The town of Barouaille on the Island of St. Vincent was a fishing and whaling center. Shanties were sung to alert the people on shore that the fishermen caught a whale and would be needing their help. Yardo is considered a hauling song for when they were bringing the whale into port.

Yardo - Saint Vincentian Children's Songs - St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World  - Intro Image

Notes

*Re. "Bella ringa yardo" - "Bell rings in the yard-o" is our best guess for the meaning of this line.

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Learn more about Shanties in Barouaille in the pdf here.

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Thanks and Acknowledgements

The lyrics to this song can vary a little depending upon the singer. Lyrics given here are as those sung by the group The Barouaille Whalers (in the YouTube video).

Image: Dancing with the devil. French.