Cape Cod Girls

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This shanty is a variant of "South Australia." According to Joanna Colcord, "The words are a rough jest at the expense of sailors who might hail from the fishing towns, and any such towns, from Cape Cod to St. John, were substituted in the words given below." Lyrics from Songs of American Sailormen, by Joanna Colcord

Cape Cod boys don’t got no sleds Heave away, heave away They slide down hills on codfish heads For we’re bound for Australia Heave away me bonny bonny boys Heave away, heave away Heave away and don’t you make a noise For we’re bound for Australia Cape Cod girls don’t got no combs… They comb their hair with codfish bones… Cape Cod moms don’t bake no pies They feed their children codfish eyes Cape Cod cats don’t got no tails They lost them all in Cape Cod gales Cape Cod dogs don’t got no bite They lost it barking at the Cape Cod light Cape Cod doctors got no pills They give their patients codfish gills Cape Cod ladies don’t give no thrills They’re plain and skinny as the codfish gills

[alternate version] Cape Cod boys don’t got no sleds Haul away, haul away (yip!) They slide down hills on codfish heads And we’re bound away for Australia So heave her up my bully bully boys, now Haul away, haul away (yip!) Well heave her up and don’t you make a noise And we’re bound away for Australia

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