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The Ballad of Sammy's Bar
Last updated: 11.10.23
I just loved singing The Ballad of Sammy's Bar whilst a member of the Tyneside Maritime Chorus who sing this Cyril Tawney song to perfection. For me this is one of Tawney's finest songs as it captures the mood and mentality of Jack ashore in the Med in the 1950s and 1960s. Tawney tells a very full story of how the song came to be written in the lyric link given above. The song brings back happy memories of those days when serving on the Mighty Vic (HMS Victorious) and being anchored plonk in the middle of Grand Harbour, Malta. Being in three watches or as a night worker, calling away the diso as sung in the chorus was my personal order of the day. Naval types will chuckle over the lines:

And my real love, she was there
There was sand all in her hair

How did sand get in your hair
Darling Johnny put it there

One has to ponder on what type of hair is being sung about and I'm pretty sure it was not sand which got caught in it. It was something else beginning with S!
This song may be found in the Tyneside Maritime Chorus songbook

     Performer CD Title Supplier
       
cd15.gif Various Artists Festival of Irish Music flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif
cd15.gif Various Artists Festival of Irish Music, Vol. 1 flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif
cd15.gif Cyril Tawney In Port flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Cyril Tawney Live at Holsteins: Chicago 1981 flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Cyril Tawney Navy Cuts flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
cd15.gif Cyril Tawney Sally Free and Easy
     Title Performer Composer
       
youtube15.jpg The Ballad of Sammy's Bar (4:21) Cyril Tawney