The best thing about shanties is they are meant to be sung by everyone. Please find the choruses to some of our shanties and songs (in alphabetical order) so you can lustily join in!
⚓ Bay of Suvla
It’s away, Suvla Bay
Haulin’ away to Suvla Bay
Fare thee well my pretty young maids
For we’re bound for the Bay of Suvla.
⚓ Blow The Man Down
Blow the man down bullies
Blow the man down
Weigh, hey, blow the man down
Blow him right back into Liverpool town
Give me some time to blow the man down.
⚓ Bonny Ship The Diamond
For it’s cheer up me lads
Let your heart never fail
For the bonny ship The Diamond
Goes a-fishing for the whale.
⚓ Bully In The Alley
Help me Bob I’m bully in the alley
Weigh-hey bully in the alley
Help me Bob I’m bully in the alley
Bully down in Shinbone Al.
⚓ Cape Cod Girls
Heave her up me bully, bully boys
Haul away, haul away
Heave her up and don’t you make a noise
And we’re bound away for Australia.
⚓ Coast Of High Barbary
[Verse line one]
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we
[Verse line two]
Sailing down along the coast of High Barbary.
⚓ Dogger Bank
So watch her, twig her
She’s a proper ju-ber-ju
Give her a sheet let her rip
We’re the girls to pull her through.
You should to see us rally
The wind a-blowing free
On the passage from the Dogger Bank
To Great Grimsby.
⚓ Donkey Riding
Weigh-hey, away we go
Donkey riding, donkey riding
Weigh-hey, away we go
Riding on a Donkey.
⚓ Drunken Sailor
What shall we do with a drunken sailor (x3)
Early in the morning.
Weigh, hey and up she rises (x3)
Early in the morning.
⚓ Eliza Lee
To me hey rig-a-jig in a jaunting gun
Ho-weigh ho are you most done
With Liza Lee all on my knee
Clear away the tracks and let the bullchine rung.
⚓ Grey Funnel Line
It’s one more day
On the Grey Funnel Line.
⚓ Haul Away Joe
Away ho, haul away, we’ll haul away togetherAway haul away, we’ll haul away JoeAway ho, haul away, we’re bound for better weatherAway haul away, we’ll haul away Joe.
⚓ Knock It Down
Rolling home (rolling home)
Rolling home (rolling home)
By the light of the silvery moon
Happy is the sailor
Who has shipped aboard a whaler
Here’s to the good ol’ [drink from verse]
Knock it down.
⚓ Last Barge
Load the barge for the last time
Uncurl red-stained rigging and sails
Ten score and ten more tonnes of cargo
Brick, mud, barrels and bales.
⚓ Maid of Amsterdam
A roving, a roving
Since roving’s been my ru-i-in
I’ll go no more a roving
With you fair maid!
⚓ Rosabella
We’re going on board the Rosabella
We’re going on board the Rosabella
We’re going on board, right round Cape Horn
On the saucy Rosabella.
⚓ New York Girls
And it’s away Santy
My dear Annie
Oh you New York Girls
Can’t you dance the polka?
⚓ 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.
⚓ Pique La Baleine
Pique la baleine, joli baleinierPique la baleine, je veux naviguerPique la baleine, joli baleinierPique la baleine, je veux naviguer.
⚓ Rolling Home
Rolling home, when we go
Rolling home, when we go
Rolling, rolling
When we go rolling home.
⚓ Rollicking Randy Dandy O
Heave a pawl and heave away
Weigh, hey, roll and go
The anchor’s on board and the cable’s all stored
To me rollicking randy dandy O!
⚓ Rolling Up, Rolling Down
Rolling up, rolling down
We’ll all get drunk in Tilbury Town
Twenty-four hours to turn around
Rolling down the river.
⚓ Santiana
Heave her up and away we’ll go
Away Santiana
Heave her up and away we’ll go
Along the plains of Mexico.
⚓ Seafarer’s Wassail
To those on the high seas
You seafarers all
Safe passage to dry land
And wassail the bowl.
⚓ Skye Boat Song
Speed bonny boat
Like a bird on the wing
Onward the sailors cry
Carry the lad whose born to be king
Over the sea to Skye.
⚓ South Australia
Haul away you rolling kings
Heave away, 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 all on the salt seas
Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England
From Ushant to Scilly tis thirty-five leagues.
⚓ Wellerman
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day when the tonguing is done
We’ll take our leave and go.