As with most old folk songs, the origins of this forebitter are shrouded in mystery; mid 19th century seems a reasonable guess though. It’s been sung by many a sailor and a few others, including The Byrds (Jack Tarr The Sailor) and the Grateful Dead (Off to Sea Once More). It’s a salutary tale about the hardships endured by whalemen, especially those who spent all their hard earned on booze and women. And then there’s the ‘Rapper Brown’ character, the boarding master who supplied sailors with room and board while ashore in exchange for the advance pay for their next round at sea, plus what they earned from the ship’s captains for the sailors they recruited.
Go to Sea
Published by Graham O'Neill
Graham generally sees the funny side of life, which is just as well as he spent 35 years working for the telephone company. He started scuba diving with the British Subaqua Club at the age of 16, rode horses through his 20's, became an obsessive windsurfer in his 30's and had a go at free-diving in his 40's. While all of this was going on he rode a bike to keep fit and get to the pub. In later life, in an effort to stave off dementia he has taken up singing and dancing. You may see short stories about these pursuits, but don't expect to read about any degree of prowess as the experiences he can still remember generally relate to (in order) getting bent, crashing a horse (yes, crashing, not just falling off), Windsurfing stupidly in a storm 10, wreck diving without an aqualung, time-trialling with a hangover, singing out of tune and falling on his arse (dancing). View all posts by Graham O'Neill
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