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South Australia

[Trad.]

Contrary to the jolly nature of shanties like this, shipboard life in the early days was miserable indeed.

A version of this classic shanty was collected by Laura Smith from sailors in Tyneside and printed in her The Music of the Waters in 1888. It was recorded by A.L. Lloyd in 1958 on his Wattle album Across the Western Plains (verses 1-5 and 7-8). In 1960, this track was reissued on the Topic LP Outback Ballads. It was also sung by A.L. Lloyd with Ewan MacColl joining in on chorus on their album Blow Boys Blow (verses 1-3 and 5-7). And Trevor Lucas recorded South Australia for his second Australian solo album of 1966, Overlander.

A.L. Lloyd commented in the Across the Western Plains sleeve notes:

In the days of sail, South Australia was a familiar going-away song, sung as the men trudged round the capstan to heave up the heavy anchor. Some say the song originated on wool-clippers, others say it was first heard on the emigrant ships. There is no special evidence to support either belief; it was sung just as readily aboard Western Ocean ships as in those of the Australian run. Laura Smith, a remarkable Victorian Lady, obtained a 14-stanza version of South Australia from a coloured seaman in the Sailors' Home at Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the early 1880's. The song's first appearance in print was in Miss Smith's Music of the Waters. Later, it was often used as a forebitter, sung off-watch, merely for fun, with any instrumentalist joining in. It is recorded in this latterday form. The present version was learnt from an old sailing-ship sailor, Ted Howard of Barry, in South Wales. Ted told how he and a number of shellbacks were gathered round the bed of a former shipmate. The dying man remarked: “Blimey, I think I'm slipping my cable. Strike up South Australia, lads, and let me go happy.”

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd singsTrevor Lucas sings

In South Australia I was born,
Well, heave away, haul away,
In South Australia round Cape Horn
We're bound for South Australia.

In South Australia I was born,
Heave away, haul away,
In South Australia round Cape Horn
For we're bound for South Australia.

Chorus (after each verse):
Haul away, you rolling king,
Well, heave away, haul away,
Haul away, oh hear me sing,
We're bound for South Australia.
Chorus (after each verse):
Heave away, you rolling king,
Heave away, haul away,
Heave away, oh hear me sing,
For we're bound for South Australia.

As I walked out one morning fair,
't was there I met Miss Nancy Blair.

 

There ain't but one thing grieves me mind,
To leave Miss Nancy Blair behind.

There only one thing grieves me mind,
That's leaving Nancy Blair behind.

O when I sail across the sea,
My girl says she'd be true to me.

 

I rung her all night, I rung her all day,
I rung her before we sailed away.

I rung her all night and I rung her all day,
Well, I rung her and tell we sailed away.

I shook her up, I shook her down,
I shook her round and round and round.

 

Oh, when we wallop around Cape Horn,
You'll wish to God you'd never been born.

 

I wish I was on Australia strand,
With a glass of whiskey in my hand.

I wish I was on Australian shores,
With a bottle of whiskey in me paw.

Acknowledgements

Lyrics copied from Mark Gregory's Australian Folk Songs and adapted to the actual singing of A.L. Lloyd and Trevor Lucas.