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Yarmouth Sea Captains, Yarmouth Nova Scotia, 1943., Lead singer Arthur Hilton, other singers E. Manning, R. Goudey, N. Larkin, E. Nickerson, A. McKinnon, H. Trefry (average age of singers 75 at time of recording.)

lyrics

Blow the Man Down - Yarmouth Sea Captains - Lead singer, Arthur Hilton [1:18]
AC: 2221 - MF NO: 289.33

Recorded: Yarmouth, 1943. Other singers are: E. Manning, R. Goudey, N. Larkin, E. Nickerson, A. McKinnon and H. Trefty. [average age 75] Halyard chanty. “It was probably a good thing that we had the chanty singing in the evening of the day I arrived in Yarmouth. These men are all quite shy and retiring, and if they had been given time to think about it, they would probably have thought they couldn’t do it. ... I doubt if they get together very often, and I am sure they enjoyed the evening as much as I did. ... It is interesting to note that at the time of recording these men were all teetotal; their only drink the evening we recorded was water.”

As I was a-walking down Paradise Street,
To me way hey, blow the man down,
A Liverpool bobby I chanced for to meet.
Give me some time to blow the man down.

Say he, “You’re a Blackballer by the cut of your hair,”
To me way hey, blow the man down,
“I know you’re a Blackballer by the clothes that you wear.”
Give me some time to blow the man down.

“You’ve sailed in a packet that flies the Black Ball,”
To me way hey, blow the man down,
“You’ve robbed some poor Dutchman of boots, clothes and all.”
Give me some time to blow the man down.

“Oh policeman, policeman, you do me great wrong,”
To me way hey, blow the man down,
“I’m a Flying Fish sailor just home from Hong Kong.”
Give me some time to blow the man down.

They gave me six months in Liverpool town,
To me way hey, blow the man down,
For kicking a policeman and blowing him down.
Give me some time to blow the man down.

credits

from The Helen Creighton Folklore Society Presents: Songs of the Sea, released May 24, 2023

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Helen Creighton Folklore Society Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Honoring folklorist Helen Creighton (1899-1989), who collected and published traditional music and lore of Maritime Canada. The mandate of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society is to encourage and promote work that reflects the diverse folk culture of the Maritimes as exemplified by the work begun by Dr. Creighton. For more information visit our website at: www.helencreighton.org. ... more

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