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Aboard the kangaroo is a sea shanty coming from the music hall, composed by Harry Clifton (1824-1872)[1] and published in 1856 as On Board Of The Kangaroo. Stan Hugill in his “Shanties of the Seven Seas” gives two versions and ranks as capstan shanty, one from Stanley Slade of Bristol, and one from Elizabeth Cronin of Macroom, County Cork.
[ Roud 925 ; G/D 6:1211 ; Ballad Index MA060 ; Bodleian Roud 925 ; Mudcat 8460 ; trad.]
THE GOOD SHIP KANGAROO
Apparently the song was not so popular in the sea shanty and its diffusion in the folk circuit is part of the revival of the 70s.
Planxty from After the Break 1979 (Elizabeth Cronin version)
THE GOOD SHIP KANGAROO
I
Once I was a waitin’ man that lived at home at ease
Now I am a mariner that ploughs the angry seas
I always loved sea-faring life I bid my love adieu
I shipped as steward and cook, my boys, on board the ‘Kangaroo’ (1)
Chorus
I never thought she would prove false or either prove untrue
As we sailed away through the Milford bay on board the kangaroo
II
“Think of me oh think of me”, she mournfully did say
“When you are in a foreign land and I am far away
And take this lucky threepenny bit it’ll make you bear in mind
That lovin’ trustin’ faithful heart you left in tears behind”
“Cheer up cheer up my own true love don’t weep so bitterly”
She sobbed she sighed she choked she cried and could not say goodbye
“I won’t be gone for very long ‘tis but a month or two.
When I will return again of course I’ll visit you”
III
Our ship was homeward bound from many’s the foreign shore
And many’s the foreign presents unto my love I bore
I brought tortoises from Tenerife and toys from Timbuktoo
A china rat and a Bengal cat and a Bombay cockatoo
Paid off I sought her dwelling on a street above the town
Where an ancient dame upon the line was hanging out her gown
“Where is my love? “”She’s vanished sir about six months ago
With a smart young man that drives the van for Chaplin Son & Co (2)”
IV
Here’s a health to dreams of married life to soap suds and blue (3)
Heart’s true love and patent starch (4) and washing soda too,
I’ll go unto some foreign shore no longer can I stay
On some China Hottentot(5) I’ll throw myself away
My love she is no foolish girl her age it is two score
My love she is no spinster she’s been married twice before
I cannot say it was her wealth that stole my heart away
She’s a washer in a laundry for one and nine a day
NOTES
1) there have been several ships to take the name of Kangaroo, probably it is from the SS Kangaroo a British passenger and merchant transport ship, whose navigation period coincides with the era of the song
2) Chaplin, Horne and Co was the largest transport company in the United Kingdom
3) Reckitt’s Blue: before the modern optical brighteners, there was a mysterious blue sachet that was dissolved in the last rinse water and raised the yellowish color from the cotton
4) Harry Clifton writes: Farewell to dreams of married life! to soap, to suds, and blue, To “Glenfield starch” and “Harper Twelvetrees’ washing powder” too.
A claim to two products for the laundry of the perfect housewife! The music hall writers received financial compensation from producers for advertising their goods; Glenfield starch was so popular that another company put a production in Glenfield to give the same name to their starch, but lost the legal battle.
5) ‘hottentot’ is the derogatory term with which a tribe of the southern African Khoikhoi was called, in the nineteenth century Africans were taken as exotic curiosities and the missing link of Darwinian eviction, the koi were the most popular because of their short stature, women had the peculiarity of accumulating large amounts of fat in the thighs and buttocks: it’s going to fat-ass
Stanley Slade: Where we sail away from Bristol Quay
Among the last shantyman to sail on sailing vessels, with a powerful voice, the sailor Stanley Slade was hired on the first steam ships as a singer to entertain passengers with the most obscene versions of his repertoire.
Hulton Clint
ABOARD THE KANGAROO
Chorus
I never thought she would prove false or either prove untrue
As we sailed away from Bristol quay
on board the Kangaroo
I
I thought I’d like seafarin’ life, so I bid my love adieu,
And shipped aboard as bosun’s mate, aboard the Kangaroo…
II
My love, she was no foolish girl, her age is was two score;
My love she was no spinister, she’d been married twice before…
III
You would not think it was her wealth that stole me heart away;
She was starcher at a launderer’s for eighteen pence a day…
IV
Paid off, I sought her dwelling place, ‘twas high on Munjoy Hill;
Where an ancient dame upon the stoop was tossing out the swill…
V
“Where is my love?” “She’s married, sir, about six months ago,
To a smart young man who’s skipper of a bark that trades the coast in coal…”
VI
Farewell to dreams of married bliss, of soapsuds and the blue;
Farewell to all you Bristol gals, you’re fickled minded too…
VII
I’ll seek some distant foreign shore, no longer will I stay;
An’ on some Chinese Hottentot I’ll waste my life away…
[1] from the British Musical Biography, pp.94-95: Clifton, Henry Robert, better known as Harry Clifton, author and composer of comic songs, born at Hoddesden, Hereford, England in 1831, died, Hanunersmith, London, 1872. Well-known in his day as author and composer of music-hall lyrics of the “motto” variety, among which were Paddle Your Own Canoe; Pulling Hard Against The Stream; Shelling Green Peas; Work, Boys, Work and many others. He also wrote Polly Perkins Of Paddington Green and other songs of a mock-sentimental type, such as the Agreeable Young Man; Convivial Man; Jemima Brown; On Board Of The Kangaroo [1865], etc. For many years he resided in Glasgow, Scotland, as a music-hall singer.
LINK
http://folktrax-archive.org/menus/cassprogs/207slade.htm
http://www.contemplator.com/sea/kangaroo.html
https://www.christymoore.com/lyrics/good-ship-kangaroo/
https://mainlynorfolk.info/nic.jones/songs/onboardthekangaroo.html
https://mudcat.org//thread.cfm?threadid=8460
http://www.shanty.org.uk/archive_songs/aboard-the-kangaroo-.html
http://www.shanty.org.uk/archive_songs/on-board-of-the-kangaroo-.html
