"Sally Brown" (sea shanty) Video & Excerpt From Terre Celtiche Blog "Sally Brown Roll & Go" Article

Jesse Ferguson, Aug 3, 2021

Canadian folksinger Jesse Ferguson performs traditional sea shanty "Sally Brown" (Roud 2628). Harmonies also by Ferguson. Lyrics below.

[…]

Sally Brown

(traditional [Roud 2628], arrang. J. Ferguson, 2021)

V1.

Well, I shipped on board a Liverpool liner.
Way, hey, roll and go!
And we roll all night
and we roll all the day.
I'll spend my money on Sally Brown.

V2.

Sally Brown she's a nice young lady, etc.

V3.

Her mother didn't like no tarry sailor, etc.

V4.

She wants her to marry the one-legged captain, etc.

V5.

She wouldn't wed me, so I shipped 'cross the water, etc.

V6.

So now I'm courting Sally's daughter, etc.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents a YouTube video of a version of the chanty (shanty) "Sally Brown (Roll And Go)". 

This post also presents a long excerpt from an article about "Sally Brown Roll And Go" shanty from the Terre Celtiche blog.  

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, folkloric, and educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the unknown composers of chanties (shanties) and thanks to tall thos who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to Jesse Ferguson for his video that is included in this post. 
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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on African Americans and West Indians chanties (shanties). Click the tags given below for previous posts and subsequent posts on this subject.
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/sally-brown-sally-sue-brown-sea-shanty.html for a 2021 pancocojams post entitled "Sally Brown & Sally Sue Brown - Sea Shanty, Ska, & Blues". This is Part I of a two part pancocojams post. This post focuses on some Sally Brown shanties.

The link for Part II is given in that post.

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EXCERPT OF BLOG ARTICLE ON SALLY BROWN ROLL AND GO
From https://terreceltiche.altervista.org/sally-brown-roll-and-go/
"In the sea shanties Sally Brown is the stereotype of the cheerful woman of the Caribbean seas, mulatta or creole, with which our sailor tries to have a good time.

Probably of Jamaican origin according to Stan Hugill, it was a popular song in the ports of the West Indies in the 1830s.

The textual and melodic variations are many.

FIRST VERSION: WAY, HEY, ROLL AND GO

In this version the chorus is split into two short sentences repeated by the crew in sequence, after each verse of the shantyman, and is more properly a halyard shanty.

[video insert …]

Oh Sally Brown she's a creole (2) lady,

Way, hey, roll (1) and go

Sally Brown's a gay old lady,

spend my money on (with) (3) Sally Brown.

Sally Brown she has a daughter,

Sent me sailin '' cross the water.

Oh seven long years I courted Sally,

Then she said she would not marry.

Lei she wouldn't have no tarry (4) sailor,

Lei wouldn't have no greasy whaler.

Sally Brown I'm bound to leave you,

Sally Brown I'll not deceive you.

Sally Brown she took a notion (5),

Sent me sailin '' cross the ocean.

 

NOTE

1) The term "Creole" can be understood in two exceptions: from the Spanish "crillo", which originally referred to the first generation born in the "New World", sons of settlers from Europe (Spain or France) and black slaves . The most common meaning is that which refers to all the black half-bloods of Jamaica from the color of the skin that goes from cream to brown and up to black-blue. In the nineteenth century with this term was also indicated a small elite urban society of light skin in Louisiana (resident mostly in New Orleans) result of crossings between some beautiful black slaves and white landowners who took them as lovers.

2) the term is generically used by sailors to say many things, in this context for example could mean "sail".

3) change the article immediately makes the difference "I spend the money on" Sally implies that I pay for his sexual performance "I spend the money with" Sally is more bland ..

4) tarry is a derogatory term to distinguish the typical sailor . More generally Jack Tar is the term commonly used to refer to a sailor of merchant ships or the Royal Navy. Probably the term was coined in 1600, alluding to the tar with which the sailors waterproofed their work clothes.

5) the lady to get rid of the sailor (left without money) sends him back to work, probably on a whaler

[…including video insert]

O, Sally Brown, of New York City (1),

O, Sally Brown you're very pretty

O, Sally Brown's a bright mulatter,

She drinks rum and chews tobaccer.

O, Sally Brown'shes a Creole lady, (2)

Lei she's the mother of a yellow baby (3).

Sally's teeth di lei are white and pearly,

Her eyes di lei are blue, her hair is curly.

Seven long years I courted Sally,

Sweetest girl in all the valley.

Seven long years she wouldn't marry,

And I no longer cared to tarry.

So I courted her only daughter di lei,

For her di lei I sail upon the water.

Now my troubles are all over,

Sally's married to a dirty soldier

NOTE

1) the shanty is also widespread on the packet ships in Liverpool-New York routes, so Sally lives in the city of New York

2) in this description the Creole girl is a mulatto from the skin in the clearest gradation, with blue eyes and wavy hair

3) or from the skin with a caramel tinge”

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