Once a Boor, Always a Boor
**Note: For the protection of players’ anonymity, all names, locations, player positions, or other identifying characteristics of players are pseudonymous or composite descriptions.
Introduction
As approximately forty college aged women limped into the dingy basement room that was soon to become their performance venue, joyful greetings and post-game play-by-plays circulated throughout the crowd. The first order of business was to get the beverages—beer for those who were drinking, Gatorade for those who weren’t. Once drinks were in hand and a circle formed the singing could begin. One bawdy song at a time, the North Shore rugby club** laughed, sang and bellowed its way through hours of post-game fun. Any newcomer would never know what hit them.
This was a rugby social.
Background
A rugby social is very similar to what one might imagine happens when a group of rowdy English rugby men enter a pub and begin to sing. I say this because the English are more well-known for their drinking songs than are Americans; and, because rugby originated in Rugby, England, it is quite probable that it is where the tradition began. I once heard an experienced rugger explain that when she was younger, she had thought of socialing as an excuse to get drunk after a game. Now that she was older, however, she knew that the drinking was an effective way to forget about the pain of her injuries. Whatever the reason, rugby “drink ups” have become an important part of the sport’s culture.
Methodology
As a member of the North Shore team and a regular participant in socialing, I had inside access into the “performance” without making the girls feel threatened by my presence. I thus had the advantage of having a participant’s perspective of the culture. As a second semester player, I have previous experience at socials; however, no one rugby social can is exactly like another, and a veteran player could feel like a rookie depending on her familiarity with her audience, the songs being sung, etc. It is not difficult in that respect to take a step away from my familiarity with socials to assess the unique cultural aspects of the tradition.
One of the central tenets of the North Shores rugby repertoire is that all songs are passed on strictly by oral tradition. In an effort to maintain anonymity and keep the oral tradition sacred, I have embedded YouTube videos into this blog. While I cannot write lyrics, one should refer to these links for examples of musical and lyrical content that cannot be reproduced for respect of North Shores’ custom.
The Event
This social was slightly different from the typical performance in that the opposing team did not stay for the event. The standard social will begin with the host team singing “their” song, the first in their canon, and the visiting team will respond with theirs. In characteristic fashion, the “show” started with the North Shore song, but instead of a response from the opponents, the team continued to sing their songs alone. The interrelation between the two teams was therefore lacking from this particular performance, though camaraderie within the team was clearly noticeable.
Shooting the Boot
Musical subcultures are often characterized by what Thornton calls “subcultural capital”, or rather, certain fashions, behaviors, or patterns that signal to the rest of society that someone is a member of a particular subculture (Thornton 1996:11). Besides the insider knowledge of the game, the classic rugby-striped shirt, and maybe some bruises here and there, rugby players acquire knowledge of social songs and experience a number of rituals which signal their entrance into the rugby community.
All the rowdiness of the social became a dull murmur when the team social captain, Ashley, stepped into the middle of the circle holding in her hand a well-worn rugby cleat. “Excuse me! It’s time for a few members of our team to take part in an old tradition,” she said, “Would Sarah and Jackie please step forward?” The two girls looked horrified and honored at the same time. Then the chanting began. Shoot…the boot! Aww…shoot shoot the boot! The girls had each scored her first try (rugby’s version of a touchdown), and it was time for them to become initiated members of the rugby subculture. To the repeating chorus of their teammates, each girl takes the honor of chugging a boot full of beer.
In this culture, shooting the boot is a rite of passage. While players who have not scored a try are members of the team and a part of the team, every girl looks (apprehensively) forward to the day when she will shoot the boot. By partaking in this less than enjoyable act, rugby players are officially initiated into the rugby family. The chanting that accompanies shooting the boot serves as a gesture of support from the rest of the team. It functions as motivation for the drinker to complete her task as well as a message of support from the veteran players who have already passed the “test”.
A player who has shot the boot has proven herself as a bonafide member of the team. She has undergone a test of willpower. Despite the revulsion that one might feel at the idea of drinking anything, much less chugging beer, from a muddy, sweaty shoe, in the community of ruggers to shoot the boot is an honor which marks the passage from rookie to vet. Because the tradition is characteristic of rugby teams, an initiated player can then identify with any rugby player worldwide.
The Music Itself
Many of the songs in the rugby canon are sung to the tune of old folk songs. As with many sports, the rugby culture is one rooted in tradition, and folk melodies have traveled with the game since its conception. While the lyrics of the original tunes are replaced with lewd, “adult-only” content the melodies remain the same. One prime example is the song “I Don’t Want to Be a Housewife,” which expresses the singer’s preference to be a whore over being a housewife, and is sung to the tune of “I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier”. Despite rugby’s reputation as a sport that deviates from the American societal mainstay of football, it is incontestable that the culture has stayed true to its own cultural roots.
With simple melodies and rhythms, sometimes even tunes that were learned in childhood, the musical component of the rugby subculture allow the songs to be passed on from year to year. The repetitive choruses allow quick memorization and recitation. Tunes such as “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “This Old Man” are learned from childhood. By giving new meaning to past favorites, rugby communities perpetuate the tradition of their sport while facilitating the ease with which new members acquire its subcultural capital.
Conclusion
The North Shore rugby social that I experienced in many ways exemplified the stereotypical English pub. This performance demonstrated to me the great amount of unity and tradition that accompany what some might see as just a rowdy college party. What might seem to be a chugging ritual is actually a rite of passage. And the simple note progressions with which players associate childhood memories allow players to redefine their “kid songs” into what are today known as “rugby songs”.
(1191 words)
"If I Were the Marrying Kind" Lyrics
Various Song Lyrics
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