Boaty, Boaty, Spit in the Cut

A bawdy ballad whose words may be replaced by ruder terms. The polite refrain given above (which at least makes some sense) is taken from the recording by 'The Boatmen' (to the best of my ability). I have also seen it quoted as 'Wiping your nose on the mopstick'; the words 'spit' and 'nose' being liable to replacement. 'Jumping the broom' was an accepted form of marriage in many communities and 'jumping over the mopstick' is obviously a variation of this. 'Maffers' (verse 5) is apparently a reference to Marsworth which sits at the junction of the Grand Union Canal and the Aylesbury Arm.

David Blagrove in the sleeve notes to Straight from the Tunnel's Mouth writes : Sometimes known as 'The mopstick' a bawdy ballad whose chorus is based on a time honoured chant by canal-side urchins in most big towns. The words 'spit' and 'nose' were of course replaced by ruder terms, or by the use of a raspberry inserted in place of 'spit' and explicit actions replacing or supplementing 'nose'. Various stopping places between the Midland Coalfields and London are quoted; canal enthusiasts may care to identify them.

Recorded on :