Lyrics
Saltpetre Shanty
Capstan Shanty
Traditional
To old Cally-oh we are bound to go, (Oh Roll!)
To old Cally-oh we are bound to go, (Oh Roll!)
We’re bound away from Liverpool bay,
To those flash girls of Chile who’ll grab all our pay
(Chorus)
Oh roll, rock your bars,
Heave ‘er away, rock her, oh roll
Ol’ Pedro the crimp, boys, we know him of old, (Oh Roll!)
Ol’ Pedro the crimp, boys, we know him of old, (Oh Roll!)
He’s primin’ his vino, he’s dopin’ his beer,
To the Chinchas he’ll ship us if we don’t steer clear (Chorus)
Those flash girls of Chile they sure treat us nice, (Oh Roll!)
Those flash girls of Chile they sure treat us nice, (Oh Roll!)
They’ll wine us and dine us and treat us so fine,
But we know that they’re robbing us most of the time. (Chorus)
And when it comes time to sail away home, (Oh Roll!)
And when it comes time to sail away home, (Oh Roll!)
From some old seaport town on the west coast of hell,
We’ll sing “Adios” and we’ll bid you farewell (Chorus)
From old Cally-oh we are bound to go, (Oh Roll!)
From old Cally-oh we are bound to go, (Oh Roll!)
We are bound away to Liverpool bay,
From those flash girls of Chile who grabbed all our pay (Chorus)
WHERE TO FIND IT
Song Notes
Dean first heard this song performed by Rob Middleton in 1995 at the Gazebo at Bristol. Rob was the first person to make Dean aware of the tortured British pronunciations of Spanish words. Callio, in the manner of the British, who torture Marquis into “Mar-kwis” and Quixote into “Kwix-oat” pronounce the city name “Cally-oh.”
“Flash” is an old bit of British slang; it means “knowing” or “ostentatious.” In context, it suggests one knows a little more than is socially appropriate, and one has a tendency to dress and behave in ways that suggest that’s so.