Hilo, Come Down Below

from Alone on the Wide Wide Sea by Craig Edwards

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about

Hilo, Come Down Below (1870s)
A halyard chantey from Frank Bullen. Like Harlow, Frank Bullen worked on square riggers near the height of the chantey tradition, and his book “Songs of Sea Labour” reflects his deep concern for accurate representation of the actual practice of chanteying. Since Bullen insisted on providing only one verse per song on the grounds that working sailors were never bound to one set of lyrics, I’ve used his melody, but most of the lyrics come from Stan Hugill’s “Shanties From the Seven Seas.” Bullen first heard chanteys in the West Indies in the late 1860s, and this song has roots in that tradition.

lyrics

A blackbird sang unto the crow
Hilo, Come down below!
I’ll soon be takin’ you in tow
Hilo, come down below!

Blackbird sat in the walnut tree
Pingin’ and pongin’ on the old banjee

High and dry, we’ll hoist her high
We’ll hoist her high for a bulgine pie

Blackbird sang, crow said “Caw!”
Got to set this sail by half past four

If the sun don’t shine then the hens won’t lay
If we don’t work we get no pay

The blackbird flew to Mobile Town
See his Sally when the sun go down

Blackbird flapped his wings and crowed
Why does a chicken cross the road?

Blackbird said unto the crow
Eight bells and then our watch below

One more pull, the old crow cried
Hurry for to catch the evening tide

credits

from Alone on the Wide Wide Sea, released August 9, 2022

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Craig Edwards New London, Connecticut

I play American roots music, from Appalachian fiddle and banjo tunes to Zydeco accordion. For nearly four decades i worked as a staff musician at Mystic Seaport Museum, demonstrating the use of chanteys, or sailor work songs, aboard the museum's collection of historic ships. I've plumbed the depths of sailor music, from the African American origins of chanteys to world maritime traditions. ... more

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