Captain W. B. Whall, 1910, is one of the few sources of this wild, provocative shanty. He identifies it as stemming from a minstrel song, and indeed, one exists with the title but a separate melody. This was a homeward bound song, and "the chorus lends itself to the occasion," although Whall acknowledges that when no passengers were on board, an "unprintable" version was sung instead. In his experience, the line "I wonder if my clothes are out of pawn" was directly substituted when necessary.
There has been much speculation about the innuendo within the verses and chorus. Stan Hugill introduced the clever entendre "Jenny keep your ringtail warm" as the ringtail is a small, aft-ship sail but also connotes vigorous lovemaking upon the return of the sailor. In the early 1900s, John Short evidently provided Cecil Sharp the line "Jenny get your oatcake done," a chorus which also appears in a mid-19th century minstrel song.
Various references within the verse trace out a particular course of navigation, but in practice, it is likely that the details of the song were composed specifically for the journey at hand.
The tune is related to Santy Anna and the structure, says Cecil Sharp, is akin to Spanish Ladies. In Sharp's version,
Lloyd's verse mentions
The pilot he looks out ahead,
O a hand in the chains
O a heaving of the lead!
The Union Jack at our masthead,
O I wonder if my clothes are out of pawn!
Ch: O Jamboree, O Jamboree
O its get away you black man,
Don't you come a nigh me!
O Jamboree, O Jamboree!
O I wonder if my clothes are out of pawn!
O it's now we're past o' the Lizard lights,
The Start, boys, next we'll heave in sight;
We'll soon be abreast of the Isle of Wight;
O I wonder if my clothes are out o' pawn.
O when we get to the Blackwall docks,
The pretty young girls come down in flocks;
Some in their petticoats, some in frocks;
O I wonder if my clothes are out o' pawn.
There were other verses but I do not find them in my records
Now Cape Clear it is in sight,
We'll be off Holyhead by tomorrow night,
And we'll shape our course for the Rock Light;
O Jenny get your oat-cake done
Ch: Whip jamboree, whip jamboree,
O you long-tailed black man poke it up behind me
Whip jamboree, whip jamboree,
O Jenny get your oatcake done
Now my lad's we're round the Rock
All hammocks lashed and chests all locked,
We'll haul her into the Waterloo Dock,
O, Jenny, get your oat-cake done.
Now, my lads, we're all in dock
We'll be off to Dan Lowrie's on the spot;
And now we'll have a good roundabout
O, Jenny get your oat-cake done.
The pilot he looks out ahead
With a hand in the chain, heaving on the lead,
And the old man roars to wake the dead,
Come and get yer oats, me son!
Whup Jamboree, whup jamboree
A long-tailed black man come up behind
Whup Jamboree, whup jamboree
Jenny get yer oats, me son
Oh, now we pass the Lizard lights
And the Start, me boys, will heave in sight.
Soon we're abreast of the Isle of Wight,
Come and get yer oats, me son!
Oh when we get to the Blackwell Docks.
Them pretty young girls come down in flocks,
With their short-legged drawers and long-tailed frocks,
Come and get yer oats, me son!