Which It's A Musical Post, Ain't It?*

My six year old has been walking around the house all weekend singing a song she recently learned at school that I had never heard before. It's called "South Australia" and is obviously a sea shanty. Beyond that, I don't really know anything about it. Here are the words:

In South Australia I was born
Heave away, haul away
In South Australia 'round Cape Horn
We're bound for South Australia

Chorus:
Haul away you rolling king
Heave away, Haul away
Haul away oh hear me sing
We're bound for South Australia

As I walked out one morning fair
Heave away, haul away
'Twas there I met Miss Nancy Blair
We're bound for South Australia

I shook her up, I shook her down
Heave away, haul away
I shook her round and round the town
We're bound for South Australia

There ain't but one thing grieves my mind
Heave away, haul away
To leave Miss Nancy Blair behind
We're bound for South Australia

And as we wallop around Cape Horn
Heave away, haul away
You'll wish to God you'd never been born
We're bound for South Australia!

There seem to be some other verses as well in various versions of the song. You can click here to listen to a wav.file snippet.

I love this. Not only do I like the song, it's simply a pure joy to listen the the Llama-ette going about singing "heave away, haul away!" I wonder what kind of reaction some sea-dog of a hundred years ago would have if informed that, in the future, a little girl would be singing this song while dancing around on her lawn in the Northern Virginia suburbs on a sunny fall afternoon.

*A little something for you Killick fans out there.