Included on this site, are some of the Royal Naval songs collected by the author
(Barry Scott), during his twenty eight years naval service. This primary
collection has been expanded from reference to various autobiographical
sources, books and collections. But particularly enhance through the kind assistance of
you, my Naval Shipmates. Who, noting I had gone adrift have brought
me back on course.
These songs are here because you and other ex-Matelots have seen fit
to help preserve them for future generations, yet there are still many
gaps and omissions particularly with respect to tunes.
Please help to complete this project. If you remember singing any of
these, please write and tell me, when and in what context it was used.
Fleet Canteen, at work etc.
Please wherever possible help to give or comment on the illustrated tunes. If the one noted is NOT the one you remember
please tell me or better still send me a tape (no matter how poorly
sung), so I can get the details right. I would be very grateful as would
all the sprogs of the latest generation of sailors.
Of course, you may also know of other songs, that are not mentioned
on these pages, please please tell me of those as well. Although I have many recorded within the archive, very few are completely known and many just exist in fragment form. Remember, all
these songs often had there own particular lives and we often find several
versions circulating with extra or different verses, so again tell me
what you yourself remember and please mention if it was the Atlantic or
China Fleet favorites etc.
We are very interested
in whether, you sang to amuse yourself etc. whilst dhobying or perhaps like me you are proner to come up from time to time withg one-liners something like "Away
the Noo - The Seaboats crew"
as you leave the house, recall the bosuns pipes on going ashore etc. - these short one liners are extremly important, and frequently changed in popularity,
very few have been preserved and even less are correctly placed in chronological context.
If
you know the UCKERS song can you get in touch!!!
Please check out the GAMES pages where I attempt to illustrate the old Tombola calls and provide an attempt at reconstructing the Uckers rules, as used in the different fleets etc.
Will those readers from naval families with a long heritage, I would be interested in hearing of the songs you recall your fathers and grandfathers singing, whilst on leave or dandling you on their knees.
Finally little apology, for the frequent pictures of Mermaids, references to Seagulls, or making the occasional pusser faced remark - At my age, it helps the tide go in and out.
The
songs are listed by the first lines of verse &
chorus It is also the intention to provide a thematic
or subject listing.
Titles
are in Bold Text
First
lines are in Normal Text
First
Chorus line in Italic Text
To
assist your selection - I have tried
to classify each song in the index - as follows
As
you will see certain songs can be quite bawdy, so you younger sprogs
stay away from those marked 'Bawdy' below...
On occasion the OD's amongst us, like to sing
very Bawdy and explicitly sexual material, which of course, if we
are to talk about and consider all naval songs, they must be featured
here. But I asure you, these are only usually heard on - Sports
runs - In pussers bussers - or at the Royal Tournament - and
of course MUM never on the messdeck. These rude pieces can
be found on the ODs Page with a little explanation as to their origins and use in the RN.
But
beware if
MUM is right, they can make you blind!
Bawdy
- Explicitly Rude. |
Trad
- Old Traditional Naval Song |
Rude
- Contains some Rude Words |
Dit'
- Modern Ditty |
Risque
- Has Rude sugestion or inferance. |
Mono
- Monologue |
Black
- Black or Bad Humour |
Sods
- Typical SOD's Opera item |
However , you might just want to jump in and have a
paddle in the puddle
