South Australia

South Australia (Roud # 325) is a sea shanty used by the wool and later the wheat traders who worked the clipper ships between Australian ports and London. The shanty (first variant) is now a very famous folk song that is recorded by many artists and is present in many of today's song books.

This is well known as a farewell song, sung at the docks as the big ships were leaving. The men grew a sentimental attachment to the song and were even known to request a rousing chorus on their death beds, so they could die happy.

History

The first variant given here is a shanty, collected from sailors in Tyneside, northern England, and included in Laura Smith's The Music of the Waters collection in 1888. Another version of it, labelled as a halyard shanty, is given in Manifold ^[1]

Manifold also gives a very different capstan shanty, much slower and with the lyrics given as the second variant. From Manifold, p26: "I am told that the crew of S.S. Flinders 'sang the old tub to rest' with this beautiful tune, on her last voyage in 1923 to shipbreakers'.

Recorded versions

The song has been recorded many times in both traditional and modern arrangements.

Traditional recordings

• The Seekers on their 1964 UK album, "The Seekers" (also known as Roving With The Seekers)
• The Pilgrims on their album Here to Stay
• The Poxy Boggards on their album Anchor Management
• The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem on their album The Boys Won't Leave The Girls Alone
• The Corsairs (1995-2008) on their album "The Blue One"
• Rantan Bush Band (1977–2009) on their album "Rantan" (1982).

Modern versions

• The Clumsy Lovers on their album Live! do a rock charged version of the song as the first part of a medley with Let the Sunshine In.
• The Pogues on their 1987 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.
• South Australian musician and vocalist Jo Lawry does a live version with James Schipp's band Nos Novo.
• Churchfitters on their album New Tales for Old.
• Dublin City Workingman's Band on their album The Frost is All Over.

References

• McGuinn, Roger, "South Australia", from Roger McGuinn's Folk Den. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
• The Seekers Discography
• Poxy Boggards, Anchor Management
• The Clumsy Lovers, "Live!"

1. ^ J.S. Manifold (1964) "The Penguin Australian Song Book", Griffin Press, Adelaide, South Australia

External links

Video

• South Australia, performed by The Fisherman's Friends (the Port Isaac town choir) with Show of Hands

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