Captain Conrod

DESCRIPTION: The singer drunkenly signs aboard "a brig called the Mary belonging to Starr." He goes below and finds the mate has finished his brandy. The captain gives them "salt cod and religion" to eat. "To hell with Starr's Mary and Captain Conrod"
AUTHOR: Harry Rissal ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1932 (Creighton/Nova Scotia)
KEYWORDS: ship ordeal drink food sailor shore
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Smith/Hatt/Fowke-SeaSongsBalladFromNineteenthCenturyNovaScotia, p. 14, "The Mary" (1 text)
Creighton-SongsAndBalladsFromNovaScotia 108, "Captain Conrod" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST SmHa014 (Partial)
Roud #1816
RECORDINGS:
Edmund Henneberry, "Captain Conrod" (on NovaScotia1)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "As Now We Are Sailing" (tune)
NOTES [155 words]: [This song is item] dD51 [in Laws's Appendix II].
Creighton-NovaScotia: "According to the singer, this was composed by Harry Rissal, a seaman with whom Mr Henneberry's brother sailed. Starr was the name of a well-known Halifax firm, in sailing ship days, and Captain Conrod a Halifax man." Creighton's Introduction puts an early date of 1929 on her collecting this song. Smith/Hatt/Fowke-SeaSongsBalladFromNineteenthCenturyNovaScotia Introduction claims Smith's songs were "sung aboard vessels out of Liverpool, Nova Scotia in the '70's, '80's and '90's." I suppose it's possible that the attribution is correct. - BS
Looking at the text of this, I have to think it was intended to be sung to the Derry Down tune (in fact, it looks like a parody of "Red Iron Ore"). But Creighton's tune is not the Derry Down tune. - RBW
Really two songs in one. The song refers to Halifax, N.S., but it was collected in Devil's Island, nearby. - PJS
File: SmHa014

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography