Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends Quiz

Answer: Nancy

So far, in all of the versions I am familiar with, if they mention any name, it is Nancy Blair. The lyrics used here are fairly typical of the various versions.
"As I went out one morning fair, (Heave away, haul away,)
Was there I met Miss Nancy Blair. (We're bound for South Australia.)"

Then a little later
"There was but onе thing creased me mind, (Heave away, haul away,)
Must leave Miss Nancy Blair behind. (We're bound for South Australia.)"

Other sets of lyrics I have seen don't name any one. Looking at recordings I have, three are from different Fisherman's Friends albums, the Clancy Brothers, the Pogues, the Dubliners, the Yetties and the Seekers all get a look in.
This would suggest that Nancy has been a busy lady.

Answer: Swabbed the top

The start of the fifth verse supplies the answer.
"Two cans of beer a day and that's your bleedin' lot
They gave us an extra one because we swabbed the top"

The theme here is how the Royal Navy has changed since the days of sail. The last line of each chorus is; "A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore". But not everything has changed.

The second half of the fifth verse after the moan about the scanty beer ration, points out that:
"So get on your civvy clothes, you'll find a pub ashore
A sailor's still a sailor, just like he was before!"

Answer: Sally

According to the lyrics, "Sally Is the girl from Shinbone Alley". This might not seem to make much sense with the title. The term "bully" in this usage probably means "drunk". One explanation appears to be that a group of sailors go out on the town. They all need to return together. When one of them has reached his limit but the others want to carry on, they stowed their drunken mate in an alleyway to collect him on the way back. Whether this is true or not is another matter. The lyrics booklet claims the "A bully in the alley is a sailor just paid off ship with plenty of money to spend".

Regardless, this seems a popular song for singers to record. I have four different recordings to hand.

Answer: Individuality

A song for those of us who aren't superstars in any field. The verse referred to in the question is as follows.
"Awash on the sea of our own vanity
We should rejoice in our individuality
Though it's gale force, we'll steer a course
With sanity"

This is not a traditional sea-shanty, The song writing is credited to Rupert Christie and Tom Gilbert. Personally I will carry on rejoicing in a pint of beer.

Answer: Blue dress

The chorus starts; "Well I'll wake her. I'll shake her. I'll wake that girl with the blue dress on."

We are back to traditional shanties here. This one is thought to be mid nineteenth century. There appears to be some debate if Hilo refers to a place in Peru, in Hawaii or is just a corruption of a term meaning a party.

Answer: Bay of Biscay

This song is from a ballad opera "The Transports", written by Peter Bellamy. In the opera the song is called "Roll Down". The relevant lyric is; "In the wide bays of Biscay the seas will run high".

The opera itself is based on the true story of two convicts who were transported to Australia in 1787 for burglary. First recorded on 2 LPs in 1977, the original featured the singing of many well known folk singers of the time, including the Watersons, Nic Jones, Cyril Tawney, Martin Carthy and June Tabor.

Answer: Drawing straight lines

Another song of modern origins, this one credited to Rupert Christie and Tom Gilbert. This one simply tells us to enjoy being different, stop trying to fit into someone else's pigeon holes.

The refrain tells all.
"Mother Nature don't draw straight lines
Broken moulds in a grand design
We look a mess but we're doing fine
We're card-carrying lifelong members
Of the union of different kinds."

The lyrics booklet does say that "It seemed almost criminal to sing something more contemporary", but they did so anyway.

Answer: Drooping his head

This song is apparently sung regularly in a local bar at Cadgwith, Cornwall. So much so that the name of the village has been attached to it, thus "The Cadgwith Anthem".
Under the name "The Robbers Retreat", the song appears in a couple of books published either side of the Atlantic at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The chorus includes the lines:
"As we roam through the valleys where the lilies and the roses,
and the beauty of Kashmir lay drooping its head"

This spelling of Kashmir seems more logical than the phonetic Cashmere which appears in some versions of the lyrics. I have to assume that this is down to the lyrics being written down phonetically.

The option "Dancing under the rose" is a song on the Albion Band album "Under the Rose", which featured the talents of Ashley Hutchings, Cathy Lesurf and Phil Beer amongst others.

Answer: Ship

Although there is a bird referred to as a corncrake, it is clear that in these lyrics the corncrake refers to a ship.

"The summer sky, the setting sun
The Corncrake steams on the Bristol run"
And
"For the Corncrake, she's a pleasant craft"

The song is credited to Nobby & Erin Dye. Research reveals that Nobby was the nickname of Ian Dye. The site "Mudcat" reveals that he wrote the song with his daughter (presumably Erin) and on that site, Ian himself states that; "This ship used to steam into Bristol City Docks with Port, Sherry and Brandy, Bristol being a major wine importer, mainly from Bordeaux. She belonged to the General Steam Navigation of London, whose ships were named after birds."

Answer: Haul Away Joe

All of these songs appear on the album but the lyrics appear in the song "Haul Away Joe". This shanty has, like many songs and tales handed down in the oral tradition, differing words depending on the sources used.

The relevant lines here:
"When I was a little lad or so my mammy told me
That if I didn't kiss the girls my lips would grow all mouldy"

These words can also be found in the recordings by Show of Hands, Bellowhead and Fisherman's Friends. I am unable to find this particular verse in other recordings.