Un canto marinaresco un po’ anomalo utilizzato come canto di protesta dai marinai scontenti, così scrive Stan Hugill nel suo “Shanties from the Seven Seas”: “There was even a shanty for doing nothing at all. It was like the others with solo and chorus and was sometimes started by a discontented crowd who felt they were having their old iron worked up unnecessarily. One of the men would begin: “I’ve got a sister nine foot high” and was taken up by the chorus, “Way down in Cuba” but instead of heaving, the words were followed by three short jumps. It was very infrequently heard and always came to an abrupt end after the first line, in obedience to an angry order from the mate – “Stop that!”
Una non-sense song in rima: con molta ironia il marinaio sottolinea la futilità o l’inutilità del lavoro a cui è stato assegnato: ha più senso andare a Cuba per un carico di zucchero e non viceversa!