Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor

DESCRIPTION: "Jack was every inch a sailor... He was born upon the bright blue sea." Having been brought up as a whaler, one day Jack is swept overboard and swallowed by a whale. He escapes by pulling the whale inside out
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (Greenleaf/Mansfield-BalladsAndSeaSongsOfNewfoundland)
KEYWORDS: talltale sea humorous whaler
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Greenleaf/Mansfield-BalladsAndSeaSongsOfNewfoundland 125, "Jack was Ev'ry Inch a Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/Johnston-FolkSongsOfCanada, pp. 40-41, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle-OldTimeSongsAndPoetryOfNewfoundland, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune): p. 13 in the 2nd edition; p. 33 in the 3rd; p. 29 in the 4th; p. 29 in the 5th
Blondahl-NewfoundlandersSing, p. 56, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mills-FavoriteSongsOfNewfoundland, pp. 4-5, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 84, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (1 text)
England-HistoricNewfoundlandAndLabrador, p. 63, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, EVRYINCH
Roud #4541
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (on NFOBlondahl01,NFOBlondahl05)
Eddy Primroy, "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ambletown" (occasional floating lyrics)
cf. "Paddy and the Whale" (theme)
cf. "The Catfish" (Banjo Sam) (fish story)
NOTES [57 words]: This is almost certainly a cleaned-up bawdy song. - PJS
The versions I know all seem more in the Paul Bunyan vein -- extraordinary exaggerations. (But maybe I don't have imagination enough.) I suspect Paul is referring to "Jack Is Every Inch a Sailor," which is similar only in its first line and metrical form, and which IS sexual in theme. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.0
File: FJ040

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