Old Grandma Hones (Collected by by Kenneth Peacock) w/lyrics

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Old Grandma Hones (Collected by by Kenneth Peacock) w/lyrics

Come all you young fellows that follow the sea,
Bring your ship to an anchor, come listen to me,
I'll sing you a ditty 'twill cause you to smile,
A comical ditty was made in the fall.
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

Our captain came on deck and the word was: "Make sail!"
The wind from the nor'ward it blew a smart gale.
We quickly weighed anchors and outward did stand,
Soon lost sight of Sydney, our own native land.
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

About one o'clock when the wind it did howl
Around Scatarie the old Liza did crawl;
We jibed o'er our main boom and ran by the wind,
We passed Main-à-Dieu and we didn't call in.
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

We went up Louisburg Harbour, ashore we did go,
Plenty girls was there but a few did we know.
But now we're in Halifax, smoke, steam, and starm,
We'll go to Missus Hones' and think it no harm.
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

There's old Grandad Hones in the doorway do stand,
He tells us long tales about Newfoundland,
He tells us long tales about the wild shore,
And the money he made down on the Labrador.
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

The girls they come in with a laugh and a smile,
Their hair all in ringlets, dressed up in great style.
"You're welcome home, sailors, you're welcome on shore,
For we found the time long since we saw ye before."
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

There's old Grandma Hones with a pain in her leg,
A cramp 'cross her stomach, goin' off to her bed.
She leaves us all night with her daughters to sport,
And it's on her old sofa, good Lord, didn't we court!
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

When early the next morning the long wharf we'll spy,
The long wharf we'll spy where the old Liza do lie.
We'll jump on the deck with a laugh and surprise,
And the captain'll say, "Damn ye! who's making that n'ise?"
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

So now it's the fall we'll go look for our pipes,
Fresh beef and cold mutton to blow out our tripes.
We have a good skipper, we are very proud,
God bless the old Liza and Captain McLeod!
And sing fall the diddle lee, fall the darrel oh day.

####.... Author unknown ....####

Collected in 1961 from Patrick Rossiter of Fermeuse, NL, by Kenneth Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.83-84, by the National Museum Of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.

Kenneth Peacock noted that the lusty innocence of the sailors in the Hones household is strongly reminiscent of the tavern scenes in Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes, in which the tavern-keeper Auntie and her two 'nieces' dispense food and fun to male villagers and 'think it no harm.' Peacock also noted that Scatarie, Main-à-Dieu (pronounced Man-a-Doo), and Louisburg are all on the east coast of Cape Breton, and this song, although probably composed by Cape Bretoners many decades ago, had never been noted in Nova Scotia prior to his collecting it. Mr. Rossiter told him that he learned it in the 1920s while working in the sealing industry. Peacock added that many Newfoundlanders visit and work in Cape Breton, and the exchange of songs continued in his day.

Starm is the pronunciation of storm in a Newfoundland dialect.

From Nance & Underwood Rigging Sails Glossary Of Nautical, Rigging and Sailing Terms:
Jibe To change direction when sailing in a manner such that the stern of the boat passes through the eye of the wind and the boom changes sides. Prior to jibing the boom will be very far to the side of the boat. Careful control of the boom and mainsail is required when jibing in order to prevent a violent motion of the boom when it switches sides. Jibing without controlling the boom properly is known as an accidental jibe. tacking is preferred to jibing because the boom is not subject to such violent changes. Jibing is usually needed when running with the wind and tacking is used when close hauled.

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