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SUNDOWN BELOW Lead: Richard Chorus: Peter, Dick Holdstock, Denis Franklin, Shay Black

A cargo loading shanty taken from F.P. Harlow's Chanteying Aboard American Ships, 1962. Harlow says "Sun Down Below, Mobile Bay, Way Sing Sally, and Hilo, My Ranzo Way, are purely West Indian Negro chanteys sung while hoisting cargo from the hold of ships and seldom if ever sung by sailors at the halliards." They may have been sung more frequently than Harlow suggests. Stan Hugill, in Shanties from the Seven Seas, says that Mobile Bay was sung by sailors aboard ship at the halyards and at the capstan and pumps.

This song is also mentioned in Lydia Parrish's book, Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands, 1942. Parrish says "This tune was sung at the end of the day as a hint to the captain, when the hold was too dark for the stevedores to see what they were doing." Verses three and four come from the Lydia Parrish book.

LYRICS:

Six o'clock I hear 'em say
Chorus: Sun down, sun down below
Six o'clock I hear 'em say
Chorus: Sun down, sun down below

Aye-a-a-a-a
Aye-a-a-a-a

The day's been hot, you all do say
Time to quit and go away

Aye-a-a-a-a
Aye-a-a-a-a

Sun is down an' I must go
Sun is down in the hole below

Aye-a-a-a-a
Aye-a-a-a-a

I hear my captain say
Sun is down and I must go

Aye-a-a-a-a
Aye-a-a-a-a

Pack our duds and dinna' pail
Come back sure befo' you sail

Aye-a-a-a-a
Aye-a-a-a-a