Info
Also called Eliza Lee, this is a variation of “Shula Agra,” an Irish song. It is a “capstan shanty” for short pulls, probably also used for loading. (Luboff & Stracke)
Lyrics
(Sea shanty from the British Isles)
O the smartest clipper you can find,
Ah-hee, ah-ho, are you most done?
Is the Margaret Evans of the Black X Line,
So clear away the track, let the bull-gine* run.
Refrain
To my hey rig-a-jig in a low back car,
Ah-hee, ah-ho, are you most done?
With Liza Lee all on my knee,
So clear away the track, let the bull-gine run.
O the times are hard and the wages low,
Ah-hee, ah-ho, are you most done?
O it can’t get worse, so we’re bound to go,
So clear away the track, let the bull-gine run. Refrain
O the winds were foul and the work was hard,
Ah-hee, ah-ho, are you most done?
From the Liverpool docks to the Brooklyn yard.
So clear away the track, let the bull-gine run. Refrain
* bulgine = American slang for a railway engine (source)
See also
- Type: sea shanty
- Form: AB
- Harmony: i, v
- Meter: 2
- Rhythm: anacrusis / ties /
- Scale: natural minor
- Source: The International Book of Folk Songs, Norman Luboff, Win Stracke, Walton Music Corp, 1965
- PDF of song with chords
- MIDI file
- Listen to the melody
What (who)does “Eliza Lee” reference?
I’m not sure. There are a lot of folk songs with women’s names.
Your version is the closest I have found to the one I heard 70 years ago. There are many variations and I was glad to sing along with you. I am 83 at this writing in 2024.