Fire Marengo, Fire Away

Hugill says: "Doerflinger seems to think that "Fire, Maringo" is of Negro origin, but I feel that Ireland is as like as not its birthplace. Many contemporaries have doubted this and believe it to be a traditional cotton stowing shanty, with the tune (and some verses?) added by Royston Wood of the British folk revival group Young Tradition, in 1967.

Fire Marengo, Fire Away

Lift him up and carry him along,
     Fire Marengo, fire away,
Send him down where he belongs,
     Fire Marengo, fire away.

Stow him down in the hold below,
     Fire Marengo, fire away,
One more turn and then we'll go
     Fire Marengo, fire away.

Ease him down and let him lay,
     Fire Marengo, fire away,
One more turn and then we're away
     Fire Marengo, fire away.

When I gets back to Liverpool town,
     Fire Marengo, fire away,
I'll pass a line to little Sally Brown
     Fire Marengo, fire away.

I'll haul her high, I'll haul her low,
     Fire Marengo, fire away,
I'll bust her blocks and make her go
     Fire Marengo, fire away.
Sally, she's a pretty little craft,
     Fire Marengo, fire away,
Sharp to the fore with a rounded aft
     Fire Marengo, fire away.

Screw the cotton, screw it down
     Fire Marengo, fire away,
Let's get the hell from Mobile town
     Fire Marengo, fire away.

Repeat first verse