Boston Harbor
I learned this from Aidan Murphy (age 6) at Newfound Lake in 2007 and I imagine he learned it from his dad, Keith Murphy. This version is very similar to that of the Wattersons.
From Boston Harbor we set sail
The wind was blowin' a devil of a gale
With the ring-tail set all about the mizzen peak
Dolphin striker plowin' up the deep
With a big bow wow, tow row row
Fal dee rall dee right all day.
Up steps the captain from down below
He looks aloft, boys, and he looks alow
He looks alow and he looks aloft
Pull them ropes, boys, fore and aft.
Back to his cabin he quickly crawls
And unto his steward he madly bawls
Saying bring me a glass that will make me cough
Better down here than it is up aloft
While we poor sailors are standing on the decks
The wind and rain is a rolling down our necks
Not a drop of grog will he us afford
Damns our eyes with every other word.
There's just one thing we sailors crave
For him to find a watery grave
We’ll cast him down some deep dark hole
Sharks'll take his body
and the devil take his soul
It can help to teach the chorus first. I split it in parts and have folks directly respond to my calls.
Me: With a big bow wow Crew: With a Big Bow wow
Me: Tow row row Crew: Tow row row
Me: Fal dee rall dee right all dayCrew:Fal dee rall dee right all day
Depending on how seasoned the crew is I'll do this several times, or then cobble it together into one big chorus:
With a big bow wow, tow row row
Fal dee rall dee right all day.
Which is the traditional way to do it.
Sometimes I keep it call & response the whole time for an especially green crew.
Sometimes I sing the verses call & response, too, if I think folks on the crew will want to learn the lyrics of the verse, if I need extra time for breathing (such as in a fast row) or if we have a particularly long project and I'm just looking to kill time.
First published in Captain W.B. Whall's Sea Songs and Shanties(1910), who noted it was "very popular between 1860 and 1870." The "big bow wow" chorus has a satisfying swing. Good for slow rowing, cranking the anchor up, or just singing together on deck.
Different melody & chorus: