Mister Stormalong Santy

Mister Stormalong
Bob Roberts

O poor old Stormy's dead and gone.
To me way you Stormalong.

Old Stormy was a good old man.
Aye - aye - aye - Mister Stormalong.

We dug his grave with a silver spade.
His shroud of finest silk was made.

We lowered him down with a golden chain.
Their eyes all dim with more than rain.

I wish I were old Stormy's son.
I'd build a ship of a thousand ton.

I'd load her with New England rum.
And all me shellbacks they'd have some.

But poor old Stormy's gone to rest.
Of all the sailors he was best.

Singing about a fine old skipper who's no longer around might possibly have been a subtle way of commenting on the behaviour of their own skipper. Previously noted from old shantymen in both England and Wales, this employed a special type of pull used for 'sweating up' in which there could be more than one pull in each refrain, though in later years the first pull was on 'way' and the second on the third 'aye'.