The True Tale of That Scalawag Roarin' Dan
by @carleybaer
Liner Notes
I tried to write a #sea-shanty about a #navalbattle and I ended up with this. Captain Dan Seavey, aka Roarin' Dan, is the only sailor in all of Great Lakes history to have been branded a pirate. I started out telling his story but then it became the POV of sailors who heard his story and dreamed of that freedom for themselves.
One of the ways Roarin' Dan would allegedly ransack ships was known as "mooncussing," where a pirate extinguishes the lighthouse light and sets up a decoy that leads ships into rocks, and then plunders the wreckage. He also ran a brothel on his ship, Wanderer, because the port authority's jurisdiction ended at the water's edge. He also really did commandeer the Nellie Johnson, although he maintained until his death that he won her in a poker game.
Lyrics
Ol’ Roarin Dan came down from Maine Away bound away oh Ol’ Roarin Dan came down from Maine A sailor to become Yes a sailor to become, me lads Away bound away oh To find his fortune come what may But fortune didn’t fall his way So he became a rover
Oh Lake Michigan water’s Better than the ocean Our troubles gone We’ll be on The Wanderer by mornin
Well he moved to Marinette me lads Away bound away oh He moved to Marinette me lads Then further south again And he had a very pretty wife Away bound away oh But he left his love in the winter cold While he headed west to hunt for gold But never did he find it
Oh Lake Michigan….
It was Escanaba next you know Away bound away oh It was Escanaba next you know And another pretty wife And he bought himself a sailing ship Away bound away oh In Michigan he might’ve stayed But piracy became his trade So he sailed to seek his fortune
Oh Lake Michigan….
Well they say his ship has barrels, lads Away bound away oh They say his ship has barrels, lads Of whiskey fair and true And women of easy virtue, lads Away bound away oh And if we steal a jug or two Then we’ll be joinin with his crew And work and drink a-plenty
Oh Lake Michigan
And we’ll steal the Nellie Johnson, boys Away bound away oh We’ll steal the Nellie Johnson, boys And cuss the moon til dawn And we’ll rule the Lakes like kings you know Away bound away oh Neath the watchful eye and guiding hand Of that scallywag called Roarin’ Dan We’ll head for the horizon
Comments
![[avatar]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2023/1283.png){kind=avatar}
I love the perspective, telling the story from the view point of sailors in the remembering. And the melody is lovely, the perfect use of mando (I would have used it more and ruined the whole thing) and the overall effect is one of lovely tribute.
![[avatar]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2025/eabd7116-6e44-45bc-81be-1285f4df1922.png){kind=avatar}
Sounds great. I kept thinking of people on the west coast of Ireland somehow adopting it into their pub songs, with everyone singing the chorus when it came round.
![[avatar]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2025/5f1241ed-1701-47da-b7bb-69a74ca02768.png){kind=avatar}
A Great Lakes shanty! As a child of the Great Lakes (Huron and Ontario are the two I have most called my own) this is a really cool story to hear! Great stuff!
![[avatar]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2024/59cb15b2-3725-4203-bd9a-d2c500728b07.png){kind=avatar}
Holy cow this is fantastic. Those harmonies on the chorus are just awesome. It is crazy though how many shipwrecks are in the great lakes. Not a place you'd expect to find that many.
![[avatar]](https://fawm-avatars.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/fawm2024/333c7b85-2f06-4d5f-899c-088c8fab1e09.png){kind=avatar}
I love me a good sea shanty, and the way you've done this is a damn good sea shanty! Well done here.
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This has so many trad features (I live and breathe this stuff) yet it's got enough of a modern take in style that it seems quite fresh and new. Love the storyline.