Back to lyric index | Print

The Sailor's Hornpipe The Hornpipe was originally a crude woodwind instrument common throughout Britain in the 1700's. Small, cheaply made and not requiring any great skill to master, it was the instrument of the common folk. With the limited space aboard ships, it became popular with sailors. Later the name hornpipe became attached to a number of tunes in a particular rhythmic style, played on hornpipes, and still later the dances accompanying that style also became known as "Hornpipes". If you watch the dancer's steps you can clearly see that the steps relate to naval activities. This dance is believed to have been invented by sailors in the English navy, as a form of exercise and as a tribute to the many tasks performed aboard their ships. Some of the activities depicted in the dance are pulling in the anchor, climbing and hauling ropes, keeping lookout, searching for land and saluting the captain. It is likely that the Sailor's Hornpipe was originally performed in barefeet on the wet deck of a ship, accompanied by the music of a tin whistle or squeezebox. The costume worn by the dancer is a representation of the uniform worn by the "Jacky Tar" sailors. They were called Jacky Tars because of the tradition of braiding their hair and dipping the ends of the braids in tar. This weighed down the braid and kept their hair out of their faces. The large collar is detachable and was use to keep the tar off the rest of the uniform. The three stripes on the collar represent the three major naval victories of Lord Admiral Nelson.

Back to lyric index | Print www.petemcdonald.com