From John Ferries (Gerries), South Shields, England
Sources: The James Madison Carpenter Collection AFC 1972/001 Cylinder 039 00:00; Disc sides 084 00:00, 395 01:48; MS p. 03300-1
- As I went out one morning on the road to Clarence Dock
I spied an Irish sailor conversing with Tapscott
Good morning, Mister Tapscott, good morning, sir, said he
Have you got any ships bound for New York in the state of Amerikee?
chorus
To me allie-go, allie-go, allie-go-day
Lay me down ichigo, Mrs. McGay
Lay me down ichigo, Mrs. McCooligan
Johnny go, whoo
Fire away Fagan and bully for you. - Oh it’s yes, me bold sailor, why I’ve got a ship or two
I’ve got the Johnny Walker, likewise the Kangaroo
I’ve got the Johnny Walker and tomorrow she sets sail
In all of the provisions we’ve put aboard there’s a bucket of yaller male. - So it’s bad luck to the Josie Walker and the day that she set sail
The sailors got drunk, they broke open me trunk, and they stole me yaller male
I went and told the chief mate, says he, you go to Hell
You son of a bitch, you’ve got the itch, and I know it very well. - Oh now we’re landed in New York and workin’ in a canal
Go home in one of your packet ships, oh no, I never shall
I’ll go home on one of the White Star boats that goes by steam and sail
With plenty of good American hash and plenty of yaller male.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Bob, what’s “good American hash” and “yaller male”? Foods? Pox medicines?
Hey Jerry, ‘Good American hash’ is what it appears to be: decent food. ‘Yaller male’ is more complicated. It has to do with a pseudo-Irish pronunciation of the word ‘mail’. In other versions of this song the joke is a bit clearer: Tapscott is implying that his ship carries bags of ‘mail’ – that is, that the vessel is a fast mail packet – but he’s really saying ‘meal’ as in cheap food for the passengers. Ferries’ version misses the wordplay with only Carpenter’s choice of the ‘male’ spelling suggesting the joke. See Stan Hugill’s Shanties from the Seven Seas page 298 for more explanation. Thanks for asking. Bob