Roud #216
Stormalong according to A.L. Lloyd was “the blusterous old skipper who stands his ground alongside Davy Jones and Mother Carey among the mythological personages of the sea. Some took him to be an embodiment of the wind, others believed he was a natural man …” (Folk Song In England, 1967).
On the other hand, Alfred Bulltop Stormalong is a legendary American hero of the sea by gigantic proportions and prodigious deeds, the protagonist of many children’s stories. He is “an able sailor, bold and true” and his funeral is a sort of last farewell to the glorious era of the great sailing ships, defeated at the end of the nineteenth century by steamboats.
Stormalong secondo A.L. Lloyd era “il burrascoso vecchio capitano che si erge al fianco di Davy Jones e Mother Carey tra i personaggi mitologici del mare. Alcuni lo consideravano l’incarnazione del vento, altri credevano fosse un uomo naturale …” ( Folk Song In England, 1967 ).
D’altro canto Alfred Bulltop Stormalong è un leggendario eroe americano del mare dalle proporzioni gigantesche (un Gulliver del Mare) e dalle imprese prodigiose, protagonista di molti racconti per bambini. Un “abile marinaio, audace e sincero” e il suo funerale è una sorta di ultimo addio alla gloriosa era dei grandi velieri, sconfitti sul finire dell’Ottocento dai battelli a vapore.
STORMALONG FAMILY
pumps and capstan shanties
Stormalong
Stormalong John/Stormy Along, John
Stormalong, Lads, Stormy
Old Stormey/Mister Stormalong
(halyard shanties)
Carry him to his burying ground
Yankee John Stormalong
STORMALONG
Storm, Stormalong!
Stormalong, me Johnny!
Stormalong and around we’ll go.
Oh Stormalong and around we’ll go.
Old Stormy was a captain bold,
A grand old man of the days of old.
Old Stormy loved a sailor’s song,
His voice was true and his heart was strong.
But now Old Stormy’s dead and done,
We marked the place where he was gone.
I wish I was Old Stormy’s son,
I’d build a ship of a thousand ton.
I’d sail this wide world round and round,
With gold and silver I’d be found.
I’d fill her up with Jamaican rum,
I’d give out drinks to everyone.
We’d all drink as much as a sailor can;
And bloody great bottle for the shantyman.
I’d feed you well and I’d raise your pay,
I’d fill your cups three times a day.
For fifty years we’d sail the seas,
We’d have no gales, but a good stiff breeze.
Stormalong e in giro andremo.
Oh Stormalong e in giro andremo.
Il vecchio Stormy era un capitano audace,
Un grande vecchio dei tempi antichi.
Il vecchio Stormy amava la canzone del marinaio,
La sua voce era sincera e il suo cuore era forte.
Ma ora il vecchio Stormy è morto stecchito
Abbiamo segnato il luogo in cui è morto.
Vorrei essere il figlio del vecchio Stormy,
costruirei una nave da mille tonnellate.
Navigherei in questo vasto mondo in lungo e in largo
e vorrei trovare oro e argento.
La caricherei di rum giamaicano,
darei da bere a tutti.
Si berrà tanto quanto un marinaio possa bere;
e per lo shantyman un fottuto bottiglione.
Vi nutrirò bene e aumenterei la vostra paga
vi riempirei le tazze tre volte al giorno.
Per cinquant’anni solcheremo i mari,
non avremo burrasche, ma una buona brezza tesa.
IL LAMENT: Stormalong John!/Stormy Along, John
Stormalong boys! Stormalong John!
Ah-ha, come along get along Stormyalong John!
Stormalong ragazzi! Stormalong John!
Ah-ha, procedete tutti uniti Stormyalong John!
The Making of a Sailor(p276),
Chanteying Aboard American Ships(p78-81),
The Way Of The Ship(p40-1)
Shanties from the Seven Seas(p69-70, 71-2),
| Oh, poor old Stormy’s dead and gone Oh, poor old Stormy’s dead and gone I dug his grave with a silver spade I lower’d him down with a golden chain I carried him away to Montego (Mobile) Bay | Povero vecchio Stormy è morto stecchito Povero vecchio Stormy è morto stecchito Ho scavato la sua fossa con una spada d’argento l’ho calato giù con una catena d’oro e l’ho portato lontano da Montego Bay |
La versione di John Short “is a beautiful example of the fact that a tune does not have to have musical bars all the same length in order to give a consistent working rhythm.”
Jim Mageean in Short Sharp Shanties : Sea songs of a Watchet sailor vol 1
I wish I was old Stormy’s son, O I wish I was old Stormy’s son And if I was old Stormy’s son I build a ship of a thousand ton; I’ll load her with jamaiky rum, and all my shellbacks they have some; I’d treat you well and raise your pay and stand you drinks five times a day (1); O was you ever in Quebec? A-stowing timber on the deck; I wish I was in Baltimore On the grand old American shore; And when we get to Liverpool town We’ll chased that judies round and round | Vorrei essere il figlio del vecchio Stormy, Vorrei essere il figlio del vecchio Stormy; Oh se fossi il figlio del vecchio Stormy costruirei una nave di mille tonnellate. La riempirei con il rum giamaicano e tutti i miei marinai ne avrebbero un po’. Vi tratterei bene e vi aumenterei la paga e vi farei bere 5 volte al giorno. Siete mai stati in Quebec? A caricare legna nella stiva; Vorrei essere a Baltimora sulla riva dei Grandi Laghi d’America; e quando arriveremo a Liverpool rincorreremo quelle ragazze dappertutto |
NOTE
1) sono le razioni giornaliere del grog
Stormalong, Lads, Stormy
Oh Stormalong
Stormalong, Lads, Stormy
RIFERIMENTI
Shanties from the Seven Seas(p70),
Shanties from the Seven Seas(complete)(p76)
Spin a Yarn, Sailor(words only)(p103),
Naval Songs(p41)
Old Stormey/Mister Stormalong/Captain Stormalong
to me way Stormalong!
Ay, ay, ay, Mister Stormyalong
Barbara Brown in Short Sharp Shanties : Sea songs of a Watchet sailor vol 3 (su Spotify)
RIFERIMENTI
Roll And Go(p38),
Capstan Bars(p126-7),
American Sea Songs and Chanteys, (p64-5)
Sea Songs and Shanties(p101),
Everyman’s Book of Sea Songs(p227-8),
Songs of American Sailormen(p88-9),
Shantymen & Shantyboys(p82-3),
Spin a Yarn, Sailor(words only)(p103)
,Music of The Waters(p16-7),
Songs of Sea Labour(p8),
A Book Of Shanties(p63),
An American Sailor’s Treasury(p70-1),
Songs of the Sailor and Lumberman(p82-3),
The Way Of The Ship(p152-3),
Shanties from the Seven Seas(p65),
Shanties from the Seven Seas (complete)(p72-5),
Songs of the Sea & Sailors’ Chanteys(p270-1)
The Seven Seas Shanty Book(p25)
Old Stormy’s dead and gone Oh from Cape Horn where he was born. Stormy is dead I saw him die And more than rain it dim my eyes. and now we’ll sing few old song Roll her over, long and strong. we dug his grave with a silver spade his shroud of the finest silk was made. we lower’d him down with a golden chain and we’ll see that he don’t rise again. I wish I was old Stormy’s son I give those sailors lots of rum. | Il povero vecchio Stormy è morto stecchito Oh a Capo Horn dov’era nato Stormy è morto l’ho visto morire e più di una lacrima offusca il mio sguardo e adesso canteremo qualche vecchia canzone, falla andare grande e forte, abbiamo scavato la fossa con una spada d’argento, il suo sudario era fatto della seta più bella, l’abbiamo calato giù con una catena d’oro e abbiamo visto che non si è rialzato. Se fossi il figlio del vecchio Stormy darei ai marinai un sacco di rum |
Una versione più estesa è riportata in “American Sea Songs and Chanteys,” di Frank Shay, 1948
| Old Stormy’s gone, that good old man, To my way hay, Stormalong, John! Oh, poor old Stormy’s dead and gone, To my aye, aye, aye, aye, Mister Stormalong! We dug his grave with a silver spade, His shroud of the finest silk was made. We lowered him with a silver chain, Our eyes all dim with more than rain. An able sailor, bold and true, A good old bosun to his crew. He’s moored at last, and furled his sail, No danger now from wreck or gale. I wish I was old Stormy’s son, I’d build me a ship of a thousand ton (1). I’d fill her up with New England rum, And all my shellbacks they would have some. I’d sail this wide world ‘round and ‘round, With plenty of money I would be found. Old Stormy’s dead and gone to rest, Of all the sailors he was the best, | Il vecchio Stormy è morto, quel brav’uomo A me way hay Stormalong, John! Il povero vecchio Stormy è morto stecchito A me aye, aye, aye, aye, Mister Stormalong! Abbiamo scavato la fossa con una spada d’argento, il sudario era fatto della migliore seta e lo abbiamo calato giù con una catena d’argento, con gli occhi pieni di pianto, un valido marinaio, ardito e sincero, un buon vecchio nostromo per la sua ciurma. Infine è si è ormeggiato e ha ammainato la vela, nessun pericolo di un naufragio o di una tempesta, se fossi il figlio del vecchio Stormy costruirei una nave di mille tonnellate. La riempirei con il rum del New England e tutti i miei marinai ne avrebbero un po’. Salperei per questo vasto mondo in lungo e in largo e vorrei trovare un sacco di soldi. Il vecchio Stormy è morto e andato a riposare di tutti i marinai era il migliore! |
NOTE
1) secondo John Sampson si tratta di John Willis armatore londinese che costruì il Cutty Sark; il padre John Willis potrebbe essere il nostro Stormalong; così scrive nel suo “The Seven Seas Shanty Book” (1926) “I have heard that the prototype of this noble shanty was old John Willis, a famous early Victorian ship master and owner, whose son was the John Willis known as Old White Hat and who will be remembered chiefly as the owner of the famous Cutty Sark.”
FONTI
http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/494.html
http://shantiesfromthesevenseas.blogspot.it/2011/11/23-mister-stormalong.html
http://shantiesfromthesevenseas.blogspot.it/2011/11/24-stormy-along-john.html
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=39676
http://www.contemplator.com/sea/stormalong.html
http://ingeb.org/songs/ostormys.html
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/sea-shanty/Stormalong.htm
