The Saillers- Larkin (IL) pre1867 Musick JOAFL
[From: The Old Album of William A. Larkin by Ruth Ann Musick published in The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 60, No. 237 (Jul. - Sep., 1947), pp. 201-251.
This is one of the three early traditional pre-Civil War versions (Kittredge, Thompson) being written down in 1867 and known surely much earlier than that. Larkin's spelling (as in the Douglass MS) is kept.
The last line of the chorus (Verse 2) had a word that Larkin sang and probably didn't know; some versions have "landsmen," or "landlords" and others "landlubbers" and this appears to be a corruption of these words and since it's closest to "landlords" could be sung: "While the landlords..."
R. Matteson 2014]
Musick's notes: This is usually known as "The Mermaid" (Child No. 289), and appears in Sharp, English Folk Songs ... (4 versions), I, 291-293; Mackenzie, p. 65; Cox, pp. 172-173; Barry, Eckstorm and Smyth, pp. 363-368; Scarborough, pp. I89-I90; Stout, pp. 14-15; Belden, pp. 101-102; Lomax-Lomax, Our Singing Country, pp. 151-152; Sharp, A Book of British Song, pp. 34-35; Henry, Folk Songs ..., pp. 133-134; Pound, Folk-Song ..., p. o1; Chappell, Popular Music of the Olden Time, II, 742-743; Barry, JAF, I8 (1905), 136; Barry, JAF, 22 (1909), 78; Kittredge, JAF, 26 (I913), pp. I75-I76.
The Saillers- Written by William Larkin, February the 9th, 1867.
i. It was on one friday morning as we set sail
We had not got far from land
When we spied a pretty fair maid
With a come and a glass in her hand her hand her hand
Chorus
2. For the stormy winds they do blow
And the raging seas doath roar
While ye poor sailers goes up to the tops any trees
Many ye lie down below below below
While she lasords many ye lie down below
3. Up steped a boy of a hour gallant ship
And a well spoken boy was he
Saying i have a father and mother in a far distant land
And this night they will be looking for me for me me
4. Up steped a man of hour gallant ship
And a well spoken man was he
Saying i marryed a wife in a far distant land
And this night a widdow she will be will be be
5. Up steped the captain of hour gallant ship
And a well spoken man was he
Saying for the want of a long boat we all shall drown
And wee will sink to the bottom of the sea the sea
6. Its three times round went hour gallant ship
And its three times round went she
And its three times round went hour gallant ship
And she sunk to the bottom of the sea the sea sea