Fo'c'sle and Halyards and Capstan...oh, my! Quiz

Answer: What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor

The "Drunken Sailor" is one of the most famous chanteys, I'd guess. I learned it from my grandfather, and it was the first of many that round out my current repertoire. It's a halyard chantey, which means that it's intended to be sung while hauling on halyards. I'm not a sailor, so I couldn't tell you for sure which lines halyards are and what they do, but I think they're for hoisting the sails.

Answer: Away Rio

I have "Away Rio" on a wonderful recording by David Coffin, a Massachusetts artist who, in my opinion, is second only to Stan Rogers in the world of maritime music. His version is very untraditional in that it is sung to instrumental backup. Chanteys would usually have been sung a cappella, since with everybody working, there'd be no one else to play an instrument (I assume). Though with non-work songs, one might often here a fiddle or accordion or guitar or some such thing.

Answer: Golden Vanity

"Golden Vanity" is a traditional song, but there are so many versions and so many melodies out there that it seems like every maritime musician has decided to rewrite it. I tend to prefer David Coffin's version, which is much slower and more mournful than some others I've seen and heard.

This is only fitting, though, for the ballad, seeing as it's about a boy who sacrifices himself for his ship, and then the captain refuses to save him in turn.

Answer: Roll Down

It seems that there are an uncommon lot of songs that have "roll down" or something else "down" in them! I wish I knew if the term had some sort of significance to sailors. Anyway, the answer is just plain old "Roll Down," which is a capstan chantey.

The capstan is a big sort of mushroom-shaped object that is often found amidships. Long pieces of wood can be inserted in holes around the edge of this mushroom, and when the sailors walk around while pushing on said pieces of wood, it can create the power necessary to hoist sails or haul up the anchor or whatever heavy work needs doing. You can easily tell that "Roll Down" is a capstan chantey, due to the words "walk around" in the refrain.

Answer: Lady Franklin's Lament/ Lord Franklin

This song is one of the most famous and oft-used in the sea music world. The song is about one Franklin, who sailed to seek the Northwest Passage and then disappeared in 1845. Though his wife, Lady Franklin, financed several rescue expeditions, he was never found. People suggest that he and his crew died from lead poisoning due to the lead in the canned provisions they carried.

Answer: Bluenose

These are the first two lines of the song "Bluenose" by Stan Rogers. The Bluenose was Canada's most famous schooner, of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. She won many races for the country and did mercantile business for many years. She eventually sunk in the Caribbean. Today, the Bluenose II, an exact replica of Bluenose, travels throughout the northeast of North America to carry on her legacy. I've seen her, and she's beautiful.

The Bluenose is also the ship featured on the Canadian dime.

Answer: Here's a Health To the Company

I know this song from the marvellous CD "Revels' Homeward Bound," on which it is sung by the amazing David Coffin. Revels is a terrific non-profit organisation based in Boston, which puts on seasonal performances of traditional music from all different cultures.

Their "Christmas Revels" productions are particularly famous, and they have produced many CDs featuring their artists, including this one, based on "Sea Revels" performances.

Answer: Leaving of Liverpool

In the days of the clipper ships, extremely fast sailing ships that plied their trade all over the globe, Liverpool was one of the world's capitals of shipping. This song is about a young lad who leaves Liverpool for California, on the American clipper Davy Crockett. Not much more to say, really.

Answer: Spanish Ladies

"Spanish Ladies" is another one of these songs that everyone in sea music knows. I first heard of it in Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons," when John, Susan, Roger, and Titty sing it on some occasion or other. I was then pleased to discover the actual tune in a songbook. I enjoy the minor key that the song often goes into; it's quite fun to sing and just to listen to.

Answer: Mary Ellen Carter

"Mary Ellen Carter" was written by Stan Rogers, Canada's best folk musician and a legend in the maritime music world. The song is about how after this ship went down, her crew worked to bring her back again. The moral of the song, expressed in the last couple verses, is that no matter what your problems or what you've lost, you should "Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again."