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Wild Goose Shanty
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The Wild Goose
Wild Goose Shanty
[
Roud 328
; Ballad Index Doe032
; trad.]
A.L. Lloyd sang the Wild Goose Shanty in 1960 on his and Ewan MacColl's Tradition Records LP Blow Boys Blow (reissued in 1967 in the UK by Transatlantic Records). He commented in the sleeve notes:
One of the great halyard shanties, seemingly better-known in English ships than American ones, though some versions of it have become crossed with the American song called Huckleberry Hunting. From the graceful movement of its melody it is possible that this is an older shanty than most. Perhaps it evolved out of some long-lost lyrical song.
He also sang The Wild Goose Shanty live at the Top Lock Folk Club, Runcorn, on November 5, 1972. This concert was published in 2010 on the Fellside CD An Evening with A.L. Lloyd.
Louis Killen sang The Wild Goose in 1964 on the anthology Farewell Nancy: Sea Songs and Shanties, later reissued with bonus tracks as the CD Blow the Man Down. A.L. Lloyd commented in the sleeve notes:
Songbook editors like to classify shanties according to the task they were supposed to accompany; short drag, halyard, windlass, pump. But this one, like many others was used for any job. Sometimes it starts: “I'm the shanty man of the Wild Goose nation”, perhaps a reference to Ireland (‘wild geese’ is a name for 17th Century Irish patriots who fled their country to take service with foreign kings). This tune was collected by W. Roy Mackenzie who got it from a seaman settled in Nova Scotia.
Louis Killen recorded The Wild Goose Nation again in 1995 for his CD Sailors, Ships & Chanteys.
Kate Rusby sang The Wild Goose in 1999 on her CD Sleepless.
A.L. Lloyd sings The Wild Goose Shanty
Did you ever see a wild goose sailing on the ocean?
Ranzo, Ranzo, Away-hey!
They're just like them young girls when they take the notion.
Ranzo, Ranzo, Away-hey!
I met a young woman a-walking by the river
And in every step she made her topsails quiver.
I sleuthed up to her, says, “How are you, my darling?”
She says, "None the better for seeing you this morning.”
(repeat first verse)
Louis Killen sings The Wild Goose
Did you ever see a wild goose sailing o'er the ocean?
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way-hey!
They're just like them pretty girls when they gets the notion.
Ranzo, Ranzo, Way-hey!
The other morning I was walking by the river
When I saw a young girl walking with her topsails all a-quiver.
I said, “Pretty fair maid, and how are you this morning?”
She said, “None the better for the seeing of you.”
(repeat first verse)