Get all 9 SaltyPaws releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Greatest Wish, Swallow the Anchor, Waggin’, Gospel Ship, Live Bait, Dog Paddle, Last Farewell, Will Play For Kibble, and 1 more.
1. |
St James Infirmary Blues
03:04
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It was down by old Joe's barroom, on the corner of the square
They were serving drinks as usual, and the usual crowd was there
On my left stood Big Joe McKennedy, and his eyes were bloodshot red
And he turned his face to the people, these were the very words he said
Let her go, let her go, God bless her
Wherever she may be
She may search this whole wide world over
Never find a sweeter man as me
I was down to St. James infirmary, I saw my baby there
She was stretched out on a long white table,
So cool, so sweet and so fair.
When I die please bury me in my high top Stetson hat
Put a twenty dollar gold piece on my watch chain
The gang'll know I died standing pat
I want six crapshooters to be my pallbearers
Three pretty women to sing a song
Stick a jazz band on my hearse wagon
Raise hell as I stroll along
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2. |
Donegal Danny
06:42
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I remember the night that he came in from the wintery cold and the damp
A giant of a man in an oilskin coat, and a bundle that showed he was a tramp.
He stood at the bar and called for a pint and turned to gaze into the fire.
"On a night like this to be safe and warm is my one and only desire."
Chorus:
Here's to those that are dead and gone; to my friends that I have met here, and here's to you and I'll bid you adieu, singing Donegal Danny was here, me boys, singing Donegal Danny was here.
Then in a voice that was hushed and low he said: listen I'll tell you a tale
How a man of the sea became a man of the road and never more will set sail
I've fished out of Howth and Killybegs, Ardglass and Baltimore
But the cruel sea has beaten me and I'll end me days on the shore
One fateful night in the wind and the rain we set sail from Killybeys town,
There were five of us from sweet Donegal and one from County Down.
We were fishermen who worked the sea and never counted the cost.
But I never thoughtt 'ere that night was done that my fine friends would all be lost.
Then the storm it broke and drove the boat to the rocks about ten miles from shore.
As we fought the tide we hoped inside to see our homes once more
Than we struck a rock and holed the bow and all of us knew that she'd go down
So we jumped right into the icy sea and prayed to God we wouldn't drown.
But the raging sea was rising still as we struck out for the land
And she fought with all her cruelty to claim that brilliant band
By St John's Point in the early dawn I dragged myself to the shore
And I cursed the sea for what she'd done and vowed to sail her never more.
Ever since that night I've been on the road traveling and trying to forget
That awful night I lost all my friends, I see their faces yet
And often at night when the sea is high and the the rain tearing at me skin
I hear the cries of drowning men floating on the wind.
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3. |
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[G]Oh love it [D7] is a [G] funny funny thing
It affects both [D7] young [G] and old
Like a [D7] plate of [G] boarding-house hash
To [C] many a [D7] man it's [G] sold
Makes you feel like a fresh water eel
Causes your head to swell
You will lose your mind 'cause love is blind
It'll empty your pocketbook as well
Chorus :
[G]Boys I say from the [C] girls keep away! [G] Give them plenty of [D7] room
[G]When you're [D7] wed they'll [G] hit you on the [C] head
with the [G] bald-headed [D7] end of the [G] broom.
When a man is in love with a pretty little girl
He will talk to her as gentle as a dove
He'll give her all his money and he'll call her honey
To prove that he's solid in love.
When the money's all spent and you can't pay the rent
You'll find what this story means:
It doesn't matter if you like it or not,
For every meal she serves you beans.
Chorus
With a wife and fifteen half-starved kids
You will find that it is no fun
When the butcher comes around to collect his bill
With a dog and a double-barreled gun
A screaming baby on each knee
and a wife with a plaster on her nose
You'll find true love don't run very smooth
When you have to wear second-hand clothes.
Chorus
So now my boys take my advice
Don't be in a hurry for to wed
You'll think you're in clover till the honeymoon is over
Then you'll wish you was dead
Boys I say from the girls, keep away.
Give them plenty of room.
When you're wed they'll beat you till you're dead,
With a bald-headed end of the broom.
Chorus
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4. |
Fiddler's Green
04:00
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As I walked by the dockside one evening so fair,
To view the salt waters and take the salt air,
I spied an old fisherman singing this song,
'Oh take me away boys, me time is not long'.
(CHORUS) Wrap me up in me oilskins and jumper,
No more on the docks I'll be seen.
Just tell me old shipmates, I'm taking a trip, mates,
I'll see you some day in Fiddler's Green.
Now Fiddler's Green is a place I've heard tell,
where the sailors go if they don't go to hell.
Where the skies are all clear and the dolphins do play,
and the cold coast of Greenland is far, far away. (CHORUS)
Where the skies are all clear and there's never a gale,
The fish jump on board with one swish of their tail.
Where you lie at your leisure, there's no work to do,
The skipper's below making tea for the crew. (CHORUS)
N0w when we are docked and the long trip is through,
There's pubs and there's clubs and there's laddies there, too.
Where the boys are all pretty and the beer is all free,
There's bottles of rum growing from every tree. (CHORUS)
Now I don't want a harp nor a halo, not me,
Give me a breeze on a good rolling sea.
I'll play me old banjo as we sail along,
With the wind in the rigging a-singin this song.
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5. |
Fathom the Bowl
03:06
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So come all you bold heroes attend to my song,
We'll sing in the praise of good brandy and rum,
There's a clear crystal fountain over England does flow,
Give to me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
Chorus:
I'll fathom the bowl, I'll fathom the bowl.
Give to me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
From France we do get brandy, from Jamaica comes rum,
Sweet oranges and lemons from Portugal come,
Good stout and strong cider from England does flow,
Give to me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
My father he do lie in the depths of the sea,
With a stone at his head - but what matter for he?
There's a clear crystal fountain over England does flow,
Give to me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
My wife she do disturb me when I sits at my ease,
She does as she likes, she says as she please.
My wife she's the devil, she's as black as the coal,
Give to me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
So come all you bold heroes attend to my song,
We'll sing in the praise of good brandy and rum,
There's a clear crystal fountain over England does flow,
Give to me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
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6. |
Lakes of Pontchartrain
04:21
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T'was on one bright March morning I bid New Orleans adieu
And I took the road to Jackson town, me fortune to renew
I cursed all foreign money, no credit could I gain
Which filled me heart with longin' for the Lakes of Pontchartain.
I stepped on board of a railroad car beneath the morning sun
And I rode the roads 'til evening and I laid me down again
All strangers here, no friends to me 'til a dark girl towards me came
And I fell in love with a Creole girl from the Lakes of Pontchartrain.
I said my pretty Creole girl, me money here's no good
If it weren't for the alligators I'd sleep out in the wood
You're welcome here kind stranger, our house it's very plain
But we never turn a stranger out at the Lakes of Pontchartrain.
She took me to her mammy's house and she treated me quite well
The hair upon her shoulders in jet black ringlets fell
To try and paint her beauty I'm sure t'would be in vain
So handsome was my Creole girl from the Lakes of Pontchartrain.
I asked her if she'd marry me, she'd said it could never be
For she had got another and he was far at sea
She said that she would wait for him and true she would remain
'Til he returned for his Creole girl from the Lakes of Pontchartrain.
So fair thee well me bonny girl I never see you no more
But I'll ne'er forget your kindness and the cottage by the shore
And at each social gathering a flowin' glass I'll drain
And drink a health to me Creole girl from the Lakes of Pontchartrain.
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7. |
Nassau Bound
03:05
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There's no better place than a sailin' ship to get an education,
You learn how to tar the ratlines down and drink up your rum ration.
We sailed on the sloop John B., my grandfather and me,
'Round Nassau town we did roam,
Drinkin' all night, got into a fight,
I feel so break up, I wanna go home.
So, hoist up the John B's sails, see how the mainsail sets,
Call for the Captain ashore, let me go home.
I wanna go home. I wanna go home.
I feel so break up, I wanna go home.
We carried the ladies to Nassau town, like other sailin' boats,
There was twenty trunks down in the hold all full of petticoats,
But the First Mate he got drunk, broke in the ladies' trunks,
The constable come on board to take him away,
Sheriff Johnstone, please let me alone, I feel so break up, I wanna go home.
We eat aboard the sloop John B. food of the very best,
But Cook he never calls it food, he only call it a mess,
Then Cook got "the fits", throw 'way all of the grits,
Then he took and ate up all of the corn,
Let me go home. Won't you let me go home, This is the worst trip, I've ever been on.
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8. |
Strike the Bell
03:27
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Up on the poop deck, a-walkin' about,
There stands the second mate, so steady and so stout.
What he is a-thinkin' of, nobody can tell.
We're wishing he would hurry up and strike, strike the bell!
Strike the bell, second mate, let us go below,
Look you well to weather, you can see it's going to blow.
Look at the glass, you can see that it is fell.
We're wishing you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell!
Aft at the wheel, cold Austin he stands,
Grasping at the spokes with his frozen mittened hands.
He looks at the compass, the course is clear as Hell!
He's wishin' that the second mate would strike, strike the bell!
Down on the main deck, workin’ at the pumps,
There is the starboard watch, a-longin’ for their bunks.
Lookin’ off to windward, they see an aweful swell,
They’re wishin’ that the second mate would strike, strike the bell.
For’ard at the fo’cs’le head, keepin’ sharp lookout,
There’s Jimmy standin’, a-ready for to shout,
The lights are burnin’ bright, and everything is well,
He's wishin’ that the second mate would strike, strike the bell.
Out on the quarterdeck, our gallant captain stands,
Looking out to windward with a spyglass in his hands.
What he is a-thinkin' of, we all know very well.
He's thinkin' more of shortening sail than strike, strike the bell!
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9. |
Golden Vanity
05:13
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There was a gallant ship that sailed along the sea,
And the name of the ship was the Golden Vanity.
And she was held in chase by the Spanish enemy,
As she sailed along the lowlands, lowlands, low, she sailed along the lowland sea.
As the sun began to rise, the clouds commenced to glow.
The enemy was there, just more than a stone's throw.
It looked like she'd be captured, when the wind it ceased to blow.
They were becalmed in the lowlands, lowlands, low, becalmed in the lowland sea.
Then up spoke the cabin boy, and boldly out spoke he,
And he said to the captain, “What would you give to me,
If I swam along side of the Spanish enemy,
And sank her in the lowlands, lowlands, low, I sank her in the lowland sea?”
“Oh, I will give you silver, and gold I'll give to thee,
And my own fair young daughter your bonnie bride shall be,
If you swim along side of the Spanish enemy,
And sink her in the lowlands, lowlands, low, if you sink her in the lowland sea.”
So the boy bared his breast and he plunged into the tide.
He swam until he came to the rascal pirate's side;
He climbed on board, he went below, by none was he espied,
To sink 'em in the lowlands, lowlands, low, to sink 'em in the lowland sea.
He bore her with his auger, he bore her once or twice,
The water gushed like fountains, it was oh, so very nice.
As he let the water in, he jumped off with the mice
And he sank 'em in the lowlands, lowlands, low, he sank 'em in the lowland sea.
Then quickly he swam back to the cheering of the crew,
But the captain would not heed him, for his promise he did rue,
And around the boat he swam, for his choices there were few,
And he swam around the lowlands, lowlands, low, he swam around the lowland sea.
So then the cabin boy he swam unto the larboard side
Saying, “Captain, take me up for in the sea I can't abide.”
“The riches you'll not have nor you'll claim my child as bride,
And I'll sink you in the lowlands, lowlands, low, I'll sink you in the lowland sea.”
So then the cabin boy he turned, and swam to the starboard side,
And up unto his messmates full bitterly he cried,
“Messmates, draw me up, for I'm drifting with the tide,
And I'm sinking in the lowlands, lowlands, low, I'm sinking in the lowland sea.”
They took him up so quickly but when on the deck, he died,
They sewed him in his hammock that was so strong and wide.
They said a short prayer over him and dropped him in the tide
And they sailed from the lowlands, lowlands low, they sailed from the lowland sea.
Well here's a curse onto the Captain wherever he may be
For breaking with his word to escape the enemy,
For killing that poor boy and ignoring his last plea.
He drowned him in the lowlands, lowlands, low, he drowned him in the lowland sea.
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10. |
Leaving of Liverpool
03:11
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Farewell to Prince's Landing Stage
River Mersey, fare thee well
I am bound for California
A place I know right well
Chorus:
So fare thee well, my own true love
When I return united we will be
It's not the leaving of Liverpool that's grieving me
But my darling when I think of thee
Oh I have signed on the yankee sailin' ship
Davy Crockett is her name
And Burgess is the captain of her
And they say that she's a floatin' shame
Oh I have sailed with this Burgess once before
And I think that I know him quite well
For if a man is a sailor, he can get along
If not, he's sure in Hell
Oh the sun is on the harbor, love
And I wish I could remain
For I know it will be a long, long time
Till I see you again
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11. |
Rolling Home
06:34
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Call all hands to man the capstan
See the cable running clear
Heave away and with a will, boys
For our homeland we will steer.
Let us all heave with a will, boys,
Soon our cable we will trip,
And across the briny ocean
We will steer our gallant ship.
Rolling home, rolling home
Rolling home across the sea
Rolling home to dear old England
Rolling home dear land to thee.
We will leave you our best wishes,
We will leave your rocky shores.
For we're bound to dear Old England,
To return to you no more.
Heave away now with a will, Boys.
Every hand you can clamp on
As we walk around the capstan
You will hear that well known song:
Fare you well, Australia's daughters
It is time to say adieu
We shall ne'er forget the hours
That we spent along with you.
Now Australia we are leavin'
For Old England give a cheer,
Fare thee well, ye dark-eyed damsels
Give three cheers for English beer!
Newborn breezes swiftly drive us
Back to childhood's bonnie skies
To the light of loving faces
And the gleam of kindly eyes.
And the wild waves cleft behind us
Seem to murmur as we go
Loving hearts and hands await us
In the land to which we go.
Up aloft amid the rigging
Blows a wild and rushing gale
Like a monsoon in the springtime
Filling out each well known sail.
Many thousand miles behind us
Many thousand miles before
Ere we reach our native country
To that well remembered shore.
Cheer up, Jack, bright smiles await you
From the fairest of the fair.
There are loving hearts to greet you
With kind welcomes everywhere.
And we'll sing in joyful chorus
In the watches of the night,
And we'll sight our land before us
When the grey dawn brings the light.
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SaltyPaws Punta Gorda, Florida
When you think of wandering minstrels, do you ever think they might live on a boat? SaltyPaws is a sailing acoustic duo, living aboard their catamaran, sailing and singing the Atlantic eastern seaboard. You'll hear guitar and 5 string banjo, spiced with harmonica and concertina. Wherever the boat is in port, you'll find Bentley and Jim joining a jam, at an open mic, or busking a street corner. ... more
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