| Music File Lesley Nelson |
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| This shanty is better known as So Early in the Morning. It was sung at the halyards and pumps. According to Hugill the first line was sung as an introduction when there was a greenhorn in the crowd who might not know the refrain. Additional loves of the sailor could be improvised. Some of the additional loves in Hugill include a bully rough-house, a sing-song and a drinking song.
One scholar noted that the tune is similar to a nursey rhyme, Fiddle de dee, the fly has married the bumble-bee and Sharp compared it to Gently, Johnny, my Jingalo. |
The maiden, oh, the maiden oh. The sailor loves the maiden, oh! So early in the morning, The sailor loves the maiden, oh! A maid that is young, A maid that is fair, A maid that is kind and pleasant, oh, So early in the morning, The sailor loves the maiden, oh! Tobacco, oh, tobacco, oh, The sailor loves tobacco, oh, So early in the morning, The sailor loves tobacco, oh. A packet of bird's-eye, Packet of cut A plug of hard tobacco, oh, So early in the morning, The sailor loves tobacco, oh. The bottle, oh, the bottle oh, The sailor loves the bottle, oh, So early in the morning The sailor loves the bottle oh. A bottle of brandy, Bottle of gin, A bottle of Irish whisky, oh! So early in the morning The sailor loves his bottle, oh! The maiden oh, the bottle, oh, A pipe of good tobacco, oh, So early in the morning The sailor loves all these, heigh ho. A bottle of spirit, A maiden fair, A plug of good tobacco, oh, So early in the morning These are the sailor's loves, heigh ho. |
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| From Fifty Sailor's Songs or Chanties and Shanties from the Seven Seas See Bibliography for full information. |
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