'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

For the Adventuress! - Paddy Lay Back

On February 1, 2013, while 150 or more friends gathered at the Schooner Adventuress' stern at Haven Boatworks with the crew and the team of Sound Experience in Port Townsend, to participate in the "World's first Flash Shanty", in celebration of the Schooner Adventuress' 100 years of life... heartily singing the sea shanty "Paddy Lay Back"... "and wishing the Adventuress a happy historic "splash" day"... four members of the Sing Shanties Song Circle, Mike and Val James, Lee Erickson and Mark Olson led the members of the Sage Club in singing shanties, starting off with "Paddy Lay Back". Mark Olson, retired port captain, explains what a sea shanty is and why rhythm is so important to the task at hand. Happy Birthday, Adventuress!

Best viewed if you change quality to 360p (gear icon on bottom task bar)

Mike, Val and Mark

Mike, Val, Lee and Mark

Celebrating Our First Anniversary!

Thank you to Charlie Bermant for writing the following article about our first anniversary shanty sing, published in the Peninsula Daily News on January 3, 2013.

Sea Shanty Song Circle to celebrate first anniversary
By Charlie Bermant
Peninsula Daily News

PORT TOWNSEND — In January 2012, a loose coalition of sea chantey enthusiasts decided to meet each month to sing songs of the sea.

A year later, the group has developed into a monthly gathering that goes a long way toward keeping the tradition alive.

“It has exceeded our expectations,” said Lee Erickson, one of the organizers of the gatherings.

“At first, we thought we might meet every other month, but the people who attended said they wanted to meet monthly.

“It's a family-friendly night where no one has to have a great voice,” Erickson said.

Preserving traditions

“The people are just giving a little bit of themselves in order to preserve the traditions,” he added.

The Sea Shanty Song Circle and Sing Along celebrates its anniversary from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. today at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St.

Port Townsend musician Mike James, who led the first song circle, will lead the anniversary celebration.

The gathering is held the first Thursday of every month, aside from September, when a chantey sing-along is held in conjunction with the annual Wooden Boat Festival.

The evenings begin with everyone sitting in a circle. In turn, participants can either lead a chantey or pass to the next person.

The chanteys, many with multiple verses in a call-and-response format, were published this year in a collected lyrics book and will be on hand during the event.

The impetus for the gatherings came after the 2011 death of Stephen Gottleib Lewis, a Port Townsend resident who had a huge collection of chanteys he was attempting to preserve for posterity. The book, which was published last summer, contains 141 pages of lyrics from Lewis' collection.

The enthusiastic response also prompted a location change. The first gathering was held in the coffee shop at the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St. The crowd spilled out into the Chandlery, which caused a move upstairs to the maritime center's meeting rooms.

After a few months, the upstairs rooms were no longer available because they were being rented out with increasing frequency, so the song circles now alternate between the Port Townsend Community Center and the Cotton Building. 

To read the full article, click here.
________

Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.

One More Day aboard the Lady

Just this last weekend, Hank Cramer and friends joined Lady Washington for a glorious sail. Kit Cramer shot this excellent video of the trio performing One More Day, on the foredeck, at the windlass.

One More Day

What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor - win a songbook!

Calling all shanty enthusiasts to enter our contest to win a copy of our new songbook Sing Shanties and Songs About the Sea - Special Expanded Collection of Stephen Gottlieb Lewis!

On page 48 of our Sing Shanties and Songs About the Sea songbook are the most traditional lyrics and common verses sung to Drunken Sailor, as follows:

What shall we do with a drunken sailor (3x)

*Early in the morning

Weigh heigh and up she rises
Patent blocks o' diff'rent sizes
Weigh heigh and up she rises
Early in the morning

Put him in the longboat 'til he's sober (3x)*

Put him in the scuppers with the hose pipe on him (3x)*

Pull out the plug and wet him all over (3x)*

Heave him by the leg in a runnin' bowline (3x)*

Put him in bed with the captain's daughter (3x)*

Make him scrub the bilge with a sawed-off toothbrush (3x)*

Shave his belly with a rusty razor (3x)*

Contest:

The number of original verses you submit will be how many times your name is entered in the contest. Email your entries to: singshanties(at)gmail.com. Put "Drunken Sailor" in the subject line. Along with your original verse(s), include your name and phone number. 

If you win, but are not present at our October 4 Sea Shanty Song Circle & Sing-Along, we will notify you by phone. The drawing for the winner will take place at our October 4 song circle at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend (6:00-8:30 p.m.) If the winner is present, he or she is invited to lead Drunken Sailor, featuring your original verse(s). A sheet with all the original verses submitted for the contest will be handed out during the October Sea Shanty Song Circle & Sing-Along for a rousing sing of Drunken Sailor with additional new verse options. 

Deadline: Wednesday, October 3.

[Note: the verses you submit must not contain any curse words, inappropriate language or sexually explicit content, as our song circles are family-friendly. Any verses submitted with such content will be disallowed.]

Click here to hear the tune to Drunken Sailor.

T'was a great night for singin'... and sailin'!

Little did I know, when I conservatively set out 40 chairs, that last night's Song Circle would have the second highest number of attendees since we started last January! Although one of the most spectacular summer evenings of the season with ample opportunities to enjoy other venues, including attending the Concert at the Dock next door and walking local beaches, seventy-five folks gathered in the Maritime Meeting Room to sing shanties along with the Shift Sailors from Whidbey Island. We had a number of first-time visitors hailing from Seattle, Portland, from the East Coast and Canada... who arrived by car and by boat.

Such a memorable and rousing sing-along to "What do we do with a Drunken Sailor", which was requested by a young boy who came with his father. And as we took turns going around the circle and singing, the beautiful Schooner Adventuress sailed back and forth in front of the Maritime Center on Admiralty Inlet, much to our delight.

August 2 Song Circle with the Shifty Sailors!

Maritime History and the Oral Tradition of Song

July’s Sea Shanty Song Circle and Sing-Along was all I had hoped it would be - and about a lifetime too short. Our shared maritime tradition is so varied and rich that there are simply not enough hours in a day to convey the nuanced history that the age of sail expresses in its oral tradition of song. Still, we sure gave it a go. Everyone present on that glorious Thursday evening laid to and heaved mightily. It was a wonderful gathering and I trust we all left a bit hoarse, but also a little more knowledgeable about the traditional maritime experience. I enjoyed especially sharing the donated local historical artifacts. Singing a line from a song is one thing, but being able to hold in your hand an object directly relating to the subject propels us into a whole new realm of understanding.

I have gladly accepted Lee’s invitation to lead the circle again in December and ask you all to start thinking now about researching contextual tidbits of your favorite song(s). Think about how to distill the data into a few quick phrases to share with everyone (if you wish and the opportunity presents itself). Just as much as I enjoyed telling you a small part of what I know of sailing lore, I loved hearing what you all had to say (and sing!)

Let’s keep it going.

Fair Winds & Following Seas,
Mark Olson

Join Us on May 3 to *Snap the Line Tight!* with Helen Gilbert

Snapshots from our April gathering with the Shifty Sailors.

Good time had by all... sixty men, women and children gathered at our April Song Circle led by the Shifty Sailors of Whidbey Island. Mike James, Helen Gilbert and Tugboat Bromberg sang some of their favorite shanties too.

Letter to Port Townsend Shanty Enthusiasts & Friends

Ahoy, mateys!

"A squinted eye may be the reaction from someone who hears about a Shifty Sailor. But it's straight ahead fun from Whidbey Island's Shifty Sailors, who will be leading the April 5th Sea Shanty Song Circle at the Northwest Maritime Center. The 6:00-8:30 event is free and family-friendly. You can lead a song, request a song, pass, sing along, or just listen....no walking the plank, sword play, or keel hauling involved! The circle will gather in the NWMC chandlery cafe, which will remain open for those wishing some "galley" fare. The circle has proven itself to be a popular event. It's not about the singer. It's about the musical heritage of our town and the sense of community that is generated. Hope to see you here. "Aaaargh!" - Mike James

The past few months have been so exciting for me... and hopefully for all of us shanty-enthusiasts! 

The idea of starting a Sea Shanty Song Circle, was just that... having recently moved to this amazing maritime community this past October, I had a notion that I would find others, like myself, who would be interested in learning and singing sea shanties, whether we had good voices or not. Being a good singer wasn't the focus, rather finding community and learning about our local, regional and international maritime heritage through song together. 

I don't know if I told you this, but my husband is a student at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding (NWSWB). Soon after school started, there was a party to welcome new students. There was a raffle. I put in his name. He won. The prize was a sail for two aboard the schooner Adventuress! A dream come true, for DZ. We went and had a great time. While aboard this beautiful vessel sailing off Port Townsend, I met Jake Beattie, the Executive Director of the Northwest Maritime Center (NWMC). A month later, he tapped me on the shoulder to say "Hi!" at a Maritime Center members' function. I asked him what he thought of my idea to host a Song Circle... a Thursday evening... the first Thursday of each month. He loved it! Then, he graciously offered the Maritime Center Cafe to be the venue after-hours. And that is how the Port Townsend Sea Shanty Song Circle and Sing-Along came to be. I inquired at Crossroads Music about who in town sang maritime music. They suggested I contact Mike and Val James. Mike was the first person I talked with about the Song Circle and he has been instrumental ever since in helping to promote, organize and lead our monthly gatherings. Since our first Song Circle in January, we have had an attendance each month of any where from 60 or so to nearly 100 sea shanty enthusiasts! 

Thank you to the shanty-enthusiasts who come out to learn, share and sing the songs of the sailors! What a treat, what an education and wonderful way to preserve our maritime culture through music and oral tradition... what family-friendly fun... for free!

Thank you to the staff Northwest Maritime Center and Crossroads Music for sponsoring us!

Tune in to KPTZ 91.9 FM Radio Port Townsend this coming Monday, April 2, to Boat Talk with show host Peter Guerrero between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Peter will be interviewing Mike James, myself and other shanty enthusiasts about sea shanties and our monthly Sea Shanty Song Circle, most likely between 1:40 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.

Another announcement, which I am so very pleased to share with all of you, is that the "Friends of the Arts" here in Port Townsend, has selected our Sing Shanties group to be the recipient of a grant to print a special edition of Stephen Gottlieb Lewis' personal collection of maritime songs. Fifty songbooks will be made available to lend during our Song Circle, so everyone has an opportunity to sing from a songbook and we can literally all be on the same page! We hope to print more, which can be purchased by those wanting their own individual copies. More to come about this later. We have a committee working diligently on cataloging, researching and preparing to print Lewis' collection. It is our goal to have this special edition songbook available for our September Song Circle and before the Wooden Boat Festival in September.

Thank you to the song book committee: Deborah Lewis, Mike James, Helen Gilbert, Ellie Mathews, Carl Youngmann, Susan Jensen, Tom Booth and Judy Courtwright.

Thank you to the Friends of the Arts.

Thank you to everyone who keeps coming out each month... sharing and singing from Lewis' orange, blue, green songbooks... shouting out book colors and page numbers to all!

Your continued participation, presence and camaraderie is wonderful and encouraging to keep on singin' shanties.

We hope to see you on April 5th! Bring your kids, bring your friends.

Remember, singin' is encouraged, but knot required." 

Please share the flyer in the previous blog post with family and friends.

Let's have a great turn out and enthusiastic welcome for Whidbey Island's Shifty Sailors!

Keep on Singin' Shanties

Join us for our April 5 Song Circle led by the Shift Sailors!

Another fun night!

Thanks to the 60 or so folks who came out last night to join the sing-along at the NW Maritime Center Cafe. 

Emily (Cafe Manager) and all the Maritime staff are awesome! Service with a smile!

A big thank you to Tug Bromberg for leading the Song Circle! Thank you to our shanty-friends Matthew Moeller and the Shifty Sailors for making the trek from places afar off to join us for another great time of camaraderie, sharing and singing songs of the sea! 

Our gatherings would not be possible without the faithful inspiration and support of Mike and Val James, Helen Gilbert and the growing number of shanty enthusiasts who come to our monthly gatherings and are volunteering to help in anyway they can. Keep singin' shanties!

Photos and videos forthcoming, courtesy of Helen Gilbert. Hopefully, she'll have some good ones of Tug, as I was staring at the back of his head all evening.

Judy Courtwright playin' us a tune on her Penny Whistle

Tugboat Bromberg writes:

I had a great time hosting the chantey sing last night. What Fun! I hope that you call on me again to host the sing.
Thanks again
keep your throat wet and powder dry,
Tug

Thank you to our sponsors: the Northwest Maritime Center and Crossroads Music 

Join us March 1 for our next Sea Shanty Gathering!

What a fun night this is gonna be! Our March Song Circle Leader is TUGBOAT BROMBERG! Please share this flyer with family and friends! Come early to order food and beverage. Though some may have to slip out to catch a ferry, per many requests, we've extended the evening an additional half hour, ending at 8:30 p.m. 

If you are a musician, we invite you to bring your musical instruments and play along. If your are a local or regional shanty singer or shanty group who would like to lead one of our song circles, be sure to let us know! Read more about leading one of our song circles here.

Note this on your calendar: The Shifty Sailors will lead our April Song Circle and Matthew Moeller of the Whateverly Brothers will lead our Song Circle in July.

Folks havin' fun at our February song circle and sing-along!

February 2 Sea Shanty Song Circle and Sing-Along

Another fun night of singing maritime songs at the Northwest Maritime Center Cafe! Eighty men, women and children came out on a cold winter's night to warm themselves singing songs, sitting about the Song Circle lead by local musician Mike James. Videos courtesy of Luane Hanson, student at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding.

Helen Gilbert leading General Taylor

Rollin' Home Across the Sea... Rollin' Home to Whidbey Island lead by the Shift Sailors

John Kanaka-naka tu-lai-e (too-lie-ay) lead by the Shifty Sailors

Port Townsend to Revive Songs of Yore

Local musician Mike James (photo) and Lee Erickson, organizers of the Port Townsend Sea Shanty Song Circle and Sing-Along, were recently interviewed by Peninsula Daily News Jefferson County reporter, Charlie Bermant.

The January 4 front-page story reads: "Port Townsend to revive sea songs of yore - Series of shanties begins Thursday at maritime center."

Bermant's interview quotes James as saying: 

"Shanties speak to the life before the internal combustion engine.... It comes from a time when people did work by hand doing whatever required muscles and power, and the songs gave them a sense of unity.... Workers on a ship would sing the songs as a way to stay focused on the task, and to build a sense of camaraderie among sailors. You would sing the song until the task was done.... If you finished the task with three verses to go, you wouldn't sing those verses.... The shanties also were a way for workers to speak out against abusive bosses. Sometimes you could sing what you really felt about your boss. You were doing the work while you were singing so they couldn't really object as long as your weren't too insulting.... Many of the songs are call-and-response and are easily learned."

Erickson comments: "People who can't sing can always bellow out a shanty.... People who don't have good voices and never sing will still have a good time when they join in."

To read the full article, click here.