Strike The Bell

[Bartholomew Foulsteel]

Well mates, ol' Bart be back for another try at the pulpit. However, this time, instead of tellin'' a yarn, I'll be sharin' a Sea Shanty.

Shanties were the means of keeping a crew or the Watch On Deck coordinated when conducting a seamanship evolution like hoisting a sail, sweating it tight, hauling on a line, turning the capstan or working the pumps. Apparently the merchant navy was the predominant home of the shanty, which was less frequently used in the Royal Navy. In the RN a stamp and go might be employed for activities such as weighing anchor, singing being considered to be a little too light hearted for the "Senior Service", who also tended to have many personnel available, at least when the guns were't manned. Off watch time for the crew, in those pre-VCR/DVD/satellite TV days might see the Other Ranks, other than officers that is, for'ard (foward) on the fo'c'sle (forecastle) engaged in the leisure pursuits of playing musical instruments; concertina, fiddle; singing or dancing. The forward "bitts" or bollards were convenient items to sit on or define the area of the fo'c'sle deck. Consequently these non-work songs or non-shanties became known as forebitters. Americans sometimes call these fo'c'sle shanties to differentiate between them and the working songs or work versions.

So here's today's forebitter (edited a bit, as it were, for present company):


Up on the poop deck and walking about,
There is Li Wildtimbers so steady and so stout;
What she is a-thinkin' of she doesn't know herself
And we wish that she would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.


Chorus
Strike the bell, Wildtimbers, let us go below;
Look well to windward you can see it's gonna blow;
Look at the glass, you can see it has fell,
Oh we wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.

Down on the main deck and workin' at the pump,
There is Ben Dreadgull just longing for his bunk;
Look out to windward, you can see a great swell,
And he wishes that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.

Chorus


Forward on the forecastle head and keepin' sharp lookout,
There is Molly Blue standin', a-longin' fer to shout,
Lights' a-burnin' bright sir and everything is well,
And she's wishin' that Wildtimbers would strike, strike the bell.

Chorus


Aft at the wheelhouse Combat Lizzy stands,
Graspin' at the helm with her wrong-way hands,
Lookin' at the compass though the course is clear as hell
And she's wishin' that Wildtimbers would strike, strike the bell.

Chorus


Aft on the quarter deck Bart Foulsteel stands,
Lookin' out to windward with a spyglass in his hand,
What he is a-thinkin' of we know very well,
He's thinkin' more of shortenin' sail than strikin' the bell.

Chorus