A fabulous old English slang term for someone who tends to stand or sit for long periods staring at the passing of boats on canals, sometimes with a derogatory or at least ironic use for someone who is useless or lazy. In H. R. de Salis, Bradshaw's Canals & Navigable Rivers Eng. & Wales Gloss. 47 (1904), the definition is: Gongoozler, an idle and inquisitive person who stands staring for prolonged periods at anything out of the common. This word is believed to have its origin in the Lake District of England. With house boats an increasingly common sight, especially in London in a time of high rents, city waterways are full of casual gongoozlers, and with a coffee in hand, it’s an enjoyable pastime.
But what of songs using the term? Here’s the activity described in a slow, serene number by the Atlanta-based multi-instrumentalist and composer KissFist:
And here’s the British folk band Dryadic, enjoying a bit of Gongoozling For Two:
There are also many songs which describe the activity. Here’s a small selection, starting with Van Morrison in his earlier days with Them, and one of his mellower tracks of that period - Hey Girl - “Let's go walking where the boats go by…”
Also with a a surprisingly mellow number, here’s the prolific guitarist Buckethead with Watching Boats With My Dad:
And here’s a lovely and evocative number by Stereolab, The Flower Called Nowhere, in which: “All the small boats on the water … Going nowhere.”
Here’s another beautiful, gentle track, Viking Moses with Dancing By The Water Day:
”And a rising light is born
We will watch as the boats move along.”
Meanwhile, aside from idle time, here is some archive footage of working boatmen of British waterways from a now bygone age:
All this watching of boats might have you feeling hungry. Back to the modern day, there are many narrowboats used as accommodation, but also some and provided various services, including independent bakeries and cafes. Finally then, a jaunty number describing a snack boat, but linked to the high street bakery chain Greggs, from a website that celebrates London’s river culture - Canal Boaters.
So then, any more gongoozler-related music floating into your imagination? Feel free also to share anything more in relation to it, whether in music or wider culture, such as from film, art, or other contexts, in comments below.
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