Bold Riley

My influences for learning this song were FIRST and foremost, hearing it sung and played by Aubrey Atwater on dulcimer, at the Dutchland Dulcimer workshop in Lancaster, PA, summer of 2018. It was a workshop on sea songs/shanties.  I loved the melody and when I went home, I discovered I had two other versions of the song on CDs.  I have Kate Rusby's version, and the Wailin' Jennys version.  I also like the full harmony version sung by The Teacups.  I also discovered the meaning behind some of the lyrics which is always so interesting. I know nothing about sea culture.

I've included a link to the Atwater-Donnelly CD which features this song.

The World is Old Tonight
Atwater-Donnelly Trio 2016   https://www.atwater-donnelly.com/shop.htm



"White stocking day" explained on BEFORE THE MAST Facebook Page

White-Stocking Day as mentioned in Bold Riley:

During the 19th Century in Liverpool, ladies of quality and fashion wore white cotton stockings. On White-Stocking Day, women were required to draw their 'allotment' which was the half pay of their sailor husband or son away at sea. These wives and mothers wore white stockings on that day, considering themselves 'ladies', if only for a day !

 

"bending" according to Darcy Lever: The Young Sea Officers Sheet Anchor: A Dictionary of Sea Terms  "Get bending lads, it's a hell-of-a-way"

bend.

A kind of Knot - as a Sheet Bend, &c. - or a Seizing - such as the Bends of the Cable.

To Bend.

To make fast - as to bend the Sails, the Cable, &c.

 

A very detailed account of the origins, many recordings etc. of Bold Riley can be seen at this website

https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/boldriley.html

Link to more lyrics http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/sea-shanty/Bold_Riley.htm

Link to MY Song Sheet PDF of Bold Riley https://docdro.id/Po7k0Ws
I indicate a C-G-C tuning which I have since lowered 1/2 step for my own voice.

The song goes HIGH in parts so after a lot of experimenting, I decided to attempt it with a LOW B-F#-B tuning, which my Simerman dulcimer can handle. This tuning was reached after first attempting it in D-A-D and continuing to tune it down a half step several times. My voice sounded too SHRILL in the higher keys, so I settled on the lower tuning. I have Baritone dulcimers as well, but just stuck with the same dulcimer which I like for fingerpicking, as it is a loud dulcimer, and my bare-fingered fingerpicking can be very faint.