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The Handsome Cabin Boy
The Female Cabin Boy / The Handsome Cabin Boy
[
Roud 239
/ Song Subject MAS527
; Master title: The Female Cabin Boy
; Laws N13
; G/D 1:181
; Ballad Index LN13
; VWML AGG/7/270
, CJS2/9/782
; Bodleian
Roud 239
; GlosTrad
Roud 239
; DT CABINBOY
; Mudcat 24577
, 148886
; trad.]
Norman Buchan and Peter Hall: The Scottish Folksinger Maud Karpeles: Cecil Sharp’s Collection of English Folk Songs John Morrish: The Folk Handbook John Ord: Bothy Songs and Ballads Frank Purslow: Marrow Bones James Reeves: The Idiom of the People Steve Roud, Julia Bishop: The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs Stephen Sedley: The Seeds of Love
Cecilia Costello sang a fragment of The Handsome Cabin Boy on 30 November 1951 in Birmingham in a recording made by Maria Slocombe and Patrick Shuldham-Shaw (BBC 17034). It was included in 1975 on her eponymous Leader album Cecilia Costello, and, together with an earlier recording made by Peter Kennedy on 11 August 1951 on her 2014 Musical Traditions anthology Old Fashioned Songs. Rod Stradling noted:
Mrs Costello very much enjoyed singing this fragment of a song which is often far more saucy than this, and tends to have two quite different outcomes. In this version, the female cabin boy gets pregnant by the Captain, while in the other she manages to repel his advances throughout the voyage and, upon landing, triumphantly leaves the ship in her woman’s clothing saying “You’ve had your chance, dear Captain; adieu for evermore”.
Although Roud has 6 versions of this song collected in North America, most of his 154 entries are from Scotland and England; from Sunderland down to Somerset.
Jeannie Robertson of Aberdeen sang The Handsome Cabin Boy to Alan Lomax in London in November 1953. This recording was included in 1998 on her Rounder CD The Queen Among the Heather. Another Alan Lomax recording was included on the anthology Sailormen and Servingmaids (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 6; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1970). And she sang it on her 1959 Collector EP I Ken Where I’m Going. Norman Buchan commented in the last album’s sleeve notes:
A fine version of a ballad which was popular in all parts of Britain. Cecil Sharp noted a version in Somerset in 1905 [VWML CJS2/9/782] ; Ord printed a version in his Scottish Bothy [Songs and] Ballads and in this version of Jeannie’s, listeners will recognise the tune as a variant of the traditional melody used for the Irish Johnstone’s Motor Car. The theme of the female sailor or soldier is a common one in folk song—although the disclosure does not always take place amid such riotous good humour as this one.
Ewan MacColl sang The Handsome Cabin Boy on his and A.L. Lloyd’s albums The Black Ball Line (1957) and A Hundred Years Ago (1963). This track was also included in the Topic Sampler No 7, Sea Songs and Shanties and on the French compilation Chants de Marins IV: Ballads, Complaintes et Shanties des Matelots Anglais.
A.L. Lloyd sang The Handsome Cabin Boy in 1957 on his and Ewan MacColl’s Tradition album Blow Boys Blow. This track was also included on 2014 on his Fellside CD Turtle Dove. He noted on the oeriginal album:
The Handsome Cabin Boy portrays a common sailor’s dream that among the crew is a girl dressed as a boy. Oddly enough, in songs based on this fantasy, it is nearly always an officer who discovers the girl’s identity. In this case the plight of the pregnant cabin “boy” might be considered tragic, seen from the girl’s viewpoint. But as sailors see it, the situation is inexhaustibly comic. The version of this much-loved ballad that is sung here is unusual for the unequivocal role played by the captain’s wife.
Isabel Sutherland sang The Handsome Cabin-Boy in a recording made by Peter Kennedy at Cecil Sharp House, London, in 1960 on the HMV album A Pinch of Salt: British Sea Songs Old and New. Peter Kennedy noted:
Very different from the style of English Folk Singers is that of the Lowland Scots Ballad Singer. Long periods at sea in the old days must have set many a sailor dreaming of the possibility of female company on board. The tune and accompaniment seem to echo the feeling of a sailing ship becalmed in a slow and dream-provoking swell.
Martin Carthy recorded The Handsome Cabin Boy in 1965 for his first album, Martin Carthy. He returned to it on his 2026 album Transform Me Then Into a Fish on which Jon Wilks noted:
This song featured on Martin’s original 1965 album, and he’s clearly never lost his affection for it. He remains delighted by the melody, and the cheek that comes with it. “The Handsome Cabin Boy is just lovely to do. It was such fun,” he says. He remembers bringing it home early on and singing it to his mother. “She really had a wonderful long chuckle about it. She loved it.”
Bob Hart from Snape, Suffolk sang The Female Cabin Boy at The Crown Inn in Snape in probably 1966. This recording made by Neil Lanham was included in c.2000 on the Helions Bumpstead Gramophone album Songs From the Singing Tradition of Snape Crown. He sang it at home to Bull Leader in 1969; this recording was included included in 2007 on Hart’s Musical Traditions anthology A Broadside. Another home recording made by Tony Engle in July 1972 was published in 1973 on Hart’s Topic album Songs From Suffolk, and it was included in 1998 on the Topic anthology We’ve Received Orders to Sail (The Voice of the People Series Volume 12). Rod Stradling noted in the Musical Traditions booklet:
A well-known song in England, but not one to travel, it seems; two sightings in N America and four in Scotland complete Roud’s 85 instances. Cecilia Costello, the White sisters, Charlie Wills and Robert Parish all knew it here, and it was printed in a good number of books and a great many broadsides.
It’s one of a number of songs about girls impersonating sailors (for numerous reasons) and heading off for a life on the briny—The Female Warrior, Jackie Munro, William Taylor, etc. Few of them seemed to end up in the kind of trouble our present heroine does, but her misfortune is treated as a good joke by everyone else, including the Captain’s equivocal wife!
Sweeney’s Men sang The Handsome Cabin Boy in 1968 on their Transatlantic LP Sweeney’s Men. This track was also included in 1998 on Essential’s 4 CD compilaiton The Transatlantic Story.
John Roberts and Tony Barrand sang The Handsome Cabin Boy in 1975 on their Front Hall album Mellow With Ale From the Horn. They noted:
The Handsome Cabin Boy is a popular broadside ballad of shipboard carryings-on. We learned our version from Louis Killen; it derives from that sung by one of the greatest ballad singers of all time, Jeannie Robertson of Aberdeen.
Walter Pardon sang The Handsome Cabin Boy at home in Knapton, Norfolk on 25 June 1978 to Mike Yates. This recording was included in 2000 on his Topic anthology CD A World Without Horses.
Cyril Tawney sang The Female Cabin Boy on his 1992 cassette of songs of seafarers and the fairer sex, In Every Port. This track was also included in 2003 on his CD Nautical Tawney. He noted:
Now here’s a transvestite lass who isn’t sailing in search of her true love. She’s simply looking for adventure, which in a way is just what she gets. And with the captain’s wife tagging along there’s a bit more going on than the usual dalliance, too.
Louis Killen sang The Handsome Cabin Boy in 1995 on his CD Sailors, Ships & Chanteys. He noted:
Like the previous one, this song involves a young woman disguising herself as a man in order to go to sea, hut it ends with somewhat different results. Sailors dreams, especially when pounding around the Horn—wet, cold and unwashed for weeks (sometimes months) on end—must have been filled with the desire to find som ething, or someone, gentle and feminine in their presence.
Bill Jones sang The Handsome Cabin Boy on her 2000 album Turn to Me.
Danny Spooner sang The Handsome Cabin Boy on his 2002 CD Launch Out on the Deep. He noted:
This came to me from the singing of Gary Greenwood when we lived in Sydney shortly after I arrived in Australia. Roy Palmer says it appeared many times on broadsides and I’m not surprised. The perennial fantasy of sailors hoping to find a buxom wench in the next hammock was and is alive and well.
Stuart Gillespie sang The Handsome Cabin Boy on Smithsonian Folkways’ 2004 anthology of Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways recordings.
The Spiers Family sang The Handsome Cabin Boy on their 2012 album Oh, Gin I Were There…. They noted:
Emma [Spiers] learned her version of this tale of adventure from the late Peter Hall who collected it in 1966 from 95 year old Jimmy Brown of Muir of Fowlis near Alford. Once again it features a young lady dressing as a man—this time to find adventure on the high seas.
This video shows the Spiers Family singing The Handsome Cabin Boy in June 2013:
Former Liverpool Spinner Hughie Jones sang The Handsome Cabin Boy in 2014 on his Fellside album Maritime Miscellany. He noted:
It was always a pleasure when Jeannie Robertson guested at The Spinners Folk Club and it was there where I heard her sing The Handsome Cabin Boy.
Sarah Hayes sang Handsome Cabin Boy in 2015 on Wildings’s eponymous Night Vad album Wildings.
Will Noble sang The Female Cabin Boy on his 2017 Veteran CD It’s Gritstone for Me. Brian Peters and John Howson noted:
One of several traditional English songs in which young women disguise themselves as sailors; in this case the consequences are more awkward than usual, but the mood remains light-hearted. Will learned it from Arthur Howard.
The Exmouth Shanty Man sang The Handsome Cabin Boy in 2022 on their WildGoose album Tall Ships and Tavern Tales. They noted:
A popular broadside ballad of shipboard carryings-on. Sung by Louis Killen (among others) whose version derives from that sung by one of the greatest ballad singers of all times, Jeannie Robertson of Aberdeen. Found all over England as well as Scotland.
The Gilchrist Collective sang Female Cabin Boy on their 2022 album of English folk songs collected by Anne Gilchrist, Most Truly Yours. They noted:
Many traditional singers had in their repertoire a version of this story about the young woman who went to sea dressed as a sailor, in some cases getting more than she bargained for, both from the captain and his wife. In 1906 William Bolton would sing Anne only a few verses of his [VWML AGG/7/270] , because he thought the others ‘not suitable for publication’, so the remaining text has been compiled from various sources including Bob Hart of Sussex.
Alvar Smith sang The Handsome Cabin Boy at Sheffield’s New Musical Traditions Club on 9 November 2025. This concert’s recording was released in May 2026 on his Veteran album of traditional singing from the Blaxhall Ship, A Sailor and His True Love.
Lyrics
Cecilia Costello sings The Handsome Cabin Boy
Of a pretty fair maid that you may understand
Her mind was bound to rambling unto a foreign land
She dressed herself in sailor’s clothes as plainly as does appear
And she hired with a captain to serve him for one year
Now the maid she being so active and she done her duty well
Now mark what follows after the maid herself can tell
It was eating captain biscuits her colour did destroy
O the waist did swell of pretty Nell the handsome cabin boy
Jeannie Robertson sings The Handsome Cabin Boy
It’s of a pretty fair maid, to let youse understand,
She had a mind for rovin’ to some foreign land;
She dressed herself in sailor’s clothes and boldly did appear,
Engagin’ with a captain givin’ service for a year.
For the wind it bein’ in favour and they soon set off to sea,
The lady to he captain said, “My love, I wish you joy,
That we have engaged such a handsome cabin boy.”
For his cheeks appeared like roses and his side-locks they did curl,
And oftentimes the sailors smiled and said he lokkit like a girl;
But by eatin’ cabin biscuits his colours did destroy
And the wyme did swell our pretty belle, our handsome cabin boy.
“O doctor, dear doctor!” for the cabin boy did cry,
The sailors swore with all their might that the cabin boy would die;
But the doctor run with all his might, he was smilin’ at the fun,
For to think a sailor lad would have a dochter or a son.
But when the sailors heard the joke thay a’ began to stare,
“For the child belongs to none of us,” a’ solemn they did swear;
“But the lady and the captain thay have oftimes kissed and toyed,
And we’ll soon find out the secret of our handsome cabin boy.”
They a’ took up a bumper and they drunk success to trade:
“It’s twice unto this cabin boy, she’s neither man nor maid;
But if this war should rise again our sailors to destroy,
And we’ll ship some able seamen same’s our handsome cabin boy.”
it was through the Bay of Biscay our gallant ship did plough,
And that night the sailors they kicked up a bloomin’ row;
They took their bundles from their hammocks and the rest they did destroy,
And it was all through the groanin’ of our handsome cabin boy.
A.L. Lloyd sings The Handsome Cabin Boy
It’s of a pretty female as you may understand,
Her mind being bent for rambling into some foreign land.
She dressed herself in sailor’s clothes or so it does appear,
And she hired with a captain to serve him for a year.
The captain’s wife she being on board, she seemed in great joy
To think her husband had engaged such a handsome cabin boy.
And now and then she slipped him a kiss, and she would have liked to toy,
But it was the captain found out the secret of the handsome cabin boy.
Her cheeks they were like roses and her hair all in a curl,
The sailors often smiled and said, he looks just like a girl.
But eating of the captain’s biscuit her colour did destroy
And the waist did swell of pretty Nell, the handsome cabin boy.
it was in the Bay of Biscay our gallant ship did plough.
One night among the sailors was a fearful flurryin’ row.
They tumbled from their hammocks for their sleep it did destroy
And they swore about the groaning of the handsome cabin boy.
“Oh doctor dear, oh doctor,” the cabin boy did cry,
“Me time has come, I am undone and I shall surely die.”
The doctor came a-running and smiling at the fun,
To think a sailor lad should have a daughter or a son.
The sailors when they saw the joke, they all did stand and stare.
The child belong to none of them, they solemnly did swear.
And the captain’s wife she says to him, “My dear I wish you joy,
For it’s either you or I betrayed the handsome cabin boy.”
So each man took his drop of rum and he drunk success to trade,
And likewise to the cabin boy who was neither man nor maid.
It’s hoping the wars don’t rise again, us sailors to destroy,
And here’s hoping for a jolly lot more like the handsome cabin boy.
Marin Carthy sings The Handsome Cabin Boy
’Tis of a pretty female as you shall understand
Her mind was set on roving into some foreign land.
Attired in sailor’s clothing she boldly did appear
And engaged with a captain to serve him for one year.
She engaged with the captain a cabin boy to be.
The wind stood fine and clearly and so they put to sea.
The captain’s lady being on board, she seemed for to enjoy,
So glad that the captain had engaged with a handsome cabin boy.
Now so nimble was this pretty maid, she did her duty well,
But mark what follows after, the song it soon will tell.
By eating of the captain’s biscuits her colour did destroy,
And the waist did swell of pretty Nell, the handsome cabin boy.
Now as through the Bay of Biscay our gallant ship did plough,
One night among the sailors there was a pretty row.
They bundled from their hammocks which did their rest destroy,
They swore about the groaning of the handsome cabin boy.
“Oh doctor, oh doctor,” the cabin boy did cry,
The sailors swore by all and one the cabin boy would die.
The doctor ran with all his might, a-smiling at the fun,
To think that a sailor lad could have a daughter or a son.
Now when the sailors all heard the joke, they all began to stare,
The child belonged to none of them, they solemnly declared.
The lady to the captain said, “My lad, I wish you joy,
For it’s either you or I betrayed the handsome cabin boy.”
Bob Hart sings The Female Cabin Boy
For it’s of a fair young maiden, as you will understand,
Who had a mind for roving into a foreign land.
So dressed in man’s apparel, she boldly did appear,
She engaged with a captain to serve him for a year.
She engaged with a captain his cabin boy to be,
The wind was in his favour and he put out to sea.
The captain’s lady being on board, oh, it was to her joy,
That her husband had engaged with that handsome cabin boy.
Her cheeks were red like roses and, with her side-lock curl,
The sailors often laughed and said she looked just like a girl.
But eating captain’s biscuits her colour did destroy,
And the waist did swell on pretty Nell, the female cabin boy.
’Twas in the Bay of Biscay our gallant ship did plough.
One night among the sailors there was an awful row.
They tumbled from their hammocks ’cause their rest it did destroy,
And it was all about the moaning of that female cabin boy.
“Oh, doctor, oh, doctor,” the cabin boy did cry.
The sailors swore by all the gods the cabin boy would die.
The doctor came a-running and a-laughing at the fun,
That a cabin boy should either have a daughter or a son.
Now, when the sailors heard of this, they all began to swear.
It did belong to none of them, they solemnly declare.
The captain’s lady standing near to her husband said so coy,
“It’s either you or I betrayed that female cabin boy.”
Walter Pardon sings The Handsome Cabin Boy
It’s of a pretty female as you shall understand,
Who had a mind for roving all in some foreign land.
She dressed herself in sailor’s clothes and boldly did appear,
Engaged with the captain to serve him for one year.
She engaged with the captain as cabin boy to be,
The wind it being in favour, they soon put out to sea,
The captain’s lady being on board, she seemed to enjoy,
To think her husband had engaged such a handsome cabin boy.
And only with the captain her secret she did share,
And often he caressed her when no-one else was near.
The captain and this pretty maid did often kiss and toy.
They soon found out the secret of a handsome cabin boy.
Her cheeks appeared like roses; her sidelocks hung in curls.
The sailors often laughed and said, “Her face looked like a girl’s.”
Whilst eating captain’s sea-biscuits her colours did destroy,
And the waist did swell of pretty Nell, our handsome cabin boy.
Whilst through the Bay of Biscay our gallant ship did plough,
And from amongst the sailors there was a jolly row.
They bundled from their hammocks; all their rest it did destroy.
And they swore about the groaning of a handsome cabin boy.
“O doctor, O doctor,” the cabin boy did cry.
The crew, they swore by all that’s good the cabin boy would die.
The doctor ran with all his might and smiling at the fun.
To think a sailor lad should have a daughter or a son.
And when the sailors heard the news they all began to stare.
The child belonged to none of them, they solemnly did swear.
They captain’s lady to him said, “My dear, I wish you joy.
For either you or I betrayed our handsome cabin boy.”
They all took up a bumper and drank success to trade,
Likewise to our cabin boy, neither man nor maid.
And if the waves should rise again our sailors to destroy.
Then we’ll ship some other sailor like our handsome cabin boy.
John Roberts and Tony Barrand sing The Handsome Cabin Boy
It’s of a pretty female as you will understand
Her mind was set on roving into a foreign land
She dressed herself in man’s attire and boldly did appear
And she engaged with a captain to serve him for a year.
The captain’s lady being on board, she seemed in great joy
To think the captain had engaged such a handsome cabin boy
And many’s the time she cuddled and kissed, and she would have liked to toy
But ’twas the captain found out the secret of the handsome cabin boy.
Her cheeks they were like roses, her hair was all a-curl
The sailors often smiled and said, He looks just like a girl
But eating the captain’s biscuit, well, her color it did destroy
And the waist did swell of pretty Nell, the handsome cabin boy.
As through the Bay of Biscay our gallant ship did plough
One night among the sailors there came an awful row
They tumbled from their hammocks for their rest it did destroy
They complained about the groaning of the handsome cabin boy.
It’s doctor, dearest doctor, the cabin boy did cry
My time has come, I am undone, surely I must die
The doctor ran with all his might, a-smiling at the fun
For to think a cabin boy could have a daughter or a son.
Now when the sailors heard the joke, they all began to stare
The child belongs to none of us, they solemnly did swear
And the lady to the captain said, My dear I wish you joy
For it was either you or I betrayed the handsome cabin boy.
Come all of you bold fellows and we’ll drink success to trade
And likewise to the cabin boy who was neither man nor maid
And if the wars should rise again, us sailors to destroy
Well, here’s hoping for a jolly lot more like the handsome cabin boy.
The Spiers Family sing The Handsome Cabin Boy
It is of a brisk young fair maid as you will understand,
She had a mind for rovin in tae some foreign land.
Dressed in some sailor’s clothing she boldly did appear,
Engaging wi a captain tae serve him for a year.
She engaged wi the captain his cabin boy tae be,
Oh the wind it bein in favour they soon pit oot tae sea.
The captain’s lady bein on board she seemed in great joy
So glad the captain was o his handsome cabin boy.
Well so nimble was this pretty maid she did her duty well,
But mark what follows after the song itself will tell.
Wi eatin cabin biscuits her colour did destroy
And the waist did swell o pretty Nell the handsome cabin boy.
As through the Bay o Biscay this gallant ship did plough,
That night amangst the sailors there rose a bloomin row.
They bundled fae their hammocks and it did their rest annoy
And they swore aboot the groanin o the handsome cabin boy.
“Oh doctor, dear doctor,” the cabin boy did cry,
The sailors swore by a that’s good their cabin boy should die.
The doctor ran wi a his might still smilin at the fun
For tae think a sailor lad should have a dochter or a son.
And when the joke they did find oot they a began tae stare,
That child belonged tae nane o them they solemnly declared.
Said the lady tae the captain, “My love I wish you joy
For it’s either you or I have betrayed the cabin boy.”
So they a took up a bumper and drank success tae trade
And likewise tae the sailor lad though neither man nor maid.
And if the wars should rise again our seamen to employ
We shall ship some bonnie sailors like the handsome cabin boy.
Acknowledgements
A.L. Lloyd’s version transcribed by Reinhard Zierke; Martin Carthy’s version transcribed by Wolfgang Hell.