Ring Down Below

The Smithsonian Folkways album The Big Drum and Other Ritual and Social Music of Carriacou (1980) covers the musical scene of the Grenadines. One song, Ring Down Below is described as a shanty sung while "breaking the barrel". It was recorded at a Tombstone Feast, March 13, 1971 at 11:00pm. Shanties are sung here on other occasions, particularly when launching schooners.

"Breaking the barrel" once took place during a wake or Tombstone Feast for a dead sailor. On this occasion, however, the men sang shanties around the barrel only at my insistence. The object is to break a barrel, a symbol for a sloop or a schooner, by hitting several lashed pieces of wood against the inside. In this case a fifty-five gallon metal drum was substituted for the uusual rum keg or biscuit barrel. In the performance the lead singer plays the role of the captain while the others act as the prospective crew. They alternate singing shanties with a skit about a captain signing on a crew for low pay.

This captain says, "Go ahead boys, we're going to get paid sometime... Let's go to sea:" We going.
This captain playing. It's a frame of a boat you know. The captain says, "No man, not yet." He says, "When we reach port you all will be happy. Boy, let's go again."
... You have a piece of stick... in your hand that going right on the barrel. And you sing you songs. And they beat and they say, "Man, this captain is no good man."
The captain, a man, he have to stand up. He says, "Go ahead, get pay when we meet in port."
They say, "Get pay, what pay?"
Sometimes they break two barrels.

The Storm Weather Shanty Choir brings this to life with a vibrant performance.