Today’s poem comes from two prompts: NaPoWriMo‘s “write a sea shanty” and Adele Kenny‘s “yesterday.” In a nutshell, a sea shanty is a maritime work song used to set the rhythm of the labor (hauling, heaving, and what-have-you). The form is often verse-and-chorus or call-and-response, allowing variation in the lines used and the length of the song to fit the work.

According to Wikipedia, the practical function of the song was given priority over lyrics or musicality. In other words, please lower your expectations, people! It’s time for some “veriest doggerel.” (Try it more or less to the tune of “Cockles and Mussels.” I’ve given you accents to get started on the chorus and first verse.)

The Golden Haired Maiden (sea shanty)

(Chorus)
When will she come in?
When will she come in?
When will The Golden Haired
Maiden come in?

She came yesterday
to Chesapeake Bay,
The Golden Haired Maiden
all purty and gay.

When will she come in?
When will she come in?
When will The Golden Haired
Maiden come in?

She comes in today
to Chesapeake Bay,
The Golden Haired Maiden,
so do not delay.

When will she come in?
When will she come in?
When will The Golden Haired
Maiden come in?

She planned on the morrow
but then to her sorrow
The Golden Haired Maiden
met the wailing storm’s roar–Ohhh!

When will she come in?
When will she come in?
The Golden Haired Maiden
will never come in.

***

And for those fearless few of you who made it this far, my very own recording of my NaPoWriMo sea shanty. (This is the first time I’ve tried embedding an audio file. Took me a while. Let me know if there are problems accessing it. But please don’t let me know about any problems with my voice. Thank you very kindly.)