Abandonment of Corbitt's Barkentine
The story of the George E. Corbitt, a triangle-trader out of Annapolis, Nova Scotia, is told in Corbitt's Barkentine. This well-documented journey of an unwilling sailor begins August 30, 1883. Much of the song is presumably based on fact. For example, the Eva Johnson was a notable tugboat in Digby, Nova Scotia. But as far as verifiable accounts go, we are limited to the folk song tradition.
The song traces the full triangular voyage with surprising geographic detail: from Nova Scotia to Demerara (now Georgetown, Guyana) with lumber, then north to Boston with sugar, and finally home. Along the way, it names Boston Light and the State House dome gleaming in the sun as the ship approaches port. These specifics lend credibility to the claim that the song was composed by Tom Reynolds, the Corbitt’s cook, based on an actual voyage.
The song was popular not just in forecastles, but also in the lumber woods of the Maritimes.
