Spanish Oranges and Sea Stories: A Shanty Song Unveiled

Hi, it's Art.

You're listening to Shipshape and Bristle Fashion.

Ship shape on bristle Tin boys along the hardest side From Evil Gorge to wonderful even all the line Secure the.

Barrels down below Bind and tie and.

Lash em this vessel, she is certified shipshape from Bristol Fashion.

Hello there shipmates and welcome to Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

I'm Oggy and I'm a member of the Port of Bristol Shanty crew.

And this podcast is all about covering what we get up to and how to find us in the future.

Hello and welcome to episode 12.

Thank you very much for tuning in and listening to us and more importantly, a happy new year.

I hope you had a great new year and of course a festive period.

I certainly had a quiet one which was much appreciated.

Work has been busy as you can imagine, and it's really good to spend some time with the family.

We were busy during December with lot lots of gigs, but of course the Signaler.

We'll let you know more about that later on in this episode.

This episode is jam packed of content.

We've got some audio from one of our events at the Bank Tavern in Bristol.

We've got the Signaler with some updates on what we've been up to and where to find us in the future and an update stroke plug from Doc.

And our centerpiece is the Nobby once again joining us to give us a bit of a background story to a traditional shanty song that we sing.

Happy New Year, me hearties.

It's the Signaller here with a rundown of all of the activities that the crew has been up to in December.

The major activity in December wasn't actually singing, it was the sale of our calendars which have gone very, very well.

There are still some left if anybody wants them and I'm sure the Doc will be talking about these a little bit later on in the podcast.

The first gig that we did in December was for the Westbury Guides.

Lovely, lovely to go and do a gig there for my family members, Sally and Jane, who were involved with the running of the Guides.

And we sang to the girls there and their families.

It was the first opportunity to sell some of those calendars to the general public and that seemed to go down very well.

And we cleaned up most of our songs and I think the girls enjoyed it eventually after being a little dumbfounded, I think, by what they were hearing, but it was great and really enjoyable.

Then we went on to sing at the Bank Tavern for a company Christmas do.

So a semi private event, one of those gigs where we nearly outnumbered the audience.

It was the Christmas do for this particular company and there were about eight or nine of them and about the same number of us, but it was really great fun and they joined in and again, very generous with the purchasing of calendars and even more generous in a donation to the Teenage Cancer Trust, which was fantastic.

The final gig that we did was at the Clockwork Rose for Aidan Horan's birthday, which again was lovely.

A slightly bigger crowd probably than we've had there before, and a debut for some of our songs, a debut for Auggie doing his first solo, and a couple of new songs introduced and that again went very well.

And I think a couple of the crew then carried that on into a Christmas party.

Later on that they went and gate crashed.

So not a massively busy December, but very worthwhile in terms of the money that we've raised for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

And now having hit our latest target of 40,000 pounds raised, which is amazing.

Looking forward into the new year, January is a quiet period as it is, I guess, for everybody.

We don't have any gigs in January, but we will be back in February and we'll let you have full details of all the activities that are going to be going on in February in the next podcast.

So on this bleak January day, this is the Signaller signing off.

Wishing you, as I said, a very prosperous new year and we'll see you during the course of the year.

Bye.

Well, this is Doc wishing you all a very happy new year and we hope that 2025 is significantly drier than its predecessor.

And on that note, those of you who haven't been able to welcome the new year with photograph of the Reverend wishing you a happy New Year, me Babas.

Then that means you haven't got a Port of Bristol Shanty Crew charity calendar.

I'm pleased to say that we've been very successful in promoting the calendars and we've raised a significant amount for the Teenage Cancer Trust on the back of those.

And it was great news that we passed the 40,000 pound barrier just before Christmas.

But there are still a few calendars left, so if you want to snaffle one up, don't hang about.

Email us and let us know that you want one and we'll get one to you as quickly as we can.

They don't have a fixed price, we just invite people to make a reasonable contribution to the charity in exchange for 12 spectacular photographs of the crew in various states of undress.

They're good Fun.

They are acceptable and reasonably clean to be displayed at home or in the workplace, but they do brighten up your day and certainly they will bring in some extra benefit for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

So please, if you would like one, get in there quick because we've got a small box of them left and they will disappear fairly quickly, I'm sure.

But thank you to all of those who've already bought a calendar.

Thank you for your support in 2024 and we look forward to continuing to sing for you and to entertain you and to raise some very important funds for that fantastic charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Thank you all very much indeed for your support.

Thank you, Ash.

And thank you, Doc.

Some really good news there to share with you and personal thank you to you all.

That £40,000 raised is a phenomenal amount of money since the crew has started.

And as you know, raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust is so important to us.

We have our own personal story, but we know we are making a massive difference to the young people across the United Kingdom that are suffering or living with cancer.

Next up, we have some audio from an event that we covered in December where we provided some audio for a Christmas do.

It was a great event, lots of fun, lots of giggles and of course, we sold some fantastic calendars as well.

Listeners, we are here at the Bank Tavern within Bristol.

This is a private gig that we've been asked to come along to, which is always available to you.

So if you ever would like us to come along and sing, then do give us a shout.

But we are here in the Bank Tavern.

We've got an incredible one hour set list ready and here is some of the highlights.

I think the one that fits us most is the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew, the triumphant enthusiasm of Italy.

Anyway, we kick off.

Thing about shanties, if you know them, join in.

Yeah, we want to have.

We always have fun.

We just hope the audience has fun as well.

So if you know the dance moves.

He's on.

Nobby, you're on.

In South Australia I was born evil way all away out of Australia and.

Cape Horn we're bound for South Australia all away you rolling kings heave away all the way all the way you're hear me sing we're bound for South.

Australia As I walked out one morning.

Nobby's actually a prolific songwriter.

He wrote songs that have been so by fish have been his friends.

The thing about Nobby, he remembers the words of every song he hasn't written.

But it's only anyway introduce to art he was actually a head teacher.

He reckons he never.

No, no.

Chilling.

What are you doing?

You know, we've all got nicknames.

And if anyone would like to know why Nobby's called Nobby Better known as Aubergine.

And now me lads, be of good.

Cheer for the Irish coast will help.

To draw near and then we'll set.

Sail for the old cape Clear.

Ah, come and get your oats, my.

Son Whip jamboree Whip jamboree Whip jamboree Are coming at your oats My song.

Nice big face there, Chopper.

Beautiful fish.

Sings a lot of songs involve fish way too much.

He's carping all why is his name.

Why is he Smells of kippers.

But if you want.

If you want to know the real reason, it's in the calendar.

Anyway, he's going to sing a song called All4Migron.

Well, there's a surprise and it's all.

For me grog Me jolly, jolly grog.

All for me beer and tobacco well I spent tor meeting with the lassie's drinking gin Far across the western ocean I must wander I'm sick hit me.

Head and I haven't been to bed.

Since First I walked ashore with me.

Plunder I in centipedes and slates and the egg is full of things and I have to take a pathway out.

Yonder and it's all farmy grobby Jolly, jolly grog all farmy Beer and tobacco well I spent tommy tin with the lass's drinking gin Far across the western ocean I must wander let's face.

Back in your corners.

During lockdown There was one particular shanty that became very, very popular.

Sent by a postman up in Scotland by the name of Nick and Owens.

But it is quite an old shanty Based on an old way New Zealand back in the 1700s.

And it is called the Wellerman if you like joining postman.

Up in the.

Dales are There was a ship that put to sea the name of the ship was the Billy old Tea the wind blew up about it down a blow my bully boys blow soon may.

The Wellerman come to bring us sugar and tea and rum One day when the timing is done we'll take our.

Leave and go she'd not been two weeks from shore when down on her all right well bore the captain cord all hands in swore we'll take that.

Whale in tow soon may the one.

Man come to bring us sugar and.

Tea and rum One day when the tongue is done we'll take our leave and go There's Old Bill.

Okay, keep going on Phil.

We formed about two hours truncheon and three formed we reviewed of having some fun and entertaining ourselves.

Unfortunately we've had to entertain other people as well.

We set off with an aim of raising a thousand pounds of Teenage Cancer Trust because we a few of the crew know a young man by the name of Harry who's got a terminal brain tumor and the Teenage Cancer Trust was brilliant and supporting him and his family and unfortunately yeah, Harry's not very well at the moment.

So we aimed at raising a thousand pounds two and a half years ago.

At the moment we're just short 35,000 pounds.

We've raised the two and a half years thanks to Dan.

Today we're getting closer to our target.

Well done, Dan.

Thank you.

Porn.

Don't tell them that, it's all fat blood.

Porn.

Some of us went way, way outside our comfort zone to produce a calendar.

And we've sold sufficient now that every penny we make on these goes to teenage cat.

So we cover the cost.

So if you want a calendar in the calendar girl style and we coral boys, there's some funny stories associated with it.

I can tell you a bit later.

Once you've seen it, you can't unsee it.

I'll show you the first one because he's not here.

And what I will say even if you haven't got cash.

I got card gonna bring on Chuffer.

Now your boots to the floor.

Chuffer.

Is that Patrick Chuffer?

Do you still work on the railway?

No, I was employed by the railway.

Nobody, nobody works on the railway especially, especially not nowadays.

I'm just gonna sing a song with which tells you about the changes in the navy and how the ships have changed over you.

Chopper.

So my uncle, he served on the Hermes which was an aircraft back in the 70s 80s.

On board this aircraft carrier with Bell maker.

Now I'm stepping slightly forwards here.

If I see one of this lot are going behind me, it kind of pulls me off.

So I'll try not to forget my words if my plans are crossed.

My uncle used to tell me when I was just a lad a sailor's life was very hard, the food was always bad.

But now I've joined the navy I'm aboard a man of war and now I find a sailor ain't a sailor anymore don't haul on the rope don't.

Climb up the mast if you see a sailing ship it might be a lass Just get your savage ready for another run ashore A sailor ain't a sailor ain't a sailor anymore the killing.

Of her mess is sailing we have it soft yes.

It wasn't like this in his day when he was up and off.

We know our splunks, we like our bunks in sleeping bags but what's a hammock for swinging from the decade or lying on the floor don't haul on the rope don't climb up the mast if you see a sailing ship it might be alive Just get your sailors.

Ready for another run ashore A sailor ain't a sailor ain't a sailor anymore.

Okay, go back over to the West Indies.

Especially in a place called Shoebone Alley back in the 1780s, 1800s.

There's a good chance gimbone fish be shang.

We'll have to work on that note.

So if you are actually drunk, you were known as Bully in the alley and fish another boy he's got to sing a song called Bully in the Alley.

Another lesser known fact.

If you had too much and there wasn't an alley the landlord would string or would actually put a rope outside between two things that he could hang in a red in the calendar.

Help me bot.

No, some of it we rehearse.

You wouldn't believe that, would you?

We rehearsed.

We are professional.

Professional?

What is another question?

Help me Bob, I'm bully in the.

Alley hey, bully in the alley Help.

Me Bob, I'm bully in the alley.

Bully diamond shimbo now Help me Bob, I'm bullying the alley way hey, bully in the alley Help people want Bully in the alley Bully and the shimbo now wow.

Sally's a groove down in our alley.

Way hey believe me Sally's a girl.

In Shin Bon alley Bullying and a shimbo now Help me Bob, I'm bullying the alley way hey, bullying the alley Help me Bob, I'm bullying the alley.

Okay, hold on, fisheroo.

There we are.

Don't be shy.

Have a few.

Okay, bring.

I'll bring art on again.

He's going to sing a little song called Eliza Lee.

Oh, how's it going?

Yeah, I don't know.

The scariest ship that you can find is.

Hey now how are you my star?

She's a Margaret Evans of the blue.

Star line Tear away the track and.

Let the bull guide and run with a hay ricard jig and a choking gun hey now ho are you most unwill isoly O on my knee Clear.

Away the track and let the bull kind run good bound for west Keep.

Here Hey now ho are you mast.

Done with sock all shale and bristol.

Beer Clear away The track and let the bold kind run With a hay rig, a jig and a jaunting gun hey now.

Oh, are you master?

Will I delay all on my knee?

Clear away the track and let the ball go.

Okay.

And we all have you no dignity Red card on your backside.

Missing a song where we have to have audience participation.

I thought I heard the old man say John Kanakanaka2riah today.

Today's a holiday.

John Kanaka Naka2rio Nakanaka2rio where I could find that breaker.

Wears.

Now in the.

Repertoires crossed the ones he has anyway.

Harbour in Bristol.

And this song was actually picked up by.

And I think we can sing in this about 36, 40 times.

A surprise.

He's dead right.

You know, I rightly changed.

I let him go and I forget about it.

And then they tell me I'm going.

To sing it 30 years later.

But the Corn Crater ship has delivered Brandy's reach in wine for Avery's wine cellars and Harvey's.

And when I was a kid used to play it on the docks.

And this one ship when it stuck.

Out of my mind.

Probably because it carried alcohol.

He's proof.

That was a short one.

Well, that guy.

Mayor.

This morning my front tooth fell out and smashed on the floor to put back together again.

If it flies out, catch it.

He was cruising fastest.

Go for mills.

Go for it.

Midsummer sky and setting sun the corn crates seems on the Bristol run run before the waiters pray the sailors they.

Have earned their pay O'er the sea to Bristol tow Load it down the brandy O All the sea to Bristol town loaded down the brandy O the brandy O Rolling on to the deep.

Green day the world hills and red Cliff bay Cruel crane steamed upon her way from the moonlit night to the.

Break of day O See the Bristol.

Town loaded down Grandio O See the Bristol town loaded down Grandio the brandy O.

She stayed in, stayed in Defends.

The size of the Amorite poop say, was you never inque timbers on that deck where you fake your bleeding neck Riding on that donkey hey, hey, away.

We go Donkey riding, donkey riding hey, hey, away we go riding on a.

Donkey say, was you ever in Timbuktu where the girls are black and blue and they wag their bustles too Riding.

On a donkey way hey, away we go Donkey riding donkey ride way hey Wading on a donkey.

Okay, bit of an explanation here.

We are not singing about Western super bear.

Yes, we are.

Over in.

When they used to remove the timbers from the deck, they Had a mechanical device which was called a donkey.

Chili.

Chili.

Round up.

Hang on.

Yes.

Don't give it all away, Mike.

I can't find it.

That's right.

That's what I want.

No.

His wife said that Chili is relatively new to the crew and his nickname is Chili because he eats relatively green meat.

He's not being tarnished.

Chili.

Really hot chili.

He went to the chili farm in Wiltshire where he had the hottest chili they produced.

And he had two shots of this chili and wondered why he was stood outside in a garden in his underpants for 48 hours.

Anyway, he is in the calendar.

He is in the calendar and he's got a band of chili.

Don't tell them all.

He's got a band of chili.

Don't tell him.

It might be a selling point.

You have to guess which for chili, he.

So he went down to the River Raven at St.

Ann with just his B cheese on.

He got his son to take the photograph, making sure no one was coming.

And his son took the photograph and run off with his.

So they.

They got more.

They bar getting poor bed and they still gave somebody towards 18.

He has just.

They said, what a cheat.

He's going to sing a song, Bruce Springsteen song, very popular.

And he will accept pay back with this one for you.

Good day, Bruce.

Good day.

No part of this.

And I want some response.

Dead easy.

Get off.

Pay me.

Let's try it.

Pay me.

Louder.

Hello.

Let's try.

Oh, they got it.

How about this?

Front row.

Yeah.

This is a crowd scene.

Come on.

Right then.

I thought I heard the captain say.

Pay me my money down Tomorrow is.

Our sailing day Pay me, my money.

Down Pay me, pay me, pay me.

Pay me Pay me my money down Pay me or go to jail Pay.

Me, my money down as soon as the boat have passed the bar Pay me, my money down Captain hit me down with a spar Pay me my.

Money down Pay me, pay me, pay.

Me pay me Pay me my money.

Down Pay me or go to jail Pay me my money down They've run out of chili.

Chilly Willy.

Billy.

Pardon.

October, please.

In the calendar.

Farewell oh, to you oh, I have.

No pain.

But we'll return for sure to see again the girl Feeling at the holy ground once more Fine girl.

You are the girl I do adore and still I live in hope to see the holy ground once more Fine.

Girl you are See the storm arising I see it coming soon and the sky's so full of clouds that you can scarcely see the moon and the good old ship Is tossed about and.

The riggin is all tor and still.

I live in hope to see the.

Holy ground once more Fine girl you.

Are the girl I do adore and still I live in hope to see the holy ground once more Fine girl you are.

Hang on, Alex.

Can I have my autograph on the calendar?

Yeah.

It's not much to say.

It's a small pen.

This is a song.

It's very popular in Cornwall.

It's called the cornish tin miners who are the finest in the world.

Yeah.

No, not that one.

They came back and they brought this song back.

A dream.

Oh, wet.

Very wet.

But.

I was missing you behind the gmore and she said little eyes, I love you Honey little eyes I love.

You I love you in the springtime.

I'm the honey honey Little eyes I love you Honey little eyes I love you I love you the best oh.

Honey, honey, honey, honey.

They had to bring him back to the UK because he had had a state funeral.

Sailors being sailors, actually tap the bottom of the barrel.

And by the time they go back to porto the barrel.

They'Re trying to.

Keep their spirits up.

Oh, a drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do its any harp.

Oh, a drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm oh, a drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm and we'll all hang on behind and we'll rolly old chariot along we'll rolly old chariot along we'll roll chariot and lock and we'll all hang on.

Behind oh, a night out with the girls wouldn't do us any harm oh.

A night out with the girls wouldn't do us any harm oh, a night out with the girls wouldn't do us any harm and we'll all hang on behind and we'll rolly old chariot along we'll ro chariot alone we're ro chariot along and we'll all hang on behind.

Okay, two, maybe three.

We may fit another two.

Anyway, this is a song that was actually made popular by the Dubliners, but it's actually written in Bristol.

Oh, yeah.

If you know it, join in.

I spent all my money on whiskey and beer and now I'm returning with gold in great stores and I never will play the w R no more.

And it's all nay, never no nay never no more Will I play all over no, never no more I went.

Into an ale house I used to frequent and I told the landlord my team was fake I asked him for credit he answered me nay because he's a horse said Christian like yours are teaching.

And it's no nay never no name ever.

No more will I Clare.

And General Taylor ran away.

All on the plains of Mexico.

Hundreds either of and the way we'll go either way, Santiana.

He vera.

And the way we'll go along the plains of Mexico.

He was a rorty general, Eva way Santiana A rorty snorty general.

All on the plains of Mexico.

And it eber up and away we'll go either way, Santiana.

Eber up and away we'll go.

All on the plains of Mexico.

Good effort, Nord.

Can I take that?

What I said earlier on?

He can't remember songs.

He ate the under.

Anyway, we are going to finish on a song and there has to be audience participation.

Oh, yes.

And it is called the Pirate.

We're watching you, Alex.

We're watching you, pirate.

A pirate.

Don't copy chopper because he does it two different times.

Oh, they're going to be brilliant.

And if you want to buy a challenger, Put your hand up.

Does fix your poor faces.

You can't let your mate see a cry.

First time ever.

Our happy black patch must cover that hatch.

Make sure that socket stays dry.

Being a pirate is all fun in games till somebody loses an eye.

Ready?

It's all part of being a pirate.

A pirate, a pirate.

You can be a pirate with all of your parts.

It's all part of being a pirate, A pirate, a pirate.

You can be a pirate with all.

Of your arts Being a pirate.

The dual fighting games till somebody leaves you an ear.

Oh, pardon.

Ear, sorry.

Roll standing lights on the deck.

When hopefully somebody says what's that here?

Don't call the lasses your mates are playing pirate Shites are you here?

Pirates all playing games till somebody lives in here.

It's all part of being a pirate, a pirate, a pirate can't be a pirate with all of your parts.

It's all part of being a pirate, a pirate, a pirate can be a pirate with all of your parts.

Being a pirate is all fun in games Till somebody lose their hands Burps in its squirts Pain only a pirate can stand you can't play in a.

Bag.

Till somebody loses our hand.

It's all part of being a pirate, a pirate, a pirate can be a pirate with all of your hearts.

It's all part of being a pirate, A pirate, a pirate.

You can be a pirate with all of your heart.

Being a pirate is all funny games.

Still so many things are laying?

It hurts like the dickens.

Never get Married Cause too long you've tarried and now you can't feel better.

Being a pirate is all funny kill.

Some funny missions are made.

It's all part of being a pirate.

A pirate, a pirate.

You can be a pirate with all of your parts.

It's all part of being a pirate.

A pirate, a pirate can be a pirate with all of your heart.

Being a pirate is all fun in games.

Till somebody loses a whatsit.

They're in the calendar.

You didn't achieve it but you don't want to lose.

Use it.

Hit somebody's toxic.

I'm not going to pick that up.

Not with one hand.

Till somebody loses.

It's all part of being a pirate.

A pirate, a pirate.

You can be a pirate with all of your parts.

It's all part of being a pirate.

A pirate, a pirate.

You can't be a pirate with all of your heart.

Being a pirate is all funny games.

So somebody loses a head.

Too early, too early, too early, too early.

You can't cover your hair cuz your head's over there.

Looks like that you're probably dead.

Being a pirate is all funny game.

So somebody loses a head.

It's all part of have been a pirate, a pirate, a pirate.

You can be a pirate with all of your heart.

It's all part of being a pirate.

A pirate.

You can be a pirate with all of your part.

If you enjoyed us, we are the port Bristol Shaky crew.

If you didn't enjoy us, we are the fisherman's team.

A very small audience.

The best audience we've sun so far today.

Thank you very much this sport.

Hope you enjoy.

Get your kiss off, boys.

And that's the sound bite.

Calendars, Calendars.

Right, chaps, how was that for you guys?

That was great.

When I got my voice back out.

What.

Audience?

Very small, but it was.

And it's a pleasure to have knob with us.

Nobby, how you doing, buddy?

He's got his bricks and rugby club coat on.

He's like.

He's like a walking kind of celebrity.

With all of that.

Yeah, well, he is a celebrity.

Well, if we could remember that word.

We would call him it.

Yeah, we'll just insert appropriate word when we remember it.

There you are.

That was good.

Well, I think it's time to have a beer or something.

I think so.

No, probably.

Yeah.

Multider.

It's been all laid on for us.

It'd be very good, very generous.

Very good.

And we're selling calendars.

They're literally flying.

Flying, flying.

Are you sure you really want One.

So here's the man who booked us to come along to his gig.

Introduce yourself.

And why on earth did you pick us to come along?

So, my name's Dan Huckle.

I'm one of the managing partners of Time and Talent, and I heard about the Sea Shanty Crew, the Bristol Sea Shanty Crew.

Through friends, we were looking to liven up our work event, but at the same time, do a lot of good.

And as you guys give all your proceeds to the teenage, we're really, really keen to support you and also have a whale of a time.

Everyone here has been up jumping around.

So good.

I mean, it's a small but perfectly formed audience, but as we were singing, people from the Bristol offices were coming out.

They were shouting from their windows.

And we're really grateful that you brought us along, so thank you.

Thank you.

You've really livened up the vents as well.

It's made the day for us.

We're all.

We're all going to struggle to go off to a very.

It's going to be quite a somber lunch after this.

It's been brilliant.

It's so good.

Everyone's elated.

We're in the Bank Tavern, which is, I think, internationally known for its amazing food.

Well, apparently the UK's best roast.

Yeah.

And we're going to go and find.

Out very, very soon.

So you go and enjoy your meal.

UK's best sea shanty crew, followed by the UK's best.

You are too kind.

You are too kind.

Thanks for talking to us.

You take care.

Thanks very much.

Ahoy there, matey.

So welcome to the part of the podcast where if you're a singer or a member of the crew, or you're a leader of a crew and you would like an opportunity to promote what you're up to, then this is the place for you.

If you are interested in in featuring on our podcast, then do go to our podcast website and leave us a voice message and then you'll feature in next month's episode.

That link is in the show notes.

Hi, I'm Matthew from the Rusty Tubs and we've recently released our first album, Rowdy Soul, available on your favorite streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and also, if you want to support the band and buy a digital copy of the album, you can go to bandcamp.com and search the Rusty Tub.

We're planning on getting some physical copies made up for people, probably cd, but maybe vinyl if we can swing it.

And they'll be available either to purchase online by contacting us or available at our gigs.

We're hoping to do all the major festivals next year.

So 2025 is looking to be possibly the best year yet for the Rusty Tubs.

We recorded this album about a year ago.

We worked with a chap called David Chops Wallace.

Big shout out to him.

He did a great job getting us all recorded.

And he spent the last year tirelessly editing together this album that we're really proud of.

We think it's an excellent album with some real cracking songs.

The titular track, Rowdy Soul, I think sums up the Rusty Tubs brilliantly.

It's a song about not wanting to work too hard.

And none of the Rusty Tubs like working that hard, I can tell you that, myself included.

It's a song about wanting to just relax, have a few beers and just live a nice easy life.

A lot of the tracks are fan favorites that the whole shanty community will know.

And we've even managed to find some real obscure songs to include that we're really proud to sort of bring to the forefront a little bit.

One of my favorites, Orcadian Boatman's Song.

We think this might only be the second time this track has been recorded.

It was preserved by the Big Orkney Song Project and we learned of it through Sam contacted them, we learned of it through them.

So that's.

That's been brilliant.

One of the main things that's blown us away since we formed the Rusty Tubs about five, six years ago is the shanty community itself.

There are some really brilliant people out there and we've made some fast, brilliant friends.

So that's, that's been great.

So people, I think we deserve a bit of a shout out.

Mariners Away, first and foremost, they helped us get our foot in the door, a bit of a leg up, some confidence on stage in our first few gigs, just when we were getting started.

So I.

I don't think the Rusty Tubs would be here today without those guys.

So Big shout out to them.

More recently at Barry Island Shanty Festival, Mel Babb was an absolute lifesaver.

She.

She swept in and she helped us when we were a load of blokes down.

And if you've ever heard us sing, you know, she can.

She can make up for about five or six people in a group.

So we were really glad to have her there.

And it's that coming together that really means a lot to the Rusty Tubs.

We can be an ugly and scary bunch of blokes on the face of it, but deep down we're all teddy bears.

Some great friends we've made is in cask as well.

Some wonderful people who always come out and support us when we're.

We're at events together and it's always an absolute pleasure to see them.

So I just want to say a huge thanks to them.

And I suppose also worth thanking Port of Bristol Shanty Crew, who is here.

We are giving us our first appearance on a podcast.

So that.

That's been very exciting for us and it seems like 2025 is going to be a year of first with we've released our first album available on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Play, and our first podcast and it's also looking like it's going to be our first international shanty festival in Belgium, Ostend, if we can make that work.

So that's very exciting.

So I suppose all that's left now is to thank you guys for having us on your podcast.

It's been brilliant.

Huge fan of you guys.

Love working with you.

Bristol means an awful lot to some of the rusty tubs.

Myself and Sam studied there, so it's a cracking city and we're looking forward to being back there for future, future events.

Always a pleasure.

And yeah, if anyone sees us at festivals, do come say hello.

And if anyone's swinging by Tewkesbury on a Thursday night, there's a fair chance that we'll.

We'll be pretending to practice and just quaffing a few beers.

So do say hello to us there.

Cheers.

Have a good one, guys.

By.

Ahoy there, matey.

Next up, we welcome Nobby back to the podcast, who gives us a bit of a background story on one of our shanty songs.

Good morning, my lovers, My little lovely lovers.

August asked me to do a little bit about Spanish oranges.

Now, the I can.

I'll talk to you about it, but at the moment I can't find the words to it.

It may be on podcast with the Harry Browns, I'm not sure, but I'll find them.

But I can't find my book of poems, Bristol Channel Rhymes, which I was writing.

It's that Spanish Challenges started off as a poem in the 1990s, which I'll tell you about in a minute.

The origins of it go way back to when I was a young lad and me and my old mate Melvin west used to go down the docks regularly on a Sunday with our 2 and 6 book of coastal Ships.

And basically we were ship spotters.

A bit like train spotting, really.

We did that as well and we had Great times and great fun.

And like, one day we were chatting to the dockers there by this Dutch ship, the Mariners Smiths.

And the doctor said, oh, boy, yeah, we'll get you on board.

Oh, I don't know about that.

You know, my mother used to say, you know, you gotta watch these sailors and down them docks you get taken away.

And anyway, we went and we.

We said, all right then.

So we went on board of the manor Smith, met the captain and he was brilliant.

He had all his bloody uniform on a lot, you know, white cap, all the brass buttons.

And took us up on the bridge and we looked out through the bridge window, the Mariner Smiths.

And it was unloading where M Shed is today.

And she was a lovely ship, the green.

Green hull come from.

I think it was Rotterdam.

Anyway, other ships that came in were many.

There was the Endrick over at the Glasgow and Belfast Shed, and she was an old coal burner, an old black boat with a tall black funnel with a white band.

And one day we were down there and obviously the stokers were putting the coal on the fire down there below to get some steam up and it was all belching out the funnel and a big black pile of smoke came out and it was lovely.

But just up the dock from there was the wine sheds and there are regular deliveries coming in from.

From France, Bordeaux, places like that for the Harvey's wine cellars, maybe Average and Phillips as well.

And the ships were white ships and they belonged to the general steam navigation, that was it.

And I wrote a song about that as well, called the Juno.

Yeah.

On Cannons Marsh, which is just down from the.

What was just down from the Glasgow Belfast Shed were the ships where line.

From the line of MacAndrew oars came in.

And they were white ships with a yellow funnel, always gleaming, looked really clean and bright.

And they would unload the oranges onto the key.

And those oranges at the time were in wooden crates and they would break, they would smash.

And there were oranges all over the.

The quayside and, you know, the rats had come out later on and have a nibble, but they were all over the quayside.

So me and me mate Melvin and I used to fill up our pockets and saddlebags and Cyclone to Lockley's and hand them over to mother.

And she would, having given telling me off for going down there in the first place, would tell me off again when I got back to watch out for these swarthy sailors who get you on board and take you off to a different country or Whatever.

How old were you then, by the way?

I was about 16, I suppose.

All right, 15, 16, something like that, and come over to Mum and she would make marmalade and they'd go into the marmalade pan, a big pan that she had, and put on this old gas cooker and make this beautiful marmalade.

It was lovely.

I can taste it now.

Have it on toast for breakfast, all that sort of stuff.

But that's where the song originated from and that I made into a poem, and a poem I kept for ages and ages and ages.

And I was talking to a friend of mine called Rob Crompton, who.

He's the guy who wrote Shanty man and the.

What's it called?

Not the Seagull.

I'm sure someone will know.

Fish sings it, then?

No, no, Skipper sings it.

Yeah.

Molly Bird.

Molly Malt.

He wrote the Molly Mork.

And he said, oh, I.

I'd like to do something with.

With that.

These poems.

So he did, and he sent various drafts back to me and I said, no, not quite.

Not quite.

I'll have to change a few things in it.

Which it did over a period of time.

And then the late Chris Fry, great singer.

Chris Foy, absolutely great singer, come from East Coker in Somerset, and he messed around with the tune a bit, you know, made it more like it is now.

And he was absolutely brilliant, absolutely brilliant guy and could sing anything.

So Chris developed it, the Harry Browns took it on and we.

He sang it with the Harry Browns.

I just did the chorus bits.

And Helen, marvelous fiddle player.

Helen, put the tune to it.

She is absolutely wonderful.

And put the violin accompaniment to it.

And I.

I've not heard anybody do it as well since that time.

You like it, don't you?

Love My Secretary with me today.

Oggy.

It's.

I absolutely love it.

It's sort of melancholy and very.

Oh, it just stirs up a lot of different feelings.

Positive as well.

Yeah, lovely.

Yeah, it was.

It was great times along the.

Along the dock and anyway, it was great time.

Great, great ships along the dock.

In those days.

There was a.

I always remember the ships that came in from Gothenburg, Sweden, and took coke.

I think they took it away or landed it or whatever down on Gasbrooks Lane there, which is just along from the Lloyds Amphitheater.

Part of it is preserved today.

And they were really old black steamers, you know, I wouldn't have gone up the avenue and.

And I wrote some stuff about that as well.

Right.

But it was great, Dave.

The white boats were absolutely Tremendous.

And when we were singing with storm force 10.

Yeah.

The revenue Tom, one of the singers, he can appear a jump from Liverpool and sailed away on various ships.

Blue Funnel Line, Cunard.

He was on the Queen Elizabeth, but he was also on the MacAndrew line.

And the ships, it sailed in and out of Bristol with the oranges from Seville.

They were Seville Orange, which is very, very special.

Yeah.

So that's where the origin of the Spanish Oranges song has come from.

It's been redeveloped a bit and now we're going to be doing it with support Bristol Shanty Crew.

I'm not quite sure who's singing it, whether it's the rev or whether it's the fish, either.

Or Would be absolutely brilliant if we could make a really good job of it.

Yeah.

Or do you remember?

But Helen and Wizard playing the fiddle on it.

Absolutely brilliant.

Yeah.

And I miss that.

I know.

I tell you what, though, Bob Derrick did a really good version of it as well, didn't he?

Yeah, he did, yeah, he did a good version.

Yeah.

Very lyrical and very tameful.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Good old Bob Derek.

Yeah, absolutely.

So it's.

It's there to be grasped.

It tells a real story, doesn't it?

It's one of those songs, Ashantis, that you really need to tune into the words because it tells a really profound story of your experiences.

Yes, it does.

I.

I can see those days as clear as day now.

And you'll be down a dock, say, on a.

On a sunny day.

It could be one of the brightest places on earth.

You get that on a wet, dank day with the starlings on the telegraph wires or the wires around the dog center making this funny sort of noise.

Do it again.

Watch your teeth.

Don't fall out.

Let me put my teeth back in a bit.

Yeah, put my teeth back in.

Don't want to lose them.

Yeah.

And it was really quite wonderful.

And from that as well, I developed another.

Another poem called Lavender Days.

Because to me, the days in those times, they were lavender days.

They were like hazy purple days.

The color that the day was, the clouds overhead, the quietness of the oily water going by, you know, it was quite amazing.

I got loads of stories I could tell about.

About the docks in the Rita Dan.

And what I saw through the porthole of the Rita Dam, which shocked me and my mate Melvin West.

What was that?

Well, we used to go along the dock, up Narrow Quay.

And, you know, you put your bike against the warehouse there.

Yeah.

And you just have a look in the portal because they were like just level with the dock side of it, right.

And we.

We were looking in there and out, out come this woman with no clothes on and then a bloke with no clothes on.

And I embraced and disappeared down the window.

I was shot out of there like right up a drain.

That was a rude awakening for a young 16 year old.

Yeah, well, it was.

Yeah, it was never forgot.

I could see it now.

Did you go back and tell him, Aunt?

Probably not about that.

She warned me enough about going down her as it was.

But there was great stories come out of there.

Like Captain Tremlett, he was a captain on the Bristol steam navigation and he told me stories when he was waiting for his crew to arrive to sail over to Dublin.

In Antwerp, he was always waiting for one particular bloke who was having his last romantic session on the railings by the dockside and swinging it the hip with a.

With a Gloucester old spot.

And that was the name for prostitutes.

Oh, dear.

So he was having his last.

Come on, you know, get on here.

Yeah, Lovely times.

Yeah.

Cobbled streets.

Yeah.

Another story used to tell me was when they used to go into the Shakespeare, which is right on Prince Street Bridge.

I know, yeah.

They'd get in there and in one bar you'd have the Norwegian guys in the other bar sort of thing like the English guys or whatever.

And what used to happen was when they saw these Norwegian guys at the bar, they'd order drinks for themselves.

The Norwegian guys would end up paying for it.

But the funny thing was when they were in Oslo, in places the same thing happened, but reverse.

Yeah, Lovely times.

Yeah, yeah.

Moving forward then.

Yeah.

And here we are today.

So whoever's doing Spanish oranges, get your ass in gear and get it up together.

Basically.

It's.

It's always been probably one of my very favorites.

Yeah, it is.

Most people, yeah, it's absolutely beautiful and I think maybe it just needs a bit more of an airing, doesn't it?

Because.

Just because of the story and it tells in the history.

Yeah, I know the fish likes it very much.

The.

But.

But I mean, Fryer did a great job on that song to make it what it is today.

Sad thing about Chris Fry, who come from East Coker, as I said.

Yeah.

He belonged to the London shantymen for a while and he moved back down to the West Country.

Yeah.

But sadly his marriage seemed to break down and his wife had gone off with somebody else and he owned himself.

Dreadful loss.

It was a dreadful loss.

Do I'm very sad.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And it always makes me think about it when Spanish oranges comes about.

Yeah, so that's a bit about Spanish oranges, Augie.

Oie.

Yeah, that's my secretary there.

She's your technical advisor.

She's very quiet today.

Normally I can't stop her talking, but.

Thankfully you've got a subject that I can't speak in depth about.

Oh, what?

Great.

Give me another subject and I might be well away anyway.

Not enough hours in the day.

No.

Right.

Okay, Augie.

It's over and out for me and.

Over and out from you.

Bye.

Bye.

Here's a tale of old crystal out at hill Long before the dumps were shut down when ships from the sea would be quay right there in the center of town.

And two ships from the line of the cantrip Polymaris and Phoebus my name fine fruits were unlowed by the old cobbler road all fresh from the orchards of Spain.

Spanish oranges When I remember, there are times I'm tasting them stand still recalling when we would wait on the key to harvest the fruits of Seville.

When we knew that the fruit ship.

Was coming.

With a fine yellow funnel in view.

We'd be straight on our bikes just as fast as you like to the dockyard we skerried and flew and me mum, she would shout from behind me or beware of those Spaniards she drilled for she feared that one day we'd be shut hide away for the sake of those fruits of Seville.

Spanish oranges.

When I remember There are times I'm tasting them still recalling when we would wait on the key to harvest the fruit salts are there.

When those crates of fine fruits were unloaded.

You would find us in weights of our share.

For was never a doubt every song would fall out and be rolling around everywhere.

So we gathered there in the jiffy.

Oh to us they were cris for the men and they'd roll and they'd bounce and we'd swoop and we'd pounce on those juicy old fruits all so Spanish oranges.

Well I remember there was at times I'm tasting them still recalling when we would wait on the key to harvest the fruits of Seville.

Come the time when our swag was all gathered with our saddle bags for to the bridge.

Then we'd pedal our load up the cannons marsh road with our back wheels right down on the R and me mom, she would always be waiting.

Oh that scent I'm remembering still a spa sparrows like her to the marmalade pan.

When those tasty old fruits are severe Spanish Oranges When I remember there are times I'm tasting them still recalling when we would wait on the key to harvest the fruits of Zeb now it's time to look back on the old times for today it just never could be fine Fruits they'd unload by the old cobbled road and they wouldn't let kids on the quay and so these days I buy oranges and Tesco where I punch in my pin additive.

Oh.

Organic they say but for me there's no way they compare with those fruits of Seville Spanish oranges When I remember there are times I'm tasting, recalling when we would wait on the key to harvest the fruits of Seville Spanish oranges When I remember there are times I'm tasting them still recalling when we would wait on the key to harvest the fruits of Seville those juicy old tasty old fruits of Seville.

Well, that's it for episode 12.

We hope you really enjoyed the audio that we we captured during the month of December.

And once again, if you have an opportunity, then please do leave us a review.

And you can do that by going over to our website, pob.shantycrew.co.uk forward/podcast.

Click the button that says click to listen and in the top right hand corner you'll see a button that says leave a review or rate us.

Either way, click on it.

We would really welcome your review.

It does help us to be discovered and more importantly, it allows us to spur us on to continue with this wonderful thing that is the podcast.

So once again, fair winds and following seas and we'll see you next month.

Ship shape and Bristol fashion boys along.

The harbor side from even gorge to.

Underfall we'll even hold the line secure.

The barrels down below Bind and tie and chum this vessel she is certified Ship shape and Bristol fashion so haul away me laddie boys Haul away you're free Haul away me laddie boys and.

Say leave a drink for me Haul.

Away me lottie boys Haul away your.

Free Haul away me lotty boys and.

Save a drink for me.