The Young Tradition:- Peter Bellamy Royston Wood Heather Wood Song compiled by Cyril Tawney Chicken on a Raft = Scrambled Egg on Toast Dabtoes = Able Bodied Seamen Dustmen = Engineers Pusser = Chief Petty Officer
Heather Wood, Royston Wood, Peter Bellamy, vocals; Dave Calderhead, Hans Fried, Ken Hamer, Roger and Frances Jones-Ford, Arthur Knevett, Rod and Danny Stradling, chorus People on recording. Just setting history.
With 'dabtoes' and 'dustmen' you were well wide of the mark. Dabtoes is simply a name for butter; the dustmen were the salt and pepper shakers - as in 'pass the dustmen' a common enough cry at mealtimes aboard ship. Great song, great performance. It made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck when I first heard the YT sing it in a folk club.
I saw your comment was four years old so I got worried she kicked the bucket, but it looks like she's alive and well currently. ...well, I'm assuming she's well, I don't know her personally. xD
@@kathleensturgis8525 Her voice shines through though she only has a drone part here. I'm glad to have made the superficial acquaintance of this group.
@@kathleensturgis8525 maybe you could ask her if YT's two John Peel sessions including interviews with the band will ever be released next time you're in touch. Thanks
This was the first 'Traditional' song I ever sang joining in the harmonies with a couple of lads who had obviously learned it from the YT. As it turns out it isn't exactly traditional, but it's a damn fine song and the YTversion is still the best I've ever heard.
Great rendition - Keith and Alex used to sing this together with Roman Gladiator, Pogles Wood, Haul Away for Rosy, the Man who Waters the Workers Beer and many more at the Garribaldi in St Albans in the early '80's.
I was told that Dabtoes and Dustmen were cleaning jobs in the Navy. Dabtoes was something like swabbing the deck and Dustmen was cleaning up trash. A "Chicken on a Raft" is just poached eggs on toast. Which was a very common meal in the Navy.
Chorus: Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning, oh what a terrible sight to see, 'Dabtoes' for'd and the Dustmen aft, sitting there picking at a 'chicken on a raft'. Hey -oh, chicken on a raft, Oy -oh, chicken on a raft. Hey -oh, chicken on a raft, Oy -oh, chicken on a raft.
3rd Bit: I had a little girl in 'Donny B', (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) And oh, she made a fool of me, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Her heart was like a Pusser's shower, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) From hot to cold in a quarter of an hour. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft)
2nd bit: They gave me the Middle and the Forenoon too, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) And now I'm pulling in the whaler's crew, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Seagulls wheeling overhead, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) I ought to be 'flogging' in a feather bed. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft)
Donnie B was slang for the Royal Naval Air Station at Donniebristle in Fife, Scotland. Long since closed and the town of Dalgety Bay is built over part of it.
I hadn't heard of 'dabtoes' either. I got that from a mate who had the commonsense to ask Cyril Tawney. He confirmed my 'dustmen' theory too. I once heard a group singing it at a folk festival - Chester or Bromyard, I think. They sang "doctors forrard" - a total 'mondegreen' if I ever heard one.
I spoke with Tom Lewis ( the Ancient Submariner) about this song. He indicated that often it was served as a fried or poached egg, on toast, but served cold. Nothing like a cold greasy fried egg on a Monday morning after your run ashore. I guess that's what led to Cyril's other great song, "on a Monday Morning ".
The late Jonathan Eberhart covered this song on his album Life's Trolley Ride. In his note he stated that dabtoes were deck crew ( Swabbies in the USN) and dustmen referred to the Black Gang or stokers in the engine room. I like the idea of the sailor calling the shakers and butter in his vernacular !
I'm going to throw another spanner into the works. 'Chicken on a raft' was egg on toast. Fried or poached it made no difference. Don't think was ever served scrambled eggs in my days in the RNR/RNVR. 'Pusser' is a corruption of 'Purser' whose duties were to oversee supply and issue of victuals, slops (clothes) and other consumables. In the nineteenth century the rank was made a commissioned rank and another aspect of the Purser's duty appeared - paying the crew became his responsibility.
Not unlike a 'field holler', is it? 'Call and response' songs are a staple of virtually every culture, ever. Surely evidence for music being something crucial to human existence?
It makes work easy. Shanties(Sailor work songs) evolved as a way to get everyone to pull in unison for hard hauling jobs(such as hauling halyards or using a gin pole to rig a boat up) all of which was done with man power and is damn tough and damn tiring
Harmonies are superb but can u imagine a ships crew working at this speed? Try Michael Raffert's rendition at a school in spain. Perez school Oviedo. The kids really get into it!
I always thought chicken on a raft was a fired or poached egg on toast; but left over from the day beofre, cold and greasy , the last thing you want to see in the morning after you've had a run ashore !
skipper's in the wardroom drinking gin, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) I don't mind knocking but I ain't going in, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) 'Jimmy's' laughing like a drain, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Been looking at m' 'comic cuts' again. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft)
@@georgecurryhistory Nope - although an understandable error. each iteration has a verse with 4 mentions, a couplet with two mentions and a final mention four times. So, there are ten mentions each round, and five rounds of verse/chorus sets. 5 x 10 = 50. BUT Verse three has only 3 iterations, not four. So the total is 49, not 50.
Skipper's in the wardroom drinking gin, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) I don't mind knocking but I ain't going in, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) 'Jimmy's' laughing like a drain, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Been looking at m' 'comic cuts' again. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning, oh what a terrible sight to see, 'Dabtoes' for'd and the Dustmen aft, sitting there picking at a 'chicken on a raft'. Hey -oh, chicken on a raft, Oy -oh, chicken on a raft. Hey -oh, chicken on a raft, Oy -oh, chicken on a raft. They gave me the Middle and the Forenoon too, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) And now I'm pulling in the whaler's crew, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Seagulls wheeling overhead, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) I ought to be 'flogging' in a feather bed. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) I had a little girl in 'Donny B', (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) And oh, she made a fool of me, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Her heart was like a Pusser's shower, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) From hot to cold in a quarter of an hour. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning, oh what a terrible sight to see, 'Dabtoes' for'd and the Dustmen aft, sitting there picking at a 'chicken on a raft'. We kissed goodbye on the midnight bus, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) She didn't cry, she didn't fuss, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Am I the man that she loves best? (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Or am I just a cuckoo in another man's nest? (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning, oh what a terrible sight to see, 'Dabtoes' for'd and the Dustmen aft, sitting there picking at a 'chicken on a raft'. An Amazon girl lives in Dumfries, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) She only has kids in twos and threes, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Her sister lives in Maryhill, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) She says she won't but I think she will. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft)
@DdlyHeadshot When I was doing my Mate's ticket we all had to learn the International Signal Code, not only single flags but some of the 2 flag hoists. To help remember them we had little tricks - so 'YG' which meant "You appear to be contravening Rule 10 of the Collision Regulations (Conduct of Vessls using a Seperation Scheme) was 'You Greeks'. They always managed to get into trouble, but must have been good seamen 'cos they always nearly always got out of it :-)
Well skippers in the wardroom drinkin' gin, Hi yo chicken on a raft! I don't mind a'knockin' but I ain't a'goin in, Hi yo chicken on a raft! The Jimmys laughin' like it'd rain, Hi yo chicken on a raft! He lookin' at me comic cuts again, Hi yo chicken on a raft! Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning oh what a terrible sight to see, dabtoes forward and the dustman aft, sitting there pickin' at a chicken on a raft Hi yo, chicken on a raft! Hey yo, chicken on a raft! Hi yo, chicken on a raft! Hey yo, chicken on a raft! Well he gave me the middle and the the forenoon too, Hi yo chicken on a raft! And now I'm pullin' in a whalin crew, Hi yo chicken on a raft! There's a seagull wailin' overhead, Hi yo chicken on a raft! Thought I oughta be sleepin' Ina featherbed, Hi yo chicken on a raft! Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning oh what a terrible sight to see, dabtoes forward and the dustman aft, sitting there pickin' at a chicken on a raft! Hi yo, chicken on a raft Hey yo, chicken on a raft Hi yo, chicken on a raft Hey yo, chicken on a raft Well I had a little girl in donny-b, Hi yo chicken on a raft! And did she make a fool of me, Hi yo chicken on a raft! Her heart was like a pussers shower, Run a'hot to cold in a quarter of an hour, Hi yo chicken on a raft! Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning oh what a terrible sight to see, dabtoes forward and the dustman aft, sitting there pickin' at a chicken on a raft! Hi yo, chicken on a raft! Hey yo, chicken on a raft! Hi yo, chicken on a raft! Hey yo, chicken on a raft! So we kissed goodbye on the midnight bus, Hi yo chicken on a raft! But she didn't cry and she didn't fuss, Hi yo chicken on a raft! So am I the man what she loves best, Hi yo chicken on a raft! Or am I just a cuckoo in another man's nest? Hi yo chicken on a raft! Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning oh what a terrible sight to see, dabtoes forward and the dustman aft, sitting there pickin' at a chicken on a raft Hi yo, chicken on a raft Hey yo, chicken on a raft Hi yo, chicken on a raft Hey yo, chicken on a raft Well am amazon girl lived in dumfries, Hi yo chicken on a raft! She only had her kids in twos and threes, Hi yo chicken on a raft! And her sister lives in maryhill, Hi yo chicken on a raft! She says she won't but I think she will, Hi yo chicken on a raft! Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning oh what a terrible sight to see, dabtoes forward and the dustman aft, sitting there pickin' at a chicken on a raft Hi yo, chicken on a raft Hey yo, chicken on a raft Hi yo, chicken on a raft Hey yo, chicken on a raft
Interesting how traditions evolve, quite where I got the ideas for dabtoes and dustmen from I'm not quite sure. I do know that I didn't just pull the info out of thin air - I ain't that good :-) so somewhere I must have seen a reference to their slang usage. Just had a look at the RN site and there is no mention of 'dabtoes' but the 'dustman' is a now obsolete reference to a Stoker rating. Certainly Peter Bellamy got me singing unaccompanied songs, though not as well. take care P
Oh dear, it seems I did get quite a lot wrong with this one :-) Thanks very much for the information, always good to learn something new everyday huh ? I was in the Merchant Navy for 30 years so Royal Navy slang is a bit of a foreign languge to me, Take care P
@smeghead1851 This topic came up at the weekend of singing I was at, and the outright consensus is that yes, it is the cold, greasy egg on toast. A terrible prospect on a Monday or any morning come to that :-)
If you have been drinking for two days solid (as sailors tend to do on weekend leave) something lukewarm and greasy is not what you want to see with a Monday morning hangover.
4th Bit: We kissed goodbye on the midnight bus, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) She didn't cry, she didn't fuss, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Am I the man that she loves best? (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Or am I just a cuckoo in another man's nest? (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft)
4th Bit: An Amazon girl lives in Dumfries, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) She only has kids in twos and threes, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) Her sister lives in Maryhill, (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft) She says she won't but I think she will. (Hey -oh, chicken on a raft)
As I said in an earlier reply I was in the real navy not the Royal Navy, so some of the RN slang is lost on me. I will concede thatI got pusser wrong - my apologies. However searches through Mudcat Cafe and several other sites do seem to indicate the dabtoes were indeed seaman (not necessarily AB's though). There alos seem to be quite a conflict as to how the bread was served, i.e. fried or toasted, again my mistake. The overall opinion is that the egg was fried. Peter
You can find the text here: tomlewis. net / lyrics / chicken_raft . htm Does someone can translate it in a more moder english? I'm having some trouble understanding it.
