“McNab's Island”

Description

Sergeant John McCafferty marches you "forty hours a day ... in the regular army." "I went down to McNab's Island" to fight Indians but "we got bald-headed And never lost a hair." "I got blisters... bunions...."

Supplemental text

McNab's Island
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

From Helen Creighton, Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia, #134, pp. 291-292.
"Sung by Mr. Richard Hartlan, South-East Passage."

It's Sergeant John McCafferty
  And Corporal God Knows Who,
They'll make you march to the roll of the drums
  And company army too.
Then it's forty hours a day me boys
  (And being in the regular army too.)

    Chorus.
  A tor ror lol a lido
  A tor ror a lol a ley.

(2 additional stanzas)

Notes

Creighton-NovaScotia: "McNab's Island includes part of the fortification of Halifax Harbour" - BS

References

1. Creighton-NovaScotia 134, "McNab's Island" (1 short text, 1 tune)
2. ST CrNS134 (Partial)
3. Roud #1833
4. BI, CrNS134