Mobile Bay (I)

DESCRIPTION: Shanty. "From Liverpool Town we sailed away - CH: John come tell us as we haul away. Outward bound at the break of day - CH. Aye, aye, haul aye - CH." Several verses refer to Mobile Bay and to women. Probably started as a Negro cotton stowing song.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1894 (Alfred M. Williams, _Studies in Folk-Song and Popular Poetry_, p. 7)
KEYWORDS: shanty work
FOUND IN: Britain US
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Colcord-SongsOfAmericanSailormen, p. 118, "Mobile Bay" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Harlow-ChantyingAboardAmericanShips, pp. 86-87, "Mobile Bay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill-ShantiesFromTheSevenSeas, pp. 287-288, "John, Come Tell Us As We Haul Away" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, pp. 210-211]
Roud #4696
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Stow'n' Sugar in de Hull Below" (some verses)
NOTES [25 words]: Hugill-ShantiesFromTheSevenSeas explains that this was one of a very few shanties that would use two singers for the solo lines, alternating verses. - SL
Last updated in version 6.2
File: Hugi287

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