Hello, my name is Peter Kasin, a Park Ranger at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
sheltered-in here at the home office, as the park is closed. This is recorded during the COVID-19 crisis.
Here's a chantey to hopefully lift your spirits!
This was one of the more popular of the hauling chanteys of the 19th century. It's called "Reuben Ranzo."
It was popular then and it's popular today among sea chantey enthusiasts.
If you're new to sea chanteys, this was used to coordinate the work of hauling sail.
So, imagine a row of sailors on a line. They're all hauling together.
This would set the rhythm and lift their spirits, and it had two purposes.
One for bending sail, which is the seaman's term for attaching sail,
in this case, attaching it to the yards that go across the mast.
And the other purpose was, out at sea, was to help raise sail.
The chantey man sings out verses, and the other sailors would haul after each verse.
The chantey man's verses gave the sailors a few seconds of rest between pulls.
So, here we go.
Pick up the chorus when you can. And, it's a pretty easy chorus.
Two parts to the chorus. I'll sing "Poor old Reuben Ranzo"
and invite you to sing back "Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!"
Then I'll sing another line, and you sing this part of the chorus, "Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!" So, here we go.
Poor old Reuben Ranzo. (Chorus: Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!) Poor old Reuben Ranzo. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
Oh Ranzo was no sailor (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) He was a New York tailor. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
Shanghaied aboard of a whaler. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) They tried to make him a sailor. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
So they put him holystoning. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) And cared not for his groanin' (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
They gave him lashes twenty. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) That's nineteen more than plenty. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
They gave him lashes thirty. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) Because he was so dirty. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
Because he was a lubber. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) They made him eat whale blubber. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
The captain's daughter Suzy. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) She begged her dad for mercy. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
She took him to her cabin. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) And tried to ease his achin'. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
She gave him cake and water. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) And a little bit more than she oughter. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
She gave him education. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) And taught him navigation. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
She made him the best sailor. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) A-sailin' on that whaler. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
He's known wherever them whale fish blow. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) As the toughest sailor on the go. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
He married the captain's daughter. (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) And now sails on blue water. (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)
Hurrah for Reuben Ranzo! (Chorus: Ranzo boys, Ranzo!) Hurrah for Reuben Ranzo! (Chorus: Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!)