We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Live Bait

by SaltyPaws

/
1.
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
2.
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.
3.
[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
4.
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.
5.
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.
6.
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.
7.
Nassau Bound 03:05
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.
8.
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!
9.
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.
10.
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
11.
Rolling Home 06:34
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.

credits

released November 13, 2015

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

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

contact / help

Contact SaltyPaws

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like SaltyPaws, you may also like: