Shanties, Sea Songs, and all that kind of stuff.
The 24th of February
On the 24th of February,
The weather being clear.
We spied to be sure seven Turkish men-of-war,
Come a sailing from Algier.
Chorus:
To me ri fol leather ol, ri fol leather ol,
ri fol leather ol lay.
Rol a diddle i,rol a diddle i,
to me ri fol leather ol lay
Well the very first ship to come alongside,
Was called the Green Pea.
We fired to her a warning shot,
And quickly she did flee.
Well the very next ship to come alongside,
Was called the Prince so clear.
Commanded by the big Bagsham,
Come a sailing from Algier.
Well the very next ship to come alongside,
Was called the Rose and Crown.
We fired our broadside into her,
And quickly she went down.
Well the very next ship to come alongside,
Was called the Harp and Lyre.
We fired our pitch buckets into her,
And quickly she took fire.
Well two we sunk and two we took,
The rest they ran away,
And one we brought to Englands shore,
Just to show we won the day
The Alabama
When the Alabama’s keel was laid
Chorus: Roll Alabama Roll
Twas laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird
Chorus: O Roll Alabama Roll
Twas laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird
Twas laid in the town of Birkenhead
Down the Mersey way she rolled then
Liverpool fitted her with guns and men
From the Western Isle she sailed forth
To destroy the commerce of the North
To Cherbourg port she sailed one day
To take her count of prize money
Many a sailor lad he met his doom
When the Kearsarge it hove in view
Til a ball from the forward pivot that day
Shot the Alabama’s stern away
Off the three mile limit in sixty-five
The Alabama went to her grave
The Antarctic Fleet
Lyrics and Music: Harry Robertson
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.
The East Indiaman
Traditional. Arr. by Tom Lewis
Many's the time I've sung this song when the wind's been blowing half-a-gale,
Hoisting up a yard or shaking out a reef or hauling on the sheets of a sail,
I've shipped on board of a man-of-war, in the Merchant Service too,
I've fought for m' King and m' country while I've sailed on the ocean blue.
Chorus:
Illy, ally, illy, ally, oh - cheerily, boys, cheerily,
Bend your backs and give a pull, cheerily I say (I say!),
With a long pull and a strong pull we'll haul away together, boys,
Belay every inch of that, belay, boys, belay.
On a bright May day we sailed away on a big East India ship,
Though it's many, many years ago, m' boys, I'll not forget that trip,
We said "goodbye" to Portsmouth quay, to Susan, Kate and Jane,
And we hadn't been a'sailing but an hour or more when we joined in the old refrain:
Now I'm back from the sea again, gonna' put down m' roots on the shore,
Have a bit of a spell with m' long-haired gel, she's the one I do adore,
But there's no doubt, should a war break-out, and seamen be required again,
I'll join with m' crew, m' duty for to do and we'll join in the old refrain.
The Ebenezer
I shipped on board of th' Ebenezer
Every day you "Scrub and grease 'er"
Send us aloft to scrape 'er down
And if we growl they'll knock us down.
Chorus:
Oh, git along boys,
Git along, do;
Be handy, boys, be handy.
2. Our first mates name was Dickie Green, sir,
The dirtiest man you ever seen, sir!
Walking the quarter with a bucko cap,
He thought himself no common chap
3. A Boston buck for second greaser,
He used to ship in Limejuice greasers.
The Limejuice greasers got too hot;
He made a jump for Boston dock.
4. We had no spuds for our dinner,
As sure as I'm a living sinner;
Our bread was tough as any brass
And our meat was as salt as Lot's wife's arse.
The Final Trawl
By Garnet Rogers, Archie Fisher
Now it's three long years since we made her pay
Sing haul away my laddie O
And the owners say that she's had her day
And sing haul away my laddie O
So heave away for the final trawl
Sing haul away my laddie O
It's an easy pull for the catch is small
And sing haul away my laddie O
Then stow your gear, lads, and batten down
Sing haul away my laddie O
I'll tak the wheel an' I'll turn her 'round
And sing haul away my laddie O
We'll join the Venture and the Morning Star
Sing haul away my laddie O
Riding high and empty towards the bar
And sing haul away my laddie O
For I'd rather beach her on the Skerry rock
Sing haul away my laddie O
Than to see her torched in the breaker's dock
And sing haul away my laddie O
And when I die you can stow me down
In her rusty hold…
The Fire Ship
As I walked out one evening upon a night's career,
I spied a lofty clipper ship and to her I did steer.
She hoisted up her sig-a-nals which I so quickly knew,
And when she saw me bunting up she immediately hove to.
​
Chorus:
She had a dark and a roving eye,
and her hair hung downs in ring-a-lets.
She was a nice girl, a decent girl,
but one of the rakish kind.
"Oh sir, won't you excuse me for staying out so late,
And if my parents heard of this, then sad would be my fate.
My father, he's a minister, a good and righteous man,
My mother she's a Methodist; I do the best I can."
I eyed that girl both up and down for I'd heard such talk before,
And when she moored herself to me I knew she was a whore.
But still she was a pretty girl; she shyly hung her head.
"I'll go along with you, my lad," was what to me she said.
I took her to a tav-er-in and treated her with wine.
Little did I think that she was one of the rakish kind.
I handled her, I dandled her, and much to my surprise,
Turns out she was a fireship rigged up in a disguise.
So up the stairs and into bed I took that maiden fair.
I fired off my carronade into her thatch of hair.
I fired off a broadside until my shot was spent,
Then rammed that fireship's waterline until my ram was bent.
Then in the morning she was gone, my money was gone too.
My clothes she'd hocked, my watch she stole, my seabag bid adieu.
But she'd left behind a souvenir, I'd have you all to know.
And in nine days, to my surprise, there was fire down below.
So come all you good whaler boys that sail the wintry seas,
And come all you good sailor boys, a warning take by me:
Beware of lofty clipper ships, they'll be the ruin of you,
For she not only made me walk the plank, she set fire to me mainmast, too.
The Last Shanty
By Tom Lewis
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 on board 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
If you see a sailing ship it might be ye last
Just get your civies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore
The killick 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.
Then they gave us Aldiss lamp so we could do it right
They gave us a radio, we signalled 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
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be ye last
Just get your civies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor anymore
The Lime Juice Ship
Now, if ye want a merchant ship to sail the seas at large,
Ye’ll not have any trouble if ye have a good discharge,
Signed by the Board o’ Trade an’ everything exact,
For there’s nothin’ done on a Lime juice ship contrary to the Act.
Chorus:
So haul boys yer weather mainbrace an’ ease away yer lee
Hoist jibs an’ tops’ls lads an’ let the ship go free,
Hurrah, boys, hurrah! We’ll sing this Jubilee,
Damn an’ bugger the Navy, boys,
A merchant ship for me!
Now when ye join a merchant ship ye’ll hear yer Articles read.
They’ll tell ye of yer beef an’ pork, yer butter an’ yer bread,
Yer sugar, tea, an’ coffee, boys, yer peas an’ beans exact,
Yer limejuice an’ vinegar, boys, according to the Act.
No watch an’ watch the first day out, according to the Act.
Ten days out we all lay aft to get our limejuice whack.
Fetch out her handy billy, boys, and clap it on the tack,
For we gonna set the mains’l, oh, according to the Act.
It’s up the deck, me bully boys, with many a curse we go,
Awaiting to hear eight bells struck that we may go below.
Eight bells is struck, the watch is called, the log is hove exact;
Relieve the wheel an’ go below, according to the Act.
The Lowlands Low
Traditional
We sailed out of Dunmore Michelmas gone by
Cowhides and wool and live cargo
Twenty young Wild Geese ready fledged to fly
Sailing for the lowlands low
Chorus:
The lowlands low, the lowlands low
for the lowlands low
Sean Rouse the skipper from the church of Crook
Piery keeps log for his father
Crew all from Bannow, Fethard and the Hook
Sailing for the lowlands low
Chorus:
The lowlands low, the lowlands low
for the lowlands low
Ready with priming we'd our galliot gun
Muskets and pikes in good order
We should be riddled captives would be none
Death or else the lowlands low
Chorus:
The lowlands low, the lowlands low
for the lowlands low
A pirate approached us many leagues from shore
We fought and we sunk him in good order
He'll go a-roving plundering no more
Sailing for the lowlands low
Chorus:
The lowlands low, the lowlands low
for the lowlands low
​
We smuggled out the Wild Geese weapons safe ashore
Then we unloaded our cargo
A fair wind is blowing we're headed for Dunmore
Sailing from the lowlands low
​
Chorus:
The lowlands low, the lowlands low
Sailing from the lowlands low
The lowlands low, the lowlands low
Sailing from the lowlands low
The Wellerman
There was a ship that put to sea,
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down,
O blow, my bully boys, blow.
Chorus:
Soon may the Wellerman come,
bring us su-gar 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.
Before the boat had hit the water
The whale’s tail came up and caught her.
All hands to the deck, harpooned and fought her
And she dived down below.
No line was cut, no whale was freed;
The Captain’s mind was not of greed,
But he belonged to the Wellerman’s creed;
She took the ship in tow.
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.
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 encourage the Captain, crew, and all.
The Worst Old Ship
Or The Collier Brig
1 The worst old brig that ever did weigh,
Sailed out of Harwich on a windy day;
Chorus:
And we're waiting for the day, Waiting for the day,
We're waiting for the day, When we get our pay!
2 She was built in Roman times,
Held together with bits of twine...
3 The skipper's half drunk and the mate is too,
And the crew is fourteen men too few...
4 As we shoved off from the Harwich Dock,
The skipper caught his knackers in the main sheet block
5 Nothing in the galley, nothing in the hold,
the skippers turned in with a bag of gold
6 By Orford Ness she sprang a leak,
Hear her poor old timbers creak...
7 We pumped our way 'round Lowestoft Ness,
When the wind backed round to the west-sou'-west...
8 Through the Cockles to Cromer Cliff,
She's steering like a wagon with a wheel adrift...
9 Into the Humber and up to town,
"Pump, you bastards, pump or drown"...
10 Her coal was shot by a Keadby crew,
But her bottom was rotten and it all fell through...
11 So after all our fears and alarms,
We're all ended up in "The Druid's Arms."
Chorus:
So, we're waiting for the day,
Waiting for the day,
We're waiting for the day
When we get our pay! (2X)
Three Score and Ten
Methinks I see a host of craft
Spreading their sails alee
Down the Humber they do glide
All bound for the Northern Sea
Me thinks I see on each small craft
A crew with hearts so brave
Going out to earn their daily bread
Upon the restless wave
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 to fight that bitter night
The battle with the swell
Methinks I see them yet again
As they leave this land behind
Casting their nets into the sea
The herring shoals to find
Me thinks I see them yet again
They're all on board all right
With their nets rolled up and their decks cleaned off
And the side lights burning bright
Me thinks I've heard the captain say
"Me lads we'll shorten sail"
With the sky to all appearances
Looks like an approaching gale
Me thinks I see them yet again
Midnight hour is past
The little craft abattling there
Against the icy blast
October's night brought such a sight
'Twas never seen before
There were mast and yards and broken spars
Come a washed up on the shore
There were many a heart in sorrow
Many a heart so brave
There were many a fine and hearty lad
That met a watery grave
Tiddy Hi Oh
Now we are bound for old Bristol Town
Chorus: Tiddy High Oh! High Ay!
It's goodbye to those black girls, the yellow & the brown
Chorus: Tiddy High Oh! High Ay! High Ay!
Oh young Sally Racket of Kingston Town
I spent quite a packet on her new silk gown
We loaded our packet with sugar an' rum
Goodbye to Jamaica, its' girls and its' sun
We're bound to the nor'ard, to the ice & the snow
We're bound to the nor'ard, oh Lord let 'er go!
Roll the old chariot & long may she roll
Why don't the Mate shake 'er, oh goddam 'is soul
And when we get back into old Bristol Town
Tis there we will drink & our sorrows soon drown
Now we are bound for old Bristol Town
It's goodbye to those black girls, the yellow & the brown
Tom's Gone to Hilo
Tom has gone on a whaling ship
Chorus: Away to hilo
Tom has gone on a damn long trip
Chorus: Toms' gone to hilo
He never kissed his girl good bye
Chorus: Away to hilo
He left her and he told her why
Chorus: Toms' gone to hilo
She spent his money and left him broke
He had enough gave he the poke
His half pay went it went like chaff
She hung around for the other half
She drank and boozed his pay away
Her weather eye on his his next pay day
He shipped away around Cape Horn
His clothes and boots were in the pawn
This tart will fit another flame
And she will fit him just the same
Tom is gone and left her flat
Tom is gone and he won't come back