> A.L. Lloyd > Songs > Sally Racket
> Steeleye Span > Songs > Maddy Prior: Haul Her Away
> Bellowhead > Songs > Little Sally Racket

Sally Racket / Haul Her Away

[ Roud 395 ; Ballad Index FSWB086A ; trad.]

A.L. Lloyd sang the halyard shanty Sally Racket in 1957 on his and Ewan MacColl's album The Black Ball Line; this recording was later included on the compilation Sailors' Songs & Sea Shanties. A.L. Lloyd commented in the latter album's sleeve notes:

This tops'l halyard song was said to be so very British that it was “frowned upon aboard American ships.” Yet many versions have a firm Negro ring to the melody.

Ewan MacColl recorded this again in 1966 for his and A.L. Lloyd's album A Sailor's Garland. And Maddy Prior sang this shanty in 2002 as Haul Her Away on her album Bib & Tuck; this track can also be found on her anthology Collections: A Very Best of 1995 to 2005.

Bellowhead sang Little Sally Racket in 2010 on their CD Hedonism and their singer Jon Boden sang it unaccompanied as the May 24, 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd sings Sally Racket	Maddy Prior sings Haul Her Away
Little Sally Racket Haul him away! She pawned my best jacket Haul him away! And she lost the ticket Haul him away! And a hauley high-o! Haul him away!	Little Nancy Dawson Haul her away! She's got red flannel draws on Haul her away! So says the old bosun Haul her away! With a hauley high-o! Haul her away!
Little Kitty Carson Got off with the parson Now she's got a little barson And a hauley high-o!	Little Betty Baker She ran off with a Quaker Guess her mum could shake her With a hauley high-o!
Well, and little Nancy Dawson Well she got a notion For a poor old bosun And a hauley high-o!	Little Suzie Skinner She said she's a beginner She prefers it to her dinner With a hauley high-o!
Little Suzie Skinner She said she's a beginner And she prefers it to her dinner Serve up, lads, and win her	Little Kitty Carson She ran off with a parson And she's got a little barson With a hauley high-o!
	Little Dolly Ducket She washes in a bucket She's a tart but doesn't look it With a hauley high-o!
	Little Sally Racket She tore her new jacket And she never did regret it With a hauley high-o!
	Little Nancy Dawson She's got red flannel draws on So says the old bosun And hey, she knows on
Well me fightin' cocks now All and split her blocks now And we'll stretch her luff, boys And that'll be enough, boys	Up my fightin' cocks, boys Up and split her blocks, boys And we'll stretch her luff, boys And that'll be enough, boys