| Combing Down His Yellow Hair |
[Jun. 7th, 2026|07:47 am]
Tony Grist
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Here's a song you don't hear much any more- Bobby Shaftoe.
When I was a nipper we used to sing it in and out of school. Pretty little tune, easy to sing.
I came across a version on Youtube yesterday- performed by a couple of Geordies calling themselves Blaydon Aces. They were pictured on the banks of the Tyne with the Baltic Gallery in the the background. Sweet!
"Funny," says Ailz, "It's clearly a woman's song but it's always performed by men".
But it's also a sailor song. And your average 19th century sailor didn't suffer too much from gender anxiety. Besides, where would you find the women to do the singing on board a Tyne Collier?
One thing that always bothered me was the "silver buckles on his knee."
I thought that sounded painful. I mean, how were they attached? With staples perhaps? Poor Bobby. |
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