Jerzy Brzezinski, Author at Traditional Sea Shanties

Heave Away Me Johnnies B

March 17, 2023January 4, 2023 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Heave Away Me Johnnies B

“Heave Away Me Johnnies B” initially was a genuine brake-windlass shanty. Brake-windlass work was too heavy to move levers up and down, so movement from top to bottom has mid-step on the waist. The usual timing used was 2/4 or 6/8. This particular version was the most popular version according to Stan Hugill, singing in the latter days of sail as the capstan shanty. “The Last Shantyman” also says usually sang at 4/4 time, apparently not in this case because the music notation says 6/8 time, but in my reconstruction will try to accommodate this tempo to reconstruct it as capstan shanty anyways.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 306).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 306, 307).

The Record of the Heave Away Me Johnnies B

You also can find this record on my YouTube channel here or directly listen below. Additionally, if you want to share your opinion about the record or share your opinion you can do it in my Facebook forum here, or leave a comment at the bottom of this blog article.

Heave Away Me Johnnies B - Capstan Shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Heave Away Me Johnnies B

Now Johnny was a rover, an’ today he sailed away,
– Heave away ay ay, me Johnnies, heave away-away!
Sez She I’ll be yer sweethart dear if ye will only stay,
– An away me bully boys, we’re all bound to go!

* 2 *

Sometimes we’re bound for Liverpool, sometimes we’re bound for france,
But now we’re bound to New York town to give the girls a chance,

* 3 *

Our advance note’s in our pocket, boys, it sure will take us fair,
An’ now a cruise down Lime Street, boys, an’ to the American Bar.

* 4 *

In two days’ time we’ll be outward bound an’ down the Mersey we’ll clip,
The gals’ll all be waiting, boys, when get back next trip.

* 5 *

The Peter’s flyin’ at the fore, the Pilot’s waiting the tide,
An’ soon we’ll be bound out again, bound for the other side.

* 6 *

An’ when we’re homeward bound again, our pockets lined once more,
We’ll spend it all with the gals, me boys, an’ go to sea for more.

* 7 *

So gaily let yer voices ring, me bullies heave ‘n’ bust,
‘Tain’t no use a caterwaulin’ — growl yer may, but go yer must.

Related to this sea shanty

Ooker John

Hooker John (Harding)

Across The Western Ocean ( I )

Heave Away Me Johnnies A – Brake Windlass Shanty

March 17, 2023January 1, 2023 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Heave Away Me Johnnies A

“Heave Away Me Johnnies A” initially was a genuine brake-windlass shanty. Brake-windlass work was too heavy to move levers up and down, so movement from top to bottom has mid-step on the waist. The usual timing used was 2/4 or 6/8. This song is one of My first recorded shanties from Stan Hugill’s “Shanties From the Seven Seas” book I recorded.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 303).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 303, 304).

The Record of the Heave Away Me Johnnies A

Heave Away Me Johnnies A - Brake Windlass Shanty

The musical notation

And the full lyrics

Heave Away Me Johnnies A

Oh as I walked out one summer’s morn, (SLOW)
Down by the Salthouse Docks, (QUICKER)
– Heave away, me Johnnies, heave away-away!
I met an emigrant Irish gal, (SLOW)
conversin’ with Tapscott, (QUICKER)
– An away me bully boys, we’re all bound to go!

* 2 *

‘Good mornin’, Mister Tapscott, sir’, ‘Good-mornin, me gal,’ sez he,
‘Oh, it’s have jiz got a packet-ship, All bound for Amerikee?’

* 3 *

‘Oh, yes I have got a packet-ship, I have got one or two,
I’ve got the Jinny Walker and I’ve got the Kangaroo.

* 4 *

‘I’ve got the Jinny Walker and today she does set sail,
With five an’ fifty emigrants an’ a thousands bags o’ meal.’

* 5 *

The day was fine when we set sail, but night had barely come,
An’ every lubber never ceased to wish himself at home.

* 6 *

That night as we was sailin’ through the Channel of St. James,
A dirty nor’west wind came up an’ druv us back again.

* 7 *

We snugged her down an’ we laid her to, with reefed main tops’l set,
It was no joke I tell you, ‘cos our bunks an’ clothes wuz wet.

* 8 *

It cleared up fine at break o’ day, an’ we set sail once more,
An’ every son-o’-a-gun wuz glad when we reached Amerikee’s shore.

* 9 *

Bad luck to them Irish sailor-boys, bad luck to them I sais,
For they all got drunk, broke into me bunk, an’ stole me clothes away.

* 10 *

‘Twas at the Castle Gardens, oh, they landed me ashore,
An’ if I marry a Yankee boy, I’ll cross the seas no more.

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Blow Ye Winds (extra verses)

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Heave Away – American Folk Song

March 17, 2023December 29, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Heave Away

“Heave Away” the song from “The American Songbag” by Carl Sandburg (1927 page 407), is another clue to finding the possible origin of the “Heave Away, My Johnnies” shanty. Stan Hugill on the occasion of this song debated with himself about the shanty having stemmed from the following Negro slave song “Heave Away”. Although the tune bears no resemblance to the shanty the words seem to have some connection. Perhaps this is one of the songs that made it through the shanties of Mobile Bay or New Orleans. But on the other hand, it may be that Negro Hoosiers took it from Irish seamen-stevedores. Carl Sandburg claims that the following song is a “negro fireman’s” song and is one of the “few slavery-era work songs still in existence”.

The source of the Heave Away

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 301).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 301).

The Record

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Heave Away

He–ave away, he-ave away!
I’d rather court a yellow gal
Than work for Henry Clay,
He–ave away, he–ave away!
Yellow gal, I want to go.
I’d rather court a yellow gal
Than work for Henry Clay.
He–ave away! Yellow gal, I want to go!

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Lay Me Down – Folk Song

Hieland Laddie (B) – stevedores chant

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The Irish Emigrant – Irish Folk Song

November 5, 2023December 27, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about The Irish Emigrant

“The Irish Emigrant” is the final piece of Stan Hugill’s research on the very fine shanty “Heave Away, My Johnnies”. After the “Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )” which comes from Mr. T. E. Elwell. Eventually, the full version he took from his Irish friend; a native of Wexford, turned up the full version, which his friend called “The Irish Emigrant”.
And eventually the story of the trick used by Mr. Tapscott to use the word ‘meal’. The words pronounced in Irish fashion sounded like ‘mail’, giving rise to the belief that the ship concerned was carrying ‘mail’ and belonged to the fastest in the world smart packet ships. But in actual fact, these ships carried emigrants across to the New World were very often a real thirt-rates, and the food the poor Irish emigrants had daily was “meal” – the Irish pronunciation of which was “male”, hence the error.

The source of The Irish Emigrant

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 300, 301).

The Record

The musical notation

The full lyrics

The Irish Emigrant

As I walked out one morning down by the Clarence Dock,
I heard a bully Irish boy conversing wid Tapscott;
‘Good morning, Mister Tapscott, would ye be arter telling me,
If ye’ve got a ship bound for New York in the state of Amerikee?’

– Lay me down, lay me down,
– Lay me down do!
– Lay me down, here we go, Mrs. McQuale,
– Here we go to, lay me down, Mrs. O’Halligan,
– Jinny hooraw!
– Fire away, Bridget, I’ll bully for you!

* 2 *

‘Yes, yes, me handsome Irish boy, I’ve got a ship or two,
One’s laying at the wharf there, awaitin’ for her crew,
She is a handsome packet and on Friday she will sail,
And now she’s takin’ her on board a thousand bags o’ meal.’

* 3 *

So then I paid me passage down in solid Irish gold,
And when the packet sailed, boys, ’twas on the yellow grog road;
There was roars of milly murder, the loikes wuz never known,
An’ ev’ry mother’s son, me bhoys, did wish himself at home.

* 4 *

On the day on which we set out, ’twas on the first o’ May,
The Capen came upon the deck, these words to us did say,
‘Cheer up, me beefy Irish bhoys, now we have set all sail,
We’ll give ye a feed o’ pork an’ beans, tomorrow — yellow meal!’

* 5 *

Next day when we sailin’ down the channel right as rain,
A nor’west wind began to blow, an’ druv us back again.
Bad luck to the Joey Walker and the day that we set sail,
For them packet sailors broken open me chest, an’ stole me yellow meal.

* 6 *

Now that I am in Amerikee, a-working on a canal,
I’ll niver go home in a packet ship, I know I niver shall,
But I’ll ship in a darn big National boat, that carries both steam an’ sail,
With lashin’s o’ beef, an’ plenty to eat, an’ none of yer yellow meal.

Related to this victorian ditty

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Lay Me Down – Folk Song

Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )

June 11, 2023December 22, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )

“Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )” is the piece of Stan Hugill’s research on the very fine shanty “Heave Away, My Johnnies”. Stan Hugill tells us about he came across a letter referring to the three songs popular in Liverpool ‘free-‘n’-easies’ during the middle of the XIX century, one of these three songs was a ditty: “Across The Western Ocean. Stan Hugill found the author of this letter Mr. T. E. Elwell of the Isle of Man, the result of the correspondence was this verse with the chorus.

Stan Hugill doesn’t mention the melody for this ditty, but I expect the melody to this ditty comes from the song that predeceases this song in Stan Hugill’s book, which is “Lay Me Down”, so this melody I will use, to reconstruct that beautiful lyric, and will try to turn into a song. The lyrics in some places didn’t match the melody sometimes the length of the phrases is too short, so I will try to repeat some fragments of the phrases to match the music notation and not do much harm to the original climate of the lyrics.

The source of this song

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 300).

The Record

Across The Western Ocean ( 2 ) - Free-n-easy Folk Ditty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Across The Western Ocean ( 2 )

‘Have you got an emigrant ship that’s bound for Amer-i-kay?’
‘Oh, yes! I have an emigrant ship,
I have got one or two;
I’ve got the Georgie Walker and I’ve got the Kangaroo.

– Oh! here we go, there we go,
– Lay me down do,
– Here we go, there we go,
– Mrs. O’Halligan, too,
– Jenny, hooroo!
– Fire away, laddie, I’ll bully for you!

Related to this victorian ditty

Cialoma Di Li Tunnari

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Blow The Wind Southerly – Shore Song

Lay Me Down – Folk Song

March 17, 2023December 19, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Lay Me Down

“Lay Me Down” is the folk song that Stan Hugill acquired from Patrick Shuldam-Shaw. Shuldam-Shaw did not mention exactly when, but what he says: “is when he did the talk about sea shanties in the Cecil Sharp House London”. He met Patrick Shuldam-Shaw and was on the lookout for some personal evidence of the song “Yellow Meal”, He mentioned the matter to him. Shuldam-Shaw said that; on one of his visits to the Shetland Islands collecting folk songs; and take down such a song from the singing of a certain John Stickle of Balla Sound, but he called it “Lay Me Down”. Here is this song.

The source of this song

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 299).

The Record

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Lay Me Down

As I went one morning down by the Clarence Dock,
Who shipped I there. There but Tapscott,
“Good morning, Mister Tapscott”, “Good morning, six”, says he,
“Have you got any ship bound for New York and the Coast of Amerikee?”

– Lay me down, lay me down,
– Lay me down dead,
– Lay me down, ay-jer-bup, Mrs. McQuale,
– Lay me down, ay-jer-bup, Mrs. Mahoolichan,
– Jeannie go ‘hooch’!
– Fire away, Bridget, I’m dying for thee

* 2 *

‘I have a packet, a packet or two,
The one, the Georgie Walker, and the other, the Kangaroo.
The one, the Georgie Walker, on Friday she’ll set sail,
And all the provisions she’d got on board is a thousand bags of meal.’

* 3 *

Now I’m landed in New York, and working in a canal,
For me to go back in a packet ship, a thing I never shall,
I’ll go back on one of the White Star Lines. They carry both steam and sail,
And there I’ll get plenty of beef and soft tack, and none of your yellow meal.

Related to this victorian ditty

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Leave Her Johnny Leave Her – Pumps

March 17, 2023December 17, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Leave Her Johnny Leave Her – Pumps

“Leave Her Johnny Leave Her – Pumps” was a shanty that was used at pumps or capstan, also sometimes used as halyard shanty. However, it was mostly not used during the voyage due to the risk of being accused of mutiny by the singers, which was quite a serious risk as it was the unwritten rule of the merchant fleet that no serious complaints aloud about the captain or the job were allowed. So, due to the lyrics of this song (many verses are unprintable), it was especially used at the end of the voyage, when the (especially wooden) ship was in port, and all that was left was the final clearing and pumping out the water from the bilge, then the sailors could complain freely and it was accepted by the captain. This reconstruction will be a pump shanty.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 293).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 297, 298).

The Record of the Leave Her Johnny Leave Her – Pumps

Leave her Johnny Leave Her - Pump Shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Leave her Johnny Leave Her (Pumps)

Oh, a dollar a day is a Jack Sprite’s pay,
– leave her, Johnny, leave her!
To pump all night an, to work all day,
– An’ it’s time for us to leave her!

– Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
– Ooh! leave her, Johnny, leave her!
– For the winds do roar an’ we wish we wuz ashore,
– An it’s time for us to leave her!

* 2 *

Though times is hard an’ the wages low,
There’s fathom o’ water down in the hold.

* 3 *

The Old Man shouts, the pumps stand by,
Oh, we can never suck her dry.

* 4 *

Heave one more turn an’ around she goes,
Or else we’ll be kickin’ up our toes.

* 5 *

Leave her, Johnny, we can pump no more,
Of pump or down we’ve had full store.

* 6 *

It’s pump or drown, the Old Man said,
Or else damn soon ye’ll all be dead.

* 7 *

Heave around or we shall drown,
Hey! don’t yiz feel her settlin’ down?

* 8 *

Heave around them pump-bowls bright,
There’ll be no sleep for us this night.

* 9 *

The rats have gone an’ we, the crew,
It’s time be damned that we went too.

* 10 *

Oh, pump away in merry, merry strife,
Oh, heave away for to save dear life.

* 11 *

Oh, pump her out from down below,
Oh, pump her out an’ away we’ll go.

* 12 *

The starboard pump is like the crew,
It’s all worn out an’ will not do.

* 13 *

Leave her, Johnny, we can pump no more,
It’s time we wuz upon dry shore.

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Leave Her Johnny – Halyard

March 17, 2023December 15, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Leave Her Johnny – Halyard

“Leave Her Johnny Leave Her – Halyard” was a shanty that was used at pumps or capstan, also sometimes used as a halyard shanty. This version Stan Hugill learned from Liverpool seamen, and it has a slightly different tune, and of course, as a halyard shanty, it doesn’t have the grand chorus. However, it was mostly not used during the voyage due to the risk of being accused of mutiny by the singers, which was quite a serious risk as it was the unwritten rule of the merchant fleet that no serious complaints aloud about the captain or the job was allowed.

So, due to the lyrics of this song (many verses are unprintable), it was especially used at the end of the voyage, when the (especially wooden) ship was in port, and all that was left was the final clearing and pumping out the water from the bilge, then the sailors could complain freely and it was accepted by the captain. This reconstruction will be a halyard shanty, I added 4 additional verses from the capstan version of this shanty to make some sensible length at least long enough for a better understanding of the melody (In the book is only one vers).

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 297).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 297).

The Record of the Leave Her Johnny – Halyard

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Leave her Johnny (Halyard)

Oh, I thought I heard the Ol’ Man say,
– LEAVE her, Johnny, LEAVE her!
Oh, I thought I heard the Ol’ Man say,
– It’s TIME for us to LEAVE her!

* 2 *

The work wuz hard an’ the voyage wuz long,
The sea wuz high an’ the gales wuz strong.

* 3 *

The grub wuz bad an’ the wages low,
But now once more ashore we’ll go.

* 4 *

The winds wuz foul, all work, no pay,
To Liverpool Docks from ‘Frisco Bay.

* 5 *

The Old Man swears an’ the mate swears to,
The crew all swear, an’ so would you.

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Leave her Johnny Leave Her – Capstan

March 17, 2023December 12, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Leave her Johnny Leave Her – Capstan

“Leave her Johnny Leave Her” was a shanty that was used at pumps or capstan, also sometimes used as halyard shanty. However, it was mostly not used during the voyage due to the risk of being accused of mutiny by the singers, which was quite a serious risk as it was the unwritten rule of the merchant fleet that no serious complaints aloud about the captain or the job were allowed. So, due to the lyrics of this song (many verses are unprintable), it was especially used at the end of the voyage, when the (especially wooden) ship was in port, and all that was left was the final clearing and pumping out the water from the bilge, then the sailors could complain freely and it was accepted by the captain. This reconstruction will be a capstan shanty.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 293).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 295, 296).

The Record of the Leave her Johnny Leave Her – Capstan

Leave her Johnny Leave Her - Capstan Shanty

The musical notation

The full lyrics

Leave her Johnny Leave Her (Capstan)

Oh, the times wuz hard, an’ the wages.. low,
– leave her, Johnny, leave her!
But now once more ashore we’ll go,
– An’ it’s time for us to leave her!

– Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
– Oooh! leave her, Johnny, leave her!
– For the voyage is done and the winds don’t blow
– An it’s time for us to leave her!

* 2 *

Oh, I thought I heard the Ol’ Man say,
Tomorrow ye will get your pay,

* 3 *

The work wuz hard an’ the voyage wuz long,
The sea wuz high an’ the gales wuz strong.

* 4 *

The wind wuz foul an’ the sea ran high,
She shipped it green an’ none went by.

* 5 *

The grub wuz bad an’ the wages low,
But now once more ashore we’ll go.

* 6 *

Oh, our Old Man he don’t set no sail,
We’d be better off in a nice clean goal.

* 7 *

We’d be better off in a nice clean goal.
With all night in an’ plenty o’ ale.

* 8 *

She’s poverty-stricken an’ parish-rigged,
The bloomin’ crowd is fever-stricked.

* 9 *

Oh, sing that we boys will never be
In a hungry bitch the likes o’ she.

* 10 *

The mate wuz a bucko an’ the Old man a Turk,
The bosun wuz a beggar with the middle name o’, work.

* 11 *

The Old Man swears an’ the mate swears to,
The crew all swear, an’ so would you.

* 12 *

It’s growl yer may an’ go yer must,
It matters not whether yer last or fust.

* 13 *

The winds wuz foul, all work, no pay,
To Liverpool Docks from ‘Frisco Bay.

* 14 *

The ship won’t steer, nor stay, nor wear,
An’ so us shellbacks learnt to swear.

* 15 *

She will not wear, nor steer, nor stay,
Her sails an’ gear all carried away.

* 16 *

We wuz made to pump all night an’ day,
An’ we half-dead had beggar-all to say.

* 17 *

We’ll leave her tight an’ we’ll leave her trim,
We’ll heave the hungry bastard in.

* 18 *

Oh, leave her, Johnny, an’ we’ll work no more,
Of pump or drown we’ve had full stroke

* 19 *

Leave her, Johnny, an’ we’ll leave her with a grin,
There’s many a worser we’ve sailed in.

* 20 *

The sails is furled an’ our work is done,
An’ now ashore we’ll have our bit o’ fun.

* 21 *

We’ll make her fast an’ stow our gear,
The gals are a-waitin’ on the pier.

* 22 *

Leave her, Johnny, ye can leave her like a man,
Oh, leave her, Johnny, oh, leave her while yer can.

* 23 *

Now I thought I heard the Old Man say,
One more good heave an’ then belay.

Related to this sea shanty

Ooker John

Hooker John (Harding)

Across The Western Ocean ( I )

March 17, 2023December 9, 2022 by Jerzy Brzezinski

Interesting Facts about the Across The Western Ocean ( I )

Here is probably one of the development stages for the very famous shanty “Leave her, Johnny, Leave here”, the “Across The Western Ocean ( I )”. Stan Hugill mentions this song just before the description of the “Leave her, Johnny, Leave here”. This is the hauling shanty and will be reconstructed as a halyard shanty.

The source of this sea shanty

The music: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 292).
The lyrics: “Shanties from the Seven Seas” by Stan Hugill (1st ed: p 292, 293).

The Record of the Across The Western Ocean ( I )

Across The Western Ocean ( I ) - Capstan Shanty

The musical notation

Across The Western Ocean - music notation

The full lyrics

Across The Western Ocean ( I )

Oh, though times are hard and the wages low,
– AMELia whar yer BOUND to?,
The Rocky Mountains is me home,
– Oh, ACROSS the Western OCEAN!!

* 2 *

A land of promise there ye’ll see,
I’m bound away across that sea.

* 3 *

To Liverpool that I’ll take my way,
To Liverpool that Packet School.

* 4 *

There’s Liverpool Pat wid his tarpaulin hat,
An’ Yannkee John, the Packet Rat.

* 5 *

Beware them Packet Ships I pray,
They’ll steal yer gear an’ clothes away.

* 6 *

We are bound away from our friends and home,
We’re bound away to seek for gold.

* 7 *

Mothers and sweetharts don’t ye cry,
Sister an’ brothers say goodbye.

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