SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Arthur Scammell, C.M.

Today I’m pleased to present chapter 59 of Telling Our Story. Newfoundland and Labrador is well known for its unique heritage and culture, which is brought forward in so many ways especially through our music. We are also known as the land of the codfish, but there is another species that is steeped in our folklore and that is the fish with large eyes, eight arms and two tentacles, known as the squid. As usual, a Newfoundlander wrote a song about it.

Way back in 1928, as part of a high school project, fifteen-year-old Arthur Scammell from the community of Change Islands penned a song titled Squid Jiggin’ Ground that would eventually become a classic East Coast sensation. The lyrics of the song describe the way of life of the local Newfoundland fishermen and is sung to the traditional Irish tune, Larry O’Gaff. The song is unique in that it describes the method of jigging for squid and the type of equipment and circumstances revolving around such an activity.

When Gerald S. Doyle included the song in his popular songbook, the song became an immediate favourite, thanks to its lively tune and colourful lyrics such as:

Oh, this is the place where the fishermen gather,

In oilskins and boots and Cape Anns battened down.

All sizes of figures with squid lines and jiggers,

They congregate here on the squid jigging ground.

Scammell’s recording of the song, released in 1943, is generally considered the first commercial recording of a Newfoundland folk song. He reported that between 1942 and 1979, sales of the record and sheet music earned him $35,000 in royalties.

On April 1, 1949, in ceremonies marking Newfoundland’s confederation with Canada, the tune was played as the representative song for Newfoundland on the carillon of Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

On his live DVD recording Across This Land With Stompin’ Tom Connors, recorded at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, you can hear a great rendition of this Newfoundland classic. This song was also recorded by Harry Hibbs, The Irish Rovers, George Hamilton IV, Ryan’s Fancy and even Hank Snow. It is a favourite of many people in our province.

During the 1930s Arthur Scammell taught school in several Newfoundland outports before leaving to attend McGill University. The greater portion of his adult life was spent as a teacher in Montreal.

He wrote several other songs and publications about the traditional Newfoundland outport way of life. In 1977, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Memorial University, and in 1988 was named a member of The Order of Canada. In 2011, Scammell was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The school in his hometown of Change Islands was renamed the A.R. Scammell Academy in his honour in 1990.

Throughout his life, Arthur Scammell attempted to convey some of the positive aspects of life in a Newfoundland outport community, which, despite their disadvantages, he saw as providing a sense of community and personal satisfaction that the larger centres and cities lacked. In one of the verses of his famous song, he sends a warning to those big city slickers who may come to visit when he penned:

Now if ever you feel so inclined to go squidding,

Leave your white shirts and collars behind in the town,

And if you get cranky without your silk hanky,

You’d better steer clear of the squid jiggin’ ground.

Mr. Arthur Scammell is another great and passionate Newfoundlander who left us an incredible legacy. Thank you.