The last song for this school year is a fun one. It was written as a nonsense song by Charles Edward Carryl in 1885, borrowing the chorus of another song called "Ten Thousand Miles." The song became even more popular in the twentieth century, with recordings such as those by Tom Glazer and Tom Chapin (both linked below).
Anne's note: "If you find yourself contemplating what hot-cross buns would taste like served up with sugar and glue, you've probably been playing this song too much."
Lyrics (as posted here)
A capital ship for an ocean trip
Was the "Walloping Window Blind"
No wind that blew dismayed her crew
Or troubled the captain's mind
The man at the wheel was made to feel
Contempt for the wildest blow-ow-ow
Tho' it oft appeared when the gale had cleared
That he'd been in his bunk below
So, blow ye winds, heigh-ho
A-roving I will go
I'll stay no more on England's shore
So let the music play-ay-ay
I'm off for the morning train
To cross the raging main
I'm off to my love with a boxing glove
10,000 miles away
The bos'un's mate was very sedate
Yet fond of amusement too
He played hop-scotch with the starboard watch
While the captain tickled the crew
The gunner he was apparently mad
For he sat on the after ra-ra-rail
And fired salutes with the captain's boots
In the teeth of a booming gale
The captain sat on the commodore's hat
And dined in a royal way
Off pickles & figs & little roast pigs
And gunners bread each day
The cook was Dutch and behaved as such
For the diet he served the crew-ew-ew
Was a couple of tons of hot-cross buns
Served up with sugar and glue
Then we all fell ill as mariners will
On a diet that's rough and crude
And we shivered and shook as we dipped the cook
In a tub of his gluesome food
All nautical pride we cast aside
And we ran the vessel asho-o-ore
On the Gulliby Isles where the poopoo smiles
And the rubbily ubdugs roar
Composed of sand was that favored land
And trimmed with cinnamon straws
And pink and blue was the pleasing hue
Of the ticke-toe teaser's claws
We sat on the edge of a sandy ledge
And shot at the whistling bee-ee-ee
While the rugabug bats wore waterproof hats
As they dipped in the shining sea
On rugabug bark from dawn till dark
We dined till we all had grown
Uncommonly shrunk when a Chinese junk
Came up from the Torrible Zone
She was stubby and square, but we didn't much care
So we cherrily put to sea-ea-ea
And we left all the crew of the junk to chew
On the bark of the rubabug tree
A capital ship for an ocean trip Was the "Walloping Window Blind" No wind that blew dismayed her crew Or troubled the captain's mind The man at the wheel was made to feel Contempt for the wildest blow-ow-ow Tho' it oft appeared when the gale had cleared That he'd been in his bunk below So, blow ye winds, heigh-ho A-roving I will go I'll stay no more on England's shore So let the music play-ay-ay I'm off for the morning train To cross the raging main I'm off to my love with a boxing glove 10,000 miles away The bos'un's mate was very sedate Yet fond of amusement too He played hop-scotch with the starboard watch While the captain tickled the crew The gunner he was apparently mad For he sat on the after ra-ra-rail And fired salutes with the captain's boots In the teeth of a booming gale The captain sat on the commodore's hat And dined in a royal way Off pickles & figs & little roast pigs And gunners bread each day The cook was Dutch and behaved as such For the diet he served the crew-ew-ew Was a couple of tons of hot-cross buns Served up with sugar and glue Then we all fell ill as mariners will On a diet that's rough and crude And we shivered and shook as we dipped the cook In a tub of his gluesome food All nautical pride we cast aside And we ran the vessel asho-o-ore On the Gulliby Isles where the poopoo smiles And the rubbily ubdugs roar Composed of sand was that favored land And trimmed with cinnamon straws And pink and blue was the pleasing hue Of the ticke-toe teaser's claws We sat on the edge of a sandy ledge And shot at the whistling bee-ee-ee While the rugabug bats wore waterproof hats As they dipped in the shining sea On rugabug bark from dawn till dark We dined till we all had grown Uncommonly shrunk when a Chinese junk Came up from the Torrible Zone She was stubby and square, but we didn't much care So we cherrily put to sea-ea-ea And we left all the crew of the junk to chew On the bark of the rubabug tree
Video Links
Tom Glazer from "Rise Up Singing" (lots of fun)
Tom Chapin (also fun)Bounding Main (acapella) Lyrics here (This version is a bit faster and more rhythmic than some children's recordings.)
Glenn Yarbrough (This one is also a bit fast for beginners.)
Natalie Merchant (her tune is different, and she does not sing the chorus)Glenda Jackson on The Muppet Show. (Please note that she makes very free with the boxing glove.)
For more information on our folk songs, and for Amazon affiliate links to purchase individual songs, see our AO Folk Songs page.These affiliate links help support AmblesideOnline.
For more information on our folk songs, and for Amazon affiliate
links to purchase individual songs, see our AO Folk Songs page.
These affiliate links help support AmblesideOnline.
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