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Alvar Smith: A Sailor and His True Love

Alvar Smith: A Sailor and His True Love (Veteran VT164CD)

A Sailor and His True Love
Traditional singing from the Blaxhall Ship
Alvar Smith

Veteran VT164CD (CD, UK, 24 May 2026)

Local and family songs from the Blaxhall Ship. A selection of ballads, old songs and comic songs learnt from Alvar’s grandfather Arthur Smith (featured on the 1953 and 1955 recordings of singing in the Ship), his uncle Bob Scarce, Cyril Poacher, Bob Hart and others.

Produced by Mossy Christian;
Recorded by Albert Hansell with a live audience at Sheffield’s New Musical Traditions Club on 9 November 2025

Musicians

Alvar Smith: vocals;
Mossy Christian: anglo concertina [3, 5, 17];
Katie Howson: melodeon [1, 6];
Albert Hansell: step dancing [1];
The audience of the New Musical Traditions Club, Sheffield: chorus

Tracks

  1. Step Dance
  2. The Nutting Girl (Roud 509; G/D 7:1475) (3.18)
  3. Slap Dab (Roud 1754) (2.58)
  4. Bold General Wolfe (Roud 624) (2.58)
  5. Underneath Her Apron (Roud 899; G/D 7:1493) (2.12)
  6. Wheel Your Perambulator, John (Roud 1496) (2.26)
  7. Running Up and Down Our Stairs (Roud 13305) (3.33)
  8. Chickens in the Garden (Roud 2552) (2.30)
  9. May I Come Home Again (Roud 21988) (3.32)
  10. A Boy’s Best Friend Is His Mother (Roud 47824) (2.16)
  11. Faithful Sailor Boy (Roud 376; Laws K13; G/D 1:66; Henry H543, H678) (3.41)
  12. A Sailor and His True Love (Roud 660; Laws O30; TYG 51) (4.22)
  13. Flash Company (Roud 954) (4.06)
  14. The Handsome Cabin Boy (Roud 239; Laws N13; G/D 1:181) (3.12)
  15. I Wish I Was Single Again (Roud 437) (2.26)
  16. The Little Ball of Yarn (Roud 1404) (3.03)
  17. To Ra Loo (Roud 1407) (3.34)

All tracks trad. except
Track 8 James Allan Bland;
Track 9 Robert Donnelly;
Track 12 Thomas Payne Westendorf, G.W. Persley

Notes

Running Up and Down Our Stairs

First published in 1898, and popularised by Frank Seeley, from whom Alvar’s source Cyril Poacher had multiple songs, with only three traditional singers of this song listed in the Roud Index, its spread appears to have been limited to Suffolk, Lincolnshire, and Essex. The humour in this song is, at best, outdated, and is presented here for reference only, although it must be observed that the song is still favoured by the singer, and much of his regular audience.

May I Come Home Again

A sentimental song written by Robert Donnelly and published in 1904. The song was published on a series of picture postcards by Bamforth & Co. of Holmfirth, with each verse on a different card, illustrated with a photograph of live models posing a scene from the song. Alvar learnt the song from his uncle Bob Scarce.

A Boy’s Best Friend Is His Mother

Another song from Alvar’s Uncle Bob [Scarce], not to be confused with a much more common song of the same name (Roud 1756). It would seem this song has been collected exclusively from Bob Scarce and Alvar Smith in Suffolk, and from George and Edith Handcock by Ian Russell in West Yorkshire. A music hall song in origin, popularised by Alec Hurley, and written by George le Brun and JP Harrington. Originally published under the title You Can Get a Sweetheart Any Day.