Blow the Man Down

Come all ye young fellows that follows the sea
To me, way hey, blow the man down
Now please pay attention and listen to me
Give me some time to blow the man down

I'm a deep water sailor just come from Hong Kong
You give me some whiskey, I'll sing you a song

When a trim Black Ball liner's preparing for sea
On a trim Black Ball liner I wasted me prime

When a trim Black Ball liner preparing for sea
You'll split your sides laughing such sights you would see

There's tinkers and tailors, shoemakers and all
They're all shipped for sailors aboard the Black Ball

When a big Black Ball liner's a-leaving her dock
The boys and the girls on the pier-head do flock

Now, when the big liner, she's clear of land
Our bosun he roars out the word of command

Come quickly, lay aft to the break of the poop
Or I'll help you along with the toe of me boot

Pay attention to orders, now, you one and all
For see high above there flies the Black Ball

'Tis larboard and starboard, on deck you will sprawl
For kicking Jack Rogers commands the Black Ball

Bully In the Alley

Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley
Wey hey, Bully in the alley.
Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley
Bully down in Shinbone al.

Sally is a girl that I loved dearly
Sally is the girl that I spliced nearly

For seven long years I courted little Sally
All She did was dilly and dally

I left my Sal, I went a-sailing
Signed on a big ship, I went a-whaling

If ever I get back, I'll marry little Sally,
Have six kids and live in Shinbone alley,

I thought I heard the old man saying,
One more pull and we're belaying

Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley
Help me Bob, I'm bully in the alley

Drunken Sailor

What shall we do with the drunken sailor? (x3)

Earlye in the morning

Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Earlye in the morning

Put him in the longboat till he's sober (x3)

Put him in the scuppers with the hose pipe on him (x3)

Wake him, shake him, then you'll break him (x3)

Give him a taste of the bosun's rope-end (x3)

Shave his belly with a rusty razor (x3)

Put him in bed with the captain's daughter (x3)

Have you seen the captain's daughter (x3)

That's what we'll do with the drunken sailor (x3)

Haul Away Joe

When I was a little lad and so me mother told me,
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe.
That if I did not kiss the girls me lips would grow all moldy.
Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe.

Way haul away, we're bound for better weather.
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe.
Way haul away, we'll haul away together.
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe.

King Louis was the king of France before the revolution.
And then he got his head chopped off. It spoiled his constitution.

Saint Patrick was a gentleman. He came from decent people.
He built a church in Dublintown and on it put a steeple.

Once I was in Ireland a'digging turf and taties.
But now I'm on a Yankee ship a haulin' on the braces.

Once I had a German girl, but she was fat and lazy.
But now I got an Irish girl. She damn near drove me crazy.

Way haul away, rock and roll me over.
Way haul away, well roll me in the clover.

The Last Shanty

Well me father often told me when I was just a lad
A sailor's life was very hard, the food was 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

Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore

Well the killock of our mess he says we've had it soft
It wasn't like this in his day when he was up aloft
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?

Well they gave us an engine that first went up and down
Then with more technology the engine went around
We know our steam and diesel but what's a mainyard for?
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel anymore.

Well they gave us Aldiss lamp so we could do it right
They gave us a radio, we signaled day and night
We know our codes and cyphers but what's a semaphore?
A bunting-tosser doesn't toss the bunting anymore

Two cans of beer a day and that's your bleeding lot
Now we get an extra one because they've stopped the tot
So we'll put on our civie clothes and find a pub ashore
A sailor's still a sailor just like he was before

Roll Alabama

When the Alabama's keel was laid
Roll Alabama, roll
They laid her keel at Birkenhead
Oh, roll Alabama, roll

Oh, she was built in Birkenhead
Built in the yard of Jonathan Laird

Away down the Mersey she rolled one day
And across the "Western" she ploughed her way

With British guns, oh, she was stocked
She sailed from Fayal, in Cherbourg she docked

To fight the north Semmes did employ
Any method to kill and destroy

But off Cherbourg the Kearsage lay tight
Awaiting was Winslow to start a good fight

Outside the three mile limit they fought
An Semmes escaped on a fine British yacht

The Kearsage won - Alabama so brave
Sank to the bottom of a watery grave

Running Down to Cuba

We're bound to Cuba with a load of sugar,
'Way, me boys, for Cuba!
So make her run, you lime-juice sailors,
Running down to Cuba.

Running down with a press of sail
Flinging water over the rail

O, good Lord,how the wind do blow
For our old man he cracks on so

I've got a sister nine foot tall
Sleeps in the kitchen with her feet in the hall

I've got a sister, and her name is Jane
Can you can guess where she gives me a pain

Give me a girl can dance Fandango
Breasts like a melon and as sweet as mango

Running down, me bucko boys
Let's all haul and make some noise.

Loading sugar on the homeward go
For Mister Mate, he told me so

Bound away at the break of day
One more pull and then belay

Seven Drunken Nights

As I went 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: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be?

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 a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before

And as I went 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: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be

And as I went 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: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that pipe up on the chair where my old pipe should be

And as I went 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: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be

And as I went 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: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns that head upon the bed where my old head should be

And as I went home on Saturday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw two hands upon her breasts where my old hands should be
Well, I called me wife and I said to her: Will you kindly tell to me
Who owns them hands upon your breasts where my old hands should be

As I went home on Sunday night as drunk as drunk could be
I saw a thing in her 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 thing where my old thing should be

Spanish Ladies

Farewell and adieu unto you Spanish ladies
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain
For it's we've received orders for to sail for old England
But we hope very soon we shall see you again

We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors
We'll rant and we'll roar across 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 at sou'west, boys
We hove our ship to, our soundings to see
So we rounded and sounded; got forty-five fathoms
We squared our main yard and up channel steered we

Now the first land we made it is called the Deadman
Next Ram Head off Plymouth, off Portland the Wight
We sailed by Beachy, by Fairlee and Dungeness
Till we came abreast of the South Foreland Light

Then the signal was made for the grand fleet to anchor
All in the Downs that night for to lie
Then it's stand by your stoppers, see clear your shank-painters,
Haul all your clew garnets, let tacks and sheets fly

Now let every man toss off a full bumper
And let every man drink off a full glass
And we'll drink and be merry and drown melancholy
Singing, here's a good health to each true-hearted lass