Donkey Riding
(Tune)
 Donkey Riding
Were you ever in Quebec
Stowing timber on the deck
Where there's a king with a golden crown
Riding on a donkey?

   Refrain
   Hey! Ho! Away we go!
   Donkey riding, donkey riding
   Hey! Ho! Away we go!
   Riding on a donkey.

Were you ever off the Horn
Where it's always fine and warm
Seeing the Lion and the Unicorn
Riding on a donkey?

Were you ever in Cardiff Bay
Where the folks all shout, "Hurray!
Here comes John with his three month's pay!"
Riding on a donkey.

Were you ever in Miramichi
Where you tie up to a tree
And the skeeters do bite we
Ridin' on a donkey? 

 This song follows the same tune as Heiland Laddie, and Donkey Riding. Donkey Riding is a popular well-known sea chanty that has be written about in numerous anthologies. It first appears in Canada as a french chanson brought over by the voyageurs.

 The 'donkey' referred to in the song is not of the animal variety but rather refers to the crane or pulley system used to hoist cargo between a ship and the dock.  One can envision a crewman riding precariously on the slung load of the cargo as the 'donkey' would swing between ship. 

If you stop by Camp 18 on the way to the Oregon coast, you will see examples of 'donkey engines' that powered the cranes to haul logs in the old lumber camps.