John Smith A. B.

DESCRIPTION: "When the southern gale is blowing hard, And the watch are all on the topsail yard, When five come down where six went up," John Smith is missing, "drowned in latitude fifty-three." "They steal his rags and his bags and bed" as they try to reach home
AUTHOR: Words: D. H. Rogers? (source: Colquhoun-NZ-Folksongs-SongOfAYoungCountry)
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (Sydney Bulletin, according to Colquhoun-NZ-Folksongs-SongOfAYoungCountry); supposedly field collected 1969
KEYWORDS: sailor death storm
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Colquhoun-NZ-Folksongs-SongOfAYoungCountry, p. 12, "John Smith A. B." (1 text, 1 modern tune) (p. 6 in the 1972 edition)
Garland-FacesInTheFirelight-NZ, pp. 44-45, "(John Smith A. B." (1 partial text)
RECORDINGS:
Neal Conquhoun, "John Smith A. B." (on NZSongYngCntry)
File: Colq006

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