Scurvy Dog and Scaredy Cat

I'd like to ruminnate, to cogitate, to fathom (oooo... good pirate word) and to reckon on this oft-overlooked (even by me) song from my CD "Give Me an  RRR!"

In normal pirate lingo, Scurvy Dog can either be an insult or a term of endearment about a person. In this instance I have taken Dog to literally mean a canine, and I mean Scurvy in the nicest possible way. After all, I am a Friendly Pirate.

The image of Scurvy Dog in my drawing above, is inspired by our neighbor's dog Oliver who is an amiable terrier-mix. Scaredy is my depiction of our black cat Pookah, who used to jump at her own shadow, but now rules the house with an iron paw.

In the Colonial era many animals rode on pirate ships and ships in general. Parrots and monkeys came from lands considered exotic to Europeans. Common domesticated animals such as horses, cows, chickens (prized for their cackle fruit) and dogs made the journey to the New World to assist their humans in a new life. Our friend the cat must have been especially helpful when it came to an unwanted stow-away... the rat.

In a fit of anthropomorphism (how often does one get to use that word?) I have given my Dog & Cat some human traits. Although, one could argue that humans have adapted animal traits. Anywho, Scurvy wears (Carmen) Miranda's bananas and Scaredy wears the cat's pajamas, among other activities.

My friend Betty informs me that her friend, who is a children's nutritionist, is using this as a teaching song (as well as Hungry Pirate).  It must be in reference to Scurvy Dog's scurvy. Most folks will know that vitamin C found in oranges, lemons, limes, and even apples, prevents this seafaring affliction.

Musically, this was one of the easiest songs for me to write, and is one of the most enjoyable to play. Despite his kids' disagreement and perhaps embrassment, this is my friend Jay's favorite song from the CD.

When singing the chorus it goes like this:
DOG: Bow-wow
CAT: Me-ow
JAMES BROWN: OooooowwwWWW!

That's it for now, I gotta get on the good foot (or is that the good paw?).