Item 06: Letters sent by Robert Christian Wilson to his family, 1918-April 1919 - Page 325
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[Page 325]
work on the railway, it is all done to the time of the chanty. A pause and intake of breath whilst the chanty man sings, then all into it with a swing as the men shout the chorus.
One very common chanty you often hear is "Yar-ha-bebi Sal-a-mat" sung by the chanty man, then comes the full chorus "Carm leela, Carm yom", followed by another line of the song from the chanty-man. Or if there happen to be some of our chaps passing he may change it for their edification and sing "Stralia vere good, give backseech" or "Cairo bookra quoice kateer" but between each line comes the stolid "Carm leela Carm yom". The meaning of the song is something about "Oh when shall we see our sweet-hearts hearts again" and the chorus is "Oh in how many days and how many nights" but they are not tied down to any rules and will