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Quiz about Sailors Songs and Sea Shanties
Quiz about Sailors Songs and Sea Shanties

Sailors' Songs and Sea Shanties Quiz


Most of my misspent youth was spent as a sailor in the US Navy. Sailors have always had their own songs - work songs, songs to pass the lonely hours at sea, and songs to boast about their deeds at sea. I hope you enjoy this quiz about their music.

A multiple-choice quiz by daver852. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
daver852
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
300,813
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
519
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 142 (2/10), Guest 81 (5/10), Guest 212 (4/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. "I have gold, and I have land/ And I have a daughter fair for to give at my command/ If you'll sink them in that lonely, lonesome water/ If you'll sink them in that lonesome sea." What is the name of this song about a cruel sea captain that dates back to the 16th century? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. "In Amsterdam there lived a maid, mark well what I do say/ In Amsterdam there lived a maid, she was always pinching the sailors' trade." What is the name of this rather bawdy song that tells the story of a sailor who meets up with a Dutch girl? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. "The cold coast of Greenland is barren and bare/No seed time nor harvest is ever known there/And birds here sing sweetly on mountain and dale/But there's no bird in Greenland to sing to the whale." Can you name this Scottish song that dates from the 1850s? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. "From Liverpool to Frisco a-roving I went/To stay in that country it was my intent/But girls and strong whisky like other damn fools/I soon was transported back to Liverpool." This song is sometimes called "The Liverpool Judies." What is it better known as? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. "Shave his belly with a rusty razor/Shave his belly with a rusty razor/Shave his belly with a rusty razor/Early in the morning!" What is the name of this song, one of the most famous of all sailor's ditties? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "As I walked down through Chatham Street, a fair maid I did meet/She asked if I would see her home, she lived in Bleeker Street." What is the name of this song that tells how a poor sailor is robbed by a lady of questionable virtue? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. "It oft times has been told how the British seamen bold/Could trounce the tars of France so neat and handy-o/They never met their match til the Yankees did them catch/Oh, the Yankee boys at fighting are the dandy-o!" What is the name of this song about a battle between two British and American warships? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. "Farewell to you, my own true love/I am going far away/I am bound for California/But I know that I'll return some day." What is the name of this song, a sailor's farewell to his sweetheart? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. "We were homeward bound one night on the deep/Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep/I dreamed a dream and I thought it true . . ." Can you name this song about a brave sailor who gave his life in the line of duty? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. "On a trim Black Ball liner I first served my time. . ." Can you name this song about the harsh conditions the sailors had to endure on board the ships of one famous shipping company? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 12 2024 : Guest 142: 2/10
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 81: 5/10
Feb 27 2024 : Guest 212: 4/10

Score Distribution

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. "I have gold, and I have land/ And I have a daughter fair for to give at my command/ If you'll sink them in that lonely, lonesome water/ If you'll sink them in that lonesome sea." What is the name of this song about a cruel sea captain that dates back to the 16th century?

Answer: The Golden Vanity

There are endless variations of this song, which is sometimes called "The Golden Willow Tree," or "The Sweet Trinity." A version first appeared in print in 1635, but it is probably much older. Most versions tell the same story: an English ship is attacked by a Turkish (sometimes Spanish) ship, and the captain fears he will be taken.

He offers a reward to any member of his crew who will help him sink the enemy. A young sailor volunteers to swim to the enemy ship and sink her by boring holes in her hull below the waterline.

When he has done so, the cruel captain refuses to take him back on board, and sails away, leaving the brave sailor to drown. Some sources name Sir Walter Raleigh as the captain, but there is no historical evidence to support this theory.
2. "In Amsterdam there lived a maid, mark well what I do say/ In Amsterdam there lived a maid, she was always pinching the sailors' trade." What is the name of this rather bawdy song that tells the story of a sailor who meets up with a Dutch girl?

Answer: I'll Go No More A-Roving

"A-roving, a-roving, since roving's been my ruin/I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid." A version of this song can be heard in the 1956 movie "Moby Dick." It tells the story of a sailor who meets up with a lady of easy virtue ashore, with predictable consequences: "When I got back on board my ship, mark well what I do say/When I got back on board my ship, my watch, my ring, my money I missed/I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid."
3. "The cold coast of Greenland is barren and bare/No seed time nor harvest is ever known there/And birds here sing sweetly on mountain and dale/But there's no bird in Greenland to sing to the whale." Can you name this Scottish song that dates from the 1850s?

Answer: Farewell to Tarwathie

Tarwathie was a farm near the village of Strichen in Aberdeenshire. This lovely song was written by a man named George Scroggie (born March 18, 1826). It was first published in 1857. Scroggie worked as a miller, but like many poor Scots he may have supplemented his income by working as a whaler when times were hard and work was scarce.

It became popular when Judy Collins included it on one of her early albums, "Whales and Nightingales." It contains the lines: "The cold coast of Greenland my love will not chill/And the longer my absence, more loving she'll feel," proving that while Mr. Scroggie may have had some knowledge about whales, he knew little or nothing about women.
4. "From Liverpool to Frisco a-roving I went/To stay in that country it was my intent/But girls and strong whisky like other damn fools/I soon was transported back to Liverpool." This song is sometimes called "The Liverpool Judies." What is it better known as?

Answer: Row, Bullies, Row

This song appears to have been written by Irish sailors during the days of the California gold rush. The both titles come from the song's chorus: "And it's row, row, bullies, row/Them Liverpool Judies have got us in tow." Ewan McColl's version of this song can be heard on the album "Sailors' Songs and Sea Shanties," whose title I borrowed for this quiz. One thing sailors like to do is complain (I excelled at this, which sometimes brought me to attention of my superiors).

Their complaints were seldom directed at the Captain; it was usually the junior officers who were the objects of their wrath: "Good luck to our Captain, where e'er he may be/He's a friend to the sailors on shore and at sea/But as for the First Mate, the dirty old brute/I hope when he dies, straight to Hell he'll skyhoot."
5. "Shave his belly with a rusty razor/Shave his belly with a rusty razor/Shave his belly with a rusty razor/Early in the morning!" What is the name of this song, one of the most famous of all sailor's ditties?

Answer: What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?

"Wey, hey, and up she rises/Wey, hey and up she rises/Wey, hey and up she rises/Early in the morning." There are dozens of verses to this popular song, some of them quite bawdy. The song was first recorded in 1841, but is probably much older than that.

It was a song the crew would sing while hoisting the sails, or raising the anchor, which is what the "up she rises" refers to. Wikipedia says the melody derives from the Irish song "Oro, Se do Bheatha Bhaile." I admit to having a tin ear, but the songs sound nothing alike to me. I read somewhere that during the Falklands War, British sailors introduced a verse that went "Throw him in bed with Maggie Thatcher."
6. "As I walked down through Chatham Street, a fair maid I did meet/She asked if I would see her home, she lived in Bleeker Street." What is the name of this song that tells how a poor sailor is robbed by a lady of questionable virtue?

Answer: New York Girls

"And away, Santy, my dear Auntie/Oh, oh, you New York girls/Can you dance the polka?" In the 19th century, sailors were very well-paid compared to other trades, and when they came ashore with six months or a year's wages in their pockets, there were plenty of young women waiting to separate them from their money.

This song tells the story of a sailor who is drugged and robbed by an innocent appearing young girl, who even takes his clothes! Nowadays, of course, things are much different. Nothing like this ever happened to me. Well, there was that girl at the Lollipop Club in Honolulu. And the time some of my mates and I went on a spree in Naples. And it is true that I got thrown in jail once in Benidorm, Spain, but that was all due to a misunderstanding and . . . well, never mind. Steeleye Span recorded this song on their album "Commoner's Crown," with Peter Sellers playing the ukulele.
7. "It oft times has been told how the British seamen bold/Could trounce the tars of France so neat and handy-o/They never met their match til the Yankees did them catch/Oh, the Yankee boys at fighting are the dandy-o!" What is the name of this song about a battle between two British and American warships?

Answer: The Constitution and the Guerriere

On August 19, 1812 the United States frigate "Constitution," commanded by Captain Isaac Hull, encountered the British frigate "Guerriere," under the command of Captain James Dacres. The ships were about equally matched on paper, but superior American seamanship and gunnery soon reduced the Guerriere to a mastless hulk.

Many of the shots from the Brirish cannon bounced harmlessly off the Constitution's thick hull, earning the ship its enduring nickname, "Old Ironsides." The American suffered seven killed and seven wounded in the battle, while British casualties numbered almost 100.

The victory did much to raise American morale during the early days of the War of 1812. And the victory was no fluke; a few months later the Constitution fought and defeated another British frigate, HMS Java. Whereas the War of 1812 was a disaster on land for the United States, her fledgling Navy was able to more than hold its own against the British when fighting on anything like equal terms.
8. "Farewell to you, my own true love/I am going far away/I am bound for California/But I know that I'll return some day." What is the name of this song, a sailor's farewell to his sweetheart?

Answer: The Leaving of Liverpool

"So fare thee well, my own true love/And when I return united we will be/It's not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me/But my Darling, when I think of thee." Life was rough for sailors during the age of sail. A voyage might last anywhere from six months to three years or more.

There was little opportunity to communicate with friends or family. There are many songs like this one about parting from loved ones. This song has been recorded by many artists, but I prefer the version by the Clancy Brothers.
9. "We were homeward bound one night on the deep/Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep/I dreamed a dream and I thought it true . . ." Can you name this song about a brave sailor who gave his life in the line of duty?

Answer: Lady Franklin's Lament

"Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew." Sir John Franklin was born April 16, 1786 in Spilsby, Lincolnshire. He enlisted in the Royal Navy at age 14, and in 1818 participated in Captain David Buchan's Arctic expedition. Franklin led Arctic expeditions of his own in 1819 and 1822. In 1836 he was named Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania, and was recalled from that post in 1843.

In 1845 the British government decided to sponsor an expedition to seek the fabled Northwest Passage, a sea route to Asia around the North Pole. With two ships, HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, and 134 officers and men, Franklin sailed from Greenhithe, England on May 19, 1845. His ships were last seen in August, 1845 by a whaler in Baffin Bay. Neither Franklin nor any of his men were ever seen again.

In 1848 the government offered a reward 20,000 pounds to any person who could discover the fate of of the Franklin expedition. In April, 1859 a message was found that said both of Franklin's ships had become trapped in the ice near King William Island. It said that Franklin had died on June 11, 1847, and that survivors were planning to strike out southward on foot.

To this day, no one really knows what happened to the members of the Franklin expedition. One theory is that they contracted lead poisoning from poorly soldered cans that held their food supplies. Despite his failure, Sir John Franklin is regarded as a hero, and many songs have been written about him. This particular song is sung to the tune of an Irish song called "The Croppy Boy."
10. "On a trim Black Ball liner I first served my time. . ." Can you name this song about the harsh conditions the sailors had to endure on board the ships of one famous shipping company?

Answer: Blow the Man Down

"To me way-aye, blow the man down." The Black Ball line was founded by a group of New York Quakers in 1817. Its fleet was composed of so-called "packet ships," fast sailing vessels that could complete the voyage between England and America in less than four weeks.

The faster the crossing, the higher the profit. As a result, Black Ball captains worked their crews to the limit, and conditions on these ships were very harsh. To "blow a man down" meant to knock him down; sometimes with a fist, sometimes with a marlinespike or belaying pin.

The Black Ball line got its name from the company's flag: a black circle on a red background.
Source: Author daver852

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