John Kanaka
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I heard, I heard, the Old Man say,
John Kanaka naka tulai-e! Today, today is a holiday! John Kanaka naka tulai-e! Tulai-e OH tulai-e! John Kanaka naka tulai-e! We’ll work tomorrow, but no work today, Today, today is a holiday, We’re bound away for Frisco Bay, We’re bound away at the break of day. Oh, haul away, oh, haul away! Oh, haul away, an’ make your pay! We’re bound away around Cape Horn We wisht ter Christ we’d never been born |
John Kanaka is a sea shanty, meaning it was sung (and still is sung) by men and women who worked on sailing ships. Many of these ships sailed out of Hawaii and had different people working aboard, including Irish, English, American, and Hawaiian natives. The English-speakers called Hawaiians "Kanakas"--kanaka means "person" in Hawaiian. This song and other sea shanties were sung while hauling ropes for sails and anchors so that the workers could stay together and also pass the time.
Extension ideas:
Music: Listen to different versions of the song. Do the words stay the same? Do you think people working on ships made up their own words for the verses? Can you make up your own words about sailing in a ship?
History/connections: Research John Kanaka and other sea shanties. What kinds of jobs did people do while singing? What did their boats look like? How far did they travel? Do people still work these kinds of jobs today?
http://seaofshanty.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/john-kanaka/
Extension ideas:
Music: Listen to different versions of the song. Do the words stay the same? Do you think people working on ships made up their own words for the verses? Can you make up your own words about sailing in a ship?
History/connections: Research John Kanaka and other sea shanties. What kinds of jobs did people do while singing? What did their boats look like? How far did they travel? Do people still work these kinds of jobs today?
http://seaofshanty.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/john-kanaka/