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So Long (All Coiled Down)


All coiled down, an' it's time for us to go;
Every sail's furled in a neat harbour stow;
Another ship for me, an' for her another crew —
An' so long, sailorman — good luck to you!

Fun an' friends I wish you till the pay's all gone —
Pleasure when you spend it an' content when it's done —
An' a chest that's not empty when you go back to sea,
An' a better ship than she's been — an' a truer pal than me.

A good berth I wish you, in a ship that's well found,
With a decent crowd forrard, an' her gear all sound,
Spars a man can trust to when it's comin' on to blow,
An' no bosun bawlin' when it's your watch below.

A good Trade I wish you, an' a fair landfall,
Neither fog, nor iceberg, nor long calm, nor squall,
A pleasant port to come to, when the work's all through —
An' so long, sailorman … good luck to you.

Notes

From SEA SONGS AND BALLADS 1917-1922, edited by Cicely Fox Smith, published by Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, US, © 1924, p. 101. First published in PUNCH magazine, Volume 158, January 21, 1920, p. 44.

At the end of a voyage the crew were often signed off and had to sign on again sometimes on the same ship, sometimes on another if one was sailing sooner. This frequently meant saying goodbye to good friends and the poet summed it up well as usual.

"All coil down" was one of the last orders a mate would make, to tidy up the lines, before dismissing the crew.

This poem has been set to music by Alan Fitzsimmons and is sung by Danny and Joyce McLeod with the first verse as a repeating chorus, as recorded on NEVER A CROSS WORD, © 2003.

The header graphic shows how some of the working lines were coiled at the pinrail.

Jim Saville and Charley Noble

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Comments


  • Charley Noble Moderators member
    October 10, 2005
    Edit | Reply
    This one makes a great closing song for sea music sings, using the first verse as a chorus as suggested in the notes. "All coil down" was the last order given by the mate to the crew before dismissing them at the end of a voyage. Danny and Joyce McLeod can be heard singing this on their CD NO CROSS WORDS.

    Cheerily,
    Charley Noble
    Edited on Oct 23, 11:05 because 'typo "gret" changed to "great"'.