Sailor's Trade- Thomas R. Bryant, Jr. (MA) 1847 Huntington
[A traditional version of "Sailing Trade" dated 1847 was published in "Songs the Whalemen Sang" by Gale Huntington. The "colour of amber" stanza is a bit different:
That short blue jacket he used to wear
His rosy cheeks and his coal black hair
His lips as smooth as the velvet fine
Ten thousand times he has kissed mine.
The text also given in Stuart M. Frank's "Jolly Sailors Bold" (2010) pp.153-155 is attributed to Thomas R. Bryant, Jr. It has been reconstructed in full-- see bottom of this page. Use Frank's version since it is complete and more carefully taken from the original MS.
R. Matteson 2017]
A SAILOR'S TRADE IS A ROVING LIFE- As entered in 1847 by Thomas R. Bryant, Jr. into the log aboard the whaling ship, Elizabeth, whose port was New Bedford, Massachusetts, Kendall repository.
A sailor's trade is a roving life
It's robbed me of my heart's delight
He has gone and left me awhile to mourn
But I can wait till he does return.
That short blue jacket he used to wear
His rosy cheeks and his coal black hair
His lips as smooth as the velvet fine
Ten thousand times he has kissed mine.
Come father build me a little boat,
That o'er the ocean I may float;
And every ship that I do pass by,
I will enquire for my sailor boy.
She had not sailed far o'er the deep
Before a king's ship she chanced to meet,
Captain captain, send me word
Does my sweet William be on board?
Oh no fair lady William is not here
He's drowned or so I fear
On yon green island as we pass
Gives the last mark of your sailor boy.
She wrung her hands and tore her hair
Like some female in deep despair
And then her boat to the shore did run
Saying how can I live since my sailor's gone.
Come all ye women that dress in white
Come all ye men that take delight
Come haul your colors at half mast high
And help me to weep for my sailor boy.
I will sit down and write a song
I will write it both sweet and long
At every line I will drop a tear
At every verse: where is my dear.
Come dig me a grave both wide and deep
Place a marble stone at my head and feet
And on my breast a turtle dove
To let the world[2] know that I died for love.
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Footnotes:
1. water was spilled on the log and the next two stanzas read:
She had not sailed far o'er
Before a king's ship
Captain captain,
Does my sweet
Oh no fair
He's
On
Gives
2. MS missing "To let the world"
Possible alternatives for the missing lines:
Captain captain, come tell me true,
Does my sweet William sail among your crew/on board with you.
Oh no fair maiden, he is not here,
He's been drowned we greatly fear
On yon green island as we passed by
Gives us to think lies your sailor boy.
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B. "A SAILORS TRADE IS A ROVING LIFE." Thomas R. Bryant, Jr., ship Elizabeth of New Bedford, 1847[1].
1. A sailors trade is a roving life
Its robbed me of my own hearts delight
He has gone and left me a while to mourn
But I can wait till he does return.
2. That short blue jacket he used to wear
His rosy cheeks and coal black hair
His lips so smooth as the velvet fine
Ten thousand times he has kissed mine
3. Come father build me a little boat
That over the ocean I may float
And every ship I do pass by
I will enquire for my sailor boy
4. She had no[t] sailed far over the deep
Before a king's ship she then did speak
Captain Capt. come tell me true
Does my sweet William sail among [your crew]
5. Oh no fair lady he is not here
He's lately died [or so] I fear
On yon green isle as I did pass by,
Twas there [that] I lost your sailor boy.
6. She wrung her hands and she tore her hair
Like some female in deep despair,
And then her boat to the shore did run
Saying how can I live since my sailor's gone.
7. Come all ye young women that dress in white
Come all ye young men that take delight
Come hoist your colors at half mast high
And help me to weep for the sailor boy.
8. I will sit down and write a song
I will write it both sweet and long
At every line I will drop one tear
At every verse where is my dear.
9. Come dig me a grave both wide and deep
Place a marble stone at my head and feet
And on my breast place a turtle dove
To let the world know that I died for love.
1. Discussing his garbled rendition of this transcription in Songs the Whalemen Sang, Huntington notes that the manuscript is damaged and is difficult to read. He evidently did not recognize the ballad and fails to provide a tune or citations. However, even 35 years later, much more of the text is plainly legible than Huntington was able to decipher, and some "missing" fragments be interpolated from partially visible writing in the MS and the many close analogues collected elsewhere.