THE ABALONE SONG
THE ABALONE SONG
George Sterling wrote The Abalone Song in the early 1900’s as a poet in the artist colony of Carmel. Sterling, and with the likes of Jack London and Jimmy Hopper, feasted on California’s prime delicacy around a roaring fire on the beach at Point Lobos.
The abalone song may have become a new tradition to the family of abalone specialists who frequent major abalone symposia. The first verse was created at the Monterey International Abalone Symposium with the most recent addition at the Nanimo abalone Workshop in 1998. While few rules apply to the verses being added, generally they must be composed when in high spirits and good company. An added rule is that all versus must end in the word Abalone.
Versus can be sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle.
(Thanks to Kon Karpov and others)
OH! Some folks boast of quail on toast
Because they think its tony
But I’m content to owe my rent
And live on abalone!
OH! Mission point’s a friendly joint
Where every crab’s a crony
And true and kind you’ll ever find
The clinging abalone.
He wanders free beneath the sea
Where ‘ere the coast is stony
He flaps his wings and madly sings
The plaintive abalone
On Carmel Bay the people say
We feed the Lazzaroni
On Boston beans and fresh sardines
And tender abalone
Some live on hope and some on dope
And some on alimony
But my tomcat, he lives on fat
and tender abalone.
OH! Some drink rain and some champagne
Or brandy by the pony
But I will try a little rye
With a dash of abalone.
OH! Some like ham and some like jam
And some like macaroni
But bring me in a pail of gin
And a tub of abalone.
He hides in caves beneath the waves
His ancient patrimony
And so ‘tis shown that faith alone
Reveals the abalone.
The more we take the more they make
In deep sea matrimony
Race suicide cannot abide
The fertile abalone.
I telegraph my better half
By Morse or by Marconi
But if the need arises for speed
I send an abalone.
They came to hear from far and near
To meat in Californee
Scoresby, David, Martin and Kit
To save the abalone.
We came to Canada to meet
Nanaimo was so homely
Where DFO, First Nations tried
To save the abalone.
To Africa in Cape Town clear
Where Mia broke her bony
Came eighteen nations scientists
To talk of abalone.
Oh Sweijd and Peter were belayed
By calls from China to Omani
To help their native perlemoen
Another abalone