Popular folk song of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
"The Ryans and The Pittmans"[1] is a popular
Newfoundlandfolk song. It tells of the romantic entanglements of a sailor named Bob Pittman, and his desire to sail home to finally marry his "sweet Biddy". The song is also known as "We'll Rant and We'll Roar", after the first line of the chorus; however, this is also the name by which some foreign variants are known.
Verses 2, 8, 9, and 10 of the Newfoundland version are adapted from that of the whalers; the remainder were composed around 1875 by
Henry W. LeMessurier. It was printed in Old Songs of Newfoundland (1912) by James Murphy. The places mentioned in the song are outports[2] in and around
Placentia Bay, Newfoundland.
The most famous recent version of the song was recorded by
Great Big Sea.
Lyrics
THE RYANS AND THE PITTMANS
Chorus:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true Newfoundlanders[3]
^jigger: Unbaited, weighted hook used with a line to catch cod (or squid) by giving a sharp, upward jerk
[3]
^standing room: Compartment between the
thwarts of an undecked fishing boat
[4]
^two pounds ten: British currency. Until 1949 when it joined Canada, Newfoundland was British territory. Newfoundland adopted the
Newfoundland Dollar to replace the pound in 1865.
^wall with the hole in: the narrow entrance to Toslow Cove
^Big and Little Bona: Big Bona is properly called Great Bona on Placentia Bay. Little Bona was also a town on Placentia Bay. Both are now abandoned following the
resettlement of the Newfoundland outports.
^melted like butter: Although the
meerschaum itself does not melt, meerschaum pipes are usually coated with wax that could melt "like butter upon a hot day"
^frankgum: (or Frankum) The hardened resin of a spruce tree, often used for chewing
[6]
^Crabbe's Hole: No town with this spelling, but there was a community of Crabb's Hole in Placentia Bay (now abandoned)
Popular folk song of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
"The Ryans and The Pittmans"[1] is a popular
Newfoundlandfolk song. It tells of the romantic entanglements of a sailor named Bob Pittman, and his desire to sail home to finally marry his "sweet Biddy". The song is also known as "We'll Rant and We'll Roar", after the first line of the chorus; however, this is also the name by which some foreign variants are known.
Verses 2, 8, 9, and 10 of the Newfoundland version are adapted from that of the whalers; the remainder were composed around 1875 by
Henry W. LeMessurier. It was printed in Old Songs of Newfoundland (1912) by James Murphy. The places mentioned in the song are outports[2] in and around
Placentia Bay, Newfoundland.
The most famous recent version of the song was recorded by
Great Big Sea.
Lyrics
THE RYANS AND THE PITTMANS
Chorus:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true Newfoundlanders[3]
^jigger: Unbaited, weighted hook used with a line to catch cod (or squid) by giving a sharp, upward jerk
[3]
^standing room: Compartment between the
thwarts of an undecked fishing boat
[4]
^two pounds ten: British currency. Until 1949 when it joined Canada, Newfoundland was British territory. Newfoundland adopted the
Newfoundland Dollar to replace the pound in 1865.
^wall with the hole in: the narrow entrance to Toslow Cove
^Big and Little Bona: Big Bona is properly called Great Bona on Placentia Bay. Little Bona was also a town on Placentia Bay. Both are now abandoned following the
resettlement of the Newfoundland outports.
^melted like butter: Although the
meerschaum itself does not melt, meerschaum pipes are usually coated with wax that could melt "like butter upon a hot day"
^frankgum: (or Frankum) The hardened resin of a spruce tree, often used for chewing
[6]
^Crabbe's Hole: No town with this spelling, but there was a community of Crabb's Hole in Placentia Bay (now abandoned)