o' 'em couldn't speak a word o' English,
But answered to the name of 'Month's Advance'.

I wisht I wuz in the 'Jolly Sailor',
Along with Irish Kate a-drinkin' beer;
An' then I thought what jolly chaps were sailors,
An' with me flipper I wiped away a tear.

I knew that in me box I had a bottle,
By the boardin'-master 'twas put there;
An' I wanted something for to wet me throttle,
Somethin' for to drive away dull care.

So down upon me knees I went like thunder,
Put me hand into the bottom o' the box,
An' what wuz me great surprise an' wonder,
Found only a bottle o' medicine for the pox.

I felt that I should skip an' join another,
'Twas plain that I had joined a lousy bitch;
But the chances wuz that I might join a worser,
An' we might git through the voyage without a hitch.

I axed the mate a-which a-watch wuz mine-O,
Sez he, 'I'II soon pick out a-which is which';
An' he blowed me down an' kicked me hard a-stern-O,
Callin' me a lousy, dirty son-o'-a-bitch.

Now we singled up an' got the tugs alongside,
They towed us through the locks an' out to sea;
With half the crew a-pukin' o'er the ship's side,
An' the bloody fun that started sickened me.

Although me poor ol' head wuz all a-jumpin',
We had to loose her rags the followin' morn;
I dreamt the boardin'-master I wuz thumpin',
When I found out he'd sent me around the Horn.

I swore I would become a beachie-comber,
An' niver go to sea no ruddy more;
For niver did I want to be a roamer ,
I'd shanghai the boardin'-master an' stay ashore.

But when we got to bully ol' Vallaparaiser,
In the Bay we dropped our mud hook far from shore;
The ol' Man he refused ter let us raise 'er,
An' he stopped the boardin'-masters comin' aboard.

I quickly made me mind up that I'd jump 'er,
I'd leave the beggar an' git a job ashore;
I swum across the Bay an' went an' left 'er,
An' in the English Bar I found a whore.

But Jimmy the Wop he knew a thing or two, sir,
An' soon he'd shipped me outward bound again;
On a Limey to the Chinchas for guanner, boys,
An' soon was I a-roarin' this refrain.

So there wuz I once more again at sea, boys,
The same ol' ruddy business over again;
Oh, stamp the caps'n round an' make some noise, boys,
An' sing again this dear ol' sweet refrain.

Wayne Palsson, song leader

Jean Geiger

Mike James

Sweet Shanties, Wayne Palsson will be back leading our February 7 Song Circle!

Join us once again for our second Song Circle of 2013 with Wayne Palsson from Northwest Seaport leading our February 7 Sing Shanties Song Circle & Sing-Along. We'll be gathering at the Uptown Community Center on Tyler Street off Lawrence Street, across from Aldrich's Market. Since Valentine's Day follows closely thereafter, you are welcome to bring chocolate or other confectionaries to share. Coffee and tea are provided. Remember this a free, family-friendly community event, where "Singin' is encouraged, but knot required!"

Wayne's music bio:

Wayne Palsson has been singing chanteys and maritime songs up and down the West Coast for the past several years, focusing on songs with rich tones reflecting the fishing and maritime trades.  His own nautical experience on the high seas and local waters helps to anchor his interpretations of traditional chanteys and forebitters (leisure songs), new and local sea songs, and even a few overlooked classics by Gilbert and Sullivan. Wayne is the host of Northwest Seaport’s Chantey Sing, a monthly sing-a-long that continues a decades-old tradition of maritime music in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest (visit www.nwseaport.org).  Wayne has appeared in Northwest Folklife Festivals and Tacoma’s First Nights, participated in many of the chantey camps in the region, hosts the annual Chantey Sings at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, and produces maritime concerts.

Bring you sweetheart, invite your friends. Have a maritime love song (bitter or sweet) you'd like to share? Well, bring that too!