“Maurice Crotty”
Description
Green hand Crotty understands nothing about sealing. When the Dan reach the seals Crotty boxes with a big one until he is rescued. Crotty is thankful the seal's breath smelled of whisky, else he might have been beaten to death
Supplemental text
Maurice Crotty
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
As printed in Ryan & Small, Haulin' Rope & Gaff, pp. 86-87. From Peacock,
Songs of the Newfoundland Outports; collected in 1952 from Gordon Willis.
Sit down while I sing you a ditty,
Of the spring I was out in the Dan;
Maurice Crotty was one of her sealers,
A comical cure of a man.
It was his first spring of ice hunting,
Not a rope in the ship did he know,
Not even to fold up a bunting,
And awkward to lace up a tow.
(Stanzas 1, 3, of 14)
Notes
According to Ryan/Small, "1852 is generally known and spoken of as the 'Spring of the Wadhams.'" Seals were found very plentiful in the vicinity of the Wadhams, (islands located in Notre Dame Bay S.E. of Fogo Island), and the majority of vessels were caught in a fearful gale of NNE wind which caused great destruction to the fleet." - RBW
Cross references
- cf. "Grandfather Bryan" (tune)
References
- Peacock, pp. 73-74, "Maurice Crotty" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Lehr/Best 74, "Maurice Crotty" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
- Ryan/Small, pp. 86-87, "Maurice Crotty"; p. 88, "The Spring of the Wadhams" (2 texts, 1 tune)
- ST Pea073 (Partial)
- Roud #6649
- BI, Pea073