[Radio Dé Danann] Chicken on a Raft: Ships and Sailors Week

Delicious Chicken on a Raft

(Cyril Tawney)

Skipper in the wardroom drinkin' gin,
Hey yo, chicken on a raft!
I don't mind knockin', but I ain't goin' in!
Hey yo, chicken on a raft!

The jimmy's laughin' like it'd rain,
Hey yo, chicken on a raft!
He's lookin' at me comic cuts again!
Hey yo, chicken on a raft!

Chorus

Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning,
Oh, what a terrible sight to see,
Dabtoes forward and the dustmen aft,
Sittin' there a'pickin' at a chicken on a raft!
Hi, ho, chicken on a raft!
Hey, ho, chicken on a raft!
Hi, ho, chicken on a raft!
Hey, ho, chicken on a raft!

Gave me the middle and the forenoon too,
Now I'm pullin' on a whalin' crew.
Seagulls wheelin' overhead,
I oughter be home in me featherbed!

I had a little girl in Donny-B,
And did she make a fool of me.
Her heart was like a pusser's shower,
Run hot to cold in a quarter of an hour!

We kissed goodbye on a midnight bus,
She didn't cry and she didn't fuss,
Am I that one she loves the best,
Or just a cuckoo in another man's nest?

An amazon girl lived in Dumfries,
Only had her kids in two's and three's,
She's got a sister in Maryhill,
Says she won't but I think she will!

Author M. Kei, Pirates of the Narrow Seas series, offers this glossary of terms in the song: 

Dabtoes are ordinary seamen, from getting their feet wet while swabbing the deck. Dustmen are taking out the trash, ie, heaving it overboard (20th century dustmen were stokers in the engine room. They got the dirty jobs.) These are standard morning chores. The jimmy is jimmy-number-one, ie, the first lieutenant/executive officer. The middle and forenoon are two watches, the middle 0000-0400 and the forenoon 0800-1200, so our narrator is standing watch-and-watch and is no doubt very tired. Comic cuts are orders--our poor narrator is about to be run ragged again. Pusser is the purser, ie, the ship's accountant, famous for cheating the men. Donny-B is Donnibristle, a place name. 

Thanks, M. Kei!

Copyright Dick James Music, Ltd.
Recorded by Tawneyand by the Young Tradition
BR

[Radio Dé Danann] Where In the Celtic World?

Take a trip around the Celtic world on Radio Dé Danwith this week's play list containing songs about places like Dublin, Cardiff, Cape Breton, London, Edinburgh, Toronto.. not to mention Australia, Ballyhooley, Liverpool and Americay.  See if you can keep up with all the towns, geographic features and political entities.

Jigs and Reels and Hornpipes, Oh My!

Highland fling

Starting two weeks of Celtic and related dances!

Definitions for some of the aong and dance types common to Celtic musical traditions.

jig
Any of various lively dances in triple time. The music for such a dance. Also called gigue.
Example: Morrison's Jig, The Irish Experience

reel
Any of various lively Scottish dances, such as the eightsome reel and foursome reel for a fixed number of couples who combine in square and circular formations. Music, other) a piece of music having eight quavers to the bar composed for or in the rhythm of this dance.
Example: Yester's Reel, Old Grey Goose

hornpipe
An old British solo dance to a hornpipe accompaniment, traditionally performed by sailors. A piece of music for such a dance
Example: Irish Hornpipe, Thomas Fraser

fling
A lively Scottish dance.
Example: Flings in a Row, Trianam

air
A simple tune for either vocal or instrumental performance.
Example: Hindeg (Welsh Air), Idlewild

waltz
A ballroom dance in triple time with a strong accent on the first beat. A piece of music for this dance. An instrumental or vocal composition in triple time.
Example: Genevieve's Waltz, Mithril

ballad
A narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain. The music for such a poem.
Example: McLeod's Lament (I will go) , Paul Murray & David McKeown

march
A piece of music, usually in four beats to the bar, having a strongly accented rhythm
Example: Brian Boru's March, James Galway and Marisa Robles

round
A part song in which the voices follow each other at equal intervals at the same pitch.
Example: Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Kidztown Kids

fancy
Also called fantasy fantasia Music a composition for solo lute, keyboard, etc., current during the 16th and 17th centuries
Example: Rovers Fancy, The Irish Rovers

step dance
A dance in which emphasis is placed on certain steps, such as clogging or tapping, rather than body position or gesture.
Example: