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The Fo’c’sle meets on the 2 nd and 4 th Friday of each month at the Rose & Crown in South Bank, Brisbane.
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The Fo’c’sle Songbook (v2) can be downloaded from the following website
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A
B
The Banks of the Brisbane River
C
Come, Landlord Fill the Flowing Bowl
D
Donald, Where’s Your Troosers?
Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate
E
F
G
H
Here’s a Health to the Company
Husbandman and the Servingman, The
I
In Kirkintilloch There’s Nae Pubs
J
L
M
N
Nelson’s Victory at Copenhagen
O
O Good Ale, You Are My Darling
P
Poor Paddy Works on the Railway
R
The Rollicking Boys Around Tandragee
S
Sailor Loves the Bottle-O, The
T
Twa Bonnie Maids (Isle of Skye )
U
W
Y
Ah, me mother's hanging washing on the line, on the line
Me mother's hanging washing on the line
There's a grand breeze blowing and there's plenty a drying
Me mother's hanging washing on the line, on the line
Me mother's hanging washing on the line
Ah, me father's got his shovel, digging graves, digging graves
Me father's got his shovel, digging graves
The sweat is rollin' off him, but the hunger, he braves
Me father's got his shovel, digging graves, digging graves
Me father's got his shovel, digging graves
Chorus:
Every day is just like the others
No spot left for meself, for me brothers
All of us begging to stay alive
In 1845
Ah, we haven't got a shilling to our name, to our name
We haven't got a shilling to our name
We're down on our knees, and we feel no shame
We haven't got a shilling to our name, to our name
We haven't got a shilling to our name
Chorus
Ah, we're living on the breath of a prayer, of a prayer
We're living on the breath of a prayer
We're hanging on hope so we won't despair
We're living on the breath of a prayer, of a prayer
We're living on the breath of a prayer
Ah, the young Gustav has left to sail away, sail away
The young Gustav has left to sail away
There wasn't any reason left for him to stay
The young Gustav has left to sail away, sail away
The young Gustav has left to sail away
Chorus x 2
Ah, me mother's hanging washing on the line, on the line
Me mother's hanging washing on the line
There's a grand breeze blowing and there's plenty a-drying
Me mother's hanging washing on the line, on the line
Me mother's hanging washing on the line
Ah, me mother's hanging washing on the line, on the line
Me mother's hanging washing on the line
There's a grand breeze blowin' and there's plenty a-drying
Me mother's hanging washing on the line, on the line
Me mother's hanging washing on the line
John Thompson ver.
And it's all for me grog my jolly jolly grog
All for me beer and tobacco
Well I spent all my tin in a shanty drinking gin
Now across the Western plains I must wander
I'm stiff stoney broke and I've parted with me moke
And the sky is looking black as flaming thunder
And the shanty boss is too for I haven't got a sou
That's the way you're treated when you're down and under
I'm sick in the head for I haven't been to bed
Since first I touched this shanty with my plunder
I see centipedes and snakes, and I'm full of aches and shakes
So I’d better make a push out over yonder
Repentance brings reproof, so I sadly pad the hoof
All day I see the mirage of the trees
But it will all have to end, when I reach the river bend
And listen to the sighing of the breeze.
So hang that jolly grog, that hopeless shanty prog
All your beer that's loaded with tobacco
Grafting humour I am in and I'll stick the peg right in
And I'll settle down once more for to yakka
Where is Henry Adams now that planned the Agamemnon?
Founded on the River Plate, in Maldonaldo's Bay
Oak and iron and blood of her, his fine one, his darling
Sink him in his hammock, boys, he's gone far away
Oak and iron and blood of her, his fine one, his darling
Sink him in his hammock, boys, he's gone far away
Where are all the beauly boys that built the Agamemnon?
Let them lie 'neath waiting grass, content at where they lay
Swords and swinging riveters, the sounds will not be waking them
Sink them in their hammocks, boys, thеy've gone far away
Swords and swinging rivetеrs, the sounds will not be waking them
Sink them in their hammocks, boys, they've gone far away
Where is Captain Nelson now that sailed the Agamemnon?
Fought and beat the Spanish crews in Cape St. Vincent Bay
Oak and iron and blood of her, his fine one, his darling
Broach the keg of brandy, boys, and send him far away
Oak and iron and blood of her, his fine one, his darling
Broach the keg of brandy, boys, and send him far away
Where are all the jolly tars that crewed the Agamemnon?
Men for whom the carronades were less hard work than play
Oak and iron and blood were they, and every girl a darling
Sink them in their hammocks, lads, they've gone far away
Oak and iron and blood were they, and every girl a darling
Sink them in their hammocks, lads, they've gone far away
Sing the shanty loud, me boys, we'll rouse the Agamemnon
Stamp it 'round the capstan and her anchor we will weigh
Where are all the wooden walls, that cloud of sails a-bearing?
They're foundered, sunk, or broken and they've gone far away
Where are all the wooden walls, that cloud of sails a-bearing?
They're foundered, sunk, or broken and they've gone far away
Where is Henry Adams now that planned the Agamemnon?
Founded on the River Plate, in Maldonaldo's Bay
Oak and iron and blood of her, his fine one, his darling
Sink him in his hammock, boys, he's gone far away
Oak and iron and blood of her, his fine one, his darling
Sink him in his hammock, boys, he's gone far away
Sink him in his hammock, boys, he's gone far away
Chorus :
And it's all for me grog, me jolly, jolly grog,
It's all for me beer and tobacco.
Well I spent all me tin on the lassies drinking gin,
Far across the western ocean I must wander.
Where are me boots, me noggin', noggin' boots,
They're all gone for beer and tobacco.
Well the heels they are all worn out and the toes are kicked about
And the soles are looking out for better weather.
Where is me shirt, me noggin', noggin' shirt,
It's all gone for beer and tobacco,
Well the collar is all worn, and the sleeves they are all torn,
And the tail is looking out for better weather.
Oh, where is me bed me noggin' noggin' bed
It's all sold for beer and tobacco
You see I sold it to the girls cause the springs were all in twirls
And the sheets they're looking out for better weather
I'm sick in the head and I haven't been to bed,
Since first I came ashore with me plunder
I've seen centipedes and snakes and me head is full of aches
And I have to take a path way out yonder
Is there for honest poverty
That hings his head, an' a' that?
The coward slave, we pass him by -
We dare be poor for a' that!
Chorus:
For a' that, an' a' that!
Our toils obscure, an' a' that
The rank is but the guinea's stamp
The man's the gowd for a' that
What though on hamely fare we dine
Wear hoddin grey an' a' that?
Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine
A man's a man for a' that
Chorus:
For a' that, an' a' that
Their tinsel show, an' a' that
The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor
Is king o' men for a' that
Ye see yon birkie ca'd 'a lord'
Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that?
Tho' hundreds worship at his word
He's but a cuif for a' that
Chorus:
For a' that, an' a' that
His ribband, star, an' a' that
The man o' independent mind
He looks an' laughs at a' that
A prince can mak a belted knight
A marquis, duke, an' a' that!
But an honest man's aboon his might -
Guid faith, he mauna fa' that!
Chorus:
For a' that, an' a' that
Their dignities, an' a' that
The pith o' sense an' pride o' worth
Are higher rank than a' that
Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that)
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth
Shall bear the gree an' a' that
Chorus:
For a' that, an' a' that
It's comin yet for a' that
That man to man the world oe'r
Shall brithers be for a' that
Nancy Kerr and James Fagan
Now Bass Strait roars like some great millrace
And where are you, my Annie?
And the same moon shines on this lonely place
As shone one day on my Annie's face.
But Annie dear, don't wait for me.
I fear I shall not return to thee.
There's naught to do but endure my fate,
And watch the moon, the lonely moon,
Light the breakers on wild Bass Strait.
We stole a vessel and all her gear
And where are you, my Annie?
And from Van Diemen's we north did steer
Till Bass Strait's wild waves wrecked us here.
A mile inland our path was laid
And where are you, my Annie?
We found a government stockade
Long abandoned but stoutly made
And somewhere west Port Melbourne lies
And where are you, my Annie?
Through swamps infested with snakes and flies.
The fool who walks there, he surely dies.
We hail no ships, though the time it drags.
And where are you, my Annie?
Our chain-gang walk and our government rags.
All mark us out as Van Diemen's lags.
We fled the lash and the chafing chain.
And where are you, my Annie?
We fled hard labour and brutal pain,
And here we are and here remain.
O Amble is a fine town with ships about the bay
It's fain and very fain to be there myself today
I'm wishing in my heart I was far away from here
Sitting in my parlour and talking with my dear
Chorus:
And it's home, dearie, home, it's home I want to be
My topsails are hoisted and I am out to sea
The oak and the ash and the bonnie birchen tree
Are all a-growing green in the North country
And it's home, dearie, home
A letter came today, but somehow I cannot speak
And the proud and happy tears are a-rolling down my checks
There's someone here, she says, you've been waiting for to see
With your merry hazel eyes, looking up from off my knee
But the letter never said if we have a boy or girl
Got me so confused that my heart is all a whirl
So I'm going back to port, where I'll quickly turn around
And take the fastest ship, which to Ambletown is bound
Well, if it be a girl, she shall wear a golden ring
If it be a boy, he shall live to serve the King
With his buckles and his boot and his little jacket blue
He'll walk the quarterdeck, like his daddy used to do
I went down south a-whaling, to the land of ice and snow,
And eight-and-twenty pounds a month, was all I had to show,
For being on a little ship like a sardine in a can,
And eating salty pork and beef, they stewed up in a pan.
Chorus:
Heigh-ho! Whale-oh! Wi’ the Antarctic fleet,
I’ve got a drip upon me nose and I’m frozen in the feet.
South Georgia is an island, it is a Whaling Base,
And only men in search of whales, would go to such a place,
No entertainment does exist unless you make home brew,
Then we would have some singing and, we’d have some fighting too.
Our gunner came from Norway, like many of the crew,
And others spoke wi’ Scottish tongues, as whalers often do,
But when the ship was closing in to make the bloody kill,
The Scotsmen and Norwegians worked, together with a will.
We sailed down to the Weddell Sea, where the big Blues can be found,
We chased between the icebergs and, we chased them round and round,
And when they couldn’t run no more, and fought to draw their breath,
Our gunner shot harpoons in them, ’til they floated still in death.
For months we sailed the ocean, and wearied with the toil,
Of slaughter and of killing just to get that smelly oil,
And when the savage storms blew and snow kept falling down,
I often wished that I was back, in dear old Glasgow town.
It’s twenty years since I’ve been there, and I won’t go there again,
I didn’t like the climate but, I liked the whaling men,
And even in the sunshine now when I walk along the street,
I’ve got a drip upon me nose, and I’ve still got frozen feet.
To Antigua our valiant ships they do sail
Through dangerous waters and many a gale
To lay in English Harbor, off Galleon Beach
The furthest west corner of our empire to reach
To serve George, our king, and protect British Trade
From the Frenchman's loud cannon, and the Spaniard's sharp blade
Now Englishmen all they have no need to fear
For the tropical waters of our Empire's frontier
Chorus:
We're off to Antigua, all on the salt sea
Though we care not for coffee, nor chocolate, nor tea
We'll drink up our rum, for it renders us numb
And wе'll hope to be home by thе end of the year
Now our anchor is lowered upon the sea floor
And we live upon ship, never stepping on shore
The sea is a sewer for there is no tide
And without any shore leave where can we hide
A fiery furnace burns tar on the land
And we're trapped in our ship at the captain's command
The air thick with brimstone, it burns in our throats
In this far-away prison we find that hell floats
See upcoming pop shows
Get tickets for your favorite artists
Chorus
Antigua's plantations, they grow thick with gold
A sea of cane sugar brings fortune untold
And we sailors all do our best to survive
While hundreds and thousands of slaves they do drive
There's a stench on the gun deck, no fresh air or light
And the heat never leaves us, come day or come night
Our food it is rotten, the water is green
Such torment around us you never have seen
Chorus
The sugar cane's crushed and the rum it flows free
Stored in lead bottles, we drink it with glee
It makes our heads sore and our bellies do ache
Our sea legs desert us, our hands they do shake
And then comes the fever, no man can escape
If your skin it turns yellow, by then it's too late
Chills in your body and aches in your back
It is the foul curse of every poor Jack
Farewell to our comrades, we'll see them no more
They're wrapped in their hammocks to be buried on shore
It's fever, not fighting, takes sailors away
And leaves many a ghost ship afloat in the bay
Chorus x 2
Archimedes was a fine old man
Of that I’m a believer.
He invented hair oil and the frying pan,
And he taught us 'bout the lever.
Chorus:
The lever, boys, the lever,
Oh, the lever, boys, the lever
Not the pulley nor the screw
Nor the inclined plane
It's time to use the lever!
Oh the inclined plane, it launched our ship
And the screw, it may well sink her
And the pulleys we pull in the rigging all day
But what about the lever?
When the grog it is brought up on deck,
Our thirst, it's a reliever
And the bung won't leave the bunghole, then
It's time to use the lever!
Archimedes, he is dead and gone
May God be his receiver
Then we'll dig his grave with a silver spade
Which, in fact, is just a lever!
As I was going to Banbury,
Ri fol lat-i-tee O,
As I was going to Banbury,
I spied a fine codlin apple tree,
With a ri fol lat-i-tee O.
And when them codlins began to fall,
Ri fol lat-i-tee O,
And when them codlins began to fall,
I found five hundred men in all.
With a ri fol lat-i-tee O.
And one of the men I saw was dead,
Ri fol lat-i-tee O,
And one of the men I saw was dead,
So I took out me axe and I opened his head
With a ri fol lat-i-tee O.
And out of his head there sprang a spring,
Ri fol lat-i-tee O,
And out of his head there sprang a spring,
And seven young salmon a-learning to sing.
With a ri fol lat-i-tee O.
And one of them salmon as big as I,
Ri fol lat-i-tee O,
And one of them salmon as big as I,
Now don't you think I'm telling a lie?
With a ri fol lat-i-tee O.
And one of them salmon as big as an elf,
Ri fol lat-i-tee O,
And one of them salmon as big as an elf -
If you want any more you can sing it yourself!
With a ri fol lat-i-tee O.
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you'll buy your pint cup!
and surely I'll buy mine!
And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
We two have run about the hills,
and picked the daisies fine;
But we've wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
And there's a hand my trusty friend!
And give me a hand o' thine!
And we'll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
Oh, the wind is free, an’ we’re bound for the sea,
Heave away cheeri-lye o-ho!
Oh, the lassies are wavin’ to you an’ to me,
As off to the South’ard we’ll go-o,
As off to the South’ard we’ll go!
Sing, me lads, cheeri-lye,
Heave, me lads, cheeri-lye,
Heave away cheeri-lye o!
For the gold that we prize an’ for sunnier skies,
Away to the south’ard we’ll go!
And they’re cryin’, “Come back, my dear John an’ dear Jack,
For there’s water at front an’ there’s no door at back.”
Well that John he is true to his Sal and his Sue
As long as they can keep him both in his view
The gals to the south’ard are bully an’ fine,
When we gits to Melbourne we’ll have a good time.
We’ll soon be a-driving her out to the docks,
It’s where all the young pretty boys come in their frocks
Then it’s one to the other them flash girls do say,
“Just wait till he’s back with his forty-month’s pay.”
We’ll roust her up bully, the wind’s drawing free,
Let’s get on that gladrags and drive her to sea.
We’ll heave her up, bullies, an’ run her away,
We’ll soon be a-headin’ out on a long lay.
A hungry feeling came o'er me stealing
And the mice were squealing in my prison cell
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
To begin the morning a screw was bawling
'Get up you bowsie and clean up your cell'
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
On a fine spring evening the lag lay dreaming
The seagulls wheeling high over the wall
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
The lags were sleeping, Humpy Gussy was creeping
As I lay there weeping for my girl Sal
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
The wind was rising and the day declining
As I lay pining in my prison cell
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
In the female prison there are seventy five women
'Tis among them I wish I did dwell
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
The day was dying and the wind was sighing
As I lay crying in my prison cell
And the old triangle went jingle jangle
All along the banks of the Royal Canal
In ‘fifty-six I sailed on board a ship called ‘Byron I’,
She carried trawler men on deck, and a harpoon whaling gun.
Chorus:
Heigh-ho ye trawler men come on, forget the snapper and the prawn,
And it’s out of Ballina we’ll sail, a-fishing for the Humpback whale.
With a tractor for a whale winch, the ship an old Fairmile,
Twin diesels turned the props aroon’, we whaled the Aussie style.
So keep a sharp lookout me lads, for the whale is on the run,
And we’ll chase them into Byron Bay, and we’ll kill them with our gun.
The harpoon and the line fly true, bedding deep into the whale,
But she split the timbers of that ship, with a flurry of her tail.
The rigging struts were snapped in two, we reeled beneath the blow,
Then the gunner fired the killer shot, and that Humpback sank below.
Now make her tail fast to the bow, we’ve got no time for bed,
For four-and-twenty hours each day, we kept that factory fed.
The flensing men upon the land, some had been jackaroos,
But they skinned the blubber off them whales, like they’d skinned the kangaroos.
One hundred whales then fifty more, to the factory we did send,
‘ Til a message said, “Knock off me lads, the season’s at an end.”
Back into Ballina we sailed, tied up and stowed the gear,
Then all hands headed for the pub, and we filled ourselves with beer.
I come from the mud and the wind and the wet
From as far to the west as a man can get
And I've worked those waters for all my years
And I got my share of strife and tears
Ah, the ocean’s the source of my hopes and fears
Kept an eye on the jigger pole, hand on the gaff
And a smiley on the line always brought a laugh
She’s the pride of the coast, biggest of the springs
We would carry her home past Edward King
Unloading at the packers’ and the money would ring
I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden
Chorus:
And you might slip and stumble on the rocks at the shore
And exult in the blast of the mighty wake’s roar
But when you stand humbled by the ocean’s door
Then you’ll understand just who I am
Bamfield’s John Vanden
Fair weather is a mask that the devil dons
A disguise for the tempest that’s coming on
But looking toward the west, I can always tell
By the tint of the sky and the strength of the swell
Who’s winning today—is it heaven or hell?
And when unseen arms threw thundering gales
We risked our souls on that telegraph trail
When the listing wrecks needed us the most
We slipped past death on the graveyard coast
But the ocean remembers, so we never did boast
I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden
Chorus
I rolled and trolled and my hands were worn
In God’s vindictive southeast storms
Heard the hull of the ship as it ripped and groaned
But there is one thrill I have never known
'tis the love of a woman I could call my own
So your questions of romance don’t ask me
I’m the man who wed the Pacific sea
Tempestuous though she may have been
A more faithful two you never seen
She’s kept me wise and fit and lean
I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden
Chorus
John Thompson
The Turrbal people saw her born
The banks of the Brisbane river
Their memories, they still live on
The banks of the Brisbane river
The dreaming days they may be gone
But long may the dreaming continue on
We live the dreams and sing the songs
On The banks of the Brisbane river
A storm blew Finnegan and Parsons North
Mr Thompson never made it ashore
To the Illawarra they were bound
But on Moreton Island they ran aground
They laboured north until they found
Lord Brisbane sent John Oxley north
He anchored the Mermaid just offshore
Though they thought him long since dead
Finnegan met them at the heads
The natives had kept the convict fed
Named for the governor of New South Wales
1823 saw white mans sails
Thousands of settlers to her were bound
She soon became young Queensland’s town
Federation heard the cheers resound by
The bridges they stretch from side to side
The mighty Story bridge was Queensland's pride
The shipyards they are long since gone
The iron wood wharves have been torn down
The banks have burst through the streets of the town
She saw our rise, She’ll see our fall
Her gentle waters will outlive is all
Long may her gentle waters run
Past the mangrove mud and past the town
That gave us our lives and gave her a name
The mighty serpent flows to this day
Through a great glass town she winds her way
From Stanley’s heights in the great divide
Damned at Wivenhoe then onto the tide
When the city cats purr
She’s our joy and pride
In the black ball line, I served me time
With a hoo-dah, hoo-dah!
On a full rigged ship all in her prime
With a hoo-dah, doo-dah day!
Chorus:
Blow, boys, blow for Californ-I-O
There's plenty of gold, so I've been told
On the banks of the Sacramento
Oh we’re the boys to make her go
Around Cape Horn in the frost and the snow
Around Cape Stiff in seventeen days
Around Cape Stiff is a mighty long way
When we was tacking around Cape Horn
I often wished I’d never been born
The mate he wacked me round and round
I wish I was home all safe and sound
Oh when we get to the Frisco docks
The girls all wear their Sunday frocks
One more pull and that will do
And Boney lost at Waterloo
Go hand me down me walking cane
I’m off to see me sweetheart Jane
Once there was a barge lad
Way up atop the mast
Shouting to the skipper,
"We've made it home at last!"
Well I was that barge lad
Way up atop the mast
But now I'm the skipper and that young nipper
Had better be holding fast
Chorus:
Oh we're loaded down with bales so high,
You've got to lean backwards if you want to see the sky
Oh the Thames may forgive us, but the Alde never will
So eyes front
And away we sail
Oh you've got to be able,
Way up atop the mast,
Your legs better be nimble
And your head better think fast
Well I was that able
Way up atop the mast
But now I'm the skipper and that young nipper
Is hearty enough to last
Chorus
So eyes front
Keep your head
And away we sail
Oh you've eyes like an eagle
Way up atop the mast
Spotting all the obstacles
That come across your path
Well I was that eagle
Way up atop the mast
But now I'm the skipper and that young nipper
Will keep us from taking a bath
Chorus
So eyes front
Keep your head
Clear your throat
And away we sail
Oh you've got to remember
Way up atop the mast
Knowing all the river routes
That you never learn from the charts
Well I do remember
Way up atop the mast
But now I'm the skipper and that young nipper
Is taking the rivers to heart
Chorus
So eyes front
Keep your head
Clear your throat
Know your way
Fill your pipe
Grab on tight
Look for the lights
And away we sail
Here’s good luck to the pint pot,
Good luck to the Barley Mow,
Jolly good luck to the pint pot,
Good luck to the Barley Mow!
Oh, the pint-pot, half-a-pint, gill-pot, half-a-gill quarter-gill,
nipperkin, and the brown bowl.
Here’s good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow!.
Here’s good luck to the quart pot,
Good luck to the Barley Mow,
Jolly good luck to the quart pot,
Good luck to the Barley Mow, Hey!
Oh, the quart-pot, pint-pot, half-a-pint, gill-pot, half-a-gill
quarter-gill, nipperkin, and the brown bowl.
Here’s good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow!.
Pint Pot
Quart Pot
Half-Gallon
Gallon
Half-Barrel
Barrel
Landlord
Landlady
Daughter
Brewer
Drayer
Company
The Company, drayer, brewer, daughter, landlady, landlord, barrel,
half-barrel, gallon, half-gallon, quart-pot, pint-pot, half-a-pint,
gill-pot, half-a-gill quarter-gill, nipperkin, and the brown bowl.
Here’s good luck, good luck, good luck to the Barley Mow!
Oh, the year was 1778
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
A letter of marque came from the king
To the scummiest vessel I've ever seen
God damn them all!
Chorus:
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
Would make for him the Antelope's crew
God damn them all!
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
And the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags
God damn them all!
On the King's birthday we put to sea
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
We were 91 days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way
God damn them all!
On the 96th day we sailed again
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
God damn them all!
Now the Yankee lay low down with gold
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
She was broad and fat and loose in the stays
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
God damn them all!
Then at length we stood two cables away
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
But with one fat ball, the Yank stove us in
God damn them all!
The Antelope shook and pitched on her side
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the Main truck carried off both me legs
God damn them all!
So here I lay in my 23rd year
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
It's been 6 years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday
God damn them all!
Plucked from the finest of hamlets and dales
From Sydney and Bristol and Yorkshire we hail
Riding the finest of summertime gales
We're bound for the Bay of Suvla
Chorus:
And it's away, Suvla Bay
Haulin' away to the Suvla Bay
Fare thee well my pretty young maids
We're bound for the Bay of Suvla
Our wake it is bursting right over the pier
The engines do carry this bold chevalier
To face the brave Abdul Abulbul Amir
We're bound for the Bay of Suvla
And it's haul 'er straight over and hard to the right
The waters are clear and the sand it is white
Old Mr. Stopford will set us alight
We're bound for the Bay of Suvla
Well the wind it is fair and the stars have aligned
We'll sell our salt cod for sweet olives and wine
And string up the Kaiser by Thanksgiving time
Robin Beanland, Sea of Thieves
Our ship she dreams
Of wind in her sails
Of wind in her sails unfurled
And shining as
We cross the sea
We cross the sea for home
Then we'll all raise our voices
A song in our hearts
And set our eyes on distant shores
With wind in our sails again
There'll be cheering and calling
No more squabbling and brawling
When we have the wind in our sails
When we have our feet on the ground
We'll spread our good fortune around
There'll be feasting and pleasure
No more rationing and measure
When we have the wind in our sails
Back to topBeing a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses an eye
It hurts like it blazes, it makes you pull faces
But you can't let your mates see you cry
A fancy black patch will cover the hatch
Making sure that the sucker stays dry
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses an eye
Chorus:
It's all part of being a pirate (a pirate, a pirate!)
You can't be a pirate with all of your parts
It's all part of being a pirate (a pirate, a pirate!)
You can't be a pirate with all of your parts
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses an ear (pardon?)
Blood drips down your neck, it falls on the deck
And somebody says ay, what's this 'ere?
You can't wear your glasses, you don't pull the lasses
And folks have to shout so you'll hear
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses an ear
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses a hand
It spurts and it squirts, it jolly well hurts!
Pain only a pirate can stand
The fashionable look is a nice metal hook
But now you can't play in the band (sorry!)
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses a hand
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses a leg
It hurts like a dickens, your pace never quickens
Hobbling around on a peg
Ask your sweetheart to marry, but too long you've tarried
'Cause now you can't kneel down and beg
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses a leg
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses a whatsit (shiver)
Use it and choose it, but you don't wanna lose it
Let's hope somebody spots it (I'm not picking it up!)
The doc comes along, he sews it back on
He ties it up tight and he knots it (he tied it too tight!)
Being a pirate is all fun and games
'Til somebody loses a whatsit
Ben Backstay was our boatswain
A very merry boy
For no one half so merrily
Could pipe all hands ahoy
And when unto his summons
We did not well attend
The none than he more cheerily
Could handle the ropes end
Could handle the ropes end
Could handle the ropes end
While sailing once our Captain
Who was a jolly dog
Served out to all our company
A double wack of grog
Ben backstay he got tipsy
All to his hearts content
And he being half seas over boys
Right overboard he went
Right overboard he went
Right overboard he went
A shark was on the larboard bow
Sharks don't on manners stand
But gobble all they come near
Just like your sharks on land
We heaved Ben out some tackle
Of saving him some hope
But the shark had bit his head off
So he couldn't see the rope
So he couldn't see the rope
So he couldn't see the rope
Without his head his ghost appeared
All on the briny lake
He piped all hands ahoy and cried
Lads warning by me take
By drinking grog I lost my life
So lest my fate you meet
Why never mix your rum me lads
But always take it neat
But always take it neat
But always take it neat
From Yarmouth Harbour we set sail,
The wind was blowing a devil of a gale;
All our ring tails set and our bafflin' is in peak,
And our dolphin striker is a ploughing up the deep.
Chorus :
With a big bow wow,
Tow row row,
Fol dee rol dee ride all day.
Our captain comes up from down below,
He looks aloft and he looks alow;
He looks alow and he looks aloft,
Sayin' coil those ropes, boys, fore and aft.
Then it’s back to his cabin he quickly crawls,
Unto the steward he loudly calls;
Go bring me a glass that'll make me cough,
For it's better weather here than it is up aloft.
It's we poor sailors standin' on the deck,
With the blasted rain pourin' down our necks;
Not a drop of grog will he to us afford,
But he damns our eyes with every other word.
Now there’s one thing we sailors crave,
For him to find a watery grave;
We'll shove him down in a dark deep hole,
Where the sharks will have his body,
And the devil take his soul!
Jolly Rogers
I served me time on the Black Ball line
To me way-aye-aye, hurray-ah
On the Black Ball line I served my time
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line
The Black Ball Lin is good and true
The Black Ball Line for me and you
I am a gunne on the black ball line
My twenty-four pounder’s all in line
With eighteen guns we turned about
With one broadside we put ‘er down
We robbedff her blind as she went down
Now it’s back to port and back to town
Eighteen knots with the wind about
Stand by yer lanyards fore and aft
Oh take a trip to Liverpool
Liverpool that damned cesspool
In a neat little town they call Belfast
Apprenticed to trade I was bound
And many an hour o' sweet happiness
I spent in that neat little town
'Til bad misfortune came o'er me
That caused me to stray from the land
Far away from me friends and relations
To follow the black velvet band
Chorus:
Her eyes they shown like diamonds
You'd think she was queen of the land
And her hair hung over her shoulder
Tied up with a black velvet band
Well I went out strolling one evening
Not meaning to go very far
When I met with a ficklesome damsel
She was plyin' her trade in the bar
When a watch she took from a customer
And slipped it right into my hand
Then in came the law and arrested me
Bad luck to her black velvet band
Next morning before judge and jury
For trial I had to appear
Then the judge he says me young fellow
The case against you is quite clear
And seven long years is your sentence
You're goin' to Van Dieman's land
Far away from your friends and relations
To follow the black velvet band
So come all ye jolly young fellows
I'll have you take warnin' from me
Whenever you're out on the liquor, me lads
Beware of the pretty colleens
For they'll fill you with whisky and porter
'Til you're unable to stand
And the very next thing that you know, me lads
You've landed in Van Dieman's land
To mee bonnie bunch of roses hoooo
Come down ya blood red roses, come down
It’s time for us to roll and gooo
Chorus:
Come down ya blood red roses, come down
OHHH ya pinks and posies Come down ya blood red roses, come down
We’re bound away around Cape Hornnn
Come down ya blood red roses, come down
Where you wish’d to hell ya’d ain’t never been bornnn
Me boots and clothes are all in pawnnn Come down ya blood red roses, come down And its bleedin’ drafty 'round Cape Hornnn
T’is growl ye may, but go ye musttt
Come down ya blood red roses, come down If ye growl too hard your head ‘ill busttt
Them Spanish girls are full and stronggg
Come down ya blood red roses, come down
And down me boys it won’t take longgg
Just one more pull and that ‘ill dooooo
Come down ya blood red roses, come down
Oh we're the bullie boys that kick her throughhh
Come all you sealers and listen to me
Come down you blood red roses, come down
A lovely song I’ll sing to thee
Come down you blood red roses, come down
It was in eighteen hundred and three,
Come down you blood red roses, come down
That we set sail for the southern sea
Come down you blood red roses, come down
Oh you pinks and posies
Come down you blood red roses, come down
Our captain he has set us down
And he has sailed for Sydney town
And he has left us with some grub
Come down you blood red roses, come down
Just one split pea in a ten pound tub
Oh you pinks and posies
Come down you blood red roses, come down
A bull seal he is bigger than a mouse
But a sealer’s lot is lower than a louse
And now we’ll all covered over with fur
Come down you blood red roses, come down
We’ve grown us tails like Lucifer
Oh you pinks and posies
Come down you blood red roses, come down
Come all ye young fellows who follow the sea
(To me!) Way hey, blow the man down
And pray pay attention and listen to me
Give me some time to blow the man down
I'm a deep water sailor just in from Hong Kong
(To me!) Way hey, blow the man down
If you buy me a drink, then I'll sing you a song
Give me some time to blow the man down
Chorus :
Blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Way hey, blow the man down
Blow him right back into Liverpool town
Give me some time to blow the man down
There's tinkers and tailors and soldiers and all
(To me!) Way hey, blow the man down
They all ship for sailors on board the Black Ball
Give me some time to blow the man down
You'll see those poor devils how they will all scoot
(To me!) Way hey, blow the man down
Assisted along by the toe of a boot
Give me some time to blow the man down
It's starboard and larboard on deck they will sprawl
(To me!) Way hey, blow the man down
For kickin' Jack Williams commands the Black Ball
Give me some time to blow the man down
Lay aft now, ya lubbers, lay aft now I say
(To me!) Way hey, blow the man down
I'll none of your dodges on my ship today
Give me some time to blow the man down
So I'll give you fair warning before we belay
(To me!) Way hey, blow the man down
Don't ever take heed of what shantymen say
Give me some time to blow the man down
How could I live on the top of a mountain
With no money in my pocket and no gold for the countin’?
But I would let the money go all for to please her fancy
And I would marry no one but my own dear blue-eyed Nancy.
She’s my bonnie blue-eyed lassie with an air so sweet and tender,
Her walk like swans on water and her waist so small and slender.
Her golden hair in ringlets fell all o’er her snow-white shoulder
And I’ll ask her for to marry me for there’s no one could be bolder.
Now there’s some people say that she is very low in station
And other people say she’ll be the cause of my ruination.
But let them all say what they will, to her I will prove constant still
Till the day that I die, she’ll be my only lovely lady.
How softly skims the swallow o’er the dark waters of Eochaill
And blithely sings the nightingale so happy to behold her.
The winds may blow, the moorcocks crow, the moon shines out so clearly,
Ah but deeper by far is my love for my own lady.
As I walked out one May morning
Down by the riverside,
There I beheld a bold fisherman
Come rowing by the tide,
Come rowing by the tide;
There I beheld a bold fisherman
Come rowing by the tide.
“ Good morning to you, my bold fisherman,
How come you fishing here?”
“ I come here a-fishing for your sweet sake
All on this river clear,
All on this river clear;
I come here a-fishing for your sweet sake
All on this river clear.”
He drew his boat unto the bank
And for her mate did went,
He took her by the lily-white hand
Which was his full intent,
Which was his full intent;
He took her by the lily-white hand
Which was his full intent.
He took the cloak from off his back
And gently laid it down,
There she behold three chains of gold
Hang dangling three times round,
Hang dangling three times round;
There she behold three chains of gold
Hang dangling three times round.
She fell down on her bended knee,
For mercy she implored,
“ In calling you a bold fisherman
When I fear you are some lord,
When I fear you are some lord;
In calling you a bold fisherman
When I fear you are some lord.”
“ Rise up, rise up, my fair young maid,
From off your bended knee.
There is not one word that you have said
That has offended me,
That has offended me;
There is not one word that you have said
That has offended me .”
He took her by the lily-white hand,
Saying: “Married we shall be,
Then you will have a bold fisherman
To row you on the sea,
To row you on the sea;
Then you will have a bold fisherman
To row you on the sea.”
Oh the rain it raineth all day long,
Bold Riley O, Bold Riley,
And them northern winds, are blowing strong
Bold Riley O has gone away.
Chorus:
Goodbye my sweetheart, goodbye my dear O
Bold Riley O, Bold Riley,
Goodbye my darlin’, goodbye my dear O,
Bold Riley O has gone away.
Oh the anchor’s aweigh and the sails are set
And them Liverpool Judies we’ll ne’er forget
We’re outward bound for the Bengal Bay,
Keep rowing boys, it’s a bloody long way
Cheer up Mary Ellen, don’t be so glum,
Come white-stocking day we’ll drink hot rum
Oh, I bid farewell to the port and the land
And I paddle away from brave England's white sands
To search for my long ago forgotten friends
To search for the place I hear all sailors end
As the souls of the dead fill the space of my mind
I'll search without sleeping 'til peace I can find
I fear not the weather, I fear not the sea
I remember the fallen, do they think of me?
When their bones in the ocean forever will be
Plot a course to the night, to a place I once knew
To a place where my hope died along with my crew
So I swallow my grief and face life's final test
To find promise of peace and the solace of rest
As the souls of the dead fill the space of my ears
Their laughter like children, their beckoning cheers
My heart longs to join them, sing songs of the sea
I remember the fallen, do they think of me?
When their bones in the ocean forever will be
When at last before my ghostly shipmates I stand
I shed a small tear for my home upon land
Though their eyes speak of deaths filled with struggle and strife
Their smiles below say I don't owe them my life
As the souls of the dead fill the space of my eyes
And my boat listed over and tried to capsize
I'm this far from drowning, this far from the sea
I remember the living, do they think of me?
When my bones in the ocean forever will be
Now that I'm staring down at the darkest abyss
I'm not sure what I want, but I don't think it's this
As my comrades call to stand fast and forge on
I make sail for the dawn 'til the darkness has gone
As the souls of the dead live fore'er in my mind
As I live all the years that they left me behind
I'll stay on the shore but still gaze at the sea
I remember the fallen and they think of me
For our souls in the ocean together will be
I remember the fallen and they think of me
for our souls in the ocean together will be
Boney was a warrior
Weigh-hey-yah
A warrior a tarrier
Jean François
Oh Boney beat the Rooshians
Weigh-hey-yah
And Boney beat the Prooshians
Jean François
Oh Boney marched to Moscow
Weigh-hey-yah
He lost his army in the snow
Jean François
He marched his army back again
Weigh-hey-yah
And Moscow was a-blazing then
Jean François
We licked him in Trafalgar Bay
Weigh-hey-yah
We carried his main-top-mast away
Jean François
T’was on the plains of Waterloo
Weigh-hey-yah
He met the boy that put him through
Jean François
Boney went a-cruising
Weigh-hey-yah
Aboard the Billy Ruffian
Jean François
And Boney went to St.Helen
Weigh-hey-yah
And he never come back again
Jean François
Well now Bonaparte, he has commanded his troops for to stand
And he levelled up his cannon all over the land;
Yes he levelled his cannon, the whole victory to gain,
And he slew my light horseman returning from Spain.
Chorus:
Broken-hearted I wander all for my true lover,
He’s a bonny light horseman, in the war has been slain
All ye wives’, sweethearts’ and widows’ attention I pray,
For me heart it is broken and it’s fading away.
I’m a maid so distracted, broken-hearted I wander
For my bonny light horseman in the war has been slain.
You should see my light horseman on a cold winter’s day,
With his red and rosy cheeks and his curly black hair.
He’s mounted on horseback, the whole victory to gain,
And he’s over the battlefield for honour and fame.
Now if I had have had the wings of an eagle I’d fly
To my bonny light horseman and there I’d lie by,
And with me little fluttering wings I would build up me nest.
Oh my bonny light horseman you’re the boy I love best.
The Diamond is a ship, my lads, for the Davis Strait she’s bound,
And the quay it is all garnished with bonny lasses ’round.
Captain Thompson gives the order to sail the ocean wide,
Where the sun it never sets, my lads, no darkness dims the sky.
Chorus:
And it’s cheer up my lads, let your hearts never fail,
For the bonny ship, the Diamond, goes a-fishing for the whale.
Along the quays of Peterhead, the lasses stand around,
Their shawls all pulled about them and the salt tears running down.
Now don’t you weep, my bonny lass, though you be left behind,
For the rose will bloom on Greenland’s ice before we change our mind.
Here’s health to the Resolution, likewise the Eliza Swan,
Here’s a health to the Battler of Montroseand the Diamond, ship of fame.
We wear the trousers of the white, the jackets of the blue,
When we return to Peterhead, we’ll have sweethearts anoo
Oh, it’ll be bright both day and night when the whaling lads come home,
In a ship that’s full of oil, my boys, and money to our name.
We’ll make the cradles all to rock and the blankets for to tear,
And every lass in Peterhead sing, “Hushabye, my dear.”
Farewell to old England forever
Farewell to my rum culls as well
Farewell to the well known Old Bailey
Where I used for to cut such a swell
Chorus:
Singing toorali-orali-addity
Singing toorali-orali-ai
Singing toorali-orali-addity
We're bound for Botany Bay
There's the captain as is our commander
There's the bosun and all the ship's crew
There's the first and the second class passengers
Knows what we poor convicts go through
Taint leaving old England we cares about
Taint cos we mis-spells what we knows
But because all we light fingered gentry
Hops around with a log on our toes
These seven long years I've been serving now
And seven long more have to stay
All for bashing a bloke down our alley
And taking his ticker away
Oh had I the wings of a turtle dove
I'd soar on my pinions so high
Slap bang to the arms of my Polly love
And in her sweet presence I'd die
Now all my young Dookies and Dutchesses
Take warning from what I've to say
Mind all is your own as you toucheses
Or you'll find us in Botany Bay
Come all you seamen bold
Come all you seamen bold
And draw near
And draw ne-e-ear
Come all you seamen bold, and draw near
Tis of an admiral's fame,
And brave Benbow was his name,
And he fought all on the main,
You shall hear
You shall hear
Brave Benbow he set sail
Brave Benbow he set sail
For to fight
For to fi-i-ight
Brave Benbow he set sail, for to fight
Brave Benbow he set sail
In a fine and pleasant gale
But his captains they turned tail
In a fright
In a fright
Said Kirby unto Wade
Said Kirby unto Wade
We shall run
We shall ru-u-un
Said Kirby unto Wade, we shall run
For I value not disgrace
Nor the losing of my place
But the enemy I'll not face
Nor his guns
Nor his guns
The Ruby and Benbow
The Ruby and Benbow
Fought the French
Fought the Fre-e-ench
The Ruby and Benbow fought the French
They fought them up and down
'Til the blood came trickling down
'Til the blood came trickling down
Where they lay
Where they lay
Brave Benbow lost his legs
Brave Benbow lost his legs
By chain shot
By chain sh-o-ot
Brave Benbow lost his legs, by chain shot
Brave Benbow lost his legs
And down on his stumps he begged
Fight on my English lads
'Tis our lot
'Tis our lot
Come surgeon dress my wounds
Come surgeon dress my wounds
Cried Benbow
Cried Benbo-o-ow
Come surgeon dress my wounds, cried Benbow
Let a cradle now in haste
On the quarterdeck be placed
That the enemy I might face
'Til I die
'Til I die
When he closed his eyes and died
When he closed his eyes and died
They all cried
They all cri-i-ied
He closed his eyes and died, they all cried
What a terrible sight to see
Our brave hero on that day
And they carried him to Kingston Church
Where he lay
Where he lay
Chorus:
Bring us in good ale, good ale, and bring us in good ale,
For our blessed Lady's sake, bring us in good ale.
Bring us in no brown bread, for that is made of bran,
Nor bring us in no white bread, for therein is no gain,
Bring us in no beef, for there is many bones,a
But bring us in good ale, for that go'th down at once.
Bring us in no bacon, for that is passing fat,
But bring us in good ale, and give us enough of that.
Bring us in no mutton, for that is often lean,
Nor bring us in no tripes, for they be seldom clean.
Bring us in no eggs, for there are many shells,
But bring us in good ale, and give us nothing else.
Bring us in no butter, for therein are many hairs,
Nor bring us in no pig's flesh for that will make us boars.
Bring us in no puddings, for therein is all God's good,
Nor bring us in no venison, for that is not for our blood.
Bring us in no capon's flesh, for that is often dear,
Nor bring us in no duck's flesh, for they slobber in the mere.
Prick your finger it is done
Turn your face into the sun
Roll er out and spread her wings
The time has come for better things
All down to Brisbane Harbour
Face the cold and bitter spray
Strain yer muscles pine away
For the day we go ashore
To see the faces we adore
All down to Brisbane Harbour
Chorus:
So jump up! Jack! Get down!
Jump up! Jack! Get down!
Heave away ya capstan bullies
All aboard the flying Jenny
Down to Brisbane Harbour
Liza Fair and Judy Lee
Balancing upon your knee
That gin and whiskey flowing free
A gentle breeze from off the sea
Right down in Brisbane Harbour
But boys I know you are aware
Queensland girls are fierce and fair
That pretty hand upon your knee
Could be the last thing that you see
In good old Brisbane Harbour
So jump up! Jack! Get down!
Jump up! Jack! Get down!
Heave away ya capstan bullies
All aboard the flying Jenny
Down to Brisbane Harbour
Leviathan was on the deep
Around us nightly he would creep
Rose up like a bugaboo
And smashed a gunwale clean in two
All down to Brisbane Harbour
Huxley got him on his side
Dragged him round upon the tide
But he snatched up clean away
And lived to prowl another day
All down to Brisbane Harbour
So jump up! Jack! Get down!
Jump up! Jack! Get down!
Heave away ya capstan bullies
All aboard the flying Jenny
Down to Brisbane Harbour
Coral sea is rolling strong
West wind batters us along
When upon the morning light
Fair Moreton island hoves in sight
Down to Brisbane Harbour
Eleven weeks from Plymouth town
To the horn and straight around
But neither wind nor rolling tide
Can match the dangers here inside
Of Good Old Brisbane Harbour
So jump up! Jack! Get down!
Jump up! Jack! Get down!
Heave away ya capstan bullies
All aboard the flying Jenny
Down to Brisbane Harbour
Jump up! Jack! Get down!
Jump up! Jack! Get down!
Heave away ya capstan bullies
All aboard the flying Jenny
Down to Brisbane Harbour
Farewell and adieu to you, Brisbane ladies
Farewell and adieu, you maids of Toowong
We've sold all our cattle and we have to get a movin'
But we hope we shall see you again before long.
Chorus:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true Queensland drovers
We'll rant and we'll roar as onward we push
Until we return to the Augathella station
Oh, it's flamin' dry goin' through the old Queensland bush.
The first camp we make, we shall call it the Quart Pot,
Caboolture, then Kilcoy, and Colinton's Hut,
We'll pull up at the Stone House, Bob Williamson's paddock,
And early next morning we cross the Blackbutt.
Then on to Taromeo and Yarraman Creek, lads,
It's there we shall make our next camp for the day
Where the water and grass are both plenty and sweet, lads,
And maybe we'll butcher a fat little stray.
Then on to Nanango, that hard-bitten township
Where the out-of-work station-hands sit in the dust,
Where the shearers get shorn by old Tim, the contractor
Oh, I wouldn't go near there, but I flaming well must!
The girls of Toomancie they look so entrancing
Like bawling young heifers they're out for their fun
With the waltz and the polka and all kinds of dancing
To the rackety old banjo of Bob Anderson.
Then fill up your glasses, and drink to the lasses,
We'll drink this town dry, then farewell to them all
And when we've got back to the Augathella Station,
We hope you'll come by there and pay us a call.
Oh, was you ever on the Brisbane River
Blow boys, blow
What lurks below will make you shiver
Blow me bully boys blow
A city cat came down the river
With long steel hulls that shone like silver
Chorus:
And blow me boys and blow forever
Blow boys blow
We'll all blow chunks in the Brisbane River
Blow me bully boys blow
And where'd you think they went on that cat
Into town for a drink and chat
And what do think they drank for fun
Four X beer and Bundy rum
Chorus
Oh shots of fireball and jäger-bombs
The drank them all with great aplomb
And then up to clubs for a jig and a dance
With them girls, they didn't have a chance.
Chorus
And what do you think was their delight?
Oh, a drunken brawl in the street that night.
And what do you think they did in the Valley
Lines of coke down a dirty back alley
Chorus
And what do you think they had to eat
A dodgy kebab filled with mystery meat
And there they sat by the Brisbane River
Heaving their guts with a damaged liver
Chorus
And where do you think I became a father
Atop Mt Cootha in an old Torana
Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules
Of Hector and Lysander, and such great names as these.
But of all the world's brave heroes, there's none that can compare.
With a tow, row, row, and a row, row, row, to the British Grenadiers.
Those heroes of antiquity ne'er saw a cannon ball,
Or knew the force of powder to slay their foes withal.
But our brave boys do know it, and banish all their fears,
With a tow, row, row, and a row, row, row, for the British Grenadiers.
Whene'er we are commanded to storm the palisades,
Our leaders march with fusees, and we with hand grenades.
We throw them from the glacis, about the enemies' ears.
With a tow, row, row, and a row, row, row, for the British Grenadiers.
And when the siege is over, we to the town repair.
The townsmen cry, "Hurrah, boys, here comes a Grenadier!
Here come the Grenadiers, my boys, who know no doubts or fears!
With a tow, row, row, and a row, row, row, for the British Grenadiers.
Then let us fill a bumper, and drink a health of those
Who carry caps and pouches, and wear the loopèd clothes.
May they and their commanders live happy all their years.
With a tow, row, row, and a row, row, row, for the British Grenadiers.
Chorus:
So help me Bob I’m bully in the alley
Way hey, bully in the alley
Help me Bob, I’m bully in the alley
Bully down in shinbone al
Sally is the girl that I loved dearly
Way, hey, bully in the alley
Sally is the girl that I spliced nearly
Bully down in shinbone al
For seven long years I courted little Sally
But all she did was dilly and dally
I left my gal to go a sailing
I left my Sal to go a whaling
I found myself down on the quay oh
I found myself with time so free oh
I waltzed up to the Anchor Inn oh
I kicked down the door and I waltzed right in oh
I stepped up to the bar room counter
It was there I met with greasy Annie
Greasy Annie’s a slimy whore oh
Every shellback’s knocked on her door oh
I bought her rum, I bought her gin oh
I bought her wine both white and red oh
After I spent up all me tin oh
It was up to her bedroom we did creep oh
We tossed and tumbled all night long oh
In the morning the cock did crow oh
I left my gal and became a sailor
I left my Sal and shipped aboard a whaler
O, I lost my coat in Storrie’s Alley
O-o-o I’m bully in the alley!
He chucked me out because I had no money
Way-ay-ay, I’m bully in the alley
Mary Jane is my good fancy
O-o-o I’m bully in the alley !
But she took my watch and stole my money
Way-ay-ay, I’m bully in the alley
She pawned my clothes in Storrie’s Alley
O-o-o I’m bully in the alley!
And then she kicked me out me out because I had no money
Way-ay-ay, I’m bully in the alley
Oh, bury me beneath the willow
Under the weeping willow tree
So she will know where I am sleeping
And perhaps she’ll weep for me
My heart is sad I am lonely
For the only one I love
When shall I see her oh no never
‘Til we meet in heaven above
She told me that she dearly loved me
How could I believe it untrue
Until the angels softly whispered
She will prove untrue to you
Tomorrow was to be our wedding
God oh God where can she be
She’s out a-courtin’ with another
And no longer cares for me
If I had another penny
I would have another gill
I would make the piper play
The bonny lass of Byker Hill
Chorus:
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads for ever more
Byker Hill and Walker Shore
Collier lads for ever more
The pitman and the keelman trim
They drink bumble made from gin
Then to dance they do begin
To the tune of Elsie Marley
When first I went down to the dirt
I had no cowl nor no pit shirt
Now I've gotten two or three
Walker Pit's done well by me
Geordie Johnson, he had a pig
You hit it with a shovel and it danced a jig
All the way to Walker Shore
To the tune of Elsie Marley
If I had another penny
I would have another gill
I would make the piper play
The bonny lass of Byker Hill
When I was just a lad of twelve, I joined a skipper's crew,
To sail about the ocean wide, in search of treasures new
But failed to batten down a hatch, I let in scores of water
And that's when bo's'n introduced me to the captain's daughter
Chorus:
Oh! The captain's daughter, she's a sight!
She'll keep you up in the dead of night
She'll make you weep 'till your eyes turn sore
Like many other men before
The captain was an older man, not known for changing* tack
He'd bring his daughter out for any ordinary Jack
She'll make your skin shift colours faster than a signal flag
So don't be caught adrift and let the cat out of the bag
Well, out across the pond one day we heard the crow's nest call
And down the mast came crashing, being struck by cannonball
The captain stood there laughing, bid us stand to our last breath
But we'd rather face his daughter than a terrifying death
So onwards, to demise, she floats while we all beat to quarters
"Abandon ship!" the first mate cried and jumped into the water
"Belay that!" cried the captain, "I did not give those orders!
Fish out that dog from in the drink and fetch him to my daughter!"
Though years ago I'm still reminded of those awful days
My wife reminds me of the lash in oh so many ways
But between the two of them I know which brings more pain
I'd rather bring my back to bear than see my wife again!
Chorus:
My name is Captain Kidd
As I sailed, as I sailed
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed
My name is Captain Kidd
And God's laws I did forbid
And most wickedly I did as I sailed
My father taught me well
To shun the gates of hell
But against him I rebelled as I sailed
He shoved a bible in my hand
But I left it in the sand
And I pulled away from land
As I sailed
I murdered William Moore
And I left him in his gore
Twenty leagues away from shore
As I sailed
And being crueler still, the gunner I did kill
All his precious blood did spill
As I sailed
I was sick and nigh to death
And I vowed at every breath
Oh to walk in wisdom's path
As I sailed
But my repentance lasted not
My vows I soon forgot
Oh damnation is my lot
As I sailed
To the execution dock
Lay my head upon the block
Laws no more I'll mock as I sail
So take warning here and heed
To shun bad company
Or you'll wind up just like me
As I sailed
Jolly Rogers
A long time ago, way back in history
When all there was to drink was nothin but cups of tea
Along came a man by the name of Charlie Mops
And he invented a wonderful drink and he made it out of hops
He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king
And to his praises we shall always sing
Look what he has done for us he's filled us up with cheer!
Lord bless Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer
Tiddly beer beer beer
The Curtis bar, the James' Pub, the Hole in the Wall as well
One thing you can be sure of, its Charlie's beer they sell
So all ye lads a lasses at eleven O'clock ye stop
For five short seconds, remember Charlie Mops 1 2 3 4 5
A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it around with a stick
The kind of lubrication to make your engine tick
40 pints of wallop a day will keep away the quacks
Its only eight pence hapenny and one and six in tax, 1 2 3 4 5
The Lord bless Charlie Mops! Hey Beer!
Back to topOh, Nancy Dawson, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
She robbed the Bo'sun, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
That was a caution, Hi-oh!
Chorus:
Cheerly, man
O! Haulee, Hi-oh
Cheerly, man
Oh, Sally Racket, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
Pawned my best jacket, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
And sold pawn the ticket, Hi-oh!
Oh, Kitty Carson, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
Jilted the parson, Hi-oh! Cheerly, man!
Married a mason, Hi-oh!
Oh, Betsy Baker, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
Lived in Long Acre, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
Married a Quaker, Hi-oh!
Oh, Jenny Walker, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
Married a hawker, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
That was a corker, Hi-oh!
Oh, Polly Riddle, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
Broke her new fiddle, Hi-oh!
Cheerly, man!
Right through the middle, Hi-oh!
Chorus:
And it's go boys, go
They'll time your every breath
And every day you're in this place
You're two days nearer death
But you go
Well, a Process Man am I and I'm tellin' you no lie
I work and breathe among the fumes that trail across the sky
There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air
There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair
Well, I've worked among the spinners, and I breathe the oily smoke
I've shovelled up the gypsum and it nigh on makes you choke
I've stood knee deep in cyanide, got sick with a caustic burn
Been workin' rough, I've seen enough to make your stomach turn
There's overtime and bonus opportunities galore
The young men like their money and they all come back for more
But soon you're knockin' on and you look older than you should
For every bob made on the job, you pay with flesh and blood
Well, a Process Man am I and I'm tellin' you no lie
I work and breathe among the fumes that trail across the sky
There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air
There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair
The skipper’s in the wardroom drinking gin,
Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!
I don't mind knocking, but I ain't a-going in!
Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!
Jimmy's laughing like a drain,
Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!
Been lookin' at my comic cuts again,
Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!
Chorus:
Chicken on a raft on a Monday morning,
Oh, what a terrible sight to see,
Dabtoes forward and the dustmen aft,
Sittin' there a-pickin' at a chicken on a raft!
Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!
Hey-ho, chicken on a raft!
Hi-ho, chicken on a raft!
Hey-ho, chicken on a raft!
They gave me the middle and the forenoon too,
Now I'm pullin' in a whaler's crew.
There's a seagull wheelin' overhead,
Oh to be floatin' in a feather bed!
Well, I had a little girl in Donny B
And did she make a fool of me.
Her heart 'twas like a pusser's shower,
From hot to cold in a quarter of an hour!
So we kissed goodbye on the midnight bus
But she didn't cry and she didn't fuss.
So am I the man what she loves best
Or am I just a cuckoo in another man's nest?
An Amazon girl lived in Dumfries,
She only had her kids in twos and threes;
And her sister lives in Maryhill,
She says she won't but I think she will!
Fourwinds
Oh backwards and forwards I am reeling in tight
And it was some spree that I’d been at last night
I’ve been to McCarthy’s with Patsy O’Maher
And we drank the black bottle from under the bar
And we drank and we drank boys we banished all care
And we gave not a thought to foul weather nor fair
And now on the floor I am curled up in a heap
Biddy leave me to sleep Biddy leave me to sleep
For I’m clasped to a pig in a loving embrace
And the hairs of his curly tail are tickling my face
There’s no use in telling me sober to keep
Biddy leave me to sleep Biddy leave me to sleep
Oh well over my head in the days that are gone
Well gaily I flurried my knotty black thorn
And if I but only had it tonight
Well maybe I would not be offered a fight
Oh and if Pat Murphy I chances to meet
It’s an elegant ruckshee that we’ll have in the street
And he’ll soon be glad in his ott holt to creep
Biddy leave me to sleep Biddy leave me to sleep
Oh drop down by the pig here and share his embrace
And let my red whiskers lie close to your face
This créatúir won’t hurt you he’ll do you no harm
Drop down here Biddy and keep my back warm
And squeeze up beside me as you’ve oft done before
I’ll sing you to sleep with the sounds of my snore
The rats and the mice all around us will creep
Biddy leave me to sleep Biddy leave me to sleep
Come all ye tonguers and land-loving lubbers
Here's a job cutting-in, and boiling down blubbers
A job for the youngster or old and ailing
The agent will grab any man for shore whaling.
Chorus:
I am paid in soap and sugar and rum
For cutting in whale and boiling down tongue
The agent's fee makes my blood so to boil!
I'll push! him in a hot pot of oil.
Go hang the agent, the company too
They are making a fortune off me and off you
No chance of a passage from out of this place
And the price of living's a blooming disgrace.
Three jolly coachmen sat in a Bristol Tavern
Three jolly coachmen sat in a Bristol Tavern
And they decided ,
And they decided
And they decided
To have another flagon
Chorus:
Come, Landlord fill the flowing bowl,
Until it doth run over
Come Landlord fill the flowing bowl,
Until it doth run over
For tonight we'll merry, merry be.
For tonight we'll merry, merry be.
For tonight we'll merry, merry be.
Tomorrow we'll be sober
Here's to the man who drinks small beer
And goes to bed quite sober,
Here's to the man who drinks small beer
And goes to bed quite sober,
Fade's as the leaves do fade
Fade's as the leaves do fade
Fade's as the leaves do fade
And drop off in October
Here's to the man who drinks strong ale
And goes to bed quite mellow,
Here's to the man who drinks strong ale,
And goes to bed quite mellow.
Lives as he ought to live
Lives as he ought to live
Lives as he ought to live
And dies a jolly good fellow
Here's to the girl who steals a kiss,
And runs to tell her mother
Here's to the girl who steals a kiss,
And runs to tell her mother
She's a very foolish thing,
She's a very foolish thing,
She's a very foolish thing,
She'll never get another.
Here's to the girl who steals a kiss,
And runs back for another
Here's to the girl who steals a kiss,
And runs back for another
She's a boon to all mankind
She's a boon to all mankind
She's a boon to all mankind
She'll very soon she'll be a mother.
So now let's dance and sing,
And drive away all sorrow,
So now let's dance and sing,
And drive away all sorrow,
For perhaps we may not
For perhaps we may not
For perhaps we may not
Meet again tomorrow
Chorus:
Come o'er the stream Charlie, dear Charlie, brave Charlie
Come o'er the stream Charlie, and dine wi MacLean
And though ye be weary, we'll mak yer heart cheery
And welcome oor Charlie and his loyal train
We'll bring doon the red deer, we'll bring doon the black steer
The lamb fae the brecken and the doe fae the glen
The salt sea we'll harry and bring to oor Charlie
The cream fae the bothy, the curd fae the pen
And you shall drink freely the dews of Glensheerly
That stream in the starlight, where kings dinna ken
And deep be your meed of the wine that is red
Tae drink to your sire and his friend the MacLean
It ought to invite you, or more will delight you
Tis ready a troop of our bold Highland men
Shall range on the heather, with bayonet and feather
Strong arms and broad claymores, three hundred and ten
The summer sky, the setting sun
The corncrake steams on the Bristol run
Brandy for the waiters tray
The sailors they have earned their pay
Chorus:
O’er the sea the Bristol town
Loaded down the brandy o’
O’er the sea the Bristol town
Loaded down the brandy o’
The Brandy O’
Rolling on her deep green lay
Towards the hills of Redcliffe Bay
The corncrake steams upon her way
Through the moonlit night to the break of day
Then the Captain, I heard tell
That’s the sound of the King Road Bell
Down the reach to the harbor side
Safe and sound from the severn tide
We then made fast both fore and aft
For the corncrake she's a pleasant craft
Now ashore to have some fun
Drinking from a bottle of rum
Come Irishmen both young and stern
With adventure in your soul
There are better ways to spend your days
Than in working down a hole
Chorus:
I was tall and true all of six foot two
But they broke me across the back
By a name I’m known and it’s not my own
They call me Crooked Jack
The ganger’s blue-eyed boy was I
Big Jack could do no wrong
And the reason simply was because
I could work hard hours and long
I’ve seen men old before their time
Their faces drawn and grey
But I never thought so soon would mine
Be lined the self-same way
I curse the day I went away
To work on the hydro dams
Our sweat and tears, our hopes and fears
Bound up in shuttering jams
They say that honest toil is good
For the spirit and the soul
But believe me boys it’s for sweat and blood
That they want you down the hole
Sunset and evening star
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar
When I put out to sea
When I put out to sea
When I put out to sea
And may there be no moaning of the bar
When I put out to sea
But such a tide as moving seems asleep
Too full for sound and foam
That which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home
Turns again home
Turns again home
That which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home
Twilight and evening bell
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell
When I embark
When I embark
When I embark
And may there be no sadness of farewell
When I embark
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar
When I have crost the bar
When I have crost the bar
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar
When I have crost the bar
When I have crost the bar
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar
As I was a-walking one morning in May
I met a pretty fair maid and unto her did say:
“ For love I am inclined and I’ll tell you my mind
That my inclination lies in your cuckoo’s nest.”
“ My darling,” said she, “I am innocent and young,
And I scarcely can believe your false deluding tongue.
Yet I see it in your eyes and it fills me with surprise
That your inclination lies in my cuckoo’s nest.”
Chorus:
Some like a girl who is pretty in the face,
And some like a girl who is slender in the waist.
But give me a girl that will wriggle and will twist:
At the bottom of the belly lies the cuckoo’s nest.
“ Then my darling,” says he, “if you see it in my eyes,
Then think of it as fondness and do not be surprised.
For I love you, my dear, and I’ll marry you, I swear,
If you let me clap my hand on your cuckoo’s nest.”
“ My darling,” said she, “I can do no such thing,
For my mother often told me it was committing sin
My maidenhead to lose and my sense to be abused.
So have no more to do with my cuckoo’s nest.”
Chorus
“ My darling,” says he, “it is not committing sin.
But common sense should tell you it is a pleasing thing,
For you were brought into this world to increase and do your best
And to help a man to heaven in your cuckoo’s nest.”
“ Then my darling,” says she, “I cannot you deny,
For you’ve surely won my heart by the roving of your eye.
Yet I see it in your eyes that your courage is surprised,
So gently lift your hand in my cuckoo’s nest.”
Chorus
So this couple they got married and soon they went to bed
And now this pretty fair maid has lost her maidenhead.
In a small country cottage they increase and do their best
And he often claps his hand on her cuckoo’s nest.
Chorus
A young boy I was, barely out of my home
I stepped to the world with a meaning to roam
I signed with a captain who promised me gold
And adventure to quicken the heart of the bold
For fourteen odd years I did struggle alone
For the cause I worked my fingers down to the bone
Saw nought but the scuppers, saw nought of my pay
Then was cast off and sent on my way
Chorus:
(Ho!)
A curse upon you, sorrow, fall thick and fast!
Your days have been numbered, each hour your last
May the land, sea or sky turn to swallow you whole
And fore'er ne'er forget what you stole
I found me some cohorts, the bravest and true
No captain was prouder to call such men crew
They could rally a cry and the battle was won
I'd face off a cannon if they but looked on
The mutinous dogs bound my hands while I slept
Swapped their honour for treasures and gold that we kept
Threw me over the side with all kindness I'd shown
Now I've vowed to sail always alone!
Chorus
I met a fair maiden one round upon shore
I fell for her smile as I'd ne'er done before
I pledged her my world for as long as I lived
I'd have offered her more if I had more to give
My pockets she emptied, still I offered the rest
She obliged and then ripped out the heart from my chest
She set me adrift free to float to world's end
With a bottle as my only friend!
Chorus
Now maybe there's some of you wondering hence
Not all parts of my life fit together with sense
If these are your thoughts allow me to explain
Listen close now for I will not say it again
I curse you yourself with the doubts that you've shown
For this is my life and I've made it my own
Walk your path and you'll have your own stories in time
To that day I shall drink just to mine!
Chorus
Cloudstreet
Dance up the sun on a fine may morning
Dance up the sun to call in the spring
Dance away the dark while the new day is dawning
All is new when we dance and we sing
The Bells will ring when the morris men come
We call in the spring and dance up the sun
The Bells will ring when the morris men come
We call in the spring and dance up the sun
Gather in the Dark, recall the winter
Celebrate the tales that the old ones bring
The music rises with the first light’s gleaming
The dawn will break, and the bell will ring
Form the lines and turn together
Hear the clash of the staff as we shout and we sing
the tunes all sound to the tatty coats flying
We call up the light as the day comes in
Ancient ways with the seasons turning
the passing yuears see the dance go on
we sing the past as we dance to the future
we celebrate the year with the Dawn of the Sun
Frederic Weatherly
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling
‘Tis you, ‘tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
‘Tis I’ll be there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!
And when ye come, and all the flow’rs are dying
If I am dead, as dead I well may be
Ye’ll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me.
A poor old man came riding by
And we say so, and we know so
O, a poor old man came riding by
O, poor old man
Says I, "Old man, your horse will die."
And we say so, and we know so
And if he dies, we'll tan his hide
O, poor old man
And if he don't, We’ll ride him again
And we say so, and we know so
We’ll ride him, 'til the Lord knows when
O, poor old man
He's dead as a nail in the lamp room door
And we say so, and we know so
And he won't come worrying us no more
O, poor old man
We'll use the hair of his tail to sew our sails
And we say so, and we know so
And the iron of his shoes to make deck nails
O, poor old man
We’ll haul him up to the mains’l yard
And we say so, and we know so
Yes, we’ll haul him up to the mains'l yard
O, poor old man
We'll drop him down with a long, long rope
And we say so, and we know so
Where the sharks have his body and the devil takes his soul
O, poor old man
As I was going to Derby all on a market day,
I met the biggest ram, my boys, that ever was fed on hay.
Chorus:
And indeed, me lads, it’s true, me lads, I never was known to lie,
And if you’d been down in Derby, you’d seen the same as I.
He had four feet to walk upon, he had four feet to stand,
And every foot that he sat down, it covered an acre of land.
The horns that grew on this ram’s head, they grew so very long,
And every time he shook his head they rattled against the sun.
The wool on this ram’s back, my boys, it grew so very high,
The eagles came and built their nests, and I heard the young ’uns cry.
The man that fed this ram, my lads, he fed him twice a day,
And every time he opened his mouth; he swallowed a rick of hay.
This ram he had two horns, my lads, that reached up to the moon,
A little boy went up in January and he didn’t get back till June.
Now this old ram, he had a tail that reached right down to hell,
And every time he waggled it he rung the old church bell.
The butcher that stuck this ram, my lads, was up to knees in blood,
And the little boy who held the bowl was carried away by the flood.
Now all the men in Derby came a-begging for his eyes,
To pound up and down the Derby streets for they were of a football’s size.
Took all the boys in Derby to carry away his bones,
Took all the girls in Derby to roll away his … that’s a lie.
Now the man that fattened this ram, my boys, he must have been very rich,
And the man who sung this song must be a lying son of a …
So now my song is ended, I’ve nothing more to say,
But give us another pint of beer and we’ll all of us go away.
I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
Kissed my girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Clouds are drifting across the moon
Cats are prowling on their beat
Spring's a girl from the streets at night
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
I heard a siren from the docks
Saw a train set the night on fire
I smelled the spring on the smoky wind
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
I'm gonna make me a big sharp axe
Shining steel tempered in the fire
I'll chop you down like an old dead tree
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
I met my love by the gas works wall
Dreamed a dream by the old canal
I kissed my girl by the factory wall
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Dirty old town
Les Miserables
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!
Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!
I've just down from the Isle of Skye.
I'm no very big and I'm awful shy.
And the lassies shout when I go by,
"Donald, where's your troosers?"
Chorus:
Let the wind blow high,
let the wind blow low,
Through the streets in my kilt I go.
All the lassies say, "Hello!
Donald, where's your troosers?"
A lassie took me to a ball.
It was slippery in the hall.
And I was feared that I would fall,
For I had nay on my troosers..
Now I went down to London town,
And I had some fun in the underground,
'The Ladies' turned their
heads around, saying,
"Donald, where are your trousers?"
To wear the kilt is my delight,
It tis not wrong I know its right.
The islanders would get a fright,
If they saw me in the trousers.
The lassies want me every one,
Well let them catch me if they can.
You canna take the breeks
off a Hielan' man.
And I don't wear the troosers.
Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.
Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.
Chorus:
Long we've tossed on the rolling main, now we're safe ashore, Jack.
Don't forget yer old shipmate, faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-eye-doe!
Since we sailed from Plymouth Sound, four years gone, or nigh, Jack.
Was there ever chummies, now, such as you and I, Jack?
We have worked the self-same gun, quarterdeck division.
Sponger I and loader you, through the whole commission.
Oftentimes have we laid out, toil nor danger fearing,
Tugging out the flapping sail to the weather earring.
When the middle watch was on, and the time went slow, boy,
Who could choose a rousing stave, who like Jack or Joe, boy?
There she swings, an empty hulk, not a soul below now.
Number seven starboard mess misses Jack and Joe now.
But the best of friends must part, fair or foul the weather.
Hand yer flipper for a shake, now a drink together.
Wuz you ever in Quebec
Launchin' timber on the deck?
Where ye'd break yer bleedin' neck
Riding on a donkey!
Chorus :
Way hay an' away we go,
Donkey riding, donkey riding!
Way hay an' away we go,
Riding on a donkey!
Wuz you ever in Timbucktoo
Where the gals wear red an' blue?
And they waggle their bustles too,
Riding on a donkey!
Wuz you ever in Vallipo
Where the gals put on a show?
Waggle an' dance with a roll and go,
Riding on a donkey!
Wuz you ever in Mobile Bay,
Screwin' cotton all the day?
A dollar a day is a Jack Tar's pay,
Riding on a donkey!
Wuz you ever in Miramichi,
Where you tie up to a tree?
And the girls sit on your knee,
Riding on a donkey!
Wuz you ever in Frisco Bay,
Where the girls shout Hooray?
Here comes Johnny with six months pay,
Riding on a donkey!
Wuz you ever in London town,
Where the gals they do come down?
See the king in a golden crown,
Riding on a donkey!
Wuz you ever off Cape Horn,
Where the weather's never warm?
Wish to Christ ye'd never bin born?
Riding on a donkey!
Chorus:
Doon in the wee room underneath the stair
Everybody's happy, everybody's there
And we're a' makin' merry, each in his chair
Doon in the wee room underneath the stair
And when you're tired and weary, and you're feeling blue
Don't give way to sorrow, I'll tell you what to do
Just tak' a tram to Spring burn, find the Quin's Bar there
And go doon in the wee room underneath the stair
The king went to a-hunting, his fortunes for to seek
He left the train at Partick and went missing for a week
Now after months of searching, of sorrow and despair
They found him in the wee room underneath the stair
And when I'm old and feeble and my bones are gettin' set
I'll not get fat and grumpy like Ian and Derek get
Oh, I'm savin' up my bawbees to buy a Hurley chair
To tak' me to the wee room underneath the stair
San Jose was lost at sea
Along with a Spanish company
Their powder caught under fierce attack
The king never got his emeralds back
They're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
The Royal Charter in Dulas bay
One of two hundred lost that day
Miners' pockets filled with gold
Dragged them down to the ocean cold
They're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
Chorus:
They're down, drowned in thе depths below
Wherе the sun don't shine and the winds don't blow
And the timbers crack and the mainstay fails
We'll all find peace wrapped within our sails
Mary Celeste was found alone
The fate of her crew is still unknown
Murder, fraud or acts bizarre
No one can say but chances are
They're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
Hail the Revenge for their bravery
Tried to escape fighting fifty-three
The surrender of her last sixteen crew
Couldn't save her boards from the briny blue
They're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
Chorus
Pity the crew of Hermione
Suffered a curséd mutiny
Their vicious captain caused the brawl
Mutineers and victims all
They're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
General Slocum's wheels of wood
Caught ablaze like they never should
Floats of cork filled with weights instead
Sent families off to the riverbed
They're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
Chorus
All my friends are dead and gone
I'll join them soon, it won't be long
Whether lost at sea or far ashore
To the ocean return forevermore
We're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
We're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
We're down, downed and drowned
Downed and drowned and never found
Drink up your cider George, pass us round the mug!
Drink up your cider George, your garden's ver' nigh dug
Your cheeks been gettin' redder from Charterhouse to Cheddar
And there's still more cider in the jug!
Chorus:
Drink up thy zider, drink up thy zider,
For tonight we'll merry be,
We'll knock the milkchurns over, and roll 'em in the clover,
The corn's half cut, and so be we!
Drink up your cider George, and get up off the mat
Drink up your cider George, put on thy Sunday hat
'Cos we're off to Barrow Gurney for to see my brother Ernie,
And there's still more cider in the vat!
Drink up thy cider George, it's time you had a rest,
Drink up your cider George, the finest ever pressed
There ain't nothin' like good cider for to make your smile grow wider,
And there's still more cider way down west!
From Tortuga's port we put to sea and sailed for sixteen days
In the biggest storm I'd ever seen, we almost lost our way
When a call came from a deckhand: "Boys, I think she's going down"
"But don't you fear, there's enough rum here
To drink until we drown!"
Chorus:
Ho!
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
Ear-ly in the morning
Hoo-ray and up she rises (Hoo-ray)
Hoo-ray and up she rises (Hoo-ray)
Hoo-ray and up she rises (Hoo-ray)
Ear-ly in the morning
So each deckhand grabbed a barrel, broke the seal and took a swig
And soon their screams turned into songs, their panicked work turned into jigs
The first mate bellowed orders, ever trying to save their skins
"Any drunken wretch the captain catch:
He'll beat all limb from limb!"
Every man continued drinking, all their duties long forgot
They were deaf to every order, ‘til they heard a pistol shot
The captain stood on fo'c'sle, swung the cat above his head
"Back to yer post or by my ghost,
Ye'll wish that ye were dead!"
Every drunk received a beating, some of the drunker managed two
The captain kept an eye until he’d sobered up his crew
He then retired to quarters, put the rum upon his shelf
Sat in his seat, put up his feet
And drank the rest himself!
Put him in the longboat 'til he's sober
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Throw him in the hold with the captain’s daughter
Ear-ly in the morning
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
Early in the morning
Chorus:
Hooray, and up she rises
Hooray, and up she rises
Hooray, and up she rises
Ealy in the morning
Put him in the long boat 'til he's sober
Pull out the plug and wet him all over
Put him in the bilge and make him drink it
Put him in a leaky boat and make him bale her
Tie him to the scuppers with the hose pipe on him
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Tie him to the topmast while she's yardarm under
Heave him by the leg in a runnin' bowline
Keel haul him 'til he's sober
That's what we'll do with a drunken sailor
A Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair
And one could tell by how he walked he’d drunk more than his share
He stumbled on until he could no longer keep his feet
Then he staggered off into the grass to sleep beside the street
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
He staggered off in to the grass to sleep beside the street
Later on two young and lovely girls just happened by,
And one says to the other with a twinkle in her eye,
“ You see yon sleeping Scotsman, so young and handsome built?
I wonder if it’s true what they don’t wear beneath their kilt?”
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
I wonder if it’s true what they don’t wear beneath their kilt?”
They crept up to the sleeping Scotsman quiet as could be,
Then lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see,
And there behold for them to view beneath his Scottish skirt,
T’was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
T’was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth.
They marvelled for a moment then one said we’d best be gone,
Let’s leave a present for our friend before we move along.
As a gift they took a blue silk ribbon tied into a bow
A round the bonnie star the Scotman’s kilt did lift and show
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
A round the bonnie star the Scotman’s kilt did lift and show
The Scotsman woke to nature’s call and stumbled t’ward the trees
Behind a bush he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees.
Then in a startled voice he says to what’s before his eyes
“ Oh lad, I don’t know where you’ve been, but I see you won first prize”
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
“ Oh lad, I don’t know where you’ve been, but I see you won first prize”
Our Scottish friend, still clad in kilt, continued up the street
He’d not gone ten yards or more, when a girl he chanced to meet
She said: “I’ve heard what’s under there, now tell me is it so?”
He said: “Just slip your hand up, miss, if you’d really like to know!”
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
He said: “Just slip your hand up, miss, if you’d really like to know!”
She slid her hand right up his kilt, and much to her surprise,
The Scotsman grinned, and a very strange look came into his eyes,
She said: “Why, sir, that’ sgruesome!” And he began to roar:
“ If you slip your hand up once again, you’ll find it’s grew some more!”
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
“ If you slip your hand up once again, you’ll find it’s grew some more!”
The lassie paused a moment while her face was turning red
She asked the Scot to spend the night with her and warm her bed
Said he, “My dear, I’ve got a wife, straight home to her I’ll go,
Though I may be a bit more comfortable if I loosen up this bow.”
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
Though I may be a bit more comfortable if I loosen up this bow.”
His fingers steeled with drink were not, his head still spinnin’ round
He could not loose the knot, and so he left it as ‘twas found
And when his wife did spy on that fair stem what flower grows
It peaked her curiosity, as well you might suppose.
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
It peaked her curiosity, as well you might suppose.
And when she asked the Scotsman where he’d been and what he’d done
He said there’d been a contest at the pub, and he had won
Said she “How could you0 show that thing, in front of all those men?”
He said “I didnae show it all my lassie, just enough to win”
Ring ding diddle diddle i de o, Ring di diddle I o
He said “I didnae show it all my lassie, just enough to win”
Me father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light
He slept with a mermaid one fine night
From this union there sprang three
A porpoise and a porgy and the other was me
Chorus:
Yo ho ho, the wind blows free
Oh, for the life on the rolling sea
One night, while I was a-trimming of the glim
Hummin’ a tune from the evening hymn
A voice from the starboard shouted, "Ahoy"
And there was me mother, a-sitting on a buoy
Oh what has become of my children of three?
Me mother then she asked of me
One was exhibited as a talking fish
The other was served on a chafing dish
Well the phosphorous flashed in her seaweed hair
I looked again and me mother wasn't there
But her voice came echoing out of the night
"The devil take the keeper of the Eddystone Light"
When the Summer sun is shining England's finest hour is seen,
When the ripening barley's waving, yellow in its frame of green,
When the bird-song welcomes evening, when the sky is turning pale
Fill your glass and toast their glory with a taste of English ale.
Chorus:
English ale, O English ale, How we love our English ale.
Fill your glass and toast their glory with a taste of English ale.
When the Autumn leaves are golden, when the evening air is chill,
When the swallows leave us for a place where there is Summer still
Just remember their returning, like the tides they never fail.
Fill your glass and toast their glory with a taste of English ale.
When the Winter brings us snowstorms, when the wind blows ill for all,
When Jack Frost hangs at your window and the nights too quickly fall
There's a log fire warmly burning in the fens and in the dale.
Fill your glass and toast their glory with a taste of English ale.
When the Spring begins to quicken, when new scents are on the air,
When the sleepers stir and waken, when the land again is fair
Then the old men talk of childhood, old men tell such wondrous tales
Fill their glass and toast their glory with a taste of English ale.
Essequibo River is the king of rivers all,
Buddy ta na na, we are somebody oh.
Essequibo River is the king of rivers all,
Buddy ta na na, we are somebody oh.
Chorus:
Somebody oh Johnny, somebody oh,
Buddy ta na na, we are somebody oh.
Essequibo cap’n is the king of cap’ns all.
Essequibo bo’sun is the king of bo’suns all.
Essequibo sailor is the king of sailors all.
Essequibo whiskey is the king of whiskeys all.
Essequibo River is the king of rivers all.
Well, it was on this Monday morning
And the day be calm and fine
To the Harbour Grace excursion
With the boys to have a time
And just before the sailor
Took the gangway from the pier
I saw some fella haul me wife
Aboard as a volunteer
Chorus:
Oh me, oh my, I heard me old wife cry
Oh me, oh my, I think I'm gonna die
Oh me, oh my, I heard me old wife say
"I wish I'd never taken this excursion around the bay"
We had full three hundred souls aboard
Oh what a splendid sight
Dressed all in regimental
To make our spirits bright
And meself being in the double
When a funny things they'd say
They choke themselves from laughing
When they'd see us in the bay
Chorus
My wife she got no better
She turned a sickly green
I fed her cake and candy
Fat pork and kerosene
Castor oil and sugar of candy
I rubbed pure oil on her face
And I said she'll be a dandy
When we reaches Harbour Grace
Chorus
My wife she got no better
My wife me darling dear
The screeches from her trolley
You could hear in Carbonear
I tried every place in Harbour Grace
Tried every store and shop
To get her something for a cure
Or take her to the hop
Chorus
She died below the brandies
As we were comin' back
We buried her in the ocean
Wrapped up in a Union Jack
So now I am a single man
In search of a pretty face
And the woman that says she'll have me
I'm off for Harbour Grace
Chorus
O, we all got drunk in Dublin City
Fall down me Billy
We all got drunk and the more’s the pity
And it’s fall down Billy O’Shea
Chorus:
And it's fall down, fall down
Fall down, me Billy
We're bound away to Americay
And it's fall down, Billy O'Shea
We all passed out on Sir Rogerson's Quay
Fall down me Billy
When we woke, we were out to sea
And it's fall down Billy O'Shea
O, I thought I heard the bosun say
Fall down me Billy
We’re outward bound for Frisco Bay
And it's fall down Billy O'Shea
We are not sailors Captain dear
Fall down, me Billy
We come from the land and we won’t work here
And it's fall down, Billy O'Shea
Says the captain, "I've a cure for that"
Fall down, me Billy
"And for a start here’s a taste of the cat."
And it's fall down, Billy O'Shea
He sent him up to the tops’l yard
Fall down, me Billy
When he hit the deck, he hit it hard
And it’s fall down, Billy O’Shea
We wrapped him up in an old black tarp
Fall down, me Billy
And heaved him o’er to feed the shark
And it's fall down, Billy O'Shea
Well, it’s over the rail and down he goes
Fall down, me Billy
To Davy Jones with a stitch through his nose
And it's fall down, Billy O'Shea
Chorus:
Farewell to Nova Scotia
And your sea bound coast
Let your mountains dark and dreary be
When I am far away on the
Briney oceans tossed
Will you ever heave a sigh
Or a wish for me
The sun is setting in the west
The birds are singing from every tree
All nature seems inclinded to rest
But still there will be
No rest for me
I grieve to leave my native land
I grieve to leave my comrades all
And my aged parents
Whom I love so dear
And the bonny bonny lassie
That I adore CHorus
The drums do beat the wars do alarm
The captain calls, I must obey
Farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charms
For it's early in the monring
And I'm far far away Chorus
I have three brothers they are at rest
Their arms are folded on their chest
But a briney sailor just like me
Must be tossed and driven
In the deep blue sea Chorus
Shotover river, your gold it is waning
It's weeks since the colour I've seen
But it's no use just sitting and Lady Luck blaming
So I'll pack up and make the break clean
Farewell to the gold that never I found
Goodbye to the nuggets that somewhere abound
For it's only when dreaming that I see you gleaming
Down in the dark, deep underground
It's nearly two years since I left my old mother
For adventure and gold by the pound
With Jimmy the prospector - he was another
For the hills of Otago was bound
We worked the Cardrona's dry valley all over
Old Jimmy Williams and me
But they were panning good dirt on the winding Shotover
So we headed down there just to see
We sluiced and we cradled for day after day
Making hardly enough to get by
Til a terrible flood swept poor Jimmy away
During six stormy days in July
Come all ye bold heroes, who to this place come,
We’ll sing in the praise of good brandy and rum.
So raise up your glasses, good cheer is our goal
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
Chorus:
I'll fathom the bowl, I'll fathom the bowl,
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
From France we do get brandy, from Jamaica comes rum,
Sweet oranges and apples from Portugal come.
But stout and strong cider are England's control,
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
My wife she do disturb me when I'm laid at my ease,
For she does as she likes and she says as she please.
My wife she's a devil, she's black as the coal,
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
My father he do lie in the depths of the sea,
With no stone at his head by, what matters for he?
There's a clear crystal fountain o’er England shall roll,
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl.
My grandfather he do lie all out in the street,
No hat on his head and no shoes on his feet.
Broken glass all around him and shit on his suit.
The silly old bastard’s as pissed as a newt.
As pissed as a newt, as pissed as a newt,
The silly old bastard’s as pissed as a newt.
As I walked by the dockside one evening so fair,
to view the salt waters and take the salt air,
I heard an old fisherman singing a song,
'Oh take me away boys, me time is not long'.
Chorus:
Wrap me up in me oilskins and jumpers,
No more on the docks I'll be seen.
Just tell me old shipmates, I'm taking a trip, mates,
And I'll see you some day on Fiddler's Green.
Now Fiddler's Green is a place I've heard tell,
where the fishermen go if they don't go to hell.
Where the skies are all clear and the dolphins do play,
And the cold coast of Greenland is far, far away.
Where there's always a breeze and there's never a gale,
And the fish jump on board with one swish of their tail.
Where you lie at your leisure, there's no work to do,
And the skipper's below making tea for the crew.
When you get back on docks and the long trip is through,
There's pubs and there's clubs and there's lassies there, too.
Where the girls are all pretty and the beer it is free,
And there's bottles of rum growing from every tree.
Now I don't want a harp nor a halo, not me,
Just give me a breeze on a good rolling sea.
I'll play me old squeezebox as we sail along,
With the wind in the rigging to sing me a song.
Tim Finnegan lived in Walkin Street
A gentle Irishman, mighty odd
He'd a beautiful brogue so rich and sweet
And to rise in the world he carried a hod
You see he'd a sort of the tipp' lin' way
With the love of the liquor, poor Tim was born
And to help him on with his work each day
He'd a drop of the craythur every morn
Chorus:
Whack fol the da, now, dance to your partner
Welt the floor your trotters shake
Wasn't it the truth I tell you
Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake
One mornin' Tim was rather full
His head felt heavy, which made him shake
He fell from the ladder and he broke his skull
And they carried him home his corpse to wake
They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet
And laid him out upon the bed
With a gallon of whiskey at his feet
And a barrel of porter at his head
His friends assembled at the wake
And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch
First they brought in tay and cake
Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch
Biddy O'Brien began to cry
"Such a nice clean corpse did you ever see?
Tim Mavourneen why did you die?"
"Arrah hold your gob" said Paddy McGee
Then Maggie O'Connor took up the job
"O Biddy, " says she "you're wrong I'm sure"
Biddy gave her a belt in the gob
And left her sprawling on the floor
Then the war did soon engage
It was woman to woman and man to man
Shillelagh law was all the rage
And a row and a ruction soon began
Then Mickey Maloney raised his head
When a bucket of whiskey flew at him
It missed and falling on the bed
The liquor scattered over Tim
Tim revives, see how he rises
Timothy rising from the bed
Said "Whirl your whiskey around like blazes
Thundering Jesus, do you think I'm dead?"
Chorus:
Fire, fire, fire down below,
It's fetch a bucket of water girls,
There's fire down below.
There’s fire in the galley, there’s fire down below;
It's fetch a bucket of water girls,
There's fire down below .
There’s fire in the fore-top, there’s fire in the main;
It's fetch a bucket of water girls,
And put it out again.
As I walked out one evening all in the month of June
I overhead an Irish girl singing this old song
Fire in the lifeboat, fire in the gig
Fire in the pigsty, roasting of our pig
Fire up aloft boys, fire down below,
Douse it out with water girls
And lets roll and go
Lift him up and carry him along
Fire Marengo, fire away
Send him down where he belongs
Fire Marengo, fire away
Stow him in his hole below
Fire Marengo, fire away
Stay he must and then he'll go
Fire Marengo, fire away
When I get back to Liverpool town
Fire Marengo, fire away
I'll drop a line to little Sally Brown
Fire Marengo, fire away
I'll haul her high, I'll haul her low
Fire Marengo, fire away
I'll bust her blocks and make her go
Fire Marengo, fire away
Sally she's a pretty little craft
Fire Marengo, fire away
Sharp to the fore and rounded aft
Fire Marengo, fire away
So screw the cotton, oh, screw it down
Fire Marengo, fire away
We’ll soon be back homeward bound
Fire Marengo, fire away
Come all you young sailor men, listen to me
I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea
Chorus:
And it's windy weather, boys, stormy weather, boys
When the wind blows, we're all together, boys
Blow ye winds westerly, blow ye winds, blow
Jolly sou'wester, boys, steady she goes
Up jumps the cod with his chuckle head
Runs on up forward and throws out the lead
Up jumps the eel with his slippery tail
Climbs up aloft and reefs the topsail
Up jumps the herring the king of the sea
Says, “Now I’m the captain an’ you’ll follow me”
And then up jumps the shark with his nine rows of teeth
Saying, "You eat the dough boys, and I'll eat the beef!"
Up jumps the whale, the largest of all
"If you want any wind, well, I'll blow ye a squall"
Up jumps the herring, the king of the sea
“ Now I’m the captain and you’ll follow me”
Up Jumps the fisherman, stalwart and grim
Throws out his net and scoops them all in.
O flower of Scotland
When will we see your like again
That fought and died for
Your wee bit hill and glen
Chorus:
And stood against him
Proud Edward's army
And sent him homeward
Tae think again
The hills are bare now
And autumn leaves lie thick and still
O'er land that is lost now
Which those so dearly held
Those days are passed now
And in the past they must remain
But we can still rise now
And be the nation again
As down the glen one Easter morn
To a city fair rode I
Their Armed lines of marching men
In squadrons passed me by
No pipes did hum, no battle drum
Did sound its loud tattoo
But the Angelus Bell o'er the Liffey's swell
Rang out through the foggy dew
Right proudly high over Dublin Town
Hung they out the flag of war
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky
Than at Suvla or Sud-El-Bar
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurryin’ through
While Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew
Oh the night fell black, and the rifles' crack
Made perfidious Albion reel
In the leaden rain, seven tongues of flame
Did shine o'er the lines of steel
By each shining blade a prayer was said,
That to Ireland her sons be true
But when morning broke, still the war flag shook
Out its folds in the foggy dew
'Twas England bade our Wild Geese go,
That "small nations might be free"
But their lonely graves are by Suvla's waves
Or on the fringe of the great North Sea
Oh, had they died by Pearse's side
Or fought with Cathal Brugha
Their graves we will keep where the Fenians sleep,
'Neath the shroud of the foggy dew
Oh the bravest fell, and the Requiem bell
Rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Eastertide
In the spring time of the year
While the world did gaze, in deep amaze,
At those fearless men, but few,
Who bore the fight that the freedom's light
Might shine through the foggy dew
As back through the glen I rode again
And my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men
Whom I never shall see more
But to and fro in my dreams I go
And I kneel and pray for you,
For slavery fled, O glorious dead,
When you fell in the foggy dew.
Karine Polwart
The back of the winter is broken
And light lingers long by the door
And the seeds of the summer have spoken
In gowans that bloom on the shore
By night and day we'll sport and we'll play
And delight as the dawn dances over the bay
Sleep blows the breath of the morning away
And we follow the heron home
In darkness we cradled our sorrow
And stoked all our fires with fear
Now these bones that lie empty and hollow
Are ready for gladness to cheer
So long may you sing of the salmon
And the snow-scented sounds of your home
While the north wind delivers its sermon
Of ice and salt water and stone
The Longest Johns
Come me boys and heave with me
Let's get off this cursed sea
Let's be home to lovers and wives
And leave behind these four hour lives
Four hours
Workin' on the swell
Four hours
Sloggin' in the rain
Four hours
Workin' to the bell
Then four hours
'Til it starts again
Come me boys and heave with me
The wind's my friend and my enemy
It carries me home, but it must be tamed
Everything lost or everything gained
Come me boys and heave with me
Got scabrous hands and bloody knees
But when the bell tolls, I'll go below
My hands will callous, and my strength will grow
Come me boys and heave away
Soaked and heavy heaving under the spray
Will I ever shed this salt on my brow?
Better the dust from under my plow
When I'm back in Bristol town
I'll buy my love a silken gown
We'll lie in each others arms and rest
Until that bell sounds in my chest
Oh, the fox went out on a chilly night
And he prayed for the moon to give him light
For he'd many a mile to go that night
Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o
He'd many a mile to go that night
before he reached the town-o
He ran 'til he came to the farmer's pen
The ducks and the geese were kept therein
He said, "A couple of you are gonna grease my chin"
Before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o
A couple of you are going to grease my chin
Before I leave this town-o
He grabbed the gray goose by the neck
And he threw a duck across his back
And he didn't mind the quack, quack, quack
And the legs all danglin' down-o, down-o, down-o
He didn't mind the quack, quack
And the legs all danglin', down-o
Well, the old gray women jumped out of bed
She ran through the window, and she popped out her head
Cried, "John, John the great goose is gone
And the fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o
John, John the great goose is gone,
and the fox is on the town-o"
He ran 'til he came back to his den
And there were the little ones eight, nine, ten
Singin', "Daddy, daddy, better go back again
For it must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o
Daddy, daddy, go back again
For it must be a mighty fine town-o"
The fox and his wife, without any strife
They cut up that goose with a fork and a knife
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o
They never had such a supper in their life
And the little ones chewed on the bones-o
Chorus:
Cold is the Artic Sea
Far are your arms from me
Long will this Winter be
Frozen in Frobisher Bay
Frozen in Frobisher Bay
One more whale our Captain cried
One more whale then we'll beat the ice
But the Winter star was in the sky
The seas were rough, the winds were high
Deep were the crashing waves
That tore our whaler's mast away
Dark are these sunless days
Waiting for the ice to break
Strange is the whaler's fate
To be saved from the raging waves
Only to waste away
Frozen in this lonely grave
Oh, to Chile’s coast we are bound away
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
To Chile’s coast we are bound away
We’ll dance and all drink pisco!
We're bound away at the break of day
Where them little Spanish gals are so smart and gay
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Sing olé for them Spanish gals!
And when we get to Vallipo
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
An' when we get to Vallipo
We’ll dance and all drink pisco!
Dance the gals up the street with a roll-n-go
Oh, grab 'em round the middle an' we won’t let ‘em go
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Sing olé for them Spanish gals!
Them señoritas are smart and gay
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Them señoritas are smart and gay
We’ll dance and all drink pisco!
They dance an' drink till the break o' day
Then sleep with you an' then take yer pay
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Sing olé for them Spanish gals!
Rosita, Anna, and Carmen too
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Rosita, Anna, and Carmen too
We’ll dance and all drink pisco!
They’ll greet ye with a hullabaloo
An' then they’ll show you what they can do
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Sing olé for them Spanish gals!
Them ol' señoras, as we know well
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Them ol' señoras, as we know well
We’ll dance and all drink pisco!
They’re red-hot devils from the other side o' hell
An' ye’ll never get a chance for to ring a Chile bell
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Sing olé for them Spanish gals!
And when the time comes for to say farewell
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
And when the time comes for to say farewell
We’ll dance and all drink pisco!
Goodbye to the gals an' our money as well
Oh Callao, Coquimbo, an' ol' Coronel
To me heave-ho, hang her Hilo
Sing olé for them Spanish gals!
At Oranmore in the county Galway
One pleasant evening in the month's of May
I spied a damsel, she was young and handsome
Her beauty fairly took my breath away
She worn no jewels, nor costly diamonds
No paint nor powder, no none at all
But she worn a bonnet with ribbons on it
And 'round her shoulders was the Galway shawl
We kept on walking she kept on talking
'Till her fathers cottage came in to view
Said she, 'Come in sir', and meet my father
And play, to please him, 'The Foggy Dew'
She sat me down beside the hearthstone
I could see her father he was six feet tall
And soon her mother, had the kettle singing
All I could think of, was the Galway shawl
I played, 'The Black Bird', 'The Stack of Barley'
'Rodney's Glory' and 'The Foggy Dew'
She sang each note like an Irish linnet
And tears weld in her eyes of blue
'Twas early, early, all in the morning
I hit the road for old Donegal
Said she, 'goodbye sir', she cried and kissed me
But my heart remain with the Galway shawl
General Taylor gained the day
Walk him along, John, carry him along
Well General Taylor gained the day
Carry him to his burying ground
Chorus:
To me, way, hey, Stormy
Walk him along, John, carry him along
To me, way, hey, Stormy
Carry him to his burying ground
Well I wish I was old Stormy's son
Walk him along, John, carry him along
I'd build a ship ten thousand tonne
Carry him to his burying ground
We'll load her up with ale and rum
Walk him along, John, carry him along
That every shellback should have some
Carry him to his burying ground
We'll dig his grave with a silver spade
Walk him along, John, carry him along
His shroud of finest silk is made
Carry him to his burying ground
We'll lower him down on a golden chain
Walk him along, John, carry him along
On every link we'll carve his name
Carry him to his burying ground
Well General Taylor's dead and gone
Walk him along, John, carry him along
Well General Taylor's dead and gone
Carry him to his burying ground
Oh list, oh list to me sorrowful lay,
And attention give to me song, I pray,
When you've heard it all you'll say
That I'm an unfortunate tailor.
For once I was happy as a bird in a tree,
My Sarah was all in the world to me,
Now I'm cut out by a son of the sea,
And she's left me here to bewail her.
Why did Sarah serve me so?
No more will I stitch and no more will I sew;
Me thimble and me needle to the winds I'll throw
And I'll go and 'list for a sailor.
Now me days were honey and me nights were the same,
Till a man called Cobb from the ocean came
With his long black beard and his muscular frame,
A captain on board of a whaler.
Well he spent his money both frank and free,
With his tales of the land and his songs of the sea,
And he stole me Sarah's heart from me,
And blighted the hopes of a tailor.
Well, once I was with her, when in came Cobb
“ Avast!” he cried, “you blubbery swab.
If you don't knock off I'll scuttle your knob!”
And Sarah smiled at the sailor.
So now I'll cross the raging sea,
For Sarah's proved untrue to me.
Me heart's locked up and she's the key;
What a very unfeeling gaoler.
And so now, kind friends, I'll bid you adieu,
No more me woes shall trouble you;
I'll travel the country through and through,
And go and 'list for a sailor
When first I landed in Liverpool, I went upon a spree
Me money alas I spent it fast, got drunk as drunk could be
And when that me money was all gone, 'twas then I wanted more
But a man must be blind to make up his mind to go to sea once more
Once more, boys, once more, go to sea once more
But a man must be blind to make up his mind to go to sea once more
I spent the night with Angeline too drunk to roll in bed
Me watch was new and me money too, in the morning with them she'd fled
And as I walked the streets about, the girls they all did roar
There goes Jack Spratt, the poor sailor lad, he must go to sea once more
Once more, boys, once more, go to sea once more
There goes Jack Spratt, the poor sailor lad, he must go to sea once more
And as I walked the streets about, I met with the Rapper Brown
I asked him for to take me on and he looked at me with a frown
He said last time you was paid off with me you chalked no score
But I'll give you a chance and I'll take your advance
And I'll send you to sea once more
Once more, boys, once more, send you to sea once more
I'll give you a chance and I'll take your advance
And I'll send you to sea once more
He shipped me on board of a whaling ship bound for the Arctic seas
Where the cold winds blow through the frost and snow and Jamaica rum would freeze
But worse to bear, I'd no hard weather gear for I'd spent all me money on shore
'Twas then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more
No more, boys, no more, go to sea no more
'Twas then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more
So come all you bold seafaring men who'll listen to me song
When you come off them long trips I'll have you not go wrong
Take my advice, drink no strong drink, don't you knock on that brother door
Get married instead and spend all night in bed and go to sea no more
No more, boys, no more, go to sea no more
Get married instead and spend all night in bed and go to sea no more
Oh, we're homeward bound for Liverpool town
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well.
Them Liverpool judies they all will come down.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound!
Oh, we're homeward bound for the girls of the town
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well.
So stamp up my hearties, and heave her around,
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound!
We're a fine flashy packet and bound for to go,
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well .
With the girls on the towrope we cannot say no.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound !
And one to another you'll hear them say,
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well.
Now here comes Johnny with his fourteen months pay.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound !
Oh, them girls there on Lime Street we soon hope to meet,
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well.
And soon we'll be rolling both sides of the street.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound!
We'll meet those fly girls and we'll ring the old bell,
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well .
With them girls we'll meet there we'll raise bloody hell.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound!
Oh, I'll tell me old woman when I gets back home,
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well.
The girls there on Lime Street won't leave me alone.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound!
Oh, we're homeward bound an I have yous to know
Goodbye, fare thee well, Goodbye, fare thee well.
It’s over the water to Liverpool we'll go.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound!
Eric Bogle
Well, how do you do, young Willie McBride?
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside?
And rest for a while in the warm summer sun
I've been walking all day, and I'm nearly done
I see by your gravestone you were only nineteen
When you joined the great fallen in 1916
I hope you died well and I hope you died clean
Or young Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene?
Did they beat the drum slowly, did they play the fife lowly?
Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down?
Did the band play The Last Post in chorus?
Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?
Did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some faithful heart is your memory enshrined?
Although, you died back in 1916
In that faithful heart are you forever nineteen?
Or are you a stranger without even a name
Enclosed in forever behind a glass pane
In an old photograph, torn, battered and stained
And faded to yellow in a brown leather frame?
The sun now it shines on the green fields of France
There's a warm summer breeze that makes the red poppies dance
The trenches havve vanished from under the plough
There's no gas, no barbed wire, there's no guns firing now
But here in this graveyard it's still No Man's Land
The countless white crosses in mute witness stand
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man
To a whole generation that were butchered and damned
I can't help wonder, young Willie McBride,
Do those who lie here know why they died?
And did you believe when you answered the cause
Did you really believe that this war would end wars?
Well the sorrow, the suffering, the glory, the pain
The killing and dying, were all done in vain
For young Willie McBride, it all happened again
And again, and again, and again, and again
John Thompson
The Green Man’s a traveller, a reveller, unraveller
Of dreams and of fancies, from first to the last.
Older than all men, living in all things
Son, father and sage, Long live the Green Man!
First light of first morning saw the Green Man there waiting
He saw the creation and joined in the dance
All creatures grew ’round him, he grew with them singing
The first song of all, sing of the Green Man
Quietly watching and waiting and learning
The storms are his fury, the lightning his laugh
The first leaf of spring, is his beauty and glory
His stillness his power, in the trees is his path.
There are fewer trees now, but the man is not sleeping
‘Though our ruin brings sorrow to time’s oldest heart
In our souls we may find him and remember his wisdom
And rekindle the flame; once again make a start.
Older than all men, living in all things
Son, father and sage, Long live the Green Man!
O, we took our lofty whaling ship
To Greenland’s icy ground
They swore we’d take a score of whales
While we were outward bound, brave boys
While we were outward bound
O, the lookout stood in the barrel high,
With a spyglass in his hand
"There's a whale, there's a whale, there's a whale-fish" he cried,
"And she blows at every span, brave boys
And she blows at every span"
Well, the captain stood on the quarter deck
And the ice was in his eye
"Overhaul, overhaul! Let your davit tackles fall
And go put your boats to sea, brave boys
And go put your boats to sea"
O, boats were launched and the men aboard
And that whalefish full at view
Resolved, resolved was each whalerman bold
For to steer where that whalefish blew, brave boys
For to steer where that whalefish blew
Now, our harpoon struck and the line played out
But the fish gave a flurry with her tail
She upset the boat, we loast half a dozen men
No more, no more Greenland for you, brave boys
No more, no more Greenland for you
O, the losin' of those fine brave men
It grieved out captain sore
But the losin' of that hundred barrel whale
O, it grieved him ten times more, brave boys
O, it grieved him ten times more
Well, the winter stars did then appear
It was time to anchor weigh
And to stow away all our running gear
And from Greenland bear away, brave boys
And from Greenland bear away
Oh, Greenland is a terrible land
It’s a land that bears no green
Where there's ice and snow and the whalefishes blow
And the daylight's seldom seen, brave boys
And the daylight's seldom seen
Don't mind the rain or the rolling sea,
The weary night never worried me.
But the hardest time in a sailor's day
Is to watch the sun as it dies away.
Chorus:
Here's one more day on the Grey Funnel Line.
The finest ship that sails the sea
Is still a prison for the likes of me.
But give me wings like Noah's dove,
and I'll fly up harbour to the girl I love.
Each time I gaze behind the screws
I wish I had Saint Peter's shoes.
Then I'd dance on down that silvery lane,
And rest in my true love's arms again.
Oh Lord, if dreams were only real,
Then I'd feel my hands on that wooden wheel.
And with all my heart I'd turn her 'round
And tell the boys that we're homeward bound.
I'll pass the time like some machine
Until blue waters turn into green.
Then I'll dance on down that walk ashore,
And sail the Grey Funnel Line no more.
Chorus :
Here's to the Grimsby lads out on the trawling
All the night long on the billowing deep
Shooting their nets with their heaving and hauling
All the night long while the landsmen do sleep
They leave in the cold and the grey of the morning
Leaving their wives and families behind
They're following the fishes fulfilling their wishes
Charts are all ready the shoals for to find
They head away north where they know will be waiting
Frost and black ice and the lash of the gale
They're trawling and hoping and anticipating
A ship home port full and safely to sail
From Scotland's grey shores to the cold coast of Greenland
White Seas and Faroes they're making their way
Through Dogger and Fortys and stormy Bear Island
Eighteen long hours is the fisherman's day
The nets are all in and the catch lies a-gleaming
There's cutting and cleaning and gutting below
Thirteen more hours then home we'll be sailing
With a ship home port full and safely we'll go
They calls me hanging Johnny
Hooray, Hooray
And they calls me hanging Johnny
So, hang boys, hang
O they hanged me poor old father
Hooray, Hooray
And they hanged me poor old mother
So, hang boys, hang
O yes, they hanged me mother
Hooray, Hooray
Me sister and me brother
So, hang boys, hang
O they hanged me sister Sally
Hooray, Hooray
They strung her up so canny
So, hang boys, hang
Well they say I hang for money
Hooray, Hooray
But I never hung nobody
So, hang boys, hang
O boys we’ll haul and hang this sheet
Hooray, Hooray
O haul her up so neat
So, hang boys, hang
We’ll hang him up forever
Hooray, Hooray
And we’ll hang for better weather
So, hang boys, hang
O a rope, a beam, a ladder
Hooray, Hooray
I’ll hang ye’s all together
So, hang boys, hang
How happy's that man that's free from all care
That loves to make merry, that loves to make merry
O'er a drop of good beer
Chorus:
With his pipe and his friends puffing hours away
Singing song after song 'till he hails the new day
He can laugh, dance and sing and smoke without fear,
Be as happy as a king 'till he hails the new year.
How happy's the man that's free from all strife
He envies no other, he envies no other
But travels through life
Our seaman of old, they fear not their foes
They throw away discord, they throw away discord
And to mirth they're inclined
Chorus:
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
Some rows up, but we floats down
Way down the Ohio to Shawnee Town
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
Whiskey's in the jug, boys; wheat is in the sack
We'll trade them down in Shawneetown and bring the rock salt back
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
Now the current's got her boys, And we'll take up some slack
Float her down to Shawneetown and we'll bushwhack her back
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
I got a wife in Louisville, and another in New Orleans
And when I get to Shawnnee Town gonna see my Indian Queen
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
The water's might warm boys, the air is cold and dank
And the fog it gets so damn thick you cannot see the bank
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
Some rows up, but we floats down
Way down the Ohio to Shawnee Town
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears
While we all sup sorrow with the poor
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears
Oh, hard times, come again no more
'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary
Hard times, hard times, come again no more
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door
Oh, hard times, come again no more
While we seek mirth and beauty and music, light and gay
There are frail forms fainting at the door
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say
Oh, hard times, come again no more
There's a pale weeping maiden who toils her life away
With a worn heart whose better days are o'er
Though her voice would be merry, 'tis sighing all the day
Oh, hard times come again no more
Oh, hard times, come again no more
When I was just a little boy or so me mother told me
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
That if I didn't kiss the girls me lips would grow all mouldy
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Chorus:
Away (Hey!) Haul away, we'll haul away together
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Away (Hey!) Haul away, we'll haul for better weather
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
I used to have a Sydney girl, but was fat and lazy
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
But now I've got a Brisbane girl, she damn near drives me crazy
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Now lend me your ears, I’ll sing to you of Nancy
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
She stole me watch and money, but she’s the girl I fancy
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Old Louis was the king of France before the revolution
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
But then he got his head chopped off it spoiled his constitution
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
The cook is in the galley, making duffs so dandy
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
The captain’s in his cabin, drinking rum and brandy
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
You call yourself a second mate, but you cannie tie a bowline
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
You cannie even stand up straight, when the packet she's a rollin'
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Well now can't you see the black clouds a-gatherin'?
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Well now can't you see the storm clouds a-risin'?
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Haul on the bowlin’, Kitty is me darlin’,
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
Haul on the bowlin’, Kitty comes from Liverpool.
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
Haul on the bowlin’, the packet she’s a-rollin’.
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
Haul on the bowlin’ so early in the mornin’.
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
Haul on the bowlin’ the old man is a-growlin’.
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
Haul on the bowlin’ the gale is a-howlin’.
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
Haul on the bowlin’, it’s a far cry to payday.
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
Haul on the bowlin’, the bonnie, bonnie bowlin’
Haul on the bowlin’, the bowlin’ haul!
There were three brothers in merry Scotland
In merry Scotland there were three
And they did cast lots which of them should go
Should go, should go
And turn robber all on the salt sea
The lot it fell first upon Henry Martin
The youngest of all the three
That he should turn robber all on the salt sea
Salt sea, the salt sea
For to maintain his two brothers and he
He had not been sailing but a long winter's night
And a part of a short winter's day
When he espied a stout lofty ship
Lofty ship, lofty ship
Come a-bibbin' down on him straight way
"Hello! Hello!" cried Henry Martin
"What makes you sail so nigh?
I'm a rich merchant ship bound for fair London Town
London Town, London Town
Would you please for to let me pass by?"
"Oh no! Oh no!" cried Henry Martin
"This thing it never could be
For I have turned robber all on the salt sea
Salt sea, the salt sea
For to maintain my two brothers and me"
Come lower your tops'l and brail up your mizzen
Bring your ship under my lee
Or I will give to you a full cannonball
Cannonball, cannonball
And all your dear bodies drown in the salt sea
Oh no! We won't lower our lofty topsail
Nor bring our ship under your lee
And you shan't take from us our rich merchant goods
Merchant goods, merchant goods
Nor point our bold guns to the sea
Then broadside and broadside and at it they went
For fully two hours or three
Till Henry Martin gave to them the death shot
The death shot, the death shot
And straight to the bottom went she
Bad news, bad news to old England came
Bad news to fair London Town
There's been a rich vessel and she's cast away
Cast away, cast away
And all of her merry men drowned
Back to topKind friends and companions, come join me in rhyme
Come lift up your voices in chorus with mine
Come lift up your voices, all grief to refrain
For we may or might never all meet here again
Chorus:
Here's a health to the company and one to my lass
Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass
Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain
For we may or might never all meet here again
Here's a health to the dear lass that I love so well
For her style and her beauty, sure none can excel
There's a smile on her countenance as she sits on my knee
There's no man in this wide world as happy as me
Our ship lies at anchor, she's ready to dock
I wish her safe landing, without any shock
If ever I should meet you by land or by sea
I will always remember your kindness to me
Bill Scott
Hey rain, rain comin' down
On the cane, on the roofs of the town.
Hey rain, hey rain
There's rain on me hands and rain on me face,
Oh muddy old Innisfail, you’re a muddy wet place,
Hey rain, hey rain.
And there's rain in me beer and rain in me grub,
And they've just fitted anchors to the Garradunga pub,
Hey rain, hey rain.
There's a Johnstone River crocodile livin' in me frig'
And a bloody great tree snapped the Jubilee Bridge
And the monsoon sky has sprung a leak
From Flyin' Fish Point to the Millstream Creek,
A bloke from the west nigh died of fright
When he saw the river rise thirty feet last night
It's the worst wet season we've ever had,
And I'd swim down to Tully, but it's just as bloody bad
Was you ever in Quebec
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Launching timber on the deck
Me bonnie Hieland Laddie
Chorus:
Way hey and away we'll go
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Way hey and away we'll go
Me bonnie Hieland Laddie
Was you ever in Mobile Bay
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Screwin cotton on a summers day
Bonnie Hieland Laddie
Was you ever off Cape Horn
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Where the weather's never warm
Me bonnie Hieland Laddie
Was you ever in Miramashee
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Where you tie up to a tree
Bonnie Hieland Laddie-o
Was you ever in London town
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Where the girls they do come down
Bonnie Hieland Laddie-o
And was you ever in Bombay
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Drinking coffee and bohea
Me bonnie Hieland Laddie-o
Was you ever in Vallipo
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Where the girls put up a show
Me bonnie Hieland Laddie-o
Was you ever in Frisco Bay
Hieland Laddie, bonnie Laddie
Where the girls all shout hooray!
Me bonnie Hieland Laddie-o
There were two lofty ships
From old England came
Blow high, blow low
And so sail we
One was the Prince of Luther
And the other Prince of Wales
Cruisin' down the coast
Of High Barbary
Aloft there, aloft
Our jolly bosun cried
Blow high, blow low
And so sail we
Look ahead, look astern,
Look the weather look a-lee"
Look down the coast
Of High Barbary
There's naught upon the stern,
There's naught upon our lee
Blow high, blow low
And so sail we
But there's a lofty ship to wind'ard
An' she's sailin' fast and free
Down along the coast
Of High Barbary
Oh hail her, oh hail her
Our gallant captain cried
Blow high, blow low
And so sail we
Are you a man-o-war
A privateer, a merchant ship? cried he
Cruisin' down the coast
Of High Barbary
I am not a man-o-war,
A privateer, " said he
Blow high, blow low
And so sail we
But I am a salt sea pirate
A-looking for me fee
Down along the coast
Of High Barbary
For Broadside, for broadside
A long time we lay
Blow high, blow low
And so sail we
Until the Prince of Luther
Shot the pirate's mast away
Down along the coast
Of High Barbary
For quarter, for quarter
The pirates they did cry
Blow high, blow low
And so sail we
But the quarter that we gave them
We sunk them in the sea
Cruisin' down the coast
Of High Barbary
Cruisin' down along the coast
Of High Barbary
Cruisin' down along the coast
Of High Barbary
Oh, hand me down my riding cane
I'm off to meet my darlin' Jane
Chorus:
With a hog-eye, oh
Row the boat ashore with a hog-eye
Steady on the jig with a hog-eye, oh
She wants the hog-eye man
Oh, the hog-eye man is the man for me
He was born and raised in Tennessee
Oh, he came to thе shack where Sally did dwell
Hе knocked on the door and he rung the bell
Oh, who's been here since I been gone?
A railroad navvy with his sea boots on
Oh, Sally's in the garden sifting sand
The hog-eye man sittin' hand in hand
Oh, Sally's in the garden shelling peas
Her long yellow hair hangin' down to her knees
Oh, I won't bear a hog-eye, damned if I do
Got jiggers in his feet and he can't wear shoes
Oh, a hog-eye ship and a hog-eye crew
A hog-eye mate and a skipper too
The king and his men
Stole the queen from her bed
And bound her in her bones
The seas be ours
And by the powers
Where we will, we'll roam
Chorus:
Yo, ho, all hands
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die
Yo, ho, haul together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die
Some men have died
And some are alive
And others sail on the sea
With the keys to the cage
And the Devil to pay
We lay to Fiddler's Green
The bell has been raised
From its watery grave
Do you hear its sepulchral tone?
We are a call to all
Pay heed the squall
And turn your sail toward home
Fare thee well, my lovely Dinah,
A thousand times adieu.
For we're going away from the Holy Ground
And the girls we all love true.
We will sail the salt seas over
And then return for shore
And still I live in hope to see
The Holy Ground once more.
Fine Girl You Are
Chorus:
You're the girl that I adore,
And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.
Fine Girl You Are
Now when we're out a-sailing
And you are far behind
Fine letters will I write to you
With the secrets of my mind,
The secrets of my mind, my girl,
You're the girl that I adore,
And still I live in hope to see
The Holy Ground once more.
Fine Girl You Are
Oh now the storm is raging
And we are far from shore;
The poor old ship she's sinking fast
And the riggings they are tore.
The night is dark and dreary,
We can scarcely see the moon,
But still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.
Fine Girl You Are
And now the storm is over
And we are safe and well.
We will go into a public house
And we'll sit and drink like hell.
We will drink strong ale and porter
And we'll make the rafters roar,
And when our money is all spent
We will go to sea once more.
Fine Girl You Are
On a cold winters night
With a storm at its height
The lifeboat answered the call
They pitched and they tossed
Till we thought they were lost
As we watched from the harbour wall
Though the night was pitch black
There was no turning back
For someone was waiting out there
But each volunteer
Had to live with his fear
As they joined in a silent prayer
Chorus:
Carry us home, home, home from the sea
Angels of mercy, answer our plea
And carry us home, home, home from the sea
Carry us safely home from the sea
As they battle their way
Past the mouth of the bay
It was blowing like never before
As they gallantly fought
Every one of them thought
Of loved ones back on the shore
Then a flicker of light
And they knew they were right
There she was on the crest of a wave
She's an old fishing boat
And she's barely afloat
Please God, there are souls we can save
Chorus
And back in the town
In a street that runs down
To the sea and the harbour wall
They had gathered in pairs
At the foot of the stairs
To wait for the radio call
And just before dawn
When all hope was gone
Came a hush and a faraway sound
'Twas the coxswain he roared
All survivors on board
Thank God and we're homeward bound
Chorus
Cloudstreet
In ‘48 in Idaho
For houses the animals had to go
They turned for help to man named Elmo
Fish and Game Employee!
What shall we do with a homeless beaver
What shall we do with a homeless beaver
What shall we do with a homeless beaver
Throw him from an airplane
Beavers they move way to slow
From Payette Lake they had to go
Their leader was called Geronimo
He was fine and brave and furry
Elmo Heter was the man
Elmo had a cunning plan
“I will do what noone else can,
Transplant all the beavers!”
The beavers their demise were facin’
They had to get to Chamberlin Basin
Against the clock Elmo was racin’
“We must save the beavers!”
He thought of parachutes, we don’t know why
To take the beavers through the sky
A dumb idea, but worth a try
A load of airborne beavers!
Elmo put them into boxes
Boxes with automatic lockses
That opened when they hit the rockses
Freedom for the beavers!
The beavers live there to this day
They tell their tales, they have their say
It is to Elmo whom they pray
The Sky God of the beavers!
Well met, well met, my friend, all on the highway riding,
Though freely together here we stand.
I pray now tell to me of what calling this thou be
And art thou not a servingman?
Oh no, my brother dear, what makes thee to inquire
Of any such thing from my hand?
Indeed I will not frain but I will tell you plain:
I am a downright husbandman.
Indeed I will not frain but I will tell you plain:
I am a downright husbandman.
Well, if an husbandman you be, will you walk along with me,
Though freely together here we stand.
For in a very short space I may take you to a place
Where you may be a servingman.
As to thy diligence, I give thee many thanks,
But nought do I require from thine hand.
But I pray now to me show wherefore that I may know
The pleasures of a servingman.
But I pray now to me show wherefore that I may know
The pleasures of a servingman.
Well, isn’t it a nice thing to ride out with the king,
With lords, dukes or any such men;
For to hear the horn to blow and see the hounds all in a row,
That’s pleasures of a servingman.
But my pleasure’s more than that, to see my oxen fat
And a good stock of hay by them stand;
With my plowing and my sowing, my reaping and my mowing,
That’s pleasures of an husbandman.
With my plowing and my sowing, my reaping and my mowing,
That’s pleasures of an husbandman.
But then we do wear the finest of grandeur,
My coat is trimmed with fur all around;
Our shirts as white as milk and our stockings made of silk:
That’s clothing for a servingman.
As to thy grandeur give I the coat I wear
Some bushes to ramble among;
Give to me a good greatcoat and in my purse a grout,
That’s clothing for an husbandman.
Give to me a good greatcoat and in my purse a grout,
That’s clothing for an husbandman.
But then we do eat the most delicate fine meat
Of goose, and of capon, and swan;
Our pastry’s made so fine, we drink sugar in our wine,
That’s diet for a servingman.
As to thy ducks and capons, give I my beans and bacon,
And a good drop of ale now and then;
For in a farmer’s house you will find both brawn and souse,
That’s a living for an husbandman.
For in a farmer’s house you will find both brawn and souse,
That’s a living for an husbandman
Kind sir, I must confess although it causes me distress
To grant to you the uppermost hand;
Although it is most painful, it is altogether gainful
And I wish I’d been an husbandman.
So now, good people all, both be you great and small,
All knowing the king of our land;
And let us, whatsoever, to do our best endeavour,
For to maintain an husbandman.
And let us, whatsoever, to do our best endeavour,
For to maintain an husbandman.
I beg your leave, kind gentlemen and ladies of renown
If you please to give us room, we will sing to you a song
If you please to give us room, we will sing to you a song
And I'll call on me comrades, I'll call them one by one.
Chorus:
For we're jolly boys, we do no harm, wherever we may go
And we've come a pace-egging as you very well do know.
And the first that does come in: he is a bloomin'youth
He courts all the pretty girls, he always tells them truth
He says he'll never deceive 'em, be always kind and true
And it's his delight both day and night, the suppin'of strong brew.
And the next that does come in: he is a sailor brave
He says he's ploughed the ocean and split the briney wave
He says he has got gold and he says he has got store
He says he'll marry a pretty girl and go to sea no more.
And the next that does come in: he is a roving blade
You'll find him where the ladies are, for he is such a jade
Red, rosy cheeks are his delight, both beautiful and fair
And if you want a sweetheart you must go to Overton fair.
And the last that does come in: it is Miss Kitty, fair
She takes a great delight in the curllng of her hair
She has a basket all on her arms, she has no stores put in
But it's her delight, both day and night, the suppin'of strong gin.
And now you've seen us all: think of us as you'll find
If you please to give a trifle, it would be very kind
Cheer up your spirits while we drink a glass of beer
For we'll sup your health and store your wealth until the very
next year.
Chorus:
I can hew boys, I can hack it out
I can hew the coal, I can dance and shout.
I can hew boys, the coal that's black and fine,
I'm a collier lad, and I'm workin' down the mine.
Now Saint Monday's day, I do well admire,
When I sit at home by me own coal fire.
Then it's off to the pub, for a glass or two
For to work on Mondays, that would never do.
Now I like me whiskey and I like me beer.
I'll drink fourteen pints and I'll not feel queer.
For I can hold me liquor as good as any man.
And I'll dance and sing as long as I can.
Now me boy he's fourteen, he's a strappin' lad
And he'll go to the pit soon, just like his dad.
And when Friday comes round, he'll pick up his pay.
And we'll drink together, to round off the day.
Oh, but when I'm dead, I know full well,
I'll not go to heaven, I am bound for hell.
And me pick and shovel, old Nick he'll admire,
And he'll set me a-hewin' coal for his own hell fire.
Chorus:
Fare thee well, ye icy acres
Fare thee well, ye whaling grounds
Fare thee well, ye banks of Greenland
Weary whalers homeward bound
Homeward breezes bend the blossom
Where the oak and the apples grow
God forgot the green in Greenland
Made the flowers from ice and snow
Home where grasses lace the meadows
By the waters running free
And the rivers sweetly flowing
Turn towards the open sea
Six long months we've been a-hunting
Through a hell of frozen flame
Now like sails, our hearts are billowing
As we turn for home again
I often take these night shift walks
When the foreman’s not around
I turn my back on the cooling stacks
And make for open ground
Far out beyond the tank-farm fence
Where the gas flare makes no sound
I forget the stink and I always think
Back to that Eastern town
I remember back six years ago
This western life I chose
And every day the news would say
Some factory’s going to close
Well, I could have stayed to take the dole
But I’m not one of those
Refrain:
I take nothing free, and that makes me
An idiot, I suppose
So I bid farewell to the Eastern town
I never more will see
But work I must so I eat this dust
And breathe refinery
Oh I miss the green and the woods and streams
And I don’t like cowboy clothes
Refrain:
But I like being free, and that makes me
An idiot, I suppose
So come all you fine young fellows
Who’ve been beaten to the ground
This western life’s no paradise
But it’s better than lying down
Oh the streets aren’t clean, and there’s nothing green
And the hills are dirty brown
But the government dole will rot your soul
Back there in your home town
So bid farewell to the Eastern town
You never more will see
There’s self-respect and a steady cheque
In this refinery
You will miss the green and the woods and streams
And the dust will fill your nose
Refrain:
But you’ll be free, and just like me
An idiot, I suppose
Some bright morning when this life is over
I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore
I'll fly away
I'll fly away, oh, Glory
I'll fly away (in the mornin’)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by
I'll fly away
Just a few more weary days and then
To a land where joy shall never end
When the shadows of this life have gone
Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly
Oh, how glad and happy when we meet
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
Just a few more weary days and then
To a land where joys will never end
Chorus:
I'll tell me ma, when I go home
The boys won't leave the girls alone
Pulled me hair, stolen me comb
But that's alright, till I go home
She is handsome, she is pretty
She is the belle of Brisbane city
She is a-courting one, two, three
Pray, want you tell me who is she?
Albert Mooney says he loves her
All the boys are fightin' for her
Knock at the door, they're ringin' the bell
Say, "Hello, my true love are you well?"
Out she comes white as snow
Rings on her fingers, bells on her toes
Ol' Jenny Murray says she'll die
If she doesn't get the fellow with the roving eye
Chorus
Let the wind and the rain and the hail blow high
And the snow come travelin' through the sky
She's as sweet as apple pie
She'll get her own right by and by
When she gets a lad of her own
She won't tell her ma when she gets home
Let them all come as they will
It's Albert Mooney she loves still
Chorus
I sailed away a cabin boy, when I was just fifteen
Overseas to foreign lands, places I’d never been,
I met a lot of pretty girls, I loved and left behind,
Now they are all like shadows, on the oceans of my mind,
Chorus:
Though, as the memories fade away, there’s one that will remain.
I loved a girl in Albany, though I never knew her name.
Though one girl paled the sunlight, her deep brown sparkling eyes,
Shone like two bright diamonds, up against the day’s blue skies and loosely,
On her shoulders, all smooth and brown and bare,
Cascaded down the tresses of her soft and flaxen hair.
That day will last forever, how we loved, without a care,
Until the golden rays of dawn crept through the warm salt air,
All she knew about me was that from the sea I came,
And deep inside, the harbour called, and I went back again,
I wed a girl from Norfolk, three children we did hold,
Now I tell their children, ‘bout the sailing days of old,
I tell them how we plied the trades, and sailed around the horn,
And how a half our crew we lost, in a raging north sea storm,
My darling wife, she softly, passed away from me last spring
My children they now care for me, with love and everything.
And if my children ask me, I might tell them without shame,
How I loved a girl in Albany, - but I never knew her name.
.
Chorus :
In Kirkintilloch there's nae pubs
And I'm sure you wonder why
My brother and me we went on a spree
And we drank the pubs a' dry a' dry
We drank the pubs a' dry
My Grandpaw he worked doon the pit
And so did my father tae
Ye work like a mule when ye leave the school
And drink on a Saturday my lads
Drink on a Saturday
The gaffer doon the pit my lads
Could scarce believe his een
For my brother and me we howked mair coal
Wi his latest cutting machine ma lads
Wi his latest cutting machine
My faither he wis a Glesga man
My mither cam frae Troon
They baith hae their say the other day
It's time you settled doon my lads
It's time you settled doon
So I'll just get married lads and hae a family tae
And use their mits as they work in pits
And drink on a Saturday my lads
Drink on a Saturday
Up to mighty London came
An Irish man one day
As the streets are paved with gold
Sure, everyone was gay
Singing songs of Piccadilly
Strand and Leicester Square
'Til Paddy got excited
Then he shouted to them there
Chorus:
It's a long way to Tipperary
It's a long way to go
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye, Piccadilly
Farewell, Leicester Square!
It's a long, long way to Tipperary
But my heart's right there
Paddy wrote a letter
To his Irish Molly O'
Saying: "Should you not receive it
Write and let me know!
If I make mistakes in spelling
Molly, dear," said he
"Remember it's the pen that's bad
Don't lay the blame on me!"
Molly wrote a neat reply
To Irish Paddy O'
Saying: "Mike Maloney wants
To marry me, and so
Leave the Strand and Piccadilly
Or you'll be to blame
For love has fairly drove me silly
Hoping you're the same!"
Chorus :
Jack was every inch a sailor,
Five and twenty years a whaler.
Jack was every inch a sailor,
He was born upon the bright blue sea.
'Twas twenty-five or thirty years since Jack first saw the light,
He came into this world of woe one dark and stormy night.
He was born on board his father's ship as she was a-lying to,
'Bout twenty-five or thirty miles southeast of Baccalieu.
When Jack grew up to be a man he went to the Labrador,
He fished in Indian Harbour where his father fished before.
On his returning in the fog he met a heavy gale,
And Jack was swept into the sea and swallowed by a whale.
When Jack came to inside the whale he saw ol’ Davey Jones,
Sittin’ on a great big chest and a-rattlin’ on his bones.
“ Hello,” says Jack, “You’ll not catch me, you’ll find that I’m no lubber”.
He tickled that whale around the ribs till it began to blubber.
Oh, the whale went straight for Baffin Bay, 'bout ninety knots an hour,
And every time he'd blow a spray he'd send it in a shower;
Oh, now, says Jack unto himself, I must see what he's about,
So he grabbed that whale all by the tail and turned him inside out.
I heard, I heard the old man say
John kanaka-naka too-ri-ay
Today, today is a holiday
John kanaka-naka too-ri-ay
Too-ri-ay, oh, too-ri-ay
John kanaka-naka too-ri-ay
We're bound away for Frisco Bay
We're bound away at the break of day
I thought I heard the bos'n say
We'll work tomorrow; no work today
It's rotten meat and weevily bread
In six months' time, you'll wish you were dead
When we arrive in Mobile Bay
We'll tear the sheets and spend our pay
The skipper says before we're through
You'll curse your mother for having you
Back to topWell, I never seen the like since I been born
A railroad navvy with his sea boots on
Chorus:
When Johnny come down to Hilo, poor old man
Oh, wake 'er, oh, shake 'er
Oh wake that girl with the blue dress on
When Johnny come down to Hilo, poor old man
I met a little gal across the sea
She’s a ‘Badian beauty and she says to me
Well, who's been here since I've been gone?
A pretty little gal with a josey on
Oh, was you ever in Mobile Bay Screwin' cotton on a summers day?
Sally’s in the garden picking’ peas, Long yellow hair hanging down to her knees
Jenny’s in the kitchen making duff
The cheeks of her arse go chuff, chuff, chuff
Well my wife died in Tennessee
And they sent her jawbone back to me
I set that jawbone on the fence
And I ain’t heard nothing but the jawbone since
So hand me down my riding cane, I’m off to see Miss Sarah Jane!
When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo
When goin' the road to sweet Athy
A stick in me hand and a drop in me eye
A doleful damsel I heard cry,
Johnny I hardly knew you.
Chorus:
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums, hurroo, hurroo
With your drums and guns and guns and drums
The enemy nearly slew ye
Oh darling dear, Ye look so queer
Johnny I hardly knew ye.
Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild, hurroo, hurroo
Where are the eyes that looked so mild
When my poor heart you first beguiled
Why did ye run from me and the child
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.
Where are your legs with which run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs with which run, hurroo, hurroo
Where are your legs with which run
When first you went to carry a gun
Indeed your dancing days are done
Oh Johnny, I hardly knew ye.
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg, hurroo, hurroo
Ye haven't an arm, ye haven't a leg
Ye're an eyeless, boneless, chickenless egg
Ye'll have to be left with a bowl out to beg
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.
I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home, hurroo, hurroo
I'm happy for to see ye home
All from the island of Ceylon
So low in flesh, so high in bone
Oh Johnny I hardly knew ye.
They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again, hurroo, hurroo
They're rolling out the guns again
But they never will take our sons again
No they never will take our sons again
Johnny I'm swearing to ye.
From France, we get the Brandy
From Martinique, the rum
Sweet red Cabernet from Italy does come
But the fairest of 'em all, me boys
The one to beat the day
Is made from apples
Up the mighty Saguenay
Chorus:
So, follow me lads
'Cause this ain't no grog or ale
One pint down, you'll be swingin' in the gale
Five pints bully, you'll be shakin' in your shoes
We're half-seas-over on the Joli Rouge
She's called The Dreadnought cider
She's proper and she's fine
And when the day is over, sure, I wish that she were mine
Or in the dark of winter, or on a summer's eve
Oh, one hand giveth and the other doth receive
So, turn your sails over
And bring her hard to port
Find that little star and fly
Straight into the north
The wild sun upon your back
The wind a-blowing free
You're rolling up the river boys
To old Chicoutimi
See, you can have the Magners
And pour it over ice
Or you can have a Strongbow
If it's sadness that you like
Or join us up the river
And we'll set your heart aglow
And how you'll feel when the real
Cider starts to flow
Oh, Ships may come, and ships may go as long, as the sea does roll,
Each sailor lad just like his dad, he loves the flowing bowl,
A trip on shore he does adore with a girl who's nice and round,
When the money's all gone, It's the same old song,
Get up Jack! John, sit down!”
Chorus:
Come along, come along, me jolly brave boys, there’s plenty more grog in the jar,
We'll plough the briny ocean, like a jolly roving tar.
When Jack comes in, it's then he'll steer to some old boarding house,
They'll welcome him with rum and gin and feed him on pork scouse,
He'll lend and spend, and he'll not offend ‘til he's lying drunk on the ground,
When the money's all gone, it's the same old song,
"Get up Jack! John, sit down!"
Oh Jack, he then, oh then he'll sail bound down for Newfoundland,
All the ladies fair in Placentia there, they love that sailor man,
He’ll go to shore out on a tear, and he'll buy some girl a gown,
When the money's all gone, it's the same old song,
"Get up Jack! John, sit down!"
When Jack gets old and weather beat, too old to roam about,
They'll let him stop in some rum shop ‘til eight bells calls him out,
Then he'll raise his eyes up to the skies, saying "Thank Christ, we're homeward bound."
When the money's all gone, It's the same old song,
"Get up Jack! John, sit down!”
Where are you goin’ my Billy-O?
Where are you goin’ my Billy-O?
I’m joining a ship in Scapa Flow,
That’s where I’m going my Nancy
I’m joining “Queen Mary” Nancy-O
Joining "Queen Mary" Nancy-O
She’s bristling with guns and ready to go
To sail to glory with Jellicoe
But where is “Queen Mary”? Gone Now!
And where is the glory? Gone Now!
And six thousand sailors, Gone Now!
They have gone to the bottom at Jutland.
Where are you goin’ my Rodney-O?
Where are you goin’ my Rodney-O?
I’m joining a ship in Scapa Flow
That’s where I’m going my Nancy
I’m joining “Invincible” Nancy-O
Joining “Invincible” Nancy-O
She’s bristling with guns and ready to go
To sail to glory with Jellicoe
But where is "Invincible?" Gone Now!
And where is the glory? Gone Now!
And six thousand sailors, Gone Now!
They have gone to the bottom at Jutland.
Where are you goin’ my Johnny-O?
Where are you goin’ my Johnny-O?
I’m joining a ship in Scapa Flow
That’s where I’m going my Nancy
I’m joining the “Black Prince” Nancy-O
Joining the “Black Prince” Nancy-O
She’s bristling with guns and ready to go
To sail to glory with Jellicoe
But where is the “Black Prince”? Gone Now!
And where is the glory? Gone Now!
And six thousand sailors, Gone Now!
They have gone to the bottom at Jutland.
Oh, I used to be a farmer, and I made a living fine
I had a little stretch of land, along the western line
But times were hard, and though I tried, the money wasn't there
And bankers came and took my land and told me, "Fair is fair"
I looked for every kind of job, the answer always, "No"
"Hire you now?" they'd always laugh, "We just let twenty go"
The government, they promised me a measly little sum
But I've got too much pride to end up just another bum
And I said, "Who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone
I'm going to be a pirate on the river Brisbane!" (Yarr! Yoo-hoo, whoo)
Chorus:
And it's a-heave-ho-hi-ho
Coming down the plains (whoop)
Stealing wheat and sorghum and all the other grains
And it's a-ho-hey-hi-hey, farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger on the Brisbane's mighty shores
You'd think the other farmers would know that I'm at large
But just the other day, I saw an unsuspecting barge
I snuck up right behind them, and they were none the wiser
I rammed their boat and sank it, and I stole the fertilizer!
The bridge at Indooroopilly spans a mighty river
Farmers cross in so much fear their stomachs are a-quiver
'Cause they know that Tractor Jack is hiding in the bay (ha-ha-arr)
I'll jump the bridge and knock them cold and sail off with their hay
Chorus
Well officer Robbie chased me, he was always at my throat
But he followed on the shoreline cause he didn't own a boat
But cutbacks were a-coming, and the copper lost his job
And now he sails with us, and we call him Salty Rob
A swinging sword, a skull and bones and pleasant company
I'll never pay my income tax and screw the GST (Screw it!)
Sailing down to South Bank, the terror of the sea
If you wanna get to Woolies, boys, you've gotta get by me
Chorus
Well pirate life's appealing, but you don't just find it here
I hear that down in New South there's a band of buccaneers
They roam around the outback from Bourke to Gundagai
And they’ll nick your old Akubra if you have to pass them by
Summer is a-coming, and a rain is in the breeze
My pirate days are over if the river’s all debris
Well, I'll be back in Autumn but for now I’m on my way
I hear there's lots of plundering to be had in Byron Bay
Oh, I used to be a farmer and I made a living fine
I had a little stretch of land along the CP line
But times were hard and though I tried, the money wasn't there
And bankers came and took my land and told me fair is fair
I looked for every kind of job, the answer always "no"
Hire you now, they'd always laugh, we just let twenty go!
The government, they promised me a measly little sum
But I've got too much pride to end up just another bum
Then I thought who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone
I'm gonna be a PIRATE! on the River Saskatchewan! (arr! arr! arr!)
Chorus:
Cause it's a heave-ho! hi-ho! Coming down the plains
Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains
And it's a ho-hey! hi-hey! Farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores Arr!
Well you think the local farmers would know that I'm at large
But, just the other day I found an unprotected barge
I snuck up right behind them and they were none the wiser
I rammed their ship, and sank it, and I stole their fertilizer!
A bridge outside of Moose Jaw spans a mighty river
The farmers cross in so much fear, their stomachs are a-quiver
Because the know that TRACTOR JACK! is hiding in the bay
I'll jump the bridge and knock them cold and sail off with their hay!
Chorus
Well Mountie Bob he chased me, he was always at my throat
He'd follow on the shoreline because he didn't own a boat
But cutbacks were a-coming and the Mountie lost his job
Now he's sailing with me and we call him Salty Bob
A swingin' sword, and skull n' bones, and pleasant company
I never pay my income tax and screw the GST — SCREW IT!
Prince Albert down to Saskatoon, I'm the terror of the sea
If ya wanna reach the Co-op, boy, you gotta get by me!
Chorus
Well, pirate life's appealing, but you don't just find it here
I've heard that in Alberta, there's a band of buccaneers
They roam the Athabasca, from Smith to Fort McKay
And you're gonna lose your Stetson if you have to pass their way
Well winter is a-coming and a chill is in the breeze
Our pirate days are over once the river starts to freeze
I'll be back in springtime, but now I've to go
I hear there's lots of plundering down in New Mexico!
Well me father often told me when I was just a lad
A sailor's life is very hard, the food is always bad
But now I've joined the navy, I'm aboard a man-o-war
And now I've found a sailor ain't a sailor any more
Chorus:
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
And if you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run-ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore
Well the killick of our mess he says we had it soft
It wasn't like that in his day when we were up aloft
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?
They gave us an engine that first went up and down
And then with more technology the engine went around
We know our steam and diesels but what's a mainyard for?
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel anymore
They gave us an Aldiss lamp so we could do it right
They gave us a radio to signal day and night
We know our codes and ciphers but what's a semaphore?
A bunting-tosser doesn't toss the bunting anymore
And two cans of beer a day and that's your bleeding lot
And now I've got an extra one because they stopped The Tot
So we'll put on our civvy-clothes and find a pub ashore
A sailor's just a sailor just like he was before
Back to topOh the work was hard and the wages low
Leave her Johnny, leave her
I guess it's time for us to go
And it's time for us to leave her
Chorus:
Leave her Johnny, leave her
Oh leave her Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her
Oh I thought I heard the old man say
Leave her Johnny, leave her
Oh tomorrow you will get your pay
And it's time for us to leave her
The winds blew foul and the seas ran high
Leave her Johnny, leave her
We shipped up green and none went by
And it's time for us to leave her
I hate to sail on this rotten tub
Leave her Johnny, leave her
No grog allowed and rotten grub
And it's time for us to leave her
The old man swears, and the mate swears too
Leave her Johnny, leave her
The crew all swear, and so would you
And it's time for us to leave her
The starboard pump is like the crew
Leave her Johnny, leave her
It's all worn out and will not do
And it's time for us to leave her
The rats have gone and we the crew
Leave her Johnny, leave her
It's the time be damned that we went too
And it's time for us to leave her
Well I pray that we shall ne're more see
Leave her Johnny, leave her
A hungry ship, the likes of she
And it's time for us to leave her
Farewell to Princess landing stage,
River Mersey, fare-thee-well
I am bound for California
A place I know right well
Chorus:
So fare-thee-well, my own true love
When I return, united we will be
It's not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me
But my darling, when I think of thee
I am bound for California
By way of stormy Cape Horn
I will write to thee a letter, love
When I am homeward-bound
I have shipped on a Yankee clipper ship
Davy Crockett is her name
And Burgess is the captain of her
And they say that she's a floating hell
I have sailed with Burgess once before
I think I know him well
If a man's a sailor, he will get along
If not, then he's sure in hell
Farewell to Lower Frederick Street
Anson Terrace and Park Lane
I am bound away for to leave you
And I'll never see you again
Le capitaine de St Malo
Ali alo
Qui fait la pêche au cachalot
Ali ali ali alo, ali alo
Il a trois filles qui font la peau
Ali alo
La première à Valparaiso,
Ali ali ali alo, ali alo
La deuxième à Rio de Janeiro,
Ali alo
La troisième à San Francisco.
Ali ali ali alo, ali alo
Il donne la goutte à ses matelots
Ali alo
À grande coups de barre de guindeau.
Ali ali ali alo, ali alo
Il mange la viande, nous laisse les os.
Ali alo
Il boit du vin et toi de l'eau.
Ali ali ali alo, ali alo
Le lieutenant t'envoie la haut
Ali alo
À coups de bottes dans le dos.
Ali ali ali alo, ali alo
Et le second, qui est le plus beau
Ali alo
Si tu groumes. Il te fout à l'eau
Ali ali ali alo, ali alo
O, the smartest clipper you can find is
Ho-way, ho, are you 'most done?
She's the Margaret Evans of the Blue Star Line
Clear away the track an' let the bulgine run!
Chorus:
To me hey rig-a-jig in a jaunting gun
Ho-way, ho, are you 'most done?
With Liza Lee all on my knee
Clear away the track an' let the bulgine run!
O, we're outward bound for the West Street Pier
Ho-way, ho, are you 'most done?
With Galway shale and Liverpool beer
Clear away the track an' let the bulgine run!
O, and when we're out in New York Town
Ho-way, ho, are you 'most done?
We'll dance them Bowery girls around
Clear away the track an' let the bulgine run!
O, the Margaret Evans of the Blue Star Line
Ho-way, ho, are you 'most done?
She's never a day behind her time
Clear away the track an' let the bulgine run!
O, and when we're back in Liverpool town
Ho-way, ho, are you 'most done?
We'll stand ya's whiskeys all around
Clear away the track an' let the bulgine run!
I'm off to see my darling Jen,
She's hanging around the slip again.
Chorus:
With your blue eyes,
Sparkling deep sea blue eyes,
Giving the crew the old 'Aye-yoo!',
She wants a lifeboat man.
She heaved herself into the sea,
Screaming 'Come on boys, come and rescue me'.
They launched the boat for save our Jen,
It was full of handsome lifeboat men.
They pulled our Jen out from the wet,
And they laid her right down on the deck.
Then the lifeboat sailed from North to South,
And the crew all gave her mouth to mouth.
And they puffed and preened for to win her hand,
But she went below with a midshipman.
She said 'My lad now you saved my life,
You can take me home for to be your wife'.
When I was bound apprentice in famous Lincolnshire
Full well I served my master for nigh on seven years
Till I took up to poaching as you shall quickly hear
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
As me and my companions was setting out a snare
‘ Twas then we spied the gamekeeper, for him we didn’t care
For we can wrestle and fight, my boys, and jump from anywhere
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
As me and my companions was setting four or five
And taking them all up again, we caught a hare alive
We caught a hare alive, my boys, and through the woods did steer
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
We threw him over my shoulder, boys, and then we trudged home
We took him to a neighbour’s house and sold him for a crown
We sold him for a crown, my boys, but I divven’t tell you where
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
Success to every gentleman that lives in Lincolnshire
(Alt. Bad luck to every magistrate)
Success to every poacher that wants to sell a hare
Bad luck to every gamekeeper that will not sell his deer
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
Oh, ’tis my delight on a shiny night in the season of the year.
There were three men of Bristol city
There were three men of Bristol city
They stole a ship and went to sea
They stole a ship and went to sea
There was Gorgin' Jack and Guzzlin' Jimmy
There was Gorgin' Jack and Guzzlin' Jimmy
And also little boy Billee
And also little boy Billee
They stole a tin of the captains biscuits
They stole a tin of the captains biscuits
And one large bottle of whiskey
And one large bottle of whiskey
But when they reached the broad Atlantic
But when they reached the broad Atlantic
They had nothing left but one sweet pea
They had nothing left but one sweet pea
Said Gorgin' Jack to Guzzlin' Jimmy
Said Gorgin' Jack to Guzzlin' Jimmy
With nothing to eat I'm going to eat thee
With nothing to eat I'm going to eat thee
Said Guzzlin' Jimmy I'm old and toughish
Said Guzzlin' Jimmy I'm old and toughish
So let's eat little boy Billee
So let's eat little boy Billee
Oh little boy Billee were gonna kill and eat ya
Oh little boy Billee were gonna kill and eat ya
So undo the top button of your little chemee
So undo the top button of your little chemee
Oh may I say my catechism
Oh may I say my catechism
That my dear mother taught to me
That my dear mother taught to me
He climbed up to the main topgallant
He climbed up to the main topgallant
And there he fell upon his knee
And there he fell upon his knee
But when he reached the eleventh commandment
But when he reached the eleventh commandment
He cried yo ho Holland I see
He cried yo ho Holland I see
I see Jerusalem and Madagascar
I see Jerusalem and Madagascar
And North and South Ameri-key
And North and South Ameri-key
I see the British fleet at anchor
I see the British fleet at anchor
And our Admiral Nelson K C B
And our Admiral Nelson K C B
They hung Gorgin' Jack and Guzzlin' Jimmy
They hung Gorgin' Jack and Guzzlin' Jimmy
But they made an admiral of little boy Billee
But they made an admiral of little boy Billee
Me wife and I live all alone
In a little hut, we call our own
She likes whiskey, I likes rum
Don't we have a lot of fun!
Chorus:
Ha, ha, ha, you and me
Little brown jug, don't I love thee!
Ya, ha, ha, you and me
Little brown jug, don't I love thee!
When I go toiling on the farm
I take little brown jug under me arm;
Lay her under a shady tree
Little brown jug, 'tis you and me. '
'Tis you that makes me friends me foes
'Tis you that makes me wear old clothes;
But, since you come so near me nose
It’s up she come and down she goes
If I'd a cow that gave such milk
I'd clothe her in the finest silk;
Feed her up on oats and hay
And milk her forty times a day
After all is done and said
It’s you that makes my nose go red
You make me feel light in the head
And then you make it feel like lead
Me wife and I live all alone
In a little hut, we called our own
She likes whiskey and I likes rum
Don't we have a lot of fun!
By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
Chorus:
O ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland a'fore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
'Twas there that we parted, in yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep slopes o' Ben Lomond,
Where in purple hue, the highland hills we view,
And the moon coming out in the gloaming.
The wee birdies sing and the wildflowers spring,
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping.
But the broken heart it kens nae second spring,
Though the waefu' may cease frae their greetin'.
Chorus:
Oh the lollipop man has a great big stick
And all that he charges is a penny a lick
And he gets it out whenever he can
He's a dirty old devil is the lollipop man
Who is this with his spurty spout?
A dribbly cone, you can suck it all out
And a knicker-knocker glory, it's the ice-cream man
But he cannot hold a candle to the lollipop man
Who is this with his grimy sack?
You can have it up the front or he'll shove it round the back
With his sooty old nuts it's the dirty coalman
But he'll never hold a candle to the lollipop man
Who is this with his long stiff brush?
He rams it up the flu with a shove and a push
And he doesn't give a toss; he's the chimney sweep man
But he'll never hold a candle to the lollipop man
And who is this with his floppy mop?
It's long and it's wet with a foam on top
Well he's squeaky clean; it's the window cleaner man
But he'll never hold a candle to the lollipop man
Who is this with a silver top?
It's nothing that a little blue-tit can't pop
With his manly jugs it's the creamy milkman
But he cannot hold a candle to the lollipop man
And who is this with his petticoats gay?
Powder puff and curly wig and lingerie
Well it's old Mollybags, neither woman nor a man
But she'll never hold a candle to the lollipop man
Who is this taking down your draws?
He never ever shoots and he seldom scores
Well it's never jackpot with the Littlewoods man
And he'll never hold a candle to the lollipop man
Who is this with the long bent fruit?
He peels back the skin and he slips on his suit
Well his real name's Eric, he's Banana Man
But he'll never hold a candle to the lollipop man
I dreamed a dream the other night.
Lowlands, lowlands away me John.
My love she came,dressed all in white.
Lowlands away.
I Dreamed my love came in my sleep.
Her cheeks were wet, her eyes did weep.
She came to me at my bedside.
All dressed in white, like some fair bride.
And bravely in her bossom fair.
Her red, red rose, my love did wear.
She made no sound, no word she said.
And then i knew my love was dead.
Then I awoke to hear the cry.
Oh watch on deck. Oh watch, ahoy.
Our packet is the Island Lass
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
The old man's howling at the main topmast
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
Chorus:
Lowlands, boys, away, oh
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
The cook is rigged in soldier's clothes
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
Where he got 'em from, nobody knows
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
He gives us bread as hard as stone
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
It'll break your teeth, it'll shatter your bones
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
We'll haul 'em high and we'll let 'em dry
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
We'll leave 'em swingin' in the sky
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
I wish I had ten thousand pounds
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
I'd buy a ship and I'd sail her 'round
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
I'd fill her up with grub and gin
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
We'd stay in the port that we were in
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
I'd feed ye well, and I'd raise yer pay
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
I'd fill yer cups three times a day
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
So lowlands boys, and off she goes
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
Get changed me boys to yer shoregoing clothes
Lowlands, lowlands, lowlands low
Fareweel, ye dungeons dark and strang,
A wretch's destiny,
MacPherson's time will no be lang,
On yonder gallows tree.
Chorus:
Sae rantinly, sae wantonly,
And sae dauntinly gaed he,
He played a tune and he danced aroon,
Below the gallows tree.
It was by a woman's treachorous hands,
That I was condemned to dee,
She stood upon a windae ledge,
And a blanket threw o'er me.
Oh what is death, but parting breath,
On many a bloody plain,
I've dared his face, and in this place,
I scorn him yet again.
I have lived a life, o' straught an' strife,
I die by treachery,
It burns my heart, that I must depart,
An no avenged be.
So tak aff these bands frae roond my hands,
Gie to me my sword,
There's no a man in a' Scotland,
But I'll brave him at a word.
So farewell night thou parting light,
And all beneath the sky,
May coward shame distain his name,
The wretch that dare not die.
Now come all you young sailors and listen to my plea
And when you’ve heard my tale you’ll pity me.
For I was a goddamn fool in the port of Liverpool,
The very first time I came home from sea.
Now I’ve paid off at the home, from the port of Sierra Leone;
Three-pound-ten a month it was my pay.
But I wasted all my tin whilst drinking up the gin
With a little girl whose name was Maggie May.
Now well do I remember where I first met Maggie May,
She was cruising up and down in Canning Place,
She was dressed up mighty fine, like a frigate of the line,
So being a ranting sailor I gave chase.
I kept right on her track, she went on the other tack,
But I caught her and I broke her mizzen line.
Next morning I awoke with a head more bent and broke,
No coat, no vest, no trousers could I find.
I asked her where they were, she said, “My good kind sir,
They’re down at Park Lane pawn shop number nine.
Now, you’ve had your cake and bun, and it’s time for you to run
Or you’ll never make the dockside, lad, in time.”
To the pawnshop I did go, but no trousers could I find,
And the police came and took that girl away.
And the judge he found her guilty of robbing a homeward-bounder;
So now she’s doing time in Botany Bay.
Oh Maggie, Maggie May, they’ve taken you away,
Never more to roam alone down Canning Place
For you robbed too many whalers, and you poxed too many sailors
Now you’ll never see old Lime Street anymore.
One's for sorrow, two's for joy
Three's for a girl and four's for a boy
Five's for silver, six for gold
Seven's for a secret never told
Devil, devil, I defy thee
Devil, devil, I defy thee
Devil, devil, I defy thee
Oh, the magpie brings us tidings
Of news both fair and foul
She's more cunning than the raven
More wise than any owl
For she brings us news of the harvest
Of the barley, wheat, and corn
And she knows when we'll go to our graves
And how we shall be born
She brings us joy when from the right
Grief when from the left
Of all the news that's in the air
We know to trust her best
For she sees us at our labour
And she mocks us at our work
And she steals the eggs from out of the nest
And she can mob the hawk
The priest, he says we're wicked
For to worship the devil's bird
Ah, but we respect the old ways
And we disregard his word
For we know they rest uneasy
As we slumber in the night
And we'll always leave out a little bit of meat
For the bird that's black and white
One's for sorrow, two's for joy
Three's for a girl and four's for a boy
Five's for silver, six for gold
Seven's for a secret never told
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say!
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
And she was mistress of her trade.
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
Chorus:
A roving, a roving,
Since roving's been my ru-i-in,
I'll go no more a roving,
With you fair maid!
One night I slipped from my abode
Mark well what I do say!
One night I slipped from my abode
To meet this fair maid down the road
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
I met this fair maid after dark
Mark well what I do say!
I met this fair maid after dark
And took her to her favourite park
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
I took this fair maid for a walk
Mark well what I do say!
I took this fair maid for a walk
And we had such a loving talk
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
I put my arm around her waist
Mark well what I do say!
I put my arm around her waist
She said young man you’re in great haste
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
I put my hand upon her knee
Mark well what I do say!
I put my hand upon her knee
She said young man you’re rather free
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
I put my hand upon her thigh
Mark well what I do say!
I put my hand her thigh
She said young man that’s rather high
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
I put my hand upon her lap
Mark well what I do say!
I put my hand upon her lap
She said young man you’ll catch the clap
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid!
Back to topChorus:
Step we gaily on we go,
Heel for heel and toe for toe,
Arm and arm and row on row,
All for Mairi's wedding.
Over hillways up and down,
Myrtle green and bracken brown,
Past the sheiling thro' the town,
All for sake of Mairi.
Red her cheeks as rowans are,
Bright her eye as any star,
Fairest o' them a' by far,
Is our darling Mairi.
Plenty herring, plenty meal,
Plenty peat to fill her creel,
Plenty bonnie bairns as weel,
That's the toast for Mairi .
How still lies the bay in the light western airs
Which blow from the crimson horizon;
Once more we tack home with a dry empty hold
Saving gas with the breezes so fair
She's a kindly Cape Islander, old but still sound
But so lost in the longliner's shadow;
Make and break and make do, but the fish are so few
That she won't be replaced should she founder
Chorus:
In Make And Break Harbour the boats are so few
Too many are pulled up and rotten;
Most houses stand empty, old nets hung to dry
Are blown away, lost and forgotten
Now it's so hard to not think of before the big war
When the cod went so cheap, but so plenty;
Foreign trawlers go by now with long seeking eyes
Taking all where we seldom take any
And the young folk don't stay with the fisherman's ways
Long ago they all moved to the cities;
And the ones left behind, old and tired and blind
Won't work for a pound, for a penny
Now I can see the big draggers have stirred up the bay
Leaving lobster traps smashed on the bottom;
Can they think it don't pay to respect the old ways
That Make And Break men have not forgotten
For we still keep our time to the turn of the tide
In this boat that I built with my father;
Still lifts to the sky, the one-lunger and I
Still talk like old friends on the water
Lord Nelson knew the perfect way to cure your 'mal-de-mer',
So if you pay attention, his secret I will share,
To any sea-sick sailor he'd give this advice for free:
"If you're feeling sea-sick, sit underneath a tree!"
Chorus:
I'm marching inland from the shore, over m' shoulder I'm carrying an oar,
When someone asks me: "What - is that funny thing you've got?"
Then I know I'll never go to sea no more, no more,
Then I know I'll never go to sea no more!
Columbus he set-sail to find out if the world was round,
He kept on sailing to the West until he ran aground,
He thought he'd found The Indies but he'd found the U.S.A.,
I know some navigators who can still do that today.
Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away,
Grenville's REVENGE is at the bottom of the bay,
Many's the famous sailor never came home from the sea,
Just take my advice, Jack, come and follow me.
Sailors take a warning from these men of high renown,
When you leave the ocean and it's time to settle down,
Never cast your anchor less than ninety miles from shore,
There'd always be temptation to be off to sea once more.
There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari-Mac
And make no mistake she's the girl I'm gonna track
Lots of other fellas try to get her on the back.
But I'm thinkin' they'll have to get up early.
Chorus :
Mari-Macs mother's makin' Mari-Mac marry me
My mother's makin' me marry Mari-Mac
Well I'm gonna marry Mari cause Mari's takin' care o' me.
We'll all be feelin' merry when I marry Mari-Mac.
Now Mari and her mother are an awful lot together
In fact you hardly see the one without the other
And people often wonder if it's Mari or her mother
Or both of them together I'm courting
Well up among the heather in the hills of Benafee
Well I had a Bonnie lass sittin' on my knee
A bumble bee stung me right above the knee
Up among the heather in the hills of Benafee
Well I said to bonnie lass how we gonna pass the day
She said among the heather in the hills of Benafee
Where all the boys and girls are making out so free
Up among the heather in the hills of Benafee
Wedding's on a Wednesday, everything's arranged
Soon you'll never change your mind unless you minus change
Of making the arrangements and feelings lots of rage
Marriage is an awful undertaking
Sure to be a grand for grand of that a fair
Gonna be a fork and plate for every man that's there
And I'll be a bugger if I don't get my share
All though I may be very much mistaken
There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari Mac
Make no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna track
Lot's of other fellas try to get her on her back
But I think they're gonna have to get up early
She went down last October in a pouring driving rain
The skipper, he'd been drinking and the Mate, he felt no pain
Too close to Three Mile Rock, and she was dealt her mortal blow
And the Mary Ellen Carter settled low
There was just us five aboard her when she finally was awash
We'd worked like hell to save her, all heedless of the cost
And the groan she gave as she went down, it caused us to proclaim
That the Mary Ellen Carter'd rise again
Well, the owners wrote her off; not a nickel would they spend
She gave twenty years of service, boys, then met her sorry end
But insurance paid the loss to us, so let her rest below
Then they laughed at us and said we had to go
But we talked of her all winter, some days around the clock
For she's worth a quarter million, afloat and at the dock
And with every jar that hit the bar, we swore we would remain
And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again
Chorus:
Rise again, rise again!
Let her name not be lost to the knowledge of men
Those who loved her best and were with her 'til the end
Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again!
All spring, now, we've been with her on a barge lent by a friend
Three dives a day in hard hat suit and twice I've had the bends
Thank God it's only sixty feet and the currents here are slow
Or I'd never have the strength to go below
But we've patched her rents, stopped her vents, dogged hatch and porthole down
Put cables to her, 'fore and aft and girded her around
Tomorrow, noon, we hit the air and then take up the strain
And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again
Chorus
For we couldn't leave her there, you see, to crumble into scale
She'd saved our lives so many times, living through the gale
And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave
They won't be laughing in another day
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again
Final Chorus:
Rise again, rise again!
Though your heart, it be broken, and life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend
Then like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!
Rise again, rise again!
Though your heart, it be broken, or life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again
Back to topThis is nae a sang o’ love, and its nae a sang o’ money,
Faith, it’s naethin’ very pitiful, it’s naethin’ very funny.
But there’s Hieland Scots there's Lowland Scots and butterscotch and honey,
If there’s nane o’ them at all then there’s a mixture o’ the three.
And there’s nae a word o’ beef, brose, sowens, sauty bannocks,
Nae, nor pancake, peas, eggs, for them wi’ dainty stomachs,
But it’s all aboot a meal and ale that happened at Balmunnocks,
At McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
Chorus:
They were howling in the kitchen like a caravan o’ tinkies,
Some were playing ping-pong and tiddly widdly winkies.
For up the howe an’ doon the howe, ye never saw such jinkies
As McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
Noo McGinty’s pig had broken loose and wannert to’ the lobby
Whaur he open shivved the pantry door, cam’ upon the toddy,
And he took kindly tae the stuff like ony human boddy
At McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
Miss McGinty she ran ben the hoose, the wey wis dark and crookit.
She gaed heelster gowdie ower the pig for it she never lookit,
An’ then she let oot a skirl that wad hae paralysed a teuchit,
At McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
Johnny Murphy he ran efter her and ower the pig was leapin’,
Whan he trampit in an ashet that was sittin’ fu’ o’ dreepine.
And he fell doon and peel’t his croon and couldnae haud fae greetin’
At McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
And the pantry shelf cam ricklin’ doon and he was lyin’ kirnin’
Among saft soap, pease meal, corn floor and yirnin’.
Like a gollach amang crickle but McGinty’s wife was girnin’
At the soss upon her pantry fleer and wadnae let him be.
Syne they ran skyrlin' tae the door, bit whan that it wis tuggit,
For aye it heeld the faister aye they mair than rugg'd tuggit;
Till M'Ginty roar't tae bring an axe, he widna be humbuggit,
Nae, nor lockit in his ain hoose, an' that he'd let them see.
Sae the wife cam' trailin' wi' an axe, an' throu' the bar wis hacket,
An' open flew the door at yince, sae thick they aa wur packet,
An' aa the crew came rumilin' oot like tatties frae a bucket,
At McGinty's 'Meal an' Ale' whaur the pig gaed oan the spree.
They had spurtles, they had tattie chappers, faith, they werenae jokin’
Swore they’d gar the pig claw whaur it wis never yockin’.
But by this time the lad wis fu’ and didna care a dockin
At McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
Oo there’s eelie pigs, an jeelie pigs, an pigs for haudin’ butter,
But this pig was gratin fu’ and rowin’ in the gutter,
Till McGinty and his foreman trailed him oot upon a shutter
Fae McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
Miss McGinty took the thing tae heart and hidit in a closet,
They rubbit Johnny Murhpy’s heid wi’ turpentine and rosit.
Syne they harl’t him wi’ the meal and ale ye really would supposit
He had had sleepit in a mason’s trough and risen tae the spree.
Oo weary on the barley bree and weary fa’ the weather,
For its, keecherin’ a mang dubs and drink, they gang nae weel the gither.
But, there's little doot, McGinty’s pig is wishing for anither
Of McGinty’s meal and ale whaur the pig gaed on the spree.
On Friday morning we set sail
Not being far from the land
It was there we espied a fair mermaid
With a comb and a glass in her hand
And the ocean's waves do roll
And the stormy winds do blow
And we poor sailors are skipping at the top
While the landlubbers lie down below below below
While the landlubbers lie down below
The boatswain at the helm stood
And was steering his course right well
With tears a-standing in his eyes,
Saying oh how the seas do swell
And then spoke the mate of our gallant ship
And a well-spoken man was he
Saying, “I have a wife in fair Plymouth town
And this night a widow she will be.”
Then spoke the captain of our gallant ship
And a valiant man was he
Saying, “For the want of a longboat
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea.”
And up spoke the cookie of our gallant ship
And a gruff old soul was he
Saying, “I care much more for me pots and me pans
Than I do fer the bottom of the sea!”
Then up spoke the boy of our gallant ship
And a well-spoken lad was he.
Saying, “I have a mother in fair Bristol town
And this night she will weep for me.”
The moon gave light and the stars shone bright
And my mother is looking for me
She may look, she may weep with a watery eye
She may look to the bottom of the sea.
Then once around spun our gallant ship
And twice around spun she
And the third time around spun our gallant ship
And she sank to the bottom of the sea
Chorus:
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys
Swing her head round, into the weather
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys
Sailing homeward, to Mingulay
What care we boys, how white the minch is
What care we for, wind or weather
Swing her head round, every inch is
Sailing homeward to Mingulay
Wives are waiting, on the pier head
Gazing seaward, from the heather
Pull her head round, then we’ll anchor
‘ Ere the sun sets on Mingulay
When the wind is, wild with shouting
And the waves mount, ever higher
Anxious eyes turn, ever seaward
To see us home, boys, to Mingulay
Ships return now, heavy laden
Mothers holdin’, bairns a -cryin’
We’ll return, though, when the sun sets
We’ll return to, Mingulay
In Dublin's fair city,
Where the girls are so pretty,
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone,
She wheeled her wheelbarrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, o!"
Chorus:
"Alive, alive, o!’, Alive, alive, o!",
Crying "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, o!".
She was a fishmonger,
And sure 'twas no wonder,
For so were her father and mother before,
And they each wheeled their barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
She died of a fever,
And no one could save her,
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.
Now her ghost wheels her barrow,
Through streets broad and narrow,
Crying, "Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!"
Now the southern ocean is a lonely place
The storms are many and the shelter's scarce
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
Over troubled waters and the restless skies
Y’ll see those mollymauks rise and dive
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
Chorus:
Won't you ride the wind and go, white seabird
Ride the wind and go, mollymauk
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
Now the mollymauk glides on them great white wings
And lord, what a lonesome song he sings
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
He's got no compass and he's got no gear
Yet nobody knows where the mollymauk steers
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
He's the ghost of a sailor so I've heard say
Who's body it sank, and his soul flew away
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
He's got no haven and he's got no home
Bound evermore to wheel and roam
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
When I gets too old and can sail no more
Set me adrift far away from shore
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
You can cast me loose you can set me free
I'll keep that big bird company
Down upon the southern ocean sailing
Down below Cape Horn
One Sunday morning as I was walking
By Brisbane Waters I chance to stray
I heard a convict his fate bewailing
As on the sunny riverbank he lay
I am a native of Erin, Ireland
But banished now from my native shore
They stole me from my independence
And from the maiden whom I do adore
I've been a prisoner at Port Macquarie
At Norfolk Island and Emu Plains
At Castle Hill and cursed Toongabbie
At all these settlements I've been enchained
But of all places of condemnation
And penal stations in New South Wales
To Moreton Bay I have found no equal
Excessive tyranny each day prevails
For three long years I was beastly treated
And heavy irons on my legs I wore
My back from flogging was lacerated
And oft times covered with my crimson gore
And many a man from downright starvation
Lies mouldering now beneath the clay
And Captain Logan he had us mangled
On the triangles of Moreton Bay
Like the Egyptians and ancient Hebrews
We were oppressed under Logan's yoke
'Til a native man lying bare in ambush
Did deal our tyrant with his mortal stroke
My fellow prisoners be exhilarated
Let all such monsters like death shall find
And when from bondage we're extricated
Our former suffering will fade from mind
One Sunday morning as I was walking
By Brisbane Waters I chance to stray
I heard a convict his fate bewailing
As on the sunny riverbank he lay
Oh let the grasses grow and the waters flow in a free and easy way
Just give me enough of the rare old stuff that's made near Galway Bay
Come gougers all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too
We'll give them the slip and we'll take a sip of the rare old mountain dew
Chorus :
Skid-ree Idle-diddle dum skid-ree Idle-diddle dum
Skid-ree Idle-dum diddle dum day
Skid-ree Idle-diddle dum skid-ree Idle-diddle dum
Skid-ree Idle-dum diddle dum day
There's a neat little still at the foot of the hill, and smoke curls up to the sky
By a whiff of the smell, you can plainly tell that there's poteen, boys, near by
For it fills the air with aperfume rare, and betwixt both me and you
As home we roll, we’ll drink a bowl, or a bucketful of mountain dew
Whereas learned men as use the pen, have written your praises high
That sweet poteen from Ireland green, that’s made from from wheat and rye
Go away with your pills; it will cure all ills, for a Pagan, Christian or Jew
Take off your coat and grease your throat, with a bucketful of mountain dew
Let the grasses grow and the waters flow in a free and easy way
Just give me enough of the rare old stuff that's made near Galway Bay
Come gougers all from Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim too
We'll give them the slip and we'll take a sip of the rare old mountain dew
Chorus:
Mull of Kintyre
Oh, mist rolling in from the sea
My desire is always to be here
Oh, Mull of Kintyre
Far have I traveled and much have I seen
Dark distant mountains with valleys of green
Past painted deserts, the sunset's on fire
As he carries me home to the Mull of Kintyre
Sweep through the heather like deer in the glen
Carry me back to the days I knew then
Nights when we sang like a heavenly choir
Of the life and the times of the Mull of Kintyre
Smiles in the sunshine and tears in the rain
Still take me back to where my memories remain
Flickering embers grow higher and higher
As they carry me back to the Mull of Kintyre
Oh, my name is Jock Stewart,
I'm a canny gaun man,
And a rovin' young fellow I've been.
Chorus:
So be easy and free,
When you're drinking wi' me,
I'm a man you don't meet ev'ry day.
I'm a roving young blade,
And a piper by trade
And many's the tune I can play.
I've got acres of land,
Aye and men at command,
And I've always a shilling to spare.
I go out wi' my dog
And my gun for to hunt,
All along by the banks of the Tay.
So come fill up your glass
Wi' whiskey and ale.
And whatever the cost I will pay.
Oh, my name is Jock Stewart,
I'm a canny gaun man,
And a rovin' young fellow I've been.
My son John was tall and slim
and he'd a leg for ev'ry limb.
But now he's got no legs at all
for he ran a race with a cannon ball
Chorus:
Timmy roo dun da, fadda riddle da
Whack fo' the riddle Timmy roo dun da
Well were ya drunk or were ya blind
when ya left your two fine legs behind
Or was it sailin' on the sea
wore your two fine legs right down to the knee
I was not drunk, I was not blind
when I left my two fine legs behind
Nor was it sailin' on the sea
wore my two fine legs right down to the knee
Each foreign war I'll now denounce
'tween the King of England and the King of France
For I'd rather my legs as they used to be
than the king of Spain and his whole navy
I was tall and I was slim
And I'd a leg for ev'ry limb
But now I've got no legs at all
They were both shot away by a cannon ball
I'm a weaver a Calton Weaver,
I'm a rash and a rovin' blade
I've got silver in my pocket
and I'll follow the roving trade.
Chorus:
Whisky, Whisky, Nancy Whisky.
Whisky, Whisky Nancy-o!
As I went into Glasgow City,
Nancy Whisky I chanced to smell,
I went in, sat doon beside her,
Seven long years I loved her well.
The more I kissed her the more I loved her,
The more I kissed her the more she smiled,
Soon I forgot my mother's teaching,
Nancy soon had me beguiled
So I'll go back to the Calton weavin'
I'll surely make the shuttles fly,
I'll make more at the Calton weavin'
Than ever I did with the rovin' trade
So come all you weavers you Calton weavers
All you weaver's where 'ere you be
Beware of whiskey, Nancy Whiskey,
She'll ruin you like she ruined me
Draw near, you gallant seamen, while I the truth unfold
of a daring naval victory as ever yet was told.
The second day of April last upon the Baltic main
our Nelson and his gallant men fresh laurels they did gain.
Chorus:
With their thundering and roaring
ratling and roaring
thundering and roaring bombs.
Brave Nelson volunteered and twelve ships formed a line;
in the roads of Copenhagen he began his grand design.
His tars with usual courage their valour did display:
they destroyed the Danish navy upon that glorious day.
And when the navy we'd destroyed, we anchored near the town
and with our bombs were fully bent to burn the city down.
At ten that glorious morning the fight begun it's true
and Copenhagen was ablaze before the clock struck two.
For the loss of an arm and an eye bold Nelson does declare
the foes of his country not an inch of em he'll spare.
The Danes he made to rue the day they ever Paul did join;
eight ships he burnt and four he sunk and took six of the line.
Here's a health to gallant Nelson, the wonder of the world.
All for his country's glory his thunder loud has hurled;
Here's a health to his bold valiant tars who plough the raging sea
and who never were afraid to face the daring enemy.
As I walked down to New York town a fair maid I did meet;
She asked me back to see her place, she lived on Barrack Street.
Chorus:
And away, Santy, my dear Annie,
Oh you New York girls, can’t you dance the polka?
And when we got to Barrack Street we stopped at forty-four,
Her mother and her sister were waiting at the door.
And when we got inside the house the drinks were passed around;
The liquor was so awful strong, my head went round and round.
And then we had another drink before we sat to eat;
The liquor was so awful strong, I quickly fell asleep.
When I awoke next morning I had an aching head;
There was I Jack all alone, stark naked in my bed.
My gold watch and my money and my lady friend were gone;
There was I Jack all alone, stark naked in that room.
On looking round that little room there’s nothing I could see,
But a woman’s shift and apron that were no use to me.
With a barrel for a suit of clothes down Cherry Street forlorn,
Where Martin Churchill took me in and he sent me round Cape Horn.
So sailor lads take warning when you land on New York shore,
You’ll have to get up early to be smarter than a whore.
I saw three ships in Frisco Bay
To me way, hey, hey-oh
I saw three ships in Frisco Bay
A long time ago
And one of them ships was Noah's old ark
To me way, hey, hey-oh
All covered all over in hickory bark
A long time ago
The animals came on two by two
To me way, hey, hey-oh
They elephant, rhino, and kangaroo
A long time ago
Now the bull and the cow they started to row
To me way, hey, hey-oh
Yes, the bull and the cow they started to row
A long time ago
Noah said, “Stop your rowing”, as he cracked on his whip
To me way, hey, hey-oh
Noah said “Stop your rowing or I'll scuttle the ship”
A long time ago
The bull put his horn through the side of the ark
To me way, hey, hey-oh
And the little black dog it started to bark
A long time ago
Noah grabbed hold the dog, shoved its nose in the hole
To me way, hey, hey-oh
And that’s why dogs’ noses have always been cold
A long time ago
It's a long, long time and a very long time
To me way, hey, hey-oh
It's a long, long time and a very long time
A long time ago
Chorus:
Ah, for just one time, I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin, reaching for the Beaufort Sea.
Tracing one warm line, through a land so wide and savage,
And make a Northwest Passage, to the sea.
Westward from the Davis Strait, 'tis there was said to lie,
The sea route to the Orient, for which so many died,
Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered broken bones,
And a long forgotten lonely cairn of stones.
Three centuries thereafter, I take passage over land,
In the footsteps of brave Kelso, where his "sea of flowers" began.
Watching cities rise before me, then behind me sink a gain,
This tardiest explorer, driving hard, across the plains.
And through the night behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west,
I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson, and the rest,
Who cracked the mountain ramparts, and did show a path for me,
To race the roaring Fraser, to the sea.
How then am I so different from the first men through this way,
Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away,
To seek a Northwest Passage, at the call of many men,
To find there, but the road back home again
Peter Bellamy
Of all the trees that grow so fair,
Old England to adorn,
Greater are none beneath the Sun,
Than Oak and Ash and Thorn.
Sing Oak and Ash and Thorn, good Sirs
All of a Midsummer’s morn!
Surely we sing of no little thing,
In Oak and Ash and Thorn!
Oak of the Clay lived many a day,
Or ever Aeneas began;
Ash of the Loam was a lady at home,
When Brut was an outlaw man;
Thorn of the Down saw New Troy Town
(From which was London born);
Witness hereby the ancientry
Of Oak and Ash and Thorn!
Yew that is old in churchyard mould,
He breedeth a mighty bow;
Alder for shoes do wise men choose,
And beech for cups also.
But when ye have killed, and your bowl is spilled,
Your shoes are clean outworn,
Back ye must speed for all that ye need,
To Oak and Ash and Thorn!
Ellum she hates mankind, and waits
Till every gust be laid,
To drop a limb on the head of him,
That anyway trusts her shade:
But whether a lad be sober or sad,
Or mellow with ale from the horn,
He’ll take no wrong when he lieth along
’Neath Oak and Ash and Thorn!
Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But—we’ve been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring Summer in!
And we bring you news by word of mouth –
Good news for cattle and corn –
Now is the Sun come up from the South,
With Oak and Ash and Thorn!
It is of good ale to you I'll sing
And to good ale I'll always cling
I like my mug filled to the brim
And I'll drink all you'd like to bring
Chorus:
O, good ale, thou art my darling
Thou art my joy both night and morning
It is you that helps me with my work
And from a task I'll never shirk
While I can get a good home-brew
And better than one pint I like two
I love you in the early morn
I love you in daylight dark or dawn
And when I'm weary, worn or spent
I turn the tap and ease the vent
It's you that makes my friends my foes
It's you that makes me wear old clothes
But since you come so near my nose
It's up you comes and down you goes
If all my friends from Adam's race
Were to meet me here all in this place
I could part from all without one tear
Before I'd part from my good beer
And if my wife did me despise
How soon I'd give her two black eyes
But if she loved me like I love thee
What a happy couple we should be
You have caused me debts and I've often swore
That I never would drink strong ale no more
But you for all that I forgive
And I'll drink strong ale just as long as I live
Old Billy Riley, Mister Billy Riley
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley, Mister Billy Riley
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley, was a dancing master.
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley, was a dancing master.
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley shipped aboard a drogher
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley shipped aboard a drogher
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley wed the skipper’s daughter
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley wed the skipper’s daughter
Old Billy Riley-O
Mrs. Riley didn't like the sailors
Old Billy Riley-O
Mrs. Riley didn't like the sailors
Old Billy Riley-O
Mrs Riley had a lovely daughter
Old Billy Riley-O
Mrs Riley had a lovely daughter
Old Billy Riley-O
Missy Riley pretty Missy Riley
Old Billy Riley-O
Missy Riley pretty Missy Riley
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley, bound for Antigua
Old Billy Riley-O
Old Billy Riley, bound for Antigua
Old Billy Riley-O
Billy Riley, Mister Billy Riley
Old Billy Riley-O
Billy Riley, Mister Billy Riley
Old Billy Riley-O
Some friends and I
In a public house
Were playing dominos one night
Into the room the barman came
His face all chalky white
"What's up?" says Brown
"Have you seen a ghost?
Have you seen your Aunt Myriah?"
"Oh my Aunt Myriah be buggered!" said he
"The bloody pub's on fire!"
"On fire!" says Brown
"What a bit of luck
Everybody follow me
Down to the cellar, if the fire's not there
We'll have a rare old spree!"
So we all went down after good old Brown
The booze we could not miss
And we weren't there five minutes or more
'Til we were all half pissed
Chorus:
And there was Brown, upside down
Lickin' up the whiskey off the floor
"Booze! Booze!" the firemen cried
As they came knockin' at the door
Don't let them in till it's all mopped up
Somebody shouted "MacIntyre" (MacIntyre!)
And we all got blue blind
Paralytic drunk
When the Old Dun Cow caught fire
Then Smith went over
To the port wine tub
Gave it a few hard knocks
Started taken' off his pantaloons
Likewise his shoes and socks
"Hold on!" Says Brown
We can't have that!
"You can't do that in here!
Don't go washin' your trotters
In the port wine tub
When we've got all this Lite beer"
Chorus
Just then there came an awful crash
Half the bloody roof gave way
We were drowned in the fireman's hose
Still we were going to stay
So we got some tacks
And our old wet slacks
And nailed ourselves inside
And we sat there swallyin'
Pints of stout
Till we were bleary eyed!
Chorus
I'll sing me a song of the rolling sky,
To the land that's beyond the Main,
To the ebb-tide bell or the salt pork meal,
That I'll never taste me again.
There's many a night I've lied me down,
To hear the teak baulks cry,
To a melody sweet with a shanty-man beat
As the stars went swimming by
Chorus:
Don't ask me where I've damn well bin,
Don't ask me what I did,
For every thumb's a marline-spike,
And every finger's a fid
.
I mind the times as we were becalmed,
With never a breath for the sheet,
With a red sun so hot that the water would rot,
And the decking would blister your feet.
And then there's the times, as we rounded the Horn,
With a cargo of silk for Cadiz,
The swell roll was so high it were lashing the sky
Till the whole ruddy world were a fizz!
Be it spices from Java or copra from Yap,
Or a bosun so free with the lash,
It were "Up with the anchor!" and "Run out the spanker!"
And "Damn it, move faster than that!"
I've loved proud women from Spain's lusty land,
And I've seen where the Arab girl sleeps,
And the black girls as well, though they're fiery as hell,
Have all kissed me when silver was cheap.
Lord, how the man's changed from the young cabin boy
To the old man that sits on this bench!
Now he's too old to fight or to stay out all night
In the company of some pretty wench.
Just an old clipper man who's long past his best years,
He knows that he'll never be free
From the smell of the tar that once braided his hair,
From the salty old tang of the sea.
There was an old man come over the sea,
Aye, but I’ll not have him.
There was an old man come over the sea,
Come snivelling, snuffling, over on me,
With his long grey beard, with his long grey beard,
A‐shivering and shaking
My mother she told me to bid him come in,
And he giggled and dribbled all over his chin.
My mother she told me to give him a stool,
Well I gave him a stool and he sat like a fool.
My mother she told me to give him some cake,
And the silly old fool wriggled just like a snake.
My mother she told me to pass him the sugar,
And he shivvelled and shovelled it down like a bugger.
My mother she told me to take him to bed,
And the daft old devil nigh stood on his head.
My mother told me to show him what to do,
But the silly old cod couldn’t learn how to screw.
My mother she told me to bid him farewell,
Well I bid him farewell and I wished him in hell.
There was an old man came over the sea,
Came snivelling, snuffling, over on me.
It's a damn tough life, full of toil and strife
We whalermen undergo
And we won't give a damn when the gale is done
How hard the winds do blow
'Cause we're homeward-bound from the Arctic Gound
With a good ship taut and free
And we won't give a damn when we drink our rum
With the girls of Old Maui
Chorus:
Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward-bound from the Arctic Ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
Once more we sail with a Northerly gale
Through the ice, and wind, and rain
Them coconut fronds, them tropical lands
We soon shall see again
Six hellish months we passed away
On the cold Kamchatka sea
But now we're bound from the Arctic ground
Once more we sail with the Northerly gale
Towards our Island home
Our mainmast sprung, our whaling done
And we ain't got far to roam
Our stu'n's'l bones is carried away
What care we for that sound
A living gale is after us
Thank God we're homeward-bound
How soft the breeze through the island trees
Now the ice is far astern
Them native maids, them tropical glades
Is awaiting our return
Even now their big, brown eyes look out
Hoping some fine day to see
Our baggy sails running 'fore the gales
Jack Thakray
Old Molly Metcalfe counting sheep,
Yan tan tether mether pip, she counted.
Up upon Swaledale, steep and bleak,
Yan tan tether mether pip, she said.
Grow, little sheep, come hail, come snow,
Fine warm wool for a gentleman’s shoulder blades,
Over the heather when the weather is cold,
Stiff Molly Metcalfe goes bow-leggedly,
Grow, little sheep, come wind, come rain,
Fine warm wool for a lady’s counterpane,
On her back in the bracken with frozen bones,
Daft Molly Metcalfe singing alone,
Grow, little sheep, come death, come dark,
No such wool for Old Molly Metcalfe,
O, have you heard the news, me Johnny?
One more day
We're homeward bound tomorrow Johnny
One more day
Have you heard the old man growlin', Johnny?
One more day!
Don't you hear the mate a-howlin', Johnny?
Only one more day!
Chorus:
Only one more day, Johnny, one more day
O rock and roll me over, Johnny, one more day!
Only one more day a-furlin', Johnny
One more day!
Only one more day a-cursin' Johnny
One more day!
Only one more day of pumping, Johnny
One more day!
Only one more day of bracing, Johnny
One more day !
Chorus
Only one more day of rollin', Johnny
One more day!
Can't you hear the gals a-callin'? Johnny
Only one more day!
Only one more day of howlin', Johnny
One more day!
Can't you hear the gals a-callin'? Johnny
Only one more day!
Chorus
We're homeward bound tomorrow, Johnny
One more day!
We'll leave her without sorrow
One more day!
No more gales or heavy weather, Johnny
One more day!
Only one more day together!
Only one more day!
It's been a long time since you've seen her
Could have been three years or more
Will she be waiting when we dock, boys
Or like others will she be gone?
Chorus:
It's one more pull boys, that'll do boys
Soon we'll draw alongside
Hoist her upwards, swing her inboard
For the journey's nearly done
Well you're looking mighty smart, boy
Dressed up in your number ones
You've scrounged a new blade from the purser
To scrape the bum-fluff from off your chin
When we've fixed those bow and stern lines
And you've scuttled down the gangway
If she's waiting there, just kiss her
Turn around, give us a smile
Well, we too will go ashore soon
(Get drunk in the clubs and bars,)
Then stagger homeward, pockets empty
Like so many nights before
Well a man may take a wife, boy
And a man may take a mistress
But a sailor has his ship, boys
And his mistress it is the sea
Final Chorus:
It's one more pull boys, that'll do boys
Soon we'll draw alongside
Hoist her upwards, swing her inboard
For the journey now is done
Give me a spade and I'll give you a hole (Hole!)
Way-oh on the railroad
Dirt on my brow, but steel in my soul
Way-oh on the railroad
Chorus One:
Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
Shovel as much as the engine needs
Sweat and blood gonna earn my pay
All the way to 'Frisco Bay
Blowing through hills, tryin'a make up time (Whuh!)
Way-oh on the railroad
Ain't nothing gonna stand in the way of our line (Whuh!)
Way-oh on the railroad
Chorus Two:
Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
Shovel as much as the engine needs
Ain't no slave but we slave away
All the way to 'Frisco Bay
(Hey!)
Bossman says that a mile a day's the pace (Whuh!)
Way-oh on the railroad
I'll make two for the look on his face (Huh!)
Way-oh on the railroad
Chorus Two
Surveyors tryin'a plan which route is best (Whuh!)
Way-oh on the railroad
Just draw a straight line from east to west {Huh!}
Way-oh on the railroad
Chorus Two
We spare no quarter and we'll spare no man (Whuh!)
Way-oh on the railroad
Just pray we don't run into the Cheyenne
Way-oh on the railroad
Chorus One
Chorus Two
Picking up coal and we're picking up speed
shovel as much as the engine needs
If I should fall leave me where I lay
On the railway to 'Frisco Bay
Private Perks is a funny little codger
With a smile, a funny smile.
Five feet none, He’s an artful little dodger,
With a smile, a sunny smile.
Flush or broke, he’ll have his little joke,
He can’t be suppressed.
All the other fellows have to grin,
When he gets this off his chest, Hi!
Chorus:
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag,
And smile, smile, smile!
While you’ve a Lucifer to light your fag,
Smile, Boys, that’s the style.
What’s the use of worrying?
It never was worth while.
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag,
And smile, smile, smile!
Private Perks went a-marching into Flanders,
With a smile, his funny smile.
He was lov’d by the privates and commanders
For his smile, his sunny smile.
When a throng of Bosches came along,
With a mighty swing,
Perks yell’d out, “This little bunch is mine!
Keep your heads down boys and sing”, Hi!
Private Perks he came back from Bosche shooting,
With his smile, his funny smile.
Round his home he then set about recruiting,
With his smile, his sunny smile.
He told all his pals, the short, the tall,
What a time he’d had,
And as each enlisted like a man,
Private Perks said “Now my lad,” Hi!
‘ Twas a cold an’ dreary mornin’ in December, (December)
An’ all of me money it was spent (spent, spent),
Where it went to Lord I can’t remember (remember),
So down to the shippin’ office went, (went, went)
Chorus:
Paddy, lay back (Paddy, lay back)!
Take in yer slack (take in yer slack)!
Take a turn around the capstan – heave a pawl – heave a pawl!
‘ Bout ship, stations, boys, be handy (be handy)!
We’re bound for Valaparaiser ’round the Horn!
In that day there wuz a great demand for sailors (for sailors),
For the Colonies and for ‘Frisco and for France (France, France),
So I shipped aboard a Limey barque, the Hotspur (the Hotspur),
An’ got paralytic drunk on my advance (‘vance, ‘vance),
It was on the quarterdeck where first I saw ’em ,(saw em)
Such an ugly bunch I’d niver seen afore; (fore, fore)
For there wuz bum an’ stiff from every quarter, (quarter)
It made me poor ol’ heart feel sick an’ sore. (sore, sore)
There wuz Rooshians an’ Dutchmen an’ Spaniards, ( an’ Spaniards )
An’ Johnny Crapoos jist acrost from France; ( France, France )
Oh, none could hardly speak a word o’ English, (o’ English)
But answered to the name of ‘Month’s Advance’. (‘vance, ‘vance)
I wisht I wuz in the ‘Jolly Sailor’, (the Sailor)
Along with Irish Kate a-drinkin’ beer; (beer, beer)
An’ then I thought what jolly chaps were sailors, (sailors)
An’ with me flipper I wiped away a tear. ( tear, tear)
So here we are, once more again at sea, boys, (at sea boys)
The same ol’ ruddy story over again; (‘gain, ‘gain)
Oh, stamp the around the capstan, give a cheer, boys, (a cheer boys)
An’ sing again this beautiful refrain. (‘frain, ‘frain)
From Derry quay we sailed away on the 23rd of May
We were boarded by a pleasant crew bound for Americay
Fresh water we did take on 5000 gallons or more
In case we'd run short going to New York
From Paddy's green shamrock shore
So it's fare thee well sweet Liza dear
and likewise to Derry town
And twice farewell to my comrades bold
who dwell on that sainted ground
If fortune should ever favor me and
I should have money in store
I'd come back and I'd wed the wee lassie I left
On Paddy's green shamrock shore
We sailed 3 days we were all seasick not a man on board was free
We were all confined to our bunks and no one to pity poor me
No father dear nor mother kind to hold up my head it was sore
Which made me think more on the lassie I left
On Paddy's green shamrock shore
We safely reached the other shore after 3 and twenty days
We were taken as passengers by a man and led round in 6 different ways
We each of us drank a parting glass in case we might never meet more
And we drank a toast to Old Ireland
And Paddy's green shamrock shore
When I was a-walkin' down London Road, I come to Paddy West's house
He gave me a dish of American hash and he called it Liverpool scouse
He said, "There's a ship, she's taking hands, and on her you must sign
The mate's a bastard, the captain's worse, and she will do ya fine."
Chorus:
Take off your dungaree jackets and give yourselves a rest
And think of them cold nor'westers we had at Paddy West's
Now Paddy he pipes all hands on deck, their stations for to man
His wife, she's stood in the doorway with a bucket in her hand
And Paddy cries, "Now, let 'er rip!” and she throws the water our way
Crying, "Clew up your fore t'gan'sl, boys, she's taking on the spray!"
Now seeing she's off to southward, to Frisco she was bound
Now Paddy he takes out a length of rope and he lays it on the ground
And we all step over and back again, and he says to me, "That's fine
And if they ask were you ever at sea, you can say you've crossed the line"
"Now there's just one thing for you to do before you sail away
Just step around the table where the bullock's horns do lay
If they ever ask, 'Were you ever at sea?', you can say, 'Ten times 'round the Horn'
By Jesus, you're an old sailor man from the day that you were born"
Last Chorus:
Put on your dungaree jackets, and walk out looking your best
And tell 'em you're an old sailor man that comes from Paddy West'
It is time to go now
Haul away your anchor
Haul away your anchor
'tis our sailing time.
Get some sail upon her
Haul away your halyards
Haul away your halyards
'tis our sailing time.
Get her on course now
Haul away your foresheets
Haul away your foresheets
'tis our sailing time.
Waves are surging under
Haul away down channel
Haul away down channel
on the evening tide.
When you're sailing's over
Haul away for heaven
Haul away, oh heaven
God be by your side.
It is time to go now
Haul away your anchor
Haul away your anchor
'tis our sailing time.
Of all the money ere I had, I spent it in good company,
And all the harm I’ve ever done, alas was to none but me.
And all I’ve done for want of wit, to memory now I can’t recall.
So fill me to the parting glass, goodnight and joy be with you all.
If I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile,
There is a fair maid in this town who sorely has my heart beguiled.
Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips, I own she has my heart in thrall.
So fill me to the parting glass – goodnight, and joy be with you all.
Of all the comrades ere I had, they’re sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts ere I had , they wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise and you should not,
I’ll gently rise and softly call, goodnight and joy be with you all.
Pass around the grog, me boys and never mind the score,
Drink the good old liquor down before we call for more.
Chorus:
For to see who will not merry, merry be
Shall never taste of joy,
See, see, the Cape’s in view,
And forward, my brave boy.
Here’s a health unto our majesty, and long may she reign,
Queen of all the seven seas and the pride of the Spanish main.
There’s one more thing I’ll ask of you, before you call for more,
Give to me the girl I love and the key to the cellar door
Once more unto her majesty and let the toast go ’round
Confusion to her enemies wherever they are found
Far away and o'er the moor,
Morar waits for a boat that saileth,
Far away down Lowland way,
I dream the dream I learned, lad,
Chorus:
By the light o' the peat-fire flame,
Light for love, for lilt o' laughter,
By the light o' the peat-fire flame,
The light the hill-folk yearn for.
Far away, down Lowland way,
Grim's the toil, without tune or dream, lad,
All you need's a creel and love,
For the dream the heart can weave, lad
Far away the tramp and tread,
Tune and laughter of all the heroes,
Pulls me onward o'er the trail
Of the dream my heart may weave, lad,
Pour retrouver ma douce amie
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Pour retrouver ma douce amie
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Chorus:
Pique la baleine, joli baleinier
Pique la baleine, je veux naviguer.
Aux mille mers j'ai navigué.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Aux mille mers j'ai navigué.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Des mers du nord aux mers du sud.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Des mers du nord aux mers du sud.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Je l'ai retrouvée quand j'm'ai noyé.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Je l'ai retrouvée quand j'm'ai noyé.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là .
Dans les grands fonds, elle m'espérait.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Je l'ai retrouvée quand j'm'ai noyé.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Tous deux ensemble on a pleuré.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
Tous deux ensemble on a pleuré.
Oh mes boués, ouh là ouh là là.
It was pleasant and delightful one midsummer’s morn,
When the fields and the valleys were covered in corn,
And the blackbirds and the thrushes sings on every green tree,
And the larks they sang melodious
And the larks they sang melodious
And the larks they sang melodious
At the dawn of the day.
Said the sailor to his true love, “I am bound far away,
I am bound for the East Indies, I no longer here can stay.
I am bound for the East Indies, where our cannons roar.
I am going to leave my Nancy
I am going to leave my Nancy
I am going to leave my Nancy
She’s the girl I adore.“
A ring from his finger he then instantly drew,
Saying, “Take this, dearest Nancy, and my heart shall go, too.”
And while he embraced her tears from her eyes fell,
Saying, “May I go along with you?”
Saying, “May I go along with you?”
Saying, “May I go along with you?”
“ Oh no, me love, farewell.”
Said the sailor to his true love, “I no longer here can stay,
For her topsails are hoisted and the anchor is weighed.
Our ships she lays waiting for the next flowing tide.
And if ever I return again
And if ever I return again
And if ever I return again
I will make you my bride.
In 1841, me corduroy breeches I put on
Me corduroy breeches I put on
To work upon the railway, the railway
I'm weary of the railway
Poor Paddy works on the railway
In 1842, from Hartlepool I moved to Crewe
Found myself a job to do a working on the railway
I was wearing corduroy breeches, digging ditches
Pulling switches, dodging pitches
As I was working on the railway
In 1843, I broke the shovel across me knee
I went to work for the company, on the Leeds to Selby railway
I was wearing corduroy breeches, digging ditches
Pulling switches, dodging pitches
As I was working on the railway
In 1844, I landed on the Liverpool shore
My belly was empty, me hands were raw
With working on the railway, the railway
I'm sick to my guts of the railway
Poor Paddy works on the railway
In 1845, when Daniel O'Connell he was alive
When Daniel O'Connell, he was alive
And working on the railway
I was wearing corduroy breeches, digging ditches
Pulling switches, dodging pitches
As I was working on the railway
In 1846, I changed my trade to carrying bricks
I changed my trade to carrying bricks
To working on the railway
I was wearing corduroy breeches, digging ditches
Pulling switches, dodging pitches
As I was working on the railway
In 1847 poor Paddy was thinking of going to Heaven
The old bugger was thinking of going to Heaven
To work upon the railway, the railway
I'm sick to my death of the railway
Poor Paddy works on the railway
I was wearing corduroy breeches, digging ditches
Pulling switches, dodging pitches
As I was working on the railway
Come all you colliers who work down the mine
From Scotland to South Wales from Teesdale to Tyne
I'll sing you a song of the pound a week rise
And the men who were fooled by the government's lies
Chorus:
And it's down you go
Down below, Jack
Where you never see the skies
And you're workin' in a dungeon
For your pound a week rise
In 19 and 60 a few years ago
The mineworkers' leaders to Lord Robens did go
Sayin' "We work very hard, every day we risk our lives
And we ask you here and now for a pound a week rise."
Well up spoke Lord Robens and he made this decree
"When the output rises, then with you I will agree
I'll raise up all your wages, I'll give to you fair pay
For I was once a miner and I worked hard in my day"
The miners they went home, they worked hard and well
Their lungs filled with coal dust in the bosom of hell
The output rose by fifteen, eighteen percent, and more
And when two years had passed and gone it rose about a score
The miners they went home, to get their hard-earned prize
They went asked Lord Robens for their pound a week rise
Robens wouldn't give a pound, he wouldn't give ten bob
He gave 'em seven and six and said "Get back to your jobs!"
So come all you colliers, take heed what I say
Don't believe Lord Robens when he said he'll give fair pay
He'll tell you to work hard and make the output rise
You'll get pie in the sky instead of a pound a week rise
In the Belfast yard where she was made of Harland-Wolff design
The plan was struck to build three ships that funds would not define
The gantry raised up in '08, a nameless liner rose
To make the journeys to New York in record time, and so
Chorus:
She's the pride of the White Star Line
May her engines never stall
Her sisters died from 'berg and mine
But she'll run for decades more
She'll run for decades more
Olympic soon became her stamp, no finer ship did sail
Smoking rooms and Turkish baths and palm trees rail to rail
As sleek and striking as could be, and speed second to none
She sailed from Portsmouth dock and showed the world how it was done
The Hawke was running 'long her side around the Isle of Wight
A swing to starboard up and took the helmsman by surprise
Two holes were punched into her side and water flooded in
She staggered back to Portsmouth Dock and lived to sail again
Titanic sank into the depths, Britannic joined her too
Through the wars, Olympic kept on sailing sure and true
Missions out in open sea with U-Boats in her stead
Damn near cut 'em clean in two and sank 'em to the bed
Now every dog must have its day, and all good things must pass
Shipyards forged much bigger crafts that dwarfed her in her class
The trips were few and fares declined, the world marched on ahead
They pulled her down in Jarrow town, still striking to the end!
Chorus:
Pump me boys! Pump her dry
Down to hell, and up to the sky
Bend your back and break your bones
We're just a thousand miles from home
The captain's daughter I suppose
Could be called an English Rose
What would you think when I propose?
The pox to me she gave a dose
This rose well did she prick me sore
I never felt so bad before
Thanks to the girl I did adore
I thought I'd never pump no more
I called the doctor right away
To find out what he had to say
That's two pounds ten get on your way
I'm sure the girl is in his pay
They say life has its ups and downs
That really now is quite profound
I'd like to push the capstan 'round
But its pump me boys before we drown
The ocean we do all adore
So come a lads let's pump some more
Don't worry if your stiff and sore
I'm sure we've pumped this bit before
Sometimes when I am in me bed
And thinking of me day ahead
I wish that I could wake up dead
But pumpin's all I get instead
Yes, how I wish that I could die
The swine who built this tub to find
I'd bring him back from where he fries
To pump him until the beggar's dry
If Noah used him for his ark
Now wouldn't that have been a lark
From rising sun till getting dark
The animals all hard at work
There's so much water down below
Just how it got there I don't know
The old man says let's roll and go
But I assure we're bound for Davey Jones
Chorus:
Oh, there're sober men aplenty
And drunkards barely twenty
There are men of over ninety
That have never yet kissed a girl
But give me a ramblin' rover
Frae Orkney down to Dover
We will roam the country over
And together we'll face the world
I've roamed through all the nations
In delight of all creations
And enjoyed a wee sensation
Where the company, it was kind
And when partin' was no pleasure
I've drunk another measure
To the good friends that we treasure
For they always are in our mind
There's many that feign enjoyment
From merciless employment
Their ambition was this deployment
From the minute they left the school
And they save and scrape and ponder
While the rest go out and squander
See the world and rove and wander
And are happier as a rule
If you're bent wi' arthiritis
Your bowels have got Colitis
You've gallopin' bollockitis
And you're thinkin' it's time you died
If you been a man o' action
Though you're lying there in traction
You will get some satisfaction
Thinkin', "Jesus, at least I tried."
Now we are ready to head for the Horn
Way, hey, roll an' go!
Our boots and our clothes, boys, are all in the pawn
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
Chorus:
Heave a pawl, heave away,
Way, hey, roll an' go!
The anchor’s on board and the cable’s all stored
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
Man the stout caps'n and heave with a will
Way, hey, roll an' go!
Soon we'll be drivin' her 'way up the hill
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
Heave away, bullies, ye parish-rigged bums
Way, hey, roll an' go!
Take yer hands from yer pockets and don't suck yer thumbs
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
Soon we’ll be warping her out through the locks
Way, hey, roll an' go!
Where the pretty young girls all come down in their frocks.
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
Sing goodbye to Sally and goodbye to Sue
Way, hey, roll an' go!
For we are the bullies that can kick her through.
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
Come breast the bar, bullies, heave her away
Way, hey, roll an' go!
Soon we’ll be rolling her ‘way down the bay.
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
Roust ‘er up, bullies, the wind’s drawing free
Way, hey, roll an' go!
Let’s get the glad rags up and drive ‘er to sea.
To me rollickin' randy dandy O!
We're making money with this sound
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
And soon we'll all be homeward bound
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Chorus:
Rattle ‘em loud an’ stamp & go
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Rattle ‘em loud an’ stamp & go
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Into the hold this gear must go
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
'Cos Mr Mate has told us so
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
John he is our shanty man
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Always on the old rantan
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
When he was young and in his prime
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
He'd have them pretty girls two at a time
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Now he's old and going grey
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Them girls all run away
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
He's got a girl in Callao
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
He's gonna make her roll and go
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
We’ll all have a drink in the Lobster Pub
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
The barmaid‘ll give us some good grub
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Then we’ll all have a drink in the dog and duck
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
With the pretty girls there we’ll have good luck
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
One more rattle and then belay
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
We've rattled this gear enough today
Rattle ‘em winches oh!
Chorus:
O ro the rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley-O
A rare bog, a rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley-O
And in that bog there was a hole, a rare hole, a rattlin' hole
With the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And in that hole there was a tree, a rare tree, a rattlin' tree
With the tree in the hole and hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that tree there was a limb, a rare limb, a rattlin’ limb,
With the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that limb there was a branch, a rare branch, a rattlin’ branch,
With the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that branch there was a twig, a rare twig, a rattlin’ twig,
With the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that twig there was a leaf, a rare leaf, a rattlin’ leaf,
With the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that leaf there was a nest, a rare nest, a rattlin’ nest,
With the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that nest there was an egg, a rare egg, a rattlin’ egg,
With the egg on the nest and the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hoel in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that egg there was a bird, a rare bird, a rattlin’ bird,
With the bird on the egg and the egg on the nest and the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that bird there was a wing, a rare wing, a rattlin’ wing,
With the wing on the bird and the bird on the egg and the egg on the nest and the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that wing there was a feather, a rare feather, a rattlin’ feather
With the feather on the wing and the wing on the bird and the bird on the egg and the egg on the nest and the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that feather there was a flea, a rare flea, a rattlin’ flea
With the flea on the feather and the feather on the wing and the wing on the bird and the bird on the egg and the egg on the nest and the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that flea there was a mite, a rare mite, a rattlin’ mite
With the mite on the flea and the flea on the feather and the feather on the wing and the wing on the bird and the bird on the egg and the egg on the nest and the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
And on that mite there was an amoeba, a rare amoeba, a rattlin’ amoeba
With the amoeba on the mite and the mite on the flea and the flea on the feather and the feather on the wing and the wing on the bird and the bird on the egg and the egg on the nest and the nest on the leaf and the leaf on the twig and the twig on the branch and the branch on the limb and the limb on the tree and the tree in the hole and the hole in the bog and the bog down in the valley-O
I've been roaming all my life and now I've found a lady wife
I'm staying right here!
Oh, I won't go sailing any more, I won't obey the ocean's call
I'm staying right here!
Chorus:
I'll be a man of the land
I'll be a man of the trees
I'll be a man wherever my woman will be
I won't be any captain's mate
I won't be servant of the seas
'Cause this pretty little woman is all I need
At 14 I was cabin boy to fearsome Captain Buckleroy
I'm staying right here!
When I was sick he ordered cat o' nine until I said that I felt fine
I'm staying right here!
At 20 I manned our crow's nest and captain said I was the best
I'm staying right here!
But I almost lost my eyes to God just lookin' out for old Cape Cod
I'm staying right here!
At 25 no man alive could match my skill for gunnin'
I'm staying right here!
But the captain he got drunk one night and broke the blasted cannon
I'm staying right here!
Captain died at 28 and by then I was his first mate
I'm staying right here!
Oh, they tried to give me his command but I was hungry for the land
I'm staying right here!
I jumped aboard at Morecambe Bay and made for Bristol down the way
I'm staying right here!
Oh, I fell in love when first I saw her, Avon County's finest daughter
And now she's got me staying right here!
Oh say was you ever in Rio Grande?
Away for Rio
It’s there that the river flows down golden sand
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
Chorus:
And it’s away bullies away
Away for Rio
So fare thee well my Liverpool girls
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
Oh Liverpool town its no place for me
Away for Rio
I’ll pack up me bags and I’ll go off to sea
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
So it’s pack up your donkey and get under way
Away for Rio
The girls we are leaving can take half our pay
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
Now man the good capstan and run her around
Away for Rio
We’ll heave up the anchor to this bully’s sound
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
Oh the anchor is weighed and the sails they are set
Away for Rio
The maidens we’re leaving we’ll never forget
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
Sing goodbye to Sally and goodbye to Sue
Away for Rio
You Liverpool Judies its goodbye to you
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
Now our ship she’s a sailing out over the bar
Away for Rio
We pointed her bow to the great Southern star
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
We’re a deepwater ship with a deepwater crew
Away for Rio
We can stick to the coast but we’re damned if we do
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande
I was just the age of sixteen when I first went on the drive
After six months hard labor, at home I did arrive
I courted with a pretty girl, t'was her caused me to roam
Now I'm just a river driver and I'm far away from home
Chorus:
I'll eat when I am hungry and I'll drink when I am dry
Get drunk whenever I'm ready, get sober by and by
And if this river don't drown me, it's down I'll mean to roam
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
I'll build a lonesome castle upon some mountain high
Where she can sit and view me as I go passing by
Where she can sit and view me as I go marching on
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
When I am old and feeble and in my sickness lie
Just wrap me up in a blanket and lay me down to die
Just get a little bluebird to sing for me alone
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
Well, in the merry month of May now from me home I started
Left the girls of Tuam nearly broken hearted
Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother
Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother
Then off to reap the corn and leave where I was born
Cut a stout blackthorn to banish ghosts and goblins
A brand new pair of brogues to rattle over the bogs
And frighten all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin
Chorus:
One, two, three four, five
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
And all the ways to Dublin, whack follol de dah
In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary
Started by daylight next morning light and early
Took a drop of the pure to keep me heart from shrinkin'
Thats the Paddy's cure whene'er he's on for drinkin'
To hear the lassies smile, laughin' all the while
At me curious style, 'twould set your heart a bubblin'
They asked me was I hired and wages I required
Till I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin
In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity
To be so soon deprived a view of that fine city
Then I took a stroll, all among the quality
Bundle it was stole, well in a neat locality
Something crossed me mind, when I looked behind
No bundle could I find upon me stick a wobblin'
Enquiring after the rogue, said me Connacht brogue
It wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin
From there I got away, me spirits never failing
Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailing
Captain at me roared, said that no room had he
When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy
Down among the pigs, did some hearty rigs
I played some hearty jigs, the water round me bubbling
When off Holyhead I wished meself was dead
Or better far instead on the rocky road to Dublin
The boys of Liverpool, well when we safely landed
Called meself the fool, I could no longer stand it
Blood began to boil, temper I was losing
Poor old Erin's Isle they began abusing
"Hurrah me soul" says I, me shillelagh I let fly
Galway boys were by and saw I was a hobblin'
With a low a' "hurray!" they joined in the affray
Quickly clear the way for the rocky road to Dublin
When the Alabama's keel was laid
Roll, Alabama, Roll
It was laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird
O roll, Alabama, roll
It was laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird
Roll, Alabama, Roll
It was laid in the town of Birkenhead
O roll, Alabama, roll
Down Mersey River she sailed then
Roll, Alabama, Roll
Liverpool fitted her with guns and men
O roll, Alabama, roll
Down Mersey way she sailed forth
Roll, Alabama, Roll
To destroy the commerce of the North
O roll, Alabama, roll
To fight the north Semmes did employ
Roll, Alabama, Roll
Any method to kill and destroy
O roll, Alabama, roll
To Cherbourg harbor she sailed one day
Roll, Alabama, Roll
To collect her share of the prize money
O roll, Alabama, roll
And many a sailor saw his doom
Roll, Alabama, Roll
When the Yankee Kearsage hove into view
O roll, Alabama, roll
A shot from the forward pivot-gun that day
Roll, Alabama, Roll
Took the Alabama's stern away
O roll, Alabama, roll
Off the three mile limit in sixty-four
Roll, Alabama, Roll
She sank to the bottom of the ocean floor
O roll, Alabama, roll
Outside the three mile limit they fought
Roll, Alabama, Roll
And Semmes escaped on a fine British yacht
O roll, Alabama, roll
'Twas late 65 at the old wall sea yard
She was commissioned to haul the black tar
And built the Northumbria there on the bar
Roll, Northumbria, Roll
For when the Egyptians they closed the Red Sea
And call came on high from the powers that be
To build a royal monster right down on the quay
Roll, Northumbria, Roll, me boys
Roll, Northumbria, Roll
Chorus:
And it's one for the hot sun above
Two for the empire we love
And it's three for the fire that burns down below
Roll on Northumbria
Roll, Northumbria, Roll
Carpathia, Vengeance, celestial call
She was the tanker to out-size them all
From the banks of the Mersey to the port of the Halal
Roll, Northumbria, Roll
And fair Princess Anne threw a bottle of wine
And watch as the giants set down in the Tyne
What lay ahead could no mortal divine
Roll, Northumbria, Roll, me boys
Roll, Northumbria, Roll
Chorus
So come all ya good workmen, beware the command
That comes down on high from the desk of a man
Who's never held steel or torch in his hands
Roll, Northumbria, Roll
For atop a wild breaker, the cracks in her frame
Spilled her black guts all across the wild main
And she limped away through an ocean of flame
Roll, Northumbria, Roll, me boys
Roll, Northumbria, Roll
Chorus
Oh a drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm,
No a drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm,
And a drop of Nelson's blood wouldn't do us any harm,
And we'll all hang on behind.
Chorus:
And we'll roll the old chariot along,
Yes we'll roll the old chariot along,
Oh we'll roll the old chariot along,
And we'll all hang on behind.
Oh a nice fat cook wouldn't do us any harm.
Oh a plate of Irish stew wouldn't do us any harm.
Oh a roll in the clover wouldn't do us any harm.
Oh a long spell in gaol wouldn't do us any harm.
Oh a night watch below wouldn't do us any harm.
Oh some rum, beer and baccy wouldn't do us any harm.
Oh a night with the girls wouldn't do us any harm.
Away down South where the cocks do crow
Way down in Florida
Them girls all dance to the old banjo
And we'll roll the woodpile down
Chorus:
Rollin! Rollin! O, Rollin the whole world round
That fine gal of mine's on the Georgia line!
And we'll roll the woodpile down!
Oh, what can you do in Tampa bay?
Way down in Florida
But give them pretty girls all your pay
And we'll roll the woodpile down
Them Cardiff girls ain't got no frills
Way down in Florida
They're skinny and tight as catfish gills
And we'll roll the woodpile down
Oh, why do them pretty girls love me so?
Way down in Florida
Because I don't tell all I know
And we'll roll the woodpile down
When I was a young man in me prime
Way down in Florida
I'd take them pretty gals two at a time
And we'll roll the woodpile down
We'll roll him high and we'll roll him low
Way down in Florida
We'll heave him up and away we'll go
And we'll roll the woodpile down
Oh rouse and bust 'er is the cry
Way down in Florida
A Jack Tar's wage is never high
And we'll roll the woodpile down
Oh, one more heave and that will do
Way down in Florida
For we're the boys to kick her through
And we'll roll the woodpile down
Fourwinds
So here’s to the boys who are happy and gay
Singing and dancing and tearing away
Rollicksome, frollicksome, frisky and free
We’re the rollicking boys around Tandragee
Bad luck to ye all by’s barring the cat
That sits in the corner there smelling a rat
And wheesht your philandering girls and behave
And sparing a moment, I’ll chant you a stave
I come from the land where the pritties grow big
And the girls neat and handy dance a fine jig
The boys they would charm your poor hearts for to see
For they’re rare and fine fellers ‘round Tandragee
No doubt you have heard of Killarney I’m sure
And sweet Innishowen for a drop of the pure
Dublin’s the place for the strawberry beds
Or Donnybrook Fair for the cracking of heads
Have you e’er seen an Irishman dancing palltog
How he faces his partner and turns up his brogue
He shakes at the buckle and bends at the knee
The rare and fine dancers in Tandragee
Now the oul jaunting car is an elegant joult
And Derry’s a place that is famed for a hoult
Among the green bushes that grow in Tyrone
And the County Fermanagh for muscle and bone
But for feasting and dancing and fun at the fair
Sure there’s no one can match with the Rakes of Kildare
Green Ireland’s the country, the gem of the sea
But the gem of oul Ireland is Tandragee
Tell me where is the man, either Christian or Turk
Could equal the bold Robert Emmett or Burke
O where is the lawyer can speak up like Dan
The devil another, bad luck to the one
And where is the singer can sing like Tom Moore
Whose melodies charm all dull thoughts from your door
But we’ll beat them all yet boys, and that you will see
For we’re raring fine dancers round Tandragee
Chorus:
Rolling up, Rolling down.
We'll all get drunk in Tilbury town
Twenty four hours to turn around.
And go rolling down the river.
When first I saw a TEU.
Rolling up, rolling down
I wondered where they stowed the crew
To go rolling down the river.
Well cargo comes in TEUs.
Rolling up, rolling down
A 20 foot box, boys, filled with booze.
To go rolling down the river.
There's a Tilbury lass called Kettle Jane.
Rolling up, rolling down
She’s on the boil then off again.
And go rolling down the river.
She's got a mate called Teapot Anne.
Rolling up, rolling down
She gets well brewed. She likes a man.
To go rolling down the river.
Tilbury girls go round in pairs,
Rolling up, rolling down
You’ll not catch them unawares.
To go rolling down the river.
Well, we're the boys to kick her through.
Rolling up, rolling down
So to hell the cargo and the TEU.
Let's roll on down the river.
Round goes the wheel of fortune, don't be afraid to ride
There's a land of milk and honey waits on the other side
There'll be peace and there'll be plenty, you'll never need to roam
When we go rolling home, when we go rolling home
Chorus:
Rolling home, when we go rolling home
When we go rolling, rolling
When we go rolling home
The gentry in their fine array, they prosper night and morn
While we unto the fields must go to plough and sow the corn
The rich they steal the power, but the glory's ours alone
When we go rolling home, when we go rolling home
The frost is on the hedgerow, the icy winds do blow
While we poor weary labourers strive through the driving snow
Our dreams fly up to glory of where the lark has flown
When we go rolling home, when we go rolling home
The summer of resentment, the winter of despair
The journey to contentment is set with trap and snare
Stand to and stand together, your labours yours alone
When we go rolling home, when we go rolling home
Pass the bottle round and let the toast go free
Here's a health to every labourer wherever they may be
Fair wages are now or never, let's reap what we have sown
When we go rolling home, when we go rolling home
I’ve travelled this wide world over
And now to another I’ll go,
For I know that good quarters are waiting
To welcome old Rosin the Beau.
To welcome old Rosin the Beau me boys
To welcome old Rosin the Beau,
For I know that good quarters are waiting
To welcome old Rosin the Beau.
When I’m dead and laid out on the counter
A voice you will hear from below
Crying, “Send down a hogshead of whisky
To drink to old Rosin the Beau.
To drink to old Rosin the Beau me boys
To drink to old Rosin the Beau,”
Crying, “Send down a hogshead of whisky
To drink to old Rosin the Beau.”
And when I have drunk my last skinful
The ladies will want to, I know,
Just lift off the lid of my coffin, take
A last look at Rosin the Beau.
A last look at Rosin the Beau me boys
A last look at Rosin the Beau,
Just lift off the lid of my coffin and take
A last look at Rosin the Beau.
Then get a full dozen stout fellows
And prop them all up in a row,
And drink out of half gallon bottles
To the memory of Rosin the Beau.
To the memory of Rosin the Beau me boys
To the memory of Rosin the Beau,
And drink out of half gallon bottles
To the memory of Rosin the Beau.
Then get a half dozen young fellows
And let them all stagger and go,
And dig a great hole in the meadow
And in it throw Rosin the Beau.
And in it throw Rosin the Beau me boys
And in it throw Rosin the Beau,
And dig a great hole in the meadow
And in it throw Rosin the Beau.
Then get you a couple of bottles,
Put one at my head and my toe,
With a diamond ring scratch upon them
The name of old Rosin the Beau.
The name of old Rosin the Beau me boys
The name of old Rosin the Beau,
With a diamond ring scratch upon them
The name of old Rosin the Beau.
I feel that great tyrant approaching,
That cruel remorseless old foe,
And I lift up my glass in his honour,
Take a drink with old Rosin the Beau.
A drink with old Rosin the Beau me boys
A drink with old Rosin the Beau,
And I lift up my glass in his honour,
Take a drink with old Rosin the Beau.
I'll sing you a song, it's a song of the sea
Row me Bully Boys Row
Oh, I'll sing you a song if you'll sing it with me
Row me Bully Boys Row
Chorus:
And it’s Row Me Bully Boys
We’re in a hurry boys
We got a long way to go
We’ll sing and we’ll dance and bid Farewell to France
And it’s Row me Bully Boys Row
We sailed away in the roughest of water
Row me Bully Boys Row
But now we return in the most royal quarters
Row me Bully Boys Row
See now we feast on pheasants by the flock
Row me Bully Boys Row
It’s a long, long way from the gruel and the stocks
Row me Bully Boys Row
A wee dram of whisky for every man
Row me Bully Boys Row
And a Barrel of Rum for the shanty man
And it’s Row me Bully Boys Row
We sailed away in the roughest of water
Row me Bully Boys Row
But now we return and so lock up your daughters
Row me Bully Boys Row
Oh, poor old Rueben Ranzo
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Oh, poor old Rueben Ranzo
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Ranzo was no sailor
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
But he was a New York tailor
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Ranzo was no sailor
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
But he shipped onboard a whaler
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Ranzo was no beauty
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
And he would not do his duty
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
And they gave him lashes thirty
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Because he was so dirty
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
The captain’s daughter Susie
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Begged her dad for mercy
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Well, she gave him wine and water
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
And a bit more than she ought to
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
She gave him rum and brandy
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Which made ol’ Ranzo randy
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
She gave him an education
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
She taught him navigation
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Now Ranzo is a sailor
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
He’s a captain of a whaler
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
He’s known wherever them whalefish blow
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
As the hardest bastard on the go
Ranzo me boys, Ranzo
Running down to Cuba with a load of sugar,
Away, me boys, to Cuba
Make her fly you, lime juice squeezes,
Running down to Cuba.
Chorus:
Away, me boys, to Cuba
Running down to Cuba
The captain he will trim the sails,
Away, me boys, to Cuba
Winging the water over the rails,
Running down to Cuba.
O, I got a sister, she's nine feet tall,
Away, me boys, to Cuba
Sleeps in the kitchen with her feet in the hall.
Running down to Cuba
She can cook and she can clean,
Away, me boys, to Cuba
She can play the tambourine,
Running down to Cuba
I want a girl can dance Fandango,
Away, me boys, to Cuba
Round as a melon and sweet as a mango,
Running down to Cuba.
Load this sugar and a home-ward go,
Away, me boys, to Cuba
Mister mate, he tells me so,
Running down to Cuba
Chorus:
I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry
If the hard times don't kill me, I'll lay down and die
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry
If you don't give me rye whiskey I surely will die
I'll tune up my fiddle and rosin my bow
I make myself welcome, wherever I go
Beefsteak when I'm hungry, red booze when I'm dry
Dubloons when I'm hard up and religion when I die
They say I drink whiskey, my money's my own
And them that don't like me, can leave me alone
Sometimes I drink whiskey, sometimes I drink rum
Sometimes I drink brown ale and other times none
Chorus
But if I get boozey, my whiskey's my own
And them that don't like me, can leave me alone
Jack o' Diamonds, Jack o' Daniel's I know you of old
You've robbed me poor pockets of silver and gold
Oh whiskey, you villain, you've been my downfall
You've kicked me, you've cuffed me, but I love you for all
If the ocean were whiskey and I was a duck
I'd dive to the bottom and drown to get drunk
Chorus
My foot in a stirrup, her scarf in my hand
I pray thee sweet Lillie, she'll find a good man
Her parents don't like me, they say I'm too poor
Unfit and unworthy to enter her door
Sweet milk when I'm hungry, rye whiskey when dry
If a tree don't fall on me, I'll live 'till I die
I'll buy my own whiskey and make my own stew
And when I get drunk all, it's because of you
Chorus
I'll drink my own whiskey and finish your wine
Some ten thousand bottles I've killed in my time
I've no wife to quarrel, no babies to bawl
The best way of livin's with no wife at all
On Mullacor Mountain I wander alone
I'm drunk as the devil, oh, leave me alone
You may boast of your wisdom and brag of your blood
We'll both be forgotten in the wake of the flood
Last Chorus:
I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry
If things don't get better, I'll lay down and die
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I sigh
If I've run out of rye whiskey I might as well die
Rye whiskey, rye whiskey, rye whiskey I cry
If you don't give me rye whiskey I surely will die...
Sailing over the Dogger Bank, now wasnt it a treat?
The wind a-blowing east nor’ east, we had to give her sheet.
You ought to seen us rally, the winds a-blowin free
On a passage from the Dogger Bank to Great Grimsby.
Chorus :
So, Watch her twig her, she’s a proper juby-ju,
Give her sheet and let her rip, we’re the boys to kick her through.
You ought to seen us rally, the winds a-blowin free
On a passage from the Dogger Bank to Great Grimsby.
Our captain he’s a shang-a-roosh, he loves a drop of good ale,
The mate’s a roadstone-pratt-inspector, he’s been seen in many a gaol.
The third hand he’s a bush ranger, he comes from the African Isle,
And have a look at our old cook, he’s just hoppity wild.
So, watch her twig her, as down the street she came,
High heels, and painted toes, Jenny is on the game.
Jenny is one of them flash girls, cant she cut a shine?
She can do the double shuffle on the knickerbocker line.
O, We’re the boys to make some noise, when we come home from sea,
We get right drunk and full of beer and have a jubilee.
We get right drunk and full of beer, and roll all over the floor,
And when our rent is all spent, we go to sea for more.
The mate got drunk and went below,
To take a swig of his bottle-o.
Chorus:
So early in the morning,
The sailor likes his bottle-o!
The bottle-o, the bottle-o,
The sailor loves his bottle-o,
A bottle of rum, a bottle of gin,
A bottle of Irish whiskey-o.
Tobaccy-o tobaccy-o
The sailor likes his tobaccy-o
A packet of twist, a packet of shag
A plug of hard tobaccy-o.
A rough-house-o, a rough-house-o,
The sailor likes a rough-house-o.
A tread on me coat, an all hands in,
A bully good rough and tumble-o.
The lassies-o, the lassies-o,
The sailor loves the lassies-o.
A highland lass, a sweet colleen,
A hard-case Liverpool judy-o.
A sing-song-o, a sing-song-o,
The sailor likes a sing-song-o.
A drinking song, a song of love
A song of the seas and shipmates-o
The bottle-o, the bottle-o,
The sailor loves his bottle-o,
Along the wharves of sailor town a singing whisper goes,
Of the wind among the anchored ships, the wind that gently blows,
Off a broad brimming water, where the summer day has died,
Like a wounded whale a-sounding in the sunset tide.
Chorus :
I dreamed a dream in sailor town, a foolish dream and vain,
Of ships and men departed, of old times come again,
And an old song in sailor town, an old song to sing,
When shipmate meets with shipmate in the evening.
There's a big China liner gleaming like a gull,
And her lit ports a-flashing along the long gaunt hull,
Of a Blue-Funnel freighter with her derricks dark and still,
And a tall barque a-loading down at the lumber mill.
And in the shops of sailor town is every kind of thing,
That the sailors buy there, or the sailors bring,
Shackles for a sea-chest and pink cockatoos,
Aye, and fifty-cent alarm clocks and also dead men's shoes.
You can hear the gulls a-crying, and the cheerful noise,
Of a concertina playing and a singer's voice,
And the wind's song and the tide's song, crooning soft and low,
The rum old song in sailor town that the seamen know.
This dirty town has been my home since last time I was sailing,
But I'll not stay another day, I'd sooner go out whaling,
Chorus:
Oh lord above, send down a dove with wings as sharp as razors,
To cut the throats of them there blokes what sells bad beer to sailors!
Paid off m' 'score' and then ashore, m' money soon was flying,
With Judy Lee upon my knee and in my ear she's lying.
With m' new-found friends, m' money spends, just as fast as winking,
But when I make to clear the slate the landlord says: "Keep drinking!".
With m' payoff gone, m' clothes in pawn and Judy set for leaving,
Six months' of pay's gone in three days but Judy isn't grieving.
When the crimp comes round I'll take his pound and his hand I'll be shaking,
Tomorrow morn' sail for The Horn just as the dawn is breaking.
For one last trip from port I'll ship but next time back I'm swearing,
I'll settle down in my home town, no more I'll go seafaring.
I shipped on board of a Liverpool liner
Chorus:
Way, hey, roll and go.
And we rolled all night and we rolled all day,
For to spend my money along with Sally Brown.
Sally Brown is a nice young lady
She’s tall and dark and she’s not too shady
Her mother doesn’t like no tarry sailor
She wants her to marry a one- legged Captain
Sally wouldn’t wed me so I shipped ‘cross the water
And now I am a-courting Sally’s daughter
I shipped off board a Liverpool liner
Oh, I wish I was the Cabin Boy on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Cabin Boy on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Chorus:
Pretty work brave boys, pretty work I say
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Pretty work brave boys, pretty work I say
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Bosun on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Bosun on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Saw Bones on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Saw Bones on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Cracker Hash on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Cracker Hash on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Shanty Man on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, I wish I was the Shanty Man on board a man o' war (Whoo!)
Sam's gone away, on board a man of war
Oh, Santiana gained the day
Away Santiana
"Napoleon of the west" they say
Along the plains of Mexico
Chorus :
Well, heave her up and away we'll go
Away Santiana
Heave her up and away we'll go
Along the plains of Mexico
She's a fast clipper ship and a bully good crew
Away Santiana
And an old salty Yank for a captain too
Along the plains of Mexico
Santiana fought for gold
Away Santiana
Around Cape Horn through the ice and snow
Along the plains of Mexico
'Twas on the field of Molly-Del-Rey
Away Santiana
Well, both his legs got blown away
Along the plains of Mexico
It was a fierce and bitter strife
Away Santiana
The general Taylor took his life
Along the plains of Mexico
Well, heave her up and away we’ll go
Away Santiana
Heave her up and away we’ll go
Along the plains of Mexico
Santiana, now we mourn
Away Santiana
We left him buried off Cape Horn
Along the plains of Mexico
As I got home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a horse outside the door where my old horse should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her, "Would you kindly tell to me"
"Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?"
Chorus:
Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk
You silly old fool, still you can not see
That's a lovely sow that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many the day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before
And as I got home on Tuesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a coat behind the door where my old coat should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her, "Would you kindly tell to me"
"Who owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be?"
Chorus:
Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk
You silly old fool, still you can not see
That's a lovely blanket that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many the day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But buttons in a blanket sure I never saw before
As I got home on Wednesday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her, "Would you kindly tell to me"
"Who owns that pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be?"
Chorus:
Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk
You silly old fool, still you can not see
That's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many the day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But tobacco in a tin whistle sure I never saw before
As I got home on Thursday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her, "Woukd you kindly tell to me"
"Who owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be?"
Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk
You silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s two lovely Geranium pots me mother sent to me
Well, it's many the day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But laces on Geranium pots sure I never saw before
As I got home on Friday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a head upon the bed where my old head should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her, "Would you kindly tell to me"
"Who owns that head upon the bed where my old head should be?"
Chorus:
Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk
You silly old fool, still you can not see
That's a lovely baby that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But whiskers on a baby sure I never saw before
As I got home on Saturday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two hands on my wife’s breasts where my old hands should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her, "Would you kindly tell to me"
"Who owns those hands on your old breasts where my old hands should be?"
Chorus:
Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk
You silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s a lovely night gown me mother sent to me
Well, it's many the day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But fingers on a night gown sure I never saw before
As I got home on Sunday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a thing in my wife’s thing where my old thing should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her, "Will you kindly tell to me"
"Who owns that thing in your old thing where my old thing should be?"
Chorus:
Ah, you're drunk, you're drunk
You silly old fool, still you can not see
That’s a lovely carrot that me mother sent to me
Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But bollocks on a carrot sure I never saw before
It's farewell me Juliana
Shallow, o shallow brown
And it's goodbye me Juliana
Shallow, o shallow brown
For I'm bound away to leave you
Shallow, o shallow brown
Yes I'm bound away to leave you
Shallow, o shallow brown
Going to ship on board a whaler
Shallow, o shallow brown
Going to ship on board a whaler
Shallow, o shallow brown
Going to get my clothes in order
Shallow, o shallow brown
For the packet leaves tomorrow
Shallow, o shallow brown
I'm bound away for St George's
Shallow, o shallow brown
Bound away to far St. George's
Shallow, o shallow brown
For me wife and baby grieve me,
Shallow, o shallow brown
And it breaks my heart to leave thee,
Shallow, o shallow brown
For I love to gaze upon you
Shallow, o shallow brown
And to spend me money on you
Shallow, o shallow brown
For I'm bound away to leave you
Shallow, o shallow brown
But I never will deceive you
Shallow, o shallow brown
O you are me only treasure
Shallow, o shallow brown
And I love ye still full measure
Shallow, o shallow brown
Fare thee well, my Juliana
Shallow, o shallow brown
And it's goodbye, my Juliana
Shallow, o shallow brown
Now modern ships carry mighty funny gear
And away, get away, you shanty man!
Ain't seen a halyard for many's a year
And they got no use for a shanty man
Slick new fittings are all your style
And away, get away, you shanty man!
All very clever, but they just ain't right
And they got no use for a shanty man
Chorus:
Shanty man, oh shanty man!
Who's got a berth for a shanty man?
Sing you a song of a world gone wrong
When they got no use for a shanty man
Levers to pull and buttons to press
And away, get away, you shanty man!
Real-life sailors who need 'em less
And they got no use for a shanty man
Floating computer dressed as a ship
And away, get away, you shanty man!
Skippered and crewed by a microchip
And they got no use for a shanty man
Chorus
Soon they'll be sailin' by remote control
And away, get away, you shanty man!
That'll be pleasin' for the owner's soul
And they got no use for a shanty man
Send the ships from dock to dock
And away, get away, you shanty man!
While sat upon our arses in an office block
And they got no use for a shanty man
Chorus
New-fangled gear's no use to you
And away, get away, you shanty man!
When you're off Cape Horn with your faces blue
And they got no use for a shanty man
Then's the time you rue the day
And away, get away, you shanty man!
You sent your shanty man away
And they got no use for a shanty man
A sailor's life it once was hard
And away, get away, you shanty man!
While laid out aloft on a topsail yard
And they got no use for a shanty man
Now it don't matter if the wind blow high
And away, get away, you shanty man!
You can take force ten with your feet still dry
And they got no use for a shanty man
Chorus
Listen at night that you might hear
And away, get away, you shanty man!
A ghostly sound on a cool night air
And they got no use for a shanty man
Was it a ghost from a distant past
And away, get away, you shanty man!
Or just a breeze in the radar mast?
And they got no use for a shanty man
Chorus
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Away, you rolling river
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.
Oh, Shenandoah, I’m bound to leave you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I’m bound to leave you,
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.
’ Tis seven long years since last I saw you,
Away, you rolling river.
But Shenandoah, I’ll never grieve you,
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, you rolling river
Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you,
Away, I’m bound away, across the wide Missouri.
Captain, Captain, you are a dandy
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Captain, Captain, you love your brandy
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Won't you ferry me over to Dover?
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Won't you ferry me over to Dover?
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Queenstown to Dover's a hundred miles or over
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Queenstown to Dover's a hundred miles or over
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Captain, Captain, how deep is the water?
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
It measures one inch, six feet, and a quarter
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Captain, Captain, I love your daughter
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Captain, Captain, I love your daughter
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Shiney-o is the captain's daughter
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
For her I'm sailing across the water
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Rivers, rivers, rivers are a-rollin'
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Rivers are a-rollin' and I can't get over
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Captain, Captain, you are a dandy
Way-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
Captain, Captain, you love your brandy
Way-a-a-a-a-ay, shiney-o
With our nets and gear we’re faring
On the wild and wasteful ocean.
It’s there on the deep that we harvest and reap our bread
As we hunt the bonny shoals of herring.
Oh, it was a fine and a pleasant day,
Out of Yarmouth harbour I was faring
As a cabin boy on a sailing lugger,
For to go and hunt the shoals of herring.
Oh, the work was hard and the hours were long
And the treatment surely took some bearing.
There was little kindness and the kicks were many
As we hunted for the shoals of herring.
Oh, we fished the Swarte and the Broken Bank;
I was cook and I’d a quarter-sharing.
And I used to sleep standing on my feet
And I’d dream about the shoals of herring.
Oh, we left the homegrounds in the month of June,
And to canny Shields we soon was bearing,
With a hundred cran of the silver darlings
That we’d taken from the shoals of herring.
Now you’re up on deck, you’re a fisherman.
You can swear and show a manly bearing.
Take your turn on watch with the other fellows
While you’re searching for the shoals of herring.
Oh, I earned my keep and I paid my way,
And I earned the gear that I was wearing,
Sailed a million miles, caught ten million fishes,
We were sailing after shoals of herring.
Wi’ our nets and gear we’re faring
On the wild and wasteful ocean.
It’s there on the deep that we harvest and reap our bread
As we hunt the bonny shoals of herring.
Night and day the sea we’re daring,
Come wind or come winter gale, sweating or cold,
Growing up or growing old or dying,
While we’re hunting for the shoals of herring.
I'm on me way down to the quay
Where the ship at anchor lays
To command a gang of navvies there
They told me to engage
I thought I'd drop in for a drink before I sailed away
For to take a trip on an immigrant ship
To the shores of Botany Bay
Chorus:
Farewell to your bricks and mortar
Farewell to your dirty lime
Farewell to your gangway and your gangplank
And to hell with your overtime
For the good ship, ragamuffin
She's lying at the quay
For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay
The best years of our lives we spent working on the docks
Building mighty wharves and piers from earth and ballast rocks
Our pensions keep our jobs secure
But I won't rue the day
When I'll take a trip on an immigrant ship
To the shores of Botany Bay
The boss came up this morning
And he says, "Well, Pat, you know
That if you don't mix that mortar quick
I'm afraid you'll have to go"
Well, of course he did insult me
So I demanded all me pay
And I told him straight I was going to emigrate
To the shores of Botany Bay
And when I reach Australia
I'll go and search for golds
There's plenty there for digging up
Or so I have been told
And when I've made me fortune
There'll be no more bricks to lay
I'll take me ease doing what I please
On the shores of Botany Bay
Some people say a man is made out of mud
A poor man's made out of muscle and blood
Muscle and blood and skin and bones
A mind that's weak and a back that's strong
Chorus:
You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me, 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one morning when the sun didn't shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number 9 coal
And the straw boss said, "Well-a bless my soul!"
I was born one morning, it was drizzlin' rain
Fightin' and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in the canebrake by an old mama lion
Can't no high-toned woman make me walk the line
You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me, 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
If you see me comin' better step aside
A lot of men didn't, a lot of men died
One fist of iron, the other of steel
If the right one don't getcha then the left one will
Sir Harold Edward Boulton lyrics
Chorus:
Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,
Onward! the sailors cry;
Carry the lad that's born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.
Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,
Thunderclaps rend the air;
Baffled, our foes stand by the shore,
Follow they will not dare.
Many's the lad, fought in that day
Well the claymore did wield;
When the night came, silently lay
Dead on Culloden's field.
Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep,
Ocean's a royal bed.
Rocked in the deep, Flora will keep
Watch by your weary head.
Burned are their homes, exile and death
Scatter the loyal men;
Yet ere the sword cool in the sheath
Charlie will come again.
Robert Louis Stevenson lyrics
Chorus :
Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,
Say, could that lad be I?
Merry of soul he sailed on a day
Over the sea to Skye.
Mull was astern, Rum on the port,
Eigg on the starboard bow;
Glory of youth glowed in his soul;
Where is that glory now?
Give me again all that was there,
Give me the sun that shone!
Give me the eyes, give me the soul,
Give me the lad that's gone!
Billow and breeze, islands and seas,
Mountains of rain and sun,
All that was good, all that was fair,
All that was me is gone.
We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinkin' all night
Got into a fight
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home
Chorus:
So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home
The first mate, he got drunk
And broke in the captain's trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don't you leave me alone? Yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home
The poor cook, he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don't they let me go home?
This is the worst trip I've ever been on
In South Australia I was born
(To me) Heave away, haul away
In South Australia round Cape Horn
We're bound for South Australia
Chorus:
Haul away you rolling kings
(To me) Heave away, haul away
Haul away, you'll hear me sing
We're bound for South Australia
As I walked out one morning fair
(To me) Heave away, haul away
'Twas there I met Miss Nancy Blair
We're bound for South Australia
I shook her up and I shook her down
(To me) Heave away, haul away
I shook her round and round the town
We're bound for South Australia
There’s just one thing that grieves me mind
(To me) Heave away, haul away
To leave Miss Nancy Blair behind
We're bound for South Australia
And as we wallop around Cape Horn
(To me) Heave away, haul away
You'll wish to God you'd never been born
We're bound for South Australia
Oh, up the coast to Vallipo,
(To me) Heave away, haul away
And northward on to Callao.
We're bound for South Australia
It's back again to Liverpool,
(To me) Heave away, haul away
I spent me pay like a bloody fool
We're bound for South Australia
I wish I was on Australia's strand
(To me) Heave away, haul away
With a bottle of whiskey in my hand
We're bound for South Australia
Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain.
For we have received orders for to sail for old England
But we hope in a short time to see you again
Chorus:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors
We'll rant and we'll roar all on the salt seas
Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues
We hove our ship to with the wind from sou'west, boys
We hove our ship to, for to make soundings clear
So we rounded and sounded; got forty-five fathoms
So we squared our main yard and up channel did steer
The first land we sighted was called the Deadman
Next Ram’s Head off Plymouth, off Portland and Wight
We sailed by Beachy, by Fairlee and Dungeness
'til we came abreast of the South Foreland light
Then the signal was made for the grand fleet to anchor
And all in the Downs that night for to lie
Let go your shank painter, let go your cat stopper
Haul up your clewgarnets, let tacks and sheets fly!
Now let ev'ry man drink off his full bumper
And let ev'ry man drink off his full glass
We'll drink and be jolly and drown melancholy
And here's to the health of each true-hearted lass
Near Banbridge town in the County Down
One evening last July
Down a bóithrín green came a sweet cailín
And she smiled as she passed me by
She looked so neat from her two bare feet
To the sheen of her nut-brown hair
Such a coaxing elf, I'd to shake myself
To make sure I was standing there
Chorus:
From Bantry Bay to the Derry Quay
And from Galway to Dublin town
No maid I've seen like the sweet cailín
That I met in the County Down
As she onward sped I shook my head
And I gazed with a feeling queer
And I said, says I, to a passerby
"Who's your one with the nut-brown hair?"
He smiled at me, and with pride says he
"She's the gem of old Ireland's crown
Young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann
And the star of the County Down"
She'd a soft brown eye and a look so sly
And a smile like the rose in June
And you held each note from her auburn throat
As she lilted lamenting tunes
At the pattern dance you'd be in a trance
As she skipped through a jig or reel
When her eyes she'd roll as she'd lift your soul
And your heart she would likely steal
At the harvest fair she'll be surely there
And I'll dress my Sunday clothes
With my hat cocked right and my shoes shined bright
For a smile from the nut-brown Rose
No horse I'll yoke or pipe I smoke
'til the rust in my plough turn brown
And a smiling bride by my own fireside
Sits the star of the County Down
Ralph McTell
Have you seen the old man in the closed down market
Kicking up the paper with his worn out shoes
In his eyes you see no pride and held loosely by his side
Yesterday's paper telling yesterday's news
So how can you tell me you're lonely
And say for you that the sun don't shine
Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London
I'll show you something to make you change your mind
Have you seen the old girl who walks the streets of London
Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags
She's no time for talking, She just keeps right on walking
Carrying her home in two carrier bags
In the all night cafe at a quarter past eleven
Same old man sitting there on his own
Looking at the world over the rim of his teacup
And each tea lasts an hour and he wanders home alone
Have you seen the old man outside the seamen's mission
Memory fading with the medal ribbons that he wears
And in our winter city the rain cries a little pity
For one more forgotten hero and a world that doesn't care
Aft on the quarter deck walking about
There is the second mate to steady and so stout.
He is thinking of his sweetheart and he’s hoping she is well;
He wish that old second mate would strike, strike the bell.
Chorus:
Strike the bell, second mate, let’s go below,
Look out to wind’ard you can see it’s gonna blow.
Look at the glass you can see that it has fell,
We wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.
For’ard on the foc’s’le head and keepin’ sharp lookout,
There is Johnny waiting, ready fer to shout,
“ Lights’ burnin’ bright, sir, and everything is well!”
But he’s wishin’ that old second mate would strike, strike the bell.
Down on the main deck, and workin’ at the pumps,
There is the larboard watch ready for their bunks;
Over to wind’ard they see a great swell,
And he’s wishin’ that old second mate would strike, strike the bell.
Aft at the wheel poor Anderson stands,
Graspin’ the spokes in his frostbitten hands.
Lookin’ at the compass and the course is clear as hell
But he’s wishin’ that old second mate would strike, strike the bell.
Aft on the quarter deck our gallant captain stands,
Lookin’ to wind’ard with the glasses in his hand.
What he is thinkin’ of we know very well,
He’s thinkin’ more of shortenin’ sail than strike, strike the bell.
Well, I wish I was in Mobile Bay
Screwing cotton all the day
But I'm stowing sugar in the hold below
Below, below, below
Uh!
Chorus:
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Well the J.M. White, she's a brand new boat
Stern to stem she's mighty fine
Can beat any boat on the New Orleans line
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Uh!
Well the engineer shouts through his trumpet
"Tell the mate we got bad news"
Can't get no steam for the fire in the flue
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Uh!
Well the captain's on the quarter deck
Scratchin' 'way at his old neck
He shouts out, "Heave the larboard lead!"
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Uh!
My true love she was beautiful
My true love she was fair
Her eyes were like the diamonds bright
And golden was her hair
And golden was her hair, me lads
As the big ship left the bay
She said "Will you remember me ten thousand miles away?"
Chorus:
And sing blow the winds high-o
A-roving I will go
I'll stay no more on England's shore for to hear the music play
For I'm off on the morning train
And I won't be back again
I'm taking a trip on a government ship
Ten thousand miles away
Oh, dark and dismal was the day
When last I saw my Meg
She'd a government band around each hand
And another one around her leg
And another one around her leg, me lads
As the big ship sailed away
And I said that I'd be true to her ten thousand miles away
Oh, the sun may shine through a London fog
And the river run quite clear
Oh, the ocean's brine would turn to wine
And I'll forget me beer
Oh, I'll forget me beer, me lads
And the landlord's tab I'll pay
Before I'll forget my own dear Meg ten thousand miles away
It was three drunken huntsmen and nothing could they find
Until they came to a signpost and that they left behind.
The Englishman said, “Signpost”, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
My dad said, “Pat it’s a plum-pudding tree and the pudding’s has blown away.”
Chorus:
Tally ho, hawk away, my boys, away, hawk away
It was three drunken huntsmen and nothing could they find
But a frog in a well, my boys, that they left behind.
“ Frog,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
My dad said, “Pat, a canary bird and the feather’s has washed away.”
Well all night they hunted and nothing could they find
But a dead man in the road, boys, and him they left behind.
“ A man,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
“ A monkey,” says the Irishman, “and his tail has cut away.”
Well the next day they hunted and nothing could they find
But a ship in full sail and that they left behind.
“ Barquentine,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
My dad said, “Pat it’s a washing tub and the clothes hung up to dry.”
Well all that night they hunted and nothing could they find
But an owl in an ivy bush and that they left behind.
“ An owl,” says the Englishman, the Scotsman he said, “Nay!”
“ It’s the devil,” said the Irishman and they all of ’em run away.
Methinks I see some little craft, spreading their sails a-lee,
As down the Humber they do glide, all bound for the Northern Sea;
Methinks I see on each small craft, a crew with hearts so brave,
Going down to earn their daily bread upon the restless waves.
Chorus:
And it’s three score and ten, boys and men, were lost from Grimsby town,
From Yarmouth down to Scarborough many hundreds more were drowned;
Our herring craft, our trawlers, our fishing smacks as well,
They long defied the bitter night, and battled with the swell.
Methinks I see them yet again as they leave the land behind,
Casting their nets into the deep, the herring shoals to find;
Methinks I see them yet again and all on board’s all right,
With the sails close reefed and the decks cleared up and the side lights burning bright.
Me thinks I’ve heard the skipper say, “My lads, we’ll shorten sail,
The sky to all appearances is like an approaching gale.”
Methinks I see them yet again, and the midnight hour has passed,
And the little craft was battling there all with the icy blast.
October’s night was such a sight, ’twas never seen before,
There were masts and spars and broken yards came drifting in to shore;
There was many a heart in sorrow, there was many a heart so brave,
There was many a valiant fisher lad did find a watery grave.
Sweet ladies of Plymouth we're saying "Goodbye",
Ro-o-oll down.
But we'll rock you and roll you again bye and bye,
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down .
Chorus:
And we will Ro-o-oll down,
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down.
Our anchor's a-weigh and the sails are unfurled,
Ro-o-oll down.
And we're bound for to take her half way round the world,
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down .
In the wide Bay of Biscay the seas will run high,
Ro-o-oll down.
And those poor seasick Transports will wish they could die.
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down .
When the Cape of Good Hope it is rounded at last,
Ro-o-oll down.
The poor homesick Transports will long for the past.
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down .
And when we arrive off Australia's strand,
Ro-o-oll down.
The poor weary Transports will long for the land.
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down .
And when we set sail for old England's shore,
Ro-o-oll down.
Those poor stranded Transports we'll see then no more.
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down .
Then sweet ladies of Plymouth we'll pay all your rent,
Ro-o-oll down.
And go roving no more 'til our money's all spent
Walk around m' brave boys and roll down .
Broomhall, Thompson
Time is a tempest and we are all travellers
We are all travellers, we are all travellers
Time is a tempest and we are all travellers
Travelling through the storm.
Our cities are crowded, our forests are falling
War clouds above, angry voices are calling
Five minutes to midnight, there's no time for stalling
It's time to share our load.
So lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain
Sing of the wind and rain, sing of the wind and rain
Lift up your voices and sing of the wind and rain
Travelling through the storm.
Time is a Tempest...
They’ve poisoned the oceans, they’ve dammed the great rivers
They’ve killed all the Jungles, they’re takers not givers
They call it progress, well it gives me the shivers
We’re in for a winter that’s cold
So, brothers and sisters, we’ll join hands together
With love in our struggle we’ll face the foul weather
And when the sun shines, under blue skies we’ll gather
Our Journey will take us home
I be a turmut hoer, from Wiltshire I do come
My parents they be workin' folks, George Watchstraw be my name.
'Twas on a jolly summer’s morn, the twenty first of May
I took me hoe and away did go, some fourteen miles away.
Chorus:
For some delights in haymakin', and some they fancies mowin',
But of all the work as I like best,
Give I the turmut hoein'.
The vly, the vly, the vly be on me turmut
An' it's all my eye for I to try
For to keep fly off me turmut.
The first place as I went to work, it were for farmer Gower
He vowed and sweared and then declared, I were a first class hoer
The second place I went to work, they paids I by the job
But if I had known a little afore, I’d sooner be in clod
The last place as I went to work, they sent for I a mowin’
Well I said I’d sooner have the sack than to lose me turmut hoeing
Now all you jolly farming chaps what bides at home so warm
I’ll now conclude me ditty with wishing you no harm
There are twa bonnie maidens, and three bonnie maidens
Come owre the Minch, come owre the main
With the wind for their way and the corry for their hame
They are dearly welcome back to Skye once again
Chorus:
Come along, come along wi' your boatie and your song
My ain bonnie maids, my twa bonnie maids
For the night it is dark, the Redcoat is gone
And ye are dearly welcome back to Skye once again
There is Flora, my honey, sae dear, sae bonnie
And ane, that's sae tall, sae handsome and all
Put the one for my king and the other for my queen
They are dearly welcome back to Skye once again
Her arm it is long and her petticoat is strong
My ain bonnie maids, my twa bonnie maids
The sea moullit's nest I will watch o'er the main
And ye are dearly welcome back to Skye once again
There's a wind in the tree, a ship on the sea
My ain bonnie maids, my twa bonnie maids
Your cradle I'll rock on the lea of the rock
And ye are dearly welcome back to Skye once again
Oh, you hear a lot of stories 'bout the sailors and their sport
About how every sailor has a girl in every port
But if you added two and two, you’d figure out right quick
It's just because the girls all have a lad on every ship
Chorus:
And it's twiddle-ee-ai-dee-ai-dee-ai
Twiddle-ee-ai-dee-ei
It’s oftentimes a man will leave you broken with dismay
And it's twiddle-ee-ai-dee-ai-dee-ai
Twiddle-ee-ai-dee-ei
There's other things to twiddle when the men have sailed away
Lucky Annie was a lady who'd been pleased by many men
They all would sail away but then they'd come right back again
But if they never sailed her way, she really didn't care
Cause I know that you don't need a man to twiddle under there
Saber had her lovers, they came in at every door
You could even say that she was really quite a whore
But when she needs some pleasing, she knows just where to go
"I grab my good friend Madam Rouge and we go down below"
There was a time when Rouge, she found the sailor men a bore
Each new one was more tiresome than the one she had before
Now she finds more joy in breeches than she ever did of old
"I’m more fond of their bulges when they're pouches full of gold"
Why the boys would look at her, it puzzled poor Flint Locke
She would sit and smile and nod and let them brag and talk
But if they tried to touch her, well, she'd put them on the run
"'Cause why would I need a lover when I've got myself a gun?"
So next time you're with a lady and she takes you to her bed
Be sure to please her well, and remember what we've said
For if you do not treat her right, then know that this is true
Us ladies all can have our fun without involving you
She looked out of the window as white as any milk
And he looked in at the window as black as any silk
Chorus:
Hello, hello, hello, hello you coalblack smith
You have done me no harm
You never shall have my maidenhead
That I have kept so long
I’d rather die a maid
Ah, but then she said and be buried all in my grave
Than to have such a nasty, husky, dusky, fusky, musky
Coal blacksmith
A maiden I will die
She became a duck, a duck all on the stream
And he became a water dog and fetched her back again
She became a star, a star all in the night
And he became a thundercloud and muffled her out of sight
She became a rose, a rose all in the wood
And he became a bumblebee and kissed her where she stood
She became a nun, a nun all dressed in white
And he became a canting priest and prayed for her by night
She became a trout, a trout all in the brook
And he became a feathered fly and catched her with his hook
She became a corpse, a corpse all in the ground
And he became the cold clay and smothered her all around
Soaring skywards, leaping sideways
Do or die words cleave the air
Joy and laughter, mornings after
Raise the rafters, we don't care
If the roof's beyond repair
Raise the rafters, raise the rafters
Raise the rafters, we don't care
If the roof's beyond repair
Sisters, brothers, to all others
Let this be our guiding star
Hearts on fire but no Messiah
Hear the music from afar
What we sing is what we are
Hear the music, hear the music
Hear the music from afar
What we sing is what we are
Over hills and over valleys
Over mountains, over seas
Nations shouting unto nations
Until nations cease to be
Unison in harmony
Until nations, until nations
Until nations cease to be
Unison in harmony
Until nations, until nations
Until nations cease to be
Unison in harmony
Old Crow Medicine Show
Headin' down south to the land of the pines
I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road and pray to God I see headlights
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a-hopin' for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight
So, rock me mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me mama any way you feel
Hey... mama rock me
Rock me mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me mama like a southbound train
Hey... mama rock me
Runnin' from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band
My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now
Oh, north country winters keep a-gettin' me down
Lost my money playin' poker, so I had to leave town
But I ain't a-turnin' back to livin' that old life no more
Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly, had a nice long toke
But he's a-headin' west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee
And I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name and I know that she's the only one
And if I died in Raleigh, at least I will die free
How the Winter blizzards blow, when the Whaling Fleet’s at rest,
Tucked in Leith Harbour’s sheltered bay, safely anchored ten abreast,
The whalers at the station, as from ship to ship they rove,
Carry little bags of coal with them, and a little iron stove.
Chorus:
In the wee dark engine room, where the chill seeps in your soul,
How we huddled roon’ that Wee Pot Stove, that burned oily rags and coal.
Fireman Paddy worked wi’ me, on the engines stiff and cauld,
A stranger to the truth was he, there’s not a lie he hasn’t told,
He boasted of his goldmines, and of hearts that he had won,
And his bawdy sense of humour shone, just like a ray of sun.
We laboured seven days a week, with cauld hands and frozen feet,
Bitter days and lonely nights, making grog and having fights,
Salt fish and whale meat sausage, fresh penguin eggs a treat,
And we trudged along to work each day, through icy winds and sleet.
Then one day we saw the sun, and the Factory Ship’s return,
Meet your old friends, sing a song, hope the season won’t be long.
Then homeward bound when it’s over, and we’ll leave this icy cove,
But I always will remember, that little iron stove.
There once was a ship that put to sea,
And the name of the ship was the Billy of Tea
The wind blew up, her bow dipped down,
O blow, my bully boys, blow (Hah!)
Chorus:
Soon may the Wellerman come
And bring us sugar and tea and rum.
One day, when the tonguin’ is done,
We’ll take our leave and go.
She had not been two weeks from shore
When down on her a right whale bore.
The captain called all hands and swore
He’d take that whale in tow (Hah!)
Before the boat had hit the water
The whale’s tail came up and caught her.
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
When she dived down below (Hah!)
No line was cut, no whale was freed;
The Captain’s mind was not of greed,
But he belonged to the whaleman’s creed;
She took the ship in tow (Hah!)
For forty days, or even more,
The line went slack, then tight once more.
All boats were lost (there were only four)
But still the whale did go (Hah!)
As far as I know, the fight’s still on;
The line’s not cut and the whale’s not gone.
The Wellerman makes his regular call
To the Captain, crew, and all (Hah!)
Heave! Ho! Roll and go!
And let's set a course for Barbossa, It's Friday night, we'll soon be alright, Singing with our mates at Barbossa. We don't care where you're going, we don't care where you've been, As long as you bring us a song to sing, Doctors and lawyers and the working classes, All sing together and raise their glasses. But if you don't know why, I'll tell you sir, We're all good mates at Barbossa . So sing us a shanty or a fine folk song, We'll join in with you, it won't take us long, A ballad, or a ditty, oh what great fun, We'll sing it together, we'll sing it as one. But if you don't know why, I'll tell you sir, We're all good mates at Barbossa. And here's three cheers for the fine bar staff, With a welcome smile, a wink and a laugh, They'll pour you a drink, they'll bring you some grub, Barbossa is a cracking good pub. And the staff at the jolly Barbossa, They're some of the finest people I know sir. So come be our mates and join us in song, For this is a place where we all belong, Set yourself free, rejoice and be jolly, Together we'll drive away melancholy. But if you don't know why, I'll tell you sir, We're all good mates at Barbossa.As the night draws on, we’ll sing and be merry,
We’ll make new friends, perhaps Lisa or Gerry?
But don’t be sad when the clock strikes ten,
We’ll be back here in a fortnight again.
But if you don't know why, I'll tell you sir, We're all good mates at Barbossa.Now, there were five jolly good fellows came over the hill together
Came over the hill together for to join in the jovial crew.
Chorus:
And they ordered their pints of beer and bottles of sherry
To carry them over the hills so merry,
To carry them over the hills so merry,
When Jones's ale was new, my boys, when Jones's ale was new.
Now, the first to come in was a dyer; he sat himself down by the fire,
He sat himself down by the fire for to join in the jovial crew.
And he sat himself down with a good grace
For the chimney breast was his own place,
And here he could drink and dye his old face,
When Jones's ale was new, my boys, when Jones's ale was new.
Now, the next to come in was a tinker and he was no small-beer drinker,
And he was no small-beer drinker for to join in the jovial crew.
“ Hast ye any old pots or pan or kettles?
I mends them with the very best metals
And I'll put all your pots in good fettle.”
When Jones's ale was new, my boys, when Jones's ale was new.
Now, the next to come in was a hatter and no man could be fatter,
And no man could be fatter for to join in the jovial crew.
And he placed his hat upon the ground,
Wished everybody'd place in a pound,
And then he'd be able to buy drinks all round,
When Jones's ale was new, my boys, when Jones's ale was new.
Now, the next to come in was a mason and his hammers need refacing
And his hammers need refacing for to join in the jovial crew.
And he sat his hammers against the wall,
Wished all the churches and chapels'd fall,
And then there's be plenty of work for all,
When Jones's ale was new, my boys, when Jones's ale was new.
Now, the next to come in was a soldier with a firelock o'er his shoulder,
And no man could be bolder for to join in the jovial crew.
And the landlady's daughter come in,
And he kissed atween the nose and the chin,
And the pints of beer they came rolling in,
When Jones's ale was new, my boys, when Jones's ale was new.
Where am I to go me Johnnies, where am I to go?
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
Ho where am I to go me Johnnies, oh where am I to go?
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go?
Way up on that t'gallant yard, that's where you're bound to go
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
Way up in that t'gallant yard, the gans'l for to stow.
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
Way up on that t'gallant yard and take that gans'l in
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
Way up on that t'gallant yard the rabbit for to skin
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go !
Where am I to go me Johnnies, where am I to go.
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
You're bound away around Cape Horn, that's where you're bound to go .
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
You're bound away around cape horn all through the ice an' snow
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
You're bound away me bully boys, that's where you're bound to go.
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
You're bound to be a sailorman, when you have served your time.
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
You're bound to be a sailorman all in the blackball line
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
Where am I to go me Johnnies, where am I to go?
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
Ho where am I to go me Johnnies, oh where am I to go?
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go?
As I was a goin' over the far famed Kerry mountains
I met with captain Farrell and his money he was counting
I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier
Saying "Stand and deliver" for he were a bold deceiver
Chorus:
Mush-a ring dumb-a do dumb-a da
Whack fall the daddy-o, whack fall the daddy-o
There's whiskey in the jar
I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny
I put it in me pocket and I took it home to Jenny
She sighed and she swore that she never would deceive me
But the devil take the women for they never can be easy
I went unto my chamber, all for to take a slumber
I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder
But Jenny drew me charges and she filled them up with water
Then sent for captain Farrell to be ready for the slaughter
'Twas early in the morning, just before I rose to travel
Up comes a band of footmen and likewise captain Farrell
I first produced me pistol for she'd stolen away me rapier
But I couldn't shoot the water, so a prisoner I was taken
Now there's some take delight in the carriages a rollin'
And others take delight in the hurling and the bowling
But I take delight in the juice of the barley
And courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early
If anyone can aid me 'tis my brother in the army
If I can find his station in Cork or in Killarney
And if he'll go with me, we'll go rovin' in Kilkenney
And I'm sure he'll treat me better than me own me sportin' Jenny
Whiskey is the life of man
Always was since the world began
Chorus:
Whiskey-o, Johnny-o
Rise her up from down below
Whiskey, whiskey, whiskey-o
Up aloft this yard must go
John rise her up from down below
I drinks whiskey when I can
I drinks it from an old tin can
I drinks it hot, I drinks it cold
I drinks it new, I drinks it old
I like whiskey hot and strong
I’ll drink whiskey all day long
Some like whiskey, some like beer
I wish had a barrel here
If whiskey comes to near me nose
Well, its up she comes and down she goes
If whiskey was a river and I was a duck
I’d sink to the bottom and never give a…
Whiskey made me pawn me clothes
Whiskey gave me a broken nose
Whiskey drove me mother mad
Whiskey killed me poor old dad
I thought I heard the old man say
I treats me crew in a decent way
I treats me crew in a decent way
I gives them whiskey everyday
A glass of whiskey for every man
And a bottle for the shanty man
Chorus:
Hey, whiskey you're the devil
You're leading me astray
Over hills and mountains
And to Amerikay
You're sweeter, stronger, decenter
You're spunkier than tea
Oh, whiskey you're me darling, drunk or sober
Oh, now brave boys, we're on for marchin'
Off to Portugal and Spain
Drums are beating, banners flyin'
The devil at home will come tonight
Love, fare thee well
With me tiddery idle loodle la dem da
Me tiddery idle loodle la dem da
Me right fol tor ra laddy o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus
Oh, whiskey you're me darling, drunk or sober
Said the mother, "Do not wrong me
Don't take me daughter from me
For if you do I will torment you
And after death me ghost will haunt you"
Love, fare thee well
With me tiddery idle loodle la dem da
Me tiddery idle loodle la dem da
Me right fol tor ra laddy o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus
Now, the French are fighting boldly
Men are dying hot and coldly
Give every man his flask of powder
His firelock on his shoulder
Love, fare thee well
With me tiddery idle loodle la dem da
Me tiddery idle loodle la dem da
Me right fol tor ra laddy o
There's whiskey in the jar
Chorus
Now it’s just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the ‘Soo’
And wonder when they’ll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale
The kid was so damned eager. It was all so big and new
You never had to tell him twice, or find him work to do
And evenings on the mess deck he was always first to sing
And show us pictures of the girl he’d wed in spring
Chorus:
But I told that kid a hundred times “Don’t take the Lakes for granted
They go from calm to a hundred knots so fast they seem enchanted.”
But tonight some red-eyed Wiarton girl lies staring at the wall
And her lover’s gone into a white squall
Now it’s a thing that us oldtimers know. In a sultry summer calm
There comes a blow from nowhere, and it goes off like a bomb
And a fifteen thousand tonner can be thrown upon her beam
While the gale takes all before it with a scream
The kid was on the hatches, lying staring at the sky
From where I stood I swear I could see tears fall from his eyes
So I hadn’t the heart to tell him that he should be on a line
Even on a night so warm and fine
Chorus
When it struck, he sat up with a start; I roared to him, “Get down!”
But for all that he could hear, I could as well not made a sound
So, I clung there to the stanchions, and I felt my face go pale
As he crawled hand over hand along the rail
I could feel her heeling over with the fury of the blow
I watched the rail go under then, so terrible and slow
Then, like some great dog she shook herself and roared upright again
Far overside. I heard him call my name
Chorus
So it’s just my luck to have the watch, with nothing left to do
But watch the deadly waters glide as we roll north to the ‘Soo’
And wonder when they’ll turn again and pitch us to the rail
And whirl off one more youngster in the gale
Chorus
O, The pilot he looked out ahead
With the hands on the cane heavin’ on the lead
And the old man roared to wake the dead
O, Come an' get your oats me son
Chorus:
Whup Jamboree, whup jamboree
O ya long-tailed black mare comin' up behind
Whup Jamboree, whup jamboree
O, Come an' get your oats me son
Oh, now we see the lizzard light
Soon, me boys, we’ll heave in sight
We’ll soon be abreast of the Isle of Wight
O, Come an' get your oats me son
Now when we get to the black wall dock
Those pretty young girls come out in flocks
With short-legged drawers and long-tailed frocks
O, Come an' get your oats me son
And now the bar-ship is in sight
We are picking on up to the old Rock Light
Gonna get the ol' stick taped tonight
O,come and get your oats me son
Well, then we’ll walk down limelight way
And all the girls will spend our pay
We’ll not see more ’til another day
O, Come an' get your oats me son
And soon we'll see old Holyhead
No more salt beef, no salt bread
I catch my Jinny and it's off to bed
O,come and get your oats me son
Did you ever see a wild goose sailing o’er the ocean?
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey!
They’re just like them pretty girls when they gets the notion.
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey!
The
other morning I was walking by the river
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey !
When I saw a young girl walking with her topsails all a-quiver.
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey!
I said, “Pretty fair maid, and how are you this morning?”
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey!
She said, “None the better for the seeing of you.”
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey!
Did you ever see a wild goose sailing o’er the ocean?
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey!
They’re just like them pretty girls when they gets the notion.
Ranzo, Ranzo, way-hey!
O the summer time has come
And the trees are sweetly bloomin'
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the bloomin' heather
Chorus:
Will ye go lassie go?
And we'll all go together
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go lassie go?
I will build my love a bower
By yon cool crystal fountain
And round it I will pile
All the wild flowers o' the mountain
I will range through the wilds
And the deep glen sae dreamy
And return wi' their spoils
Tae the bower o' my dearie
If my true love she'll not come
Then I'll surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
I've been a wild rover for many's the year
and I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer
but now I'm returning with gold in great store
and I never will play the wild rover no more
Chorus:
And it's no, nay, never
no, nay never no more
will I play the wild rover
no never no more
I went to an alehouse I used to frequent
I told the landlady my money was spent
I ask her for credit, she answered me nay
such a custom as yours I can have any day
I brought from me pocket ten sovereigns bright
and the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
she said:'I have whiskeys and wines of the best
and the words that you told me were only in jest'
I'll go home to my parents, confess what I've done
and I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son
and when they've caressed me, as oft times before
I never will play the wild rover no more
William Taylor was a brisk young sailor
Full of heart and full of play
Until he did his mind uncover
To a youthful lady gay
Four and twenty British sailors
Met him on the king's highway
As he went for to be married
Pressed he was and sent away
Chorus:
Folleri-de-dom, de-daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae
Folleri-de-dom, de-daerai diddero
Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae
Sailor's clothing she put on
And went to a board a man-of-war
Her pretty little fingers long and slender
They were smeared with pitch and tar
On the ship there was a battle
She amongst the rest did fight
The wind blew off her silver buttons
Her breasts were bared all snowy white
When the captain he did discover
He said, "Fair maid! What brought you here?"
"Sir, I'm seeking William Taylor
Pressed he was by you last year."
"If you rise up in the morning
Early at the break of day
There you'll spy young William Taylor
Walking with his lady gay"
She rose early in the morning
Early at the break o' day
Here she spied young William Taylor
Walking with his lady gay
She procured a pair of pistols
On the ground where she did stand
There she shot poor William Taylor
And the lady at his right hand
Pale was the wounded knight, that bore the rowan shield
Loud and cruel were the raven's cries that feasted on the field
Saying "Beck water cold and clear will never clean your wound
There's none but the witch of the Westmoreland can make thee hale and soond"
So turn, turn your stallion's head 'til his red mane flies in the wind
And the rider of the moon goes by and the bright star falls behind
And clear was the paley moon when his shadow passed him by
Below the hills were the brightest stars when he heard the owlet cry
Saying "Why do you ride this way, and wherefore came you here?"
"I seek the Witch of the Westmorland that dwells by the winding mere"
And it's weary by the Ullswater and the misty brake fern way
Til throught the cleft in the Kirkstane Pass the winding water lay
He said "Lie down, by brindled hound and rest ye, my good grey hawk
And thee, my steed may graze thy fill for I must dismount and walk
But come when you hear my horn and answer swift the call
For I fear ere the sun will rise this morn ye will serve me best of all"
And it's down to the water's brim he's born the rowan shield
And the goldenrod he has cast in to see what the lake might yield
And wet she rose from the lake, and fast and fleet went she
One half the form of a maiden fair with a jet black mare's body
And loud, long and shrill he blew til his steed was by his side
High overhead the grey hawk flew and swiftly did he ride
Saying "Course well, my brindled hound, and fetch me the jet black mare
Stoop and strike, my good grey hawk, and bring me the maiden fair"
She said "Pray, sheathe thy silvery sword. Lay down thy rowan shield
For I see by the briny blood that flows you've been wounded in the field"
And she stood in a gown of the velvet blue, bound round with a silver chain
And she's kissed his pale lips once and twice and three times round again
And she's bound his wounds with the goldenrod, full fast in her arms he lay
And he has risen hale and sound with the sun high in the day
She said "Ride with your brindled hound at heel, and your good grey hawk in hand
There's none can harm the knight who's lain with the Witch of the Westmorland. "
Oh come on all you workers, who toil night and day
By hand and by brain, to earn your pay
Who for centuries all past, for no more than your bread
Have bled for your countries and counted your dead
Chorus:
We're the the first ones to starve
We're the first ones to die
the first ones in line for that "pie in the sky"
And we're always the last, when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat's about
In the factories and mills, the shipyards and mines
We've often been told to keep up with the times
For our skills are not needed, they've streamlined the job
With slide-rule and stopwatch our pride they have robbed
And when the sky darkens, and the prospect is war
Who's given a gun and then pushed to the fore?
And expected to die for the land of our birth
Though we've never owned one lousy handful of earth
And all of these things the worker has done
From tilling the field to carrying the gun
We've been yoked to the plough since time first began
And always expected to carry the can
Rita Macneil
It's a working man I am and I've been down underground
And I swear to God if I ever see the sun
Over any length of time, I can hold it in my mind
I never again will go down underground
At the age of sixteen years, he quarreled with his peers
And he swears there will never be another on
In the dark recess of the mine, where you age before your time
And the coal dust lies heavy on your lungs
At the age of sixty-four, he'll greet you at the door
And he'll gently lead you by the arm
In the dark recess of the mine, he can take you back in time
Tell you of the hardships that were there
No, I never again will go down underground
Back to topThe worst old ship that ever did weigh
Sailed out of Harwich on a windy day
Chorus :
And we're waitin' for the day
Waitin' for the day
Waitin' for the day
That we get our pay
She was built in Roman time
Held together with bits of twine
The skipper's half drunk and the mate is too
The crew are fourteen men too few
Nothing in the galley, nothing in the hold
But the skipper's turned in with a bag of gold
Off Orford Ness she sprang a leak
Hear her poor old timbers creak
We pumped our way round Lowestoft Ness
When the wind backed round to the west-sou'-west
Through the Cockle to Cromer cliff
Steering like a wagon with a wheel adrift
Into the Humber and up the town
Pump you blighters, pump or drown
Her coal was shot by a Keadby crew
Her bottom was rotten and it went right through
Liza Lee, she promised me
Yankee John, Stormalong
She promised for to marry to me
Yankee John, Stormalong
When I sailed across the sea
Yankee John, Stormalong
Liza said she’d be true to me
Yankee John, Stormalong
I promised her a golden ring
Yankee John, Stormalong
She promised me that little thing
Yankee John, Stormalong
O Liza Lee she's slighted me
Yankee John, Stormalong
Now she will not marry me.
Yankee John, Stormalong
Up aloft that yard must go
Yankee John, Stormalong
Mr mate he told us so
Yankee John, Stormalong
I though I heard the old man say
Yankee John, Stormalong
On more pull and then belay
Yankee John, Stormalong
In Yarmouth Town there lived a man,
He kept a tavern by the sand.
This landlord had a daughter fair,
A plump little thing with the golden hair.
Chorus:
Oh, won’t you come down,
Won’t you come down,
Won’t you come down
To Yarmouth town.
Now to this tavern come a sailor-man
He asked the daughter for her hand.
“ Why should I marry you?” she said,
“ I get all I want without being wed.”
“ But,” she says, “If you want with me to linger,
I’ll tie a bit of string all around my finger.
As you pass by, just pull on the string,
And I’ll come down and I’ll let you in.”
At closing time the sailor-man,
He went to the tavern by the sand.
And then he went and he pulled on the string,
And she come down and she let him in.
Well, he’s never seen such a sight before,
’ cause the string around the finger was all she wore.
And when he went and he pulled the old string
She pulled back the blanket and let Jack in.
So, the sailor stayed the whole night through
And early in the morning went back to his crew,
Where then he told them all about that maiden fair,
The plump little thing with the golden hair.
And the story, that soon got around
And the very next night in Yarmouth Town
There was fifteen sailors pulling on the string
And she come down and she let them all in.
So all young men what ever to Yarmouth do go,
See a plump little girl with her hair hung low,
Well, all you got do is pull the old string,
And she’ll come down and she’ll let you all in.
Chorus:
Ye Jacobite’s by name, lend an ear, lend an ear
Ye Jacobite’s by name, lend an ear
Ye Jacobite’s by name
Your faults I will proclaim
Your doctrines I maun blame, you will hear, you will hear
Your doctrines I maun blame, you will hear
What is right, what is wrong, by the law, by the law
What is right, and what is wrong, by the law
What is right, what is wrong
The weak arm and the strong
The short sword and the long, for to draw, for to draw
The short sword and the long, for to draw
What makes heroic strife, famed afar, famed afar
What makes heroic strife, famed afar
What makes heroic strife
To whet th' assassin's knife
and haunt a Parent's life, wi' bloody war, wi' bloody war
and haunt a parent's life, wi' bloody war
So let your schemes alone, in the state, in the state
Let your schemes alone, in the state
Let your schemes alone
Adore the rising sun
And leave a man undone to his fate, to his fate
And leave a man undone to his fate
In the town where I was born
Lived a man who sailed to sea
And he told us of his life
In the land of submarines
So we sailed on to the sun
Till we found the sea of green
And we lived beneath the waves
In our yellow submarine
Chorus:
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine
And our friends are all aboard
Many more of them live next door
And the band begins to play
Bumbumbum bum bum bum bum
Chorus:
As we live a life of ease
Every one of us (Every one of us)
has all we need (Has all we need)
Sky of blue (Sky of blue)
and sea of green (Sea of green)
In our yellow (In our yellow) submarine (Submarine, ha-ha!)
Chorus x 2
Heave her up, heave her high come and rock and roll me over,
Away-hey, you hilo man!
Heave her up, heave her high come and rock and roll me over,
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
There’s a ship in full sail and she’s rolling down the harbour
Away-hey, you hilo man!
There’s a ship in full sail and she’s rolling down the harbour
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
There’s a lass on the dock, don’t you wish you could stay with her?
Away-hey, you hilo man!
There’s a lass on the dock, don’t you wish you could stay with her?
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
There’ll be Judies by the score when we get to South Australia!
Away-hey, you hilo man!
There’ll be Judies by the score when we get to South Australia!
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
And the Jacks and the Jills they’ll be rolling in the clover
Away-hey, you hilo man!
And the Jacks and the Jills they’ll be rolling in the clover
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
“ Ship your bars, warp her ‘round!” I can hear the first mate bawling
Away-hey, you hilo man!
“ Ship your bars, warp her ‘round!” I can hear the first mate bawling
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
And all along the quay I can hear the Judies calling
Away-hey, you hilo man!
And all along the quay I can hear the Judies calling
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
Heave her up, heave her high give her all that you can give her
Away-hey, you hilo man!
Heave her up, heave her high give her all that you can give her
Awaaay-hey, you hilo man!
This website is based on The Fo’c’sle Songbook (v2) collated by Graham White, which can be downloaded from the following website
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