{"id":5447,"date":"2020-06-08T18:55:41","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T22:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=5447"},"modified":"2020-06-08T19:12:33","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T23:12:33","slug":"yarmouth-town","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thejovialcrew.com\/?page_id=5447","title":{"rendered":"Yarmouth Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the very first three songs I ever lead in the Jovial Crew.\u00a0 It is NOT a chantey (recall that chanteys are work songs and not all songs about the sea are work songs), and refers to the town of Yarmouth or Great Yarmouth on the coast of Norfolk in England.\u00a0 Its origins are obscure and is considered to be traditional, but the text does have a similar storyline to other, known-to-be-older songs such as “Do Me Ama<\/a>“, while the melody usually associated with it has the hallmarks of a music hall arrangement of the later 19th century.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C<\/strong>
\nIn Yarmouth Town there lived a man and he kept a tavern by the strand
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D<\/strong>
\nThe landlord had a daughter fair; a pretty little thing with the golden hair.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C<\/strong>
\nOh, won\u2019t you come down, won\u2019t you come down,
\nG\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 C \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 G<\/strong>
\nWon\u2019t you come down to Yarmouth Town?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chorus:<\/u>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Won\u2019t you come down, won\u2019t you come down,<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Won\u2019t you come down to Yarmouth Town?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now in this tavern was a sailor man and he asked the daughter for her hand.
\n\u201cWhy should I marry you\u201d, she said, \u201cwhen I get all I want without being wed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if with me you want to linger, I\u2019ll tie a piece of string all around my finger,
\nAnd when you come by just pull on the string; I\u2019ll come down and I\u2019ll let you in.\u201d<\/p>\n

At closing time, the sailorman went back to the tavern by the strand.
\nHe lifted his hand and he pulled on the string, and she came down and she let him in.<\/p>\n

Well, he\u2019d never seen such a sight before, \u2018cause the string on her finger was all she wore,
\nAnd when he went and pulled on the string, she lifted the blanket and let Jack in.<\/p>\n

The sailor stayed the whole night through; got up in the morning, went back to the crew
\nWhere he told them all of the daughter fair; the pretty little thing with the golden hair.<\/p>\n

Well soon the word got all around and the very next night in Yarmouth Town
\nThere were fifteen sailors pulling on the string! She came down and she let them all in!<\/p>\n

So all you young men what-a Yarmouth go, if you see a pretty girl with her hair hung low,
\nAll you gotta do is pull on her string and she\u2019ll come down and she\u2019ll let you all in!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n