This sad tale is of a faithless young captain from Goole when his ship docks in Hull. After wooing his young love – a farmer’s daughter from Wetwang – he takes her past the wonderfully named Crocodile Mansions, to the banks of the Humber before sailing away without a care. A year later, returning to Hull from his travels he strolls down the Land of Green Ginger having forgotten all about her. People recognise him as the faithless young captain who left his love after making promises of marriage. Feeling unhappy about his tarnished reputation he heads off to Crocodile Mansions expecting her still to be there waiting for him. Alas, she is nowhere to be seen. The captain decides to drown his sorrows with a few beers where a drunken old sailor in the Dragon tells him the bitter truth – she’s dead. In the Humber. So, the story ends with him feeling sorry for himself – almost enough to shed a tear for his lost love.
The Goole Captain, words from a poem by Leonard Clark used with the permission of The Literary Executor of Leonard Clark.
The Goole Captain is originally a poem by English poet and anthologist Leonard Clark. I heard it performed by a friend of my brothers in Nottingham – Fieldwork who sent me the poem. I adapted and arranged it for this recording.
Recording and video, vocals, bass and programming by Lou, violin by Dexter. Photography by Richard on our two day journey on a working barge the George Dyson from Albert Dock in Hull to Goole, and from Goole to York with barge owner John Dean, the operator of the last working dry dock on the River Hull. Have a look at that journey here: https://loudhailer.net/2020/01/29/the-scenic-route-to-york-feat-night-heron-soundtrack/
The second half of the song – The Doves Come Tumbling Down – is true. Our original song, its setting is inspired by the River Hull and the Humber landscape.
Video clip of us, Rich, Lou and Dexter playing The Goole Captain at the opening night of our Goole by Barge exhibition at Goole Musiem.
Rich & Lou Duffy-Howard