'Roll The Old Chariot' - American Sailor-folk Song

[luxaeterna]

When Suez is fucked and you have to go around Africa's Cape of Good Hope like the old times.

[skippingstep]

"A republic, if you can keep it."

- Benjamin Franklin

[Preston]

In 8th grade my class went on a field trip for a day with a sailboat crew sailing around the bays of southwest Florida and the captain got us on this shanty as we brought the mainsail up. Pulling those ropes and singing along at the top of my 13 year old lungs is a memory that stands out to me clear as day, it felt like I was tapping into some part of my ancestry

[BartlomiejDmowski]

I'm a simple human
I see a sailor song
I click and sing it for the next few months

[DogwoodDingus]

*When someone suggests taxation without representation*

[ReformedSooner]

I hear this and picture an early American sailing ship breaking the rough waves in the North Atlantic one stormy afternoon.

[snagletoothscott]

"We'll be alright, if we make it roun' th' horn"
To an English sailor The Horn was South Africa. To an American sailor, the The Horn was South America. It wasn't just time saved why they built the Panama Canal, goin 'round the Horn was seriously brutal waters (as is the the African Horn).

I watched a film news reel from from WWII. A reporter was on board the flag for 3 heavy cruisers sailing round The Horn. One of cruiser went down below the waves, nearly disappeared for about a good 3 seconds before popping back up, immediate giving out a ton of light signal. The reporter said the ship was reporting they needed to slow down, they just broke some of their deck armor and were taking on water. They were ordered to slow down to 8 knots, from 12. Imagine doing that in a ship made of timber.

[Noouuuuu]

David Coffin has such a piercing voice! Whenever he sings, he just soars above everyone, almost demanding to be heard! It's great!

[luisricardolozadaamaya]

According to the Library of Congress, this song was written around the Bay Area of California in the early 1920s.
Edit: After seeing other comments I have found another theory; It is a British song from the books of Spirituals published in the late 19th century, and it was called Drop of Nelson’s Blood. Nelson’s Blood was a slang for rum, because according to legend, when his body was being transported back to Britain after the Battle of Trafalgar he was put in a barrel of rum to preserve the body. It is said the sailors drilled holes into the cask and drank the spirits.
There is much confusion over the date and who wrote it because there are too many versions to find the true original. This is only one theory.
Thanks to Alexander Falconer from another comment

[windmaze]

At 1:49 you can hear David almost singing "nice watch below" again, before stopping himself.

[kinghoodofmousekind]

David Coffin's voice...even an Italian like me can recognise him! The guy has a great voice and a magnetic character!

[MarisaFan]

A somewhat interesting but disturbing fact about this song is its alternate name and lyrics "Nelson's blood". "Nelson's blood" became nautical slang after the death of Admiral Horatio Nelson. To transport the corpse home after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, he was said to have been preserved in a cask of rum to avoid decomposition. It's said (although not likely) that some sailors on his ship drilled holes in the casket and drank from it.

[CrimsonCreationAGM]

“Well a drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm”
Nelson: 👁👄👁

[visionahana]

অসাধারণ সুর ও সুরের মাধুর্য, মন ভরে যায়।
ভারতের এক ছোট্ট জেলা পুরুলিয়া থেকে দারুন উপভোগ করছি। ভিডিও সহ গান টা চাই।

[Alue]

When you and the boys get your first rowboat...

[mihailaromanianguy]

Oh yeah! Ingen is back, with some fresh new echoing tunes

[MagnateOrator]

For Freedom and Liberty shall we all fight! Together, our Patriotic Hearts will be victorious!

[autumnmoore]

Americas true history is one of vicious seas and brave men, I solute my ancestors and any others brave enough to travel the unforgiving sea side by side

[frenchperson]

Long life to USA from your old friend france 🇫🇷🇺🇸

[Strider]

Greetings from Brazil, American friends! 🇧🇷🇺🇲