A curious and wide-ranging collection compiled by Rear Admiral Stephen Bleecker Luce (1827–1917), founder and first president of the Naval War College. The contents span everything from snippets of working shanties to the United States national anthem. Luce began collecting these songs during his first cruise as midshipman aboard the frigate Congress in the Mediterranean. The collection was completed during his years (1877–1883) developing the naval apprentice program. Some modern reprints (Kessinger Publishing, etc.) incorrectly list the publisher, Wm. A. Pond & Co., as the author.

Contents

  1. Absent Friends and You, Mary
  2. Adieu to Maimuna
  3. A Life on the Ocean Wave
  4. All Hands Ahoy!
  5. All on Account of Eliza
  6. America, Commerce and Freedom
  7. American Flag
  8. America, Or, My Country, ‘Tis of Thee
  9. The Anchor’s Weigh’d
  10. A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea
  11. The Ballad of Billy Taylor
  12. The Ballad of the Oysterman
  13. The Banner of the Stars
  14. Barney Buntline, or, The Sailor’s Consolation
  15. The Best Bower Anchor
  16. The Black Ball
  17. Black Eyed Susan
  18. Blow, My Bully Boys, Blow
  19. Bonny Boat
  20. By the Blue Sea
  21. Canadian Boat Song
  22. Cease, Rude Boreas
  23. Columbia Rules the Sea
  24. Columbia’s Seamen
  25. Come, Loose Every Sail
  26. Comrades, Join the Flag of Glory
  27. The Constellation and the Insurgente
  28. The Constitution and the Guerriere
  29. The Dreadnought
  30. The Enterprise and Boxer
  31. Every Inch a Sailor
  32. The Fisherman’s Daughter
  33. The Flag of the Constellation
  34. The Flash Frigate
  35. The Freedom of the Seas
  36. For Sheeting Home Topsails
  37. For Rousing Up the Bunt of a Sail
  38. The Gale
  39. Gen’l Taylor Gained the Day
  40. The Girl I Left Behind Me
  41. Good Bye, Charlie
  42. Good Night, Ladies
  43. Hail, Columbia
  44. Haul Away, Joe
  45. Haul Out the Bo’line
  46. Haul the Bowline
  47. Here’s a Health to Thee, Tom Breeze
  48. High Barbary
  49. The Hogeye Men Are All the Go
  50. Homeward Bound
  51. The Hornet, or, Victory No. 5
  52. I Am a Merry Sailor Lad
  53. I Love to Roam
  54. I Wish I Was Old Stormy’s Son
  55. I’m Afloat
  56. Jack Ratlin
  57. Jack’s Claim to Poll
  58. Jack’s Yarn (Little Jack)
  59. John François
  60. Johnny Boker
  61. The Kearsarge and Alabama
  62. Keep Me in My Tarpaulin Jacket
  63. Knock a Man Down
  64. The Larboard Watch
  65. Larry O’Brien
  66. Lee Gangway Chorus
  67. Let the Ocean Heave to the Tempest’s Wing
  68. Life on the Ocean Wave
  69. Life’s Weather Gauge
  70. The Light of Memory
  71. The Lighthouse
  72. The Lily of the Lake
  73. Little Jack, or, The Old Sailor’s Story
  74. Liverpool Jack
  75. Manhattan, Dear Isle
  76. The Meeting
  77. Melodies of Many Lands
  78. The Mermaids, or, On Friday Morning
  79. My Johnny Was a Shoemaker
  80. My Tommy’s Gone A High-Low
  81. The Nancy
  82. Nancy, Dear
  83. Nancy Lee
  84. The Norfolk Girls
  85. The Ocean Heaves to the Tempest’s Wing
  86. Oh! Storm Along
  87. Oh! They Call Me Hanging Johnny
  88. Our Navy
  89. Paddle Your Own Canoe
  90. Paddy, Come Work on the Railway
  91. Paul Jones’ Victory
  92. Perry’s Victory
  93. The Pilot
  94. The Pirate of the Isle
  95. Practice Cruise
  96. Pull Away
  97. Red White and Blue
  98. Reuben Ranzo
  99. Rio Grande
  100. Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep
  101. Rolling Home
  102. The Royal Fisher
  103. Rules of the Road at Sea
  104. Sailing by the Lowlands
  105. The Sailor Boy’s Farewell
  106. The Sailor’s Journal
  107. The Sea, the Glorious Sea
  108. Sea and Land Victories
  109. Seamen of Columbia
  110. Shanadore
  111. Shanty Songs
  112. Ship Ahoy!
  113. The Siege of Tripoli
  114. Song of the Fishes
  115. The Star Spangled Banner
  116. The Tar’s Farewell
  117. Ten Thousand Miles Away
  118. There’s Melody, Boys
  119. Three Bells
  120. Three Fishers Went Sailing
  121. Tom Bowling
  122. Tom Tackle
  123. The Torpedo and the Whale
  124. True Blue
  125. Truxton’s Victory
  126. The Two Proud Sisters of the Sea
  127. The United States and Macedonian (I)
  128. The United States and Macedonian (II)
  129. The Wasp’s Frolic
  130. We Be Three Poor Mariners
  131. A Wet Sheet and a Flowing Sea
  132. What Will You Do, Love
  133. Whiskey Johnny
  134. Will Watch
  135. Wives and Sweethearts
  136. Yankee Chronology
  137. The Yankee Girls
  138. The Yankee Man of War
  139. Yankee Tars
  140. Yankee Thunders
  141. Ye Parliament of England
  142. The Young Midshipman