“Gimme de Banjo”

Description

Shanty. Characteristic line: "Dance, gal, gimme de banjo!" The singer "was sent to school fer to be a scholar," but had no success and left his books to others. (Now he is at sea picking the banjo)

Supplemental text

Gimme de Banjo
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

From William Main Doerflinger, Songs of the Sailor and Lumberman,
revised edition (1972), p. 45. From the singing of William Laurie,
Sailor's Snug Harbor. Apparently conflated from two different
renditions by this singer.

Solo: Oh, dis is de day we pick on de banjo,
  Chorus: Dance, gal, gimme de banjo!

Solo: Oh, dat banjo, dat tal-la-tal-la-wan-go,
  Chorus: Dance, gal, gimme de banjo!

(6 additional stanzas)

References

1. Doerflinger, p. 45, "Gimme de Banjo" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Hugill, p. 341, "Gimme de Banjo" (2 texts, 1 tune) [AbEd, pp. 256-257]
3. ST Doe045 (Partial)
4. Roud #9437
5. BI, Doe045