CZTERY REFY - Donkey Riding

Donkey Riding

Words & music traditional

Sir, was you never in Quebec,
Launching timber on the deck,
Where you break your bloody neck
And you riding on a donkey.

Was you never in the Mobile Bay,
Ascrewing cotton all the day.
A dollar a day is the white man's pay,
Ariding on a donkey.

Way, hey! Away we go... Was you never off Iquiquie,
Where they ties up to a tree
And mosquitoes do bite we,
And ariding on the donkey

Way, hey! Away we go... Was you never in Callao,
With them pretty maids in a row.
Shake their bellies and roll and go,
Ariding on a donkey.

Way, hey! Away we go... Was you never in Vallipao
With them pretty maids in a row.
Shake their legs and dance and go,
Ariding on a donkey.

Way, hey! Away we go... Was you never off Cape Horn,
Where your backside's never warm
Wish to God you'd never been born,
Ariding on a donkey.

Way, hey! Away we go... Was you never in Liverpool Bay,
Waiting for White Stocking Day,
Here comes Johnny with his three months pay
Ariding on a donkey.

Way, hey! Away we go...

"Donkey Riding" - very well known capstan and windlass shanty, each verses are connected with consecutive ports of call.
timber on the deck - The Pinewood/ Softwood Trade of the period 1799 - 1860 actually saw some "one voyage ships", constructed to sail to Europe with Timber Cargo, the ship itself being broken up for timber at the end of the voyage- avoiding control/ custom duties on a large weight of timber.
Mobile - "Gulf" Town, South USA. Cotton had to be pressed into bales and pressed hard into the hold of the ship. It had to stay dry or it was ruined. Some ship fires occurred from the innercraft combustion heat of cotton cargo. Black as slave loaders got pittance wages. White folks - one dollar a day.
Iquiquie in Chile was not a real port, but a guano loading stage - fertilizer for Europe.
shake their belies - refers to prostitutes - has obvious sexual connotation.
White Stocking Day - traditional clothing for entering port at the end of voyage to pay off from ship.
Johnny - nickname for merchant navy sailor.
donkey - small deck windlass, later steam or power driven winches. Term still exists on modern UK Merchant Navy. "Donkeyman" looks after anchor and loading winches.