boat-song

To soothe us to slumber, they sang, in union with the motion of their oars, a native boat-song, and its sweet and plaintive air, though it could not entice us to sleep soundly, pacified the wearied nerves, and we lay in a Paradise of dreaming sensibility.

A Yacht Voyage to Norway, Denmark, and Sweden 2nd edition William A. Ross

"Yes, Noël, I believe you will never change;" and their voices joined in the refrain of that old boat-song, awaking the echoes:

Marie Gourdon A Romance of the Lower St. Lawrence Maud Ogilvy

BARCAROLE, or BARCAROLLE (Ital. _barcaruola_, a boat-song) properly a musical term for the songs sung by the Venetian gondoliers, and hence for an instrumental or vocal composition, generally in 6-8 time, written in imitation of their characteristic rhythm.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" Various

The boatmen sang a Gaelic _joram_ or boat-song in the cave, striking their oars very violently in time with the music, which resounded finely through the vault, and was echoed back by roof and pillar.

The Illustrated London Reading Book Various

She began softly, slowly, a Canadian boat-song, heard often on the raftsman's barge or habitant's canoe, on the Ottawa or great St. Lawrence -- a national song, with its quaint monotonous melody and simple pathetic words.

Marie Gourdon A Romance of the Lower St. Lawrence Maud Ogilvy

The boat-song forces recognition as genuine poetry:

The Journal of Negro History, Volume 2, 1917 Various

The _Jorram_, or boat-song, some specimens of which attracted the attention of Dr

The Modern Scottish Minstrel, Volume II. The Songs of Scotland of the past half century Various

They run a cañon in the Platte, singing a Canadian boat-song for all the peril ....

Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 6 of 8 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History 1906

Here Jill began the Canadian boat-song, with great vigor, as if bound to play her part of Indian victim with spirit, and not disgrace herself by any more crying.

Jack And Jill Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888 1902

All the while the boy sang a boat-song or a love-ditty to his sweetheart.

The Chinese Boy and Girl 1901