> The Young Tradition > Songs > Fire Maringo
> Bellowhead > Songs > Fire Marengo

Fire Marengo / Fire Maringo

[ Roud - ; Ballad Index Hugi016 ; Mudcat 63103 ; trad.]

The Young Tradition recorded four sea shanties, Fire Maringo, Hanging Johnny, Bring 'em Down, and Haul on the Bowline, for their 1967 EP Chicken on a Raft. Royston Wood sang lead on the first and third shanty, Peter Bellamy on the second and fourth. All tracks from the EP were included in the compilation album The Young Tradition Sampler and CD Galleries / Chicken on a Raft / No Relation. The EP sleeve notes commented about Fire Maringo:

Royston was cruising through Hugill's fine book of sea songs and shanties [Shanties from the Seven Seas, p. 16] when he found a fragment of an old cotton screwing worksong. There was no tune attached, and only four verses, so he added some floating verses and made a tune for it. Cotton screwing was about the hardest shipboard task there was: the bales of cotton were forced into the hold until they were packed solid. The men who worked at this would be shorebound sailors, working in the South American harbours till they had saved themselves some money; all nations were represented, so the songs they sang would perhaps contain references to Sally Brown's counterpart in all parts of the world; for the purposes of this song, the sailor came from Liverpool.

Bellowhead sang this shanty as Fire Marengo on their 2006 CD Burlesque and 2009 DVD Live at Shepherds Bush Empire. Jon Boden also sang it as the 24 November 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

John Jones sang Fire Marengo in 2009 on his Westpark album Rising Road. He noted:

I first heard this song by the Young Tradition many years ago. I have added verses from A.L. Lloyd's book Folk Song in England.

Lyrics

Stan Hugill's version	The Young Tradition sing Fire Maringo
Lift him up and carry him along Fire Maringo, fire away! Put him down where he belong Fire Maringo, fire away!	Lift him up and carry him along Fire Maringo, fire away! Put him down where he belong Fire Maringo, fire away!
Ease him down and let him lay, Screw him in and there he'll stay.	Ease him down and let him lay, Screw him in and there he'll stay.
Stow him in his hole below, Say he must and then he'll go.	Stow him in his hole below, Stay he must and then he'll go.
	When I get back to Liverpool Town, I'll pass a line to little Sally Brown. I'll haul her high and I'll haul her low, I'll bust her blocks and I'll make her go. Oh, Sally, she's a pretty little craft, Hot shot to the fore and a rounded aft. Screw the cotton, screw him down. Let's get the hell from the Hilo Town.
Bellowhead sing Fire Marengo	Jon Boden sings Fire Marengo
Oh, lift him up and carry him along Fire Marengo, fire away! Set him down where he belongs Fire Marengo, fire away!	Oh, lift him up and carry him along Fire Marengo, fire away! Set him down where he belongs Fire Marengo, fire away!
Stow him in his hull below, It's stay he must but then he'll go.	Ease him in and let him lay, Set him down and there he'll stay.
Screw that cotton, screw it down, Let's get back home to Liverpool town.	Oh, screw that cotton, screw it down, Let's get back home to Liverpool town.
When I get back to Liverpool Town, I'll cast a line to little Sally Brown.	When I get back to Liverpool Town, I'll cast a line to little Sally Brown.
I'll haul her high, I'll haul her low, I'll bust her blocks and make her go.	I'll haul her high, I'll haul her low, I'll bust her blocks and make her go.
Now Sally, she's a pretty little craft, Hot shot to the fore and a rounded aft.	Oh Sally, she's a pretty little craft, Hot shot to the fore and a rounded aft.
	(repeat firsrt verse)