Lyrics
Sugar in the Hold Below
Homeward-bound Capstan Shanty
Traditional
Arrangement by Bounding Main
Additional Lyrics by Gina Dalby
Well, I wish I was in Mobile Bay,
Screwing cotton all of the day,
Still I’m stowin’ sugar in the hold below,
Below, below, below.
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below,
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
The J.M. White she’s a new boat,
Stem to stern she’s mighty fine,
Beat any boat on the New Orleans Line,
Stowin sugar in the hold below.
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below,
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
Now the engineer shouts through his trumpet,
Tell the mate he’s got bad news,
Can’t get steam for the fire in the flue,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below,
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
The clerk roared out, “save these poor souls,
Fire’s blazing, we gotta go,
There’s powder in the magazine”,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below,
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
The Captain’s out on the quarterdeck,
Scratchin’ way at his old neck,
He calls out, “Heave the larboard lead”,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below,
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below.
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold below,
Hey ho below below,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold,
Stowin’ sugar in the hold,
Stowin’ in the hold below.
WHERE TO FIND IT
Song Notes
Gina has researched this song extensively and she’ll soon share with us here that information. In the meanwhile, on the Mudcat Cafe (http://www.mudcat.org) Frank Staplin (aka “Q”) posts, “The J. M. White, if not previously mentioned in Mudcat, was launched in 1878, and was on the Greenville, Vicksburg, New Orleans run. A powerful boat, capable of beating any other, it proved expensive to run and pushed the owner, Capt. John W. Tobin, towards bankruptcy. It burned at the Blue Store landing in 1888, with the loss of 28 lives.