Singalong

Welcome to the singalong page! Sea shanties usually have a call-and-response verse structure, alternating lines sung by just the shantyman with refrains sung by everyone, but others have a more recognizable verse and chorus structure. Some of our songs have both refrains and choruses, others just one or the other, and some have neither! This is where you can find all of the singalong parts for each song, sorted alphabetically by title. Happy shantying!

All for me Grog

Atlantis

Banks of Newfoundland

Blow the Wind Southerly

Bonnie Ship the Diamond

The Bonnie Wee Lassie’s Answer

Boston Harbor

Bully in the Alley

Captain Kidd

Come Out Ye Black and Tans

Donald Where’s Your Troosers?

Down Among the Dead Men

Drunken Lullabies

Drunken Sailor

The Duke of Argyle

The Eddystone Light

Excursion Around the Bay

The Female Pressgang

Fiddlers Green

Fields of Athenry

Finnegans Wake

The Fish in the Sea

The Flying Dutchman

Foggy Dew

General Taylor

Ghost of John

Good Morning Ladies All

Health to the Company

Heave Away

High Barbary

Hog’s-Eye Man

Homeward Bound

Irene’s Pirate Love Song

An Irish Ballad

The Irish Rover

I’s the B’y

Isn’t It Grand Boys?

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye

Jolly Roving Tar

The Kraken

Leave Her, Johnny

The Leaving of Liverpool

Lilliburlero

The Lobster Song

Lowlands Away

The Maid of Amsterdam

Maid on the Shore

Martinmas Time

The Mermaid

Mermaids of the Harbor

Mingulay Boat Song

Mist Covered Mountains

My Little Lad

My Son John

New York Girls

Northwest Passage

Old Dun Cow

Paddy Lay Back

The Parting Glass

Pirate Queen

The Pretty Drummer Boy

Pump Shanty

Randy Dandy, Oh

Rio Grande

Rising of the Moon

The Rocky Road to Dublin

Roll Boys Roll

Roll Northumbria

Roll the Old Chariot Along

Roller Bowler

Rolling Down to Old Maui

Running down to Cuba

Sailor’s Prayer

Sally Brown

Santianna

Scrimshaw for Christmas

Shenandoah

Siren Song

Skye Boat Song

South Australia

Spanish Ladies

Steal from Everyone You Can

Streams of Whiskey

Ten Thousand Miles Away

That Sea, The Gambler

The Thirty-First Day of August

Three Drunken Maidens

The Trooper and the Maid

Tumblebones

Valparaiso

The Wellerman

Where Am I to Go, M’Johnnies

Whiskey in the Jar

Whiskey Johnny

Wild Rover

William Taylor

The Worst Old Ship

Yarmouth Town

All for me Grog

All for me grog, me jolly, jolly grog

It’s all for me beer and tobacco

For I spent all me tin with the lassies drinkin’ gin

Far across the western ocean I must wander.

Atlantis

Out walking the steps of Atlantis

Watching the waves sweep the sky

And the whole earth rings like thunder

As the whales call, passing us by

I’m climbing the towers of Atlantis

Fish eddy like clouds, gleam like stars

Or so I can almost remember

It’s so long since the surface was ours

The Banks of Newfoundland

We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her

With holy stone and sand,

For there blows some cold nor'westers

On the Banks of Newfoundland.

Barrett’s Privateers

Refrain:

How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now

Chorus:

God damn them all
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers

Black Velvet Band

For her eyes they shone like diamonds

I thought her the queen of the land

And her hair, hung over her shoulder

Tied up with a black velvet band

Blow the Candles Out

No refrain or chorus on this one--just enjoy!

Blow the Man Down

O, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down

To me way hey, blow the man down

O, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down

Give us some time to blow the man down

Blow the Wind Southerly

Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly

Blow the wind south o'er the bonny blue sea

Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly

Blow bonnie breeze, bring my lover to me

Bonnie Ship the Diamond

For it's cheer up my lads

Let your hearts never fail

For the bonnie ship the Diamond

Goes a-fishing for the whale

The Bonnie Lassie's Answer

For I am forced to go, me love

Where no one shall be know

And the bonnie wee lassie’s answer

Was aye, no, no

Aye, no, no me love

Aye, no, no

And the bonnie wee lassie’s answer

Was aye, no, no

Boston Harbor

With a big bow wow, tow row row

Fol dee rol dee rye doh dae

Bully in the Alley

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’

Captain Kidd

Refrain: As I sailed, as I sailed

Come Out Ye Black and Tans

Oh, come out ye Black and Tans

Come out and fight me like a man

Show your wives how you won medals down in Flanders

Tell them how the IRA

Made you run like hell away

From the green and lovely lanes of Killashandra

The Crayfish

By the wayside, aye,

Diddily aye-oh!

Crooked Jack

I was tall and true, all of six foot two

But they broke me across the back

By a name I'm known, but it's not my own

They call me Crooked Jack

The Dark Lady

Chorus 1 & 2:

And every night the Baron would drink a toast

He'd say, "Here's to our lovely lady host

My one true love"

"Hear, hear!" the crew replied

And the Dark Lady sighed

Chorus 3:

That night the Baron drank with jubilee

He said, "Here's to my lovely bride-to-be

My one true love"

"Hear, hear !" the crew replied

And the Dark Lady cried

Chorus 4:

That night the Lady drank a toast

She said, "Here's to your lovely lady host

Your one true love"

No voices replied

And the Dark Lady smiled

Chorus 5:

And every night the Baron must drink a toast

And say, "Here's to our lovely lady host

My one true love"

"Hear, hear!" the ghost crew replies

And the Dark Lady smiles

Dead Horse

Refrain 1:

And we say so! And we know so!

Refrain 2:

Oh, poor old man!

Derby Ram

Chorus option 1:

And indeed sir, it’s true sir

I never was given to lie

And if you’ve been to Derby

You’d have seen it the same as I

Chorus option 2:

That’s a lie, that’s a lie

That’s a lie, lie, lie

Donald Where's Your Troosers?

Let the wind blow high

Let the wind blow low

Through the streets

In my kilt I'll go

All the lassies shout hello

Donald, where's your troosers?

Down Among the Dead Men

Down among the dead men

Down, down, down, down

Down among the dead men let him lie

Drunken Lullabies

Must it take a life for hateful eyes

To glisten once again?

'Cause we find ourselves in the same old mess

Singing drunken lullabies

Drunken Sailor

Way, hey, and up she rises

Early in the morning

Duke of Argyle

No refrain--just enjoy!

Eddystone Light

Yo ho ho, the wind blows free

Oh for the life on the rolling sea

Excursion Around the Bay

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"

The Female Pressgang

Repeat last line of each verse

Fiddler's Green

Wrap me up in my oilskins and jumper

No more on the docks I'll be seen

Just tell my old shipmates, I'm taking a trip, mates

And I'll see you someday in Fiddler's Green

Fields of Athenry

Low Lie The fields of athenry

where once we watched the small free birds fly

our love was on the wing

We had dreams and songs to sing

and so lonely round the fields of athenry

Finnegan's Wake

Whack fol the da, now, dance your partner

Round the floor your trotters shake

Wasn't it the truth I told you?

Lots of fun at Finnegan's wake

Fish in the Sea

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.

The Flying Dutchman

Three centuries of storm

A glowing deck and tatters in the dark

Since we burst off the blustery horn

And the devil cursed our wretched barque

So we’ll sail forevermore

And you’ll soon be sunk if you hear this cry

We’re thralls to the underlord

Godverdomme* watch the Dutchman fly

*Dutch for goddamn, pronounced hot-fair-DUMB-uh

Foggy Dew

Out in the foggy dew

General Taylor

To me way, hey, stormy

Walk him along, John, carry him along

To me way, hey, stormy

Carry him to his burying ground

Ghost of John

Oh, have you seen the ghost of John

Long white bones with the skin all gone

Oo-oo-oo-oo oo-oo-oo

Wouldn’t it be chilly with no skin on

Good Morning Ladies All

Refrain 1:

With a heave-o, haul

Refrain 2:

Good mornin' ladies all

A Health to the Company

So 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

Heave Away

Sometimes, we're bound for Liverpool

Sometimes, we're bound for Spain

Heave away, me bullies

Heave away

But now we're bound for old St. John's

Where all the girls are dancing

Heave away, me bully boys

We're all bound away

High Barbary

Refrain 1:

Blow high! Blow low! And so sailed we

Refrain 2:

Sailing down along the coasts of High Barbary

Hog's-Eye Man

With your hog’s eye-o

Row the boat ashore with your hog’s eye

Steady on the tiller with your hog’s eye-o

You are the hog’s eye man

Homeward Bound

Refrain 1:

Goodbye, fare thee well

Refrain 2:

Hurrah, me boys, we’re homeward bound

Irene's Pirate Love Song

Oh, the winds picked up and waves grew tall

And I wondered if I would live at all

But that was the day my love sailed in

And I’ll never go back to land

An Irish Ballad

Refrain 1:

Sing rickety-tickety-tin

Refrain 2:

Repeat end of each verse’s last line, followed by complete last line

The Irish Rover

No chorus or refrain--just enjoy!

I's the B'y

Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo

Hip yer partner, Sally Brown

Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour

All around the circle

Isn't it Grand, Boys?

Isn't it grand, boys, to be bloody well dead?

Let's not have a sniffle

No!

Let's have a bloody good cry

And always remember, the longer you live

The sooner you'll bloody well die

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye

Refrains 1 & 2:

Hurroo, hurroo

Refrain 3:

Johnny I hardly knew ye

Chorus:

With your drums and guns and drums and guns

The enemy nearly slew ye

Oh my darling dear, ye look so queer

Johnny I hardly knew ye

Jolly Roving Tar

So pass the flowin' bowl
Boys, there's whiskey in the jar
And we'll drink to all the lassies
And the jolly roving tar

The Kraken

In the blackest deep, the Kraken sleeps

Leave Her, Johnny

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

The Leaving of Liverpool

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

Lilliburlero

Lero-lero-lillibulero

Lero-lero-bulibula

Lero-lero-lillibulero

Lero-lero-bulibula

The Lobster Song

Lobsters eat people

And people eat lobsters

If someone in the harbor

Can’t find their mate

You may be chagrined

To learn what’s dripping down your chin

Or splattered all over your plate

Lowlands Away

Refrain 1:

Lowlands, lowlands away me John

Refrain 2:

Lowlands away

The Maid of Amsterdam

Refrain 1:

Mark well what I do say

Refrain 2:

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

Maid on the Shore

Repeat last line of each verse (without repetitions of final word)

Mary Read

Mary I would lie for you

I’d sail the high seas with you

I promise that my love is true

And I’ll be your pirate queen

Last chorus:

Mary I would die for you

I’d sail the highest seas with you

I promise that my love is true

And I’ll be your pirate queen

Martinmas Time

To me right foddle-lydle-leedle-lydle-dommee-o

With me right fiddle-ee-ydle-deedle-dy-dee-o

The Mermaid

O the ocean's waves do roll

And the stormy winds do blow

While we poor sailors go skipping to the top

And the landlubbers lie down below, below, below

And the landlubbers lie down below

Mermaids of the Harbor

Oh, these are the mermaids of the harbor

They lie on rocks and swim the ocean blue

You may never catch a mermaid

Flopping upon the beach

But you’ve seen the many special things they do

Mingulay Boat Song

Hill you ho, boys; Let her go, boys

Bring her head round; into the weather

Hill you ho, boys; Let her go, boys

Sailing homeward to Mingulay

Mist Covered Mountains

Hey ro, soon shall I see them, oh

Ho ra, see them oh see them, oh

Ho ro, soon shall I see them

The mist covered mountains of home

My Little Lad

My little lad, keep it in mind, dear

Only a song puts trouble behind ye’

While I’ve been draggin’ around these old bones

All of these tunes, I’ve gathered and grown

From Barbados to far Macau

They’re all the treasure I carry around

And all I’ve gained from the passing of time

Are wrinkles ’round these eyes of mine

My Son John

To me too-rye-ah, foddle-diddle-da

Whack foddle-laddle-liddle-lye-dum-dae

New York Girls

Then away you Santy, my dear Annie,

Oh, you New York girls, can’t you dance the polka?

Northwest Passage

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 wild and savage

And make a Northwest Passage to the sea

Old Dun Cow

Oh, there was Brown upside down

He was moppin' up the whisky on the floor

"Well booze, booze!" the firemen cried

As they came a-knockin' at the door

Oh, don't let them 'in til it's all mopped up

Somebody shouted MacIntyre! (shout “MacIntyre!”)

And we all got blue-blind paralytic drunk

When the Old Dun Cow caught fire

Paddy Lay Back

Paddy lay back

Take in your slack

Take a turn around the capstan heave a pawl

'Bout ship, stations, boys, be handy

For we’re bound for Valparaiso ‘round the horn

Parting Glass

No chorus or refrain--just enjoy!

Pretty Drummer Boy

With my hat cap and feather

If you had me seen

You would have said and sworn

That a man I had been

The drummers all envied me

My fingers long and small

For I beat upon my rum a dum

The best of them all

Pump Shanty

So, pump, me boys, pump her dry

Down to hell and up to the sky

Bend your backs and break your bones

We’re just a thousand miles from home

Randy Dandy, Oh

Heave a pawl, o, heave away,

Way, hey, roll and go

The anchor’s on board and the cable’s all stored

To me rollicking randy dandy, oh

Rio Grande

And away, boys, away

A-weigh, for Rio

So fare ye well, my pretty young girls

We are bound for the Rio Grande

Rising of the Moon

By the rising of the moon

(Repeat last line of previous verse)

By the rising of the moon

Rocky Road to Dublin

One, two, three, four five

Hunt the hare and turn her

Down the rocky road

And all the ways to Dublin

Whack-fol-lol-de-ra

Roll Boys Roll

Refrain 1: Roll boys, roll boys roll

Refrain 2: Way high, Miss Sally Brown

Roll the Old Chariot Along

And we’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind

Roller Bowler

Hoo-rah you roller bowler

Timme, hey-rig-a-jig and a ha-ha

Good morning, ladies all

Rolling Down to Old Maui

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

Running Down to Cuba

Refrain 1: Weigh, me boys, to Cuba

Refrain 2: Running down to Cuba

Sailor's Prayer

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

Santianna

Refrain 1: Away Santiana

Refrain 2: Along the coast of Mexico

Chorus:

So, heave 'er up and away we'll go

Away Santiana

To the ports we know

Where the warm winds blow

Scrimshaw for Christmas

We’ve taken over the north pole

We’ve a fleet of flying reindeer

Don’t you tell a ruddy soul

I hope you want scrimshaw for christmas

Cause that’s what you’re gonna get

No you haven’t seen the last of Franklin yet

Shenandoah

Refrain 1: Away, you rollin' river

Refrain 2: Away, we're bound away across the wide Missouri

Siren Song

Choruses 1-4:

So he hopped overboard

To his death

And we drank and we cried

And we wept and we sighed

Now it’s only the (12, 4, 3, 2) of us left

Chorus 5:

So he hopped overboard

To his death

And I drank and I cried

And I wept and I sighed

Now it's me, I'm the only one left

Last chorus:

They’d all hopped overboard

To their deaths

I'm still tied to the mast

And I'm sure I won't last

And then there'll be none of us left

Skye Boat Song

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

South Australia

Haul away you rollin' Kings

Heave away, oh haul away

Haul away you'll hear me sing

We're bound for South Australia

Spanish Ladies

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

Steal from Everyone You Can (Except from the Band)

Steal from everyone you can

Except from the band

They’re all arrayed against you

It’s an open plan

I mean, tip your waiters, sure

And lend a dollar to the poor

Streams of Whiskey

I am going, I am going

Any which way the wind may be blowing

I am going, I am going

Where streams of whiskey are flowing

Ten Thousand Miles Away

And sing blow the winds high-ho

A-roving I will go

I'll stay no more on England's shore

To hear the music play

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.

That Sea, the Gambler

Chorus:

Come to me, Mary come; you know you once were queen

The ocean is holding all the kings

Tossed aside the weary

Last chorus:

The ocean holding everything

Tossed aside the weary

Aw, that dreadful, gambling sea

The Thirty-First Day of August

Drink one more glass, drink up me crew

Here’s to the health of lovers true

Here’s to the king of valiant France, sirs

And we spit on the British bores

Who are besieging our shores

Three Harbors

And I wish I could find my way back there

But the waves never stop rolling on

For a moment, the night spans forever

By the next it has slipped into dawn

Three Drunken Maidens

And these three drunken maidens

They pushed the jug about

Trooper and the Maid

Bonnie lassie, will you gang with me

Bonnie lass, will ye lie near me

I'll get all your ribbons free

In the morning e’re I leave ye

Tumblebones

Refrain 1:

Singing, roll on Tumblebones

Refrain 2:

As we drift on down to Davy Jones

Valparaiso

Valparaiso, Valparaiso

When will the wind blow me down there again?

Valparaiso, Valparaiso

Softened the heart of a hard-hearted man

The Wellerman

Soon may the Wellerman come

To bring us sugar and tea and rum

One day, when the tonguin' is done

We'll take our leave and go

Where Am I to Go, M'Johnnies?

Where am I to go, M'Johnnies

Where am I to go?

To me way hey hey, high roll and go

Oh, where am I to go, M'Johnnies

Where am I to go?

For I'm a young sailor boy

And where am I to go?

Whiskey in the Jar

Musha ring dumma do damma da

Whack for the daddy 'ol

There's whiskey in the jar

Whiskey Johnny

Refrain 1: Whiskey Johnny-o

Refrain 2: Whiskey for me Johnny-o

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

Wild Rover

And it's no, nay, never

No nay never no more

Will I play

The wild rover

No never

No more

William Taylor

Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai diddero

Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae

Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai diddero

Folleri-de-dom, domme daerai dae

The Worst Old Ship

And we're waiting for the day

Waiting for the day

That we get our pay

Yarmouth Town

Oh, won’t you come down

Won’t you come down

To Yarmouth town