Printable PDF Version!
This page has a bunch of choruses in alphabetical order.
The bold lines are sung all together with verses in between sung by one or a few others. There are heaps more verses but they should all follow the pattern set out here.
Anderson’s Coast
Old Bass Strait roars like a great mill race
And where are you, my Annie?
And the same moon shines on this distant place
As shone that night on my Annie’s face.
And Annie dear, don’t wait for me,
I fear I’ll never return to thee.
There’s naught to do but endure my fate
And watch the moon, the lonely moon,
Light the breakers of wild Bass Strait.
A Rovin’
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say!
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
An’ she wuz mistress of her trade,
We’ll go no more a-ro-o-vin’ with you fair maid.
A-rovin’, a-rovin’,
Since rovin’s bin my ru-i-in,
We’ll go no more a-rovin’, With you fair maid.
Barrett’s Privateers
Oh, the year was 1778,
HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
A letter of marque come from the king,
To the scummiest vessel I’d ever seen,
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.
Blow Boys Blow
A Yankee ship came down the river,
Blow, boys, blow!
Her masts and spars they shine like silver,
Blow, my bully bowys, blow!
Then blow, my bullies, all together,
Blow, boys, blow!
Blow, my boys, for better weather.
Blow, my bully bowys, blow!
(Bound for) Botany Bay
Singing Tooral liooral li-addity
Singing Tooral liooral li-ay
Singing Tooral liooral li-addity
And we’re bound for Botany Bay
(Shores Of) Botany Bay
Farewell to your bricks and mortar,
farewell to your dirty lime
Farewell to your gangway and gang plank
And to hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin,
she’s lying at the quay
For to take oul Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay
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,
Wey hey, Bully in the alley.
Sally is the girl that I spliced nearly,
Bully down in Shinbone al.
Chicken on a Raft
The skipper’s in the wardroom drinkin’ gin,
Hi, ho, chicken on a raft!
I don’t mind a-knockin’, but I ain’t a-goin’ in!
Hey, ho, chicken on a raft!
The jimmy’s laughin’ like a drain,
Hi, ho, chicken on a raft!
He’s lookin’ in me comic cuts again!
Hey, ho, chicken on a raft!
Hey! 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!
Drop of Nelson’s Blood
And 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 a drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind.
And we’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll roll the old chariot along.
And we’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind!
Drunken Sailor
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
Earl-ay in the morning
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Earl-ay in the morning
Heave Away Cheerily-O
Oh, the wind is free an’ we’re bound for the sea
Heave away cheerily o-ho!
The lassies are wavin’ to you an’ to me
As off to the south’ard we go
Sing, me lads, cheerily
Heave, me lads, cheerily
Heave away cheerily o-ho!
For the gold that we prize an’ for sunnier skies
Away to the south’ard we go!
John Kanaka
I thought I heard the old man say
John Kanaka-naka Turi-ay
Today today is a sailing day
John Kanaka-naka Turi-ay
Turi-ay Oh Turi-ay
John Kanaka-naka Turi-ay
Turi-ay Oh Turi-ay
John Kanaka-naka Turi-ay
Leave her, Johnny
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long and the winds don’t blow
And it’s time for us to leave her
Lowlands Away
I dreamed a dream the other night
Lowlands, lowlands away me John
My love she came, dressed all in white
Lowlands away
Mingulay Boat Song
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys
Heave her head round into the weather
Heel ya ho, boys, let her go, boys
Sailing homeward to Mingulay
Pay me
You pay me, you owe me!
Pay me my money now!
You gots to pay me, mister stevedore!
Pay me my money now!
Randy Dandy Oh
Now we are ready to head for the Horn,
Way, ay, roll an’ go!
Our boots an’ our clothes boys are all in the pawn,
Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O!
Heave a pawl, oh, heave away,
Way, ay, roll an’ go!
The anchor’s on board an’ the cable’s all stored,
Timme rollickin’ randy dandy O!
Roll Down (Transports Shanty)
Sweet ladies of Plymouth we’re saying goodbye
Ro – o – o – ll down
We’ll rock you and roll you again by and by
Walk around me brave boys and roll down
And we will ro – o – o – ll down
Walk around me brave boys and roll down
Rolling Down to Old Maui
Rolling down to old Maui, me boys, rolling down to old Maui,
We’re homeward bound from the Arctic grounds, rolling down to old Maui.
Sammy’s Gone Away
Oh I wish I was the cabin boy aboard a man’o’war
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war
Oh I wish I was the cabin boy aboard a man’o’war
Sammy’s gone away aboard a mano’war
Pretty work brave boys
Pretty work I say
Sammy’s gone awa-ay aboard a mano’war
Pretty work brave boys
Pretty work I say
Sammy’s gone awa-ay aboard a mano’war
South Australia
In South Australia I was born,
Heave away! Haul away!
South Australia, ’round Cape Horn.
Bound for South Australia!
Haul away, you rollin’ king…
Timmy, heave away! Timmy haul away!
Haul away, you’ll hear me sing,
We’re bound for South Australia!
Stormy Weather
Come all you young sailor men, listen to me
I’ll sing you a song of the 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
Strike the Bell
Strike the bell, Second Mate, and let us go below
Look you all to windward, you can see it’s going to blow
Look at the glass, you can see that it has fell
We wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell
Westering Ho
Westering ho with a song in the air,
Light of me eye and it’s goodbye to care.
Laughter and love are a welcoming there,
Pride of me heart my own love.
Sea Shanty Crew 