Lixie Art & Studios

Tag: lyrics

  • My Mother’s Savage Daughter

    by Wyndreth Berginsdottir, 1990

    Note: The last chorus uses ‘we’ instead of ‘I’

    I am my mother’s savage daughter,
    the one who runs barefoot cursing sharp stones.
    I am my mother’s savage daughter,
    I will not cut my hair, I will not lower my voice.

    My mother’s child is a savage,
    She looks for her omens in the colors of stones,
    In the faces of cats, in the falling of feathers,
    In the dancing of fire, in the curve of old bones.

    My mother’s child dances in darkness,
    And sings heathen songs by the light of the moon,
    And watches the stars and renames the planets,
    And dreams she can reach them with a song and a broom.

    My mother’s child curses too loud, too often,
    My mother’s child laughs too hard and too long,
    And howls at the moon and sleeps in ditches,
    And raises her voice to the words in this song.

    We are brought forth out of darkness,
    Into this world through blood and through pain,
    And deep in our bones, the old songs are waking,
    So sing them with voices of thunder and rain.

    We are our mother’s savage daughters,
    The ones who run barefoot cursing sharp stones.
    We are our mother’s savage daughters,
    We will not cut our hair, We will not lower our voice

  • Follow The Heron Home

    by Karine Polwart, 2006

    The back of the winter is broken,
    And light lingers long by the door.
    And the seeds of the summer have spoken
    In gowans that bloom on the shore

    By night and day we’ll sport and we’ll play
    And delight as the dawn dances over the bay
    Sleep blows the breath of the morning away
    And we follow the heron home

    In darkness we cradled our sorrow
    And stoked all our fires with fear
    Now these bones that lie empty and hollow
    Are ready for gladness to cheer

    Long may we sing of the salmon
    And the snow-scented sounds of your home
    While the north wind delivers its sermon
    Of ice, and salt water, and stone

  • Asteroid Named Rest Stop

    by Julia Ecklar / Leslie Fish

    When I pulled 307 out of Marsport
    The weather station said storms all the way
    They stuck me with a cargo of live chickens
    A dozen drunken miners,
    And five hung over Shriners
    The brake jet lining’s overworn and pitted
    The gasket on the cargo hatch was gone
    I figured we could get as far as Phobos
    But I didn’t think we’d get much further on.

    And I’m looking for an asteroid named Rest Stop
    Relief driver damn well better be waiting for me there
    Cuz after fifteen hours of bussin’
    Third class cargo and riders cussin’
    I just might drive to blazes and not care.

    I chugged on up to Phobos on our last fumes
    And prayed their engineers could heal my jets
    Cuz storms had broke the locks and freed the chickens
    Who were crappin’ on the miners,
    And runnin’ from the Shriners
    My jets were full of feathers and limp fezzes
    And my two latrines were backed up in the hall
    With chicken crap and ore dust on my main bridge
    I could only hope that Phobos heard my call

    At Phobos port they held me up in docking
    Then they stuck me off in Bay 117
    The customs man walked in, breathed once, and fainted
    Then got up, ran out, and screamed
    For a fumigation team
    The passengers ran for the door and jammed it
    It took more than an hour to haul them clear
    I found a bar and broke some regulations
    Then I went out looking for an engineer.

    I found this Joe Von Krugin on a barstool
    And so drunk on coolant fumes he couldn’t stand
    I told him I could pay him in fresh chickens
    If he’d try to fix my drive
    So we could leave that port alive
    He staggered to my ship and stood there laughing
    While bedraggled spaced up chickens filled the air
    He sat down on the nearest passed-out Shriner
    And he said, “Just shoot this ship, it’s only fair.”

    I called the third shift office and they told me
    Son, there’s no replacement short of your next stop
    I paid out four fat chickens for a patch job
    Got my riders back on board
    Then in came seven more
    God, they were Martian mercenaries mean as cat dirt
    And some damn-fooled miner offered them a fight
    They was hacking through my back seats with machetes
    As I cleared that port and rode out through the night.

    I locked the doors and holed up in the cabin
    And listened to the ruckus in the rear
    I got a wild idea to cut the g-force
    And let the folks, and fowl, and all
    Go mix up in free fall
    Then I nursed my rusty engines toward that asteroid
    When they ask me what my cargo is I’ll say
    It’s free fall Martian Stew and Chicken Gumbo
    Lord, that station better not be far away.

  • Parting Song

    by Dave Webber, 1993

    Soon the morning sun will rise,
    And dawn will bathe the sky.
    There’s time for just one parting song,
    Before we say goodbye.

    So sing together one and all,
    And raise a glass of wine,
    Here’s hoping we will meet again,
    Along the road of time.

    We’ve shared our stories, yours and mine,
    We’ve shared our hopes and fears.
    With memories of distant youth,
    We’ve both rolled back the years.

    The ever-turning, fateful wheel,
    Must cause our ways to part.
    And bringing untold mysteries,
    Another day will start.

    For from endings come beginnings,
    From the old shall come the new,
    With hopes for tomorrow,
    We’ll see our parting through.

  • Row Me Bully Boys Row

    by Alan Doyle, 2010

    I’ll sing you a song, it’s a song of the sea
    Row, me bully boys, row
    Oh, I’ll sing you a song if you’ll sing it with me
    And it’s row, me bully boys, row

    And it’s row, me bully boys, we’re in a hurry, boys
    We got a long way to go
    And we’ll sing and we’ll dance and bid farewell to France
    And it’s row, me bully boys, row

    While the first mate is playing the captain aboard
    Row, me bully boys, row
    He looks like a peacock with pistols and sword
    And it’s row, me bully boys, row

    The captain likes whiskey, the mate, he likes rum
    Row, me bully boys, row
    Us sailors like both but we can’t get us none
    And it’s row, me bully boys, row

    Well, farewell my love, it is time for to roam
    Row, me bully boys, row
    The old blue peters are calling us home
    And it’s row, me bully boys, row

    [Chorus x2]

  • Crossing the Bar

    By Alfred, Lord Tennyson

    Sunset and evening star,
          And one clear call for me!
    And may there be no moaning of the bar,
          When I put out to sea,

    But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
         Too full for sound and foam,
    When that which drew from out the boundless deep
          Turns again home.

       Twilight and evening bell,
          And after that the dark!
    And may there be no sadness of farewell,
          When I embark;

       For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
          The flood may bear me far,
    I hope to see my Pilot face to face
          When I have crost the bar.

  • The Parting Glass

    Note: I sing this as ‘joy be with you all’ and not ‘to you all’

    Of all the money that e’er I had
    I spent it in good company
    And all the harm that e’er I’ve done
    Alas, it was to none but me

    And all I’ve done for want of wit
    To memory now I can’t recall
    So fill to me the parting glass
    Good night, and joy be with you all

    So fill to me the parting glass
    And drink a health whate’er befalls
    Then gently rise and softly call
    Good night and joy be with you all

    Of all the comrades that e’er I had
    They’re sorry for my going away
    And all the sweethearts that e’er I had
    They’d wish me one more day to stay

    But since it falls unto my lot
    That I should rise and you should not
    I’ll gently rise and softly call
    Good night and joy be with you all

  • Here’s a Health to the Company

    Kind friends and companions, come join me in rhyme
    Come lift up your voices in chorus with mine
    Come lift up your voices, all grief to refrain
    For we may or might never all meet here again

    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

    Here’s a health to the dear lass that I love so well
    For her style and her beauty, sure none can excel
    There’s a smile on her countenance as she sits on my knee
    There’s no man in this wide world as happy as me

    Our ship lies at anchor, she’s ready to dock
    I wish her safe landing, without any shock
    If ever I should meet you by land or by sea
    I will always remember your kindness to me

    [Chorus x2]

  • Bones in the Ocean

    By The Longest Johns 2013

    Note: This song’s ‘chorus’ changes every iteration

    Oh, I bid farewell to the port and the land
    And I paddle away from brave England’s white sands
    To search for my long ago forgotten friends
    To search for the place I hear all sailors end

    As the souls of the dead fill the space of my mind
    I’ll search without sleeping ’til peace I can find
    I fear not the weather, I fear not the sea
    I remember the fallen, do they think of me?
    When their bones in the ocean forever will be

    Plot a course to the night, to a place I once knew
    To a place where my hope died along with my crew
    So I swallow my grief and face life’s final test
    To find promise of peace and the solace of rest

    As the souls of the dead fill the space of my ears
    Their laughter like children, their beckoning cheers
    My heart longs to join them, sing songs of the sea
    I remember the fallen, do they think of me?
    When their bones in the ocean forever will be

    When at last before my ghostly shipmates I stand
    I shed a small tear for my home upon land
    Though their eyes speak of deaths filled with struggle and strife
    Their smiles below say I don’t owe them my life

    As the souls of the dead fill the space of my eyes
    And my boat listed over and tried to capsize
    I’m this far from drowning, this far from the sea
    I remember the living, do they think of me?
    When my bones in the ocean forever will be

    Now that I’m staring down at the darkest abyss
    I’m not sure what I want, but I don’t think it’s this
    As my comrades call to stand fast and forge on
    I make sail for the dawn ’til the darkness has gone

    As the souls of the dead live fore’er in my mind
    As I live all the years that they left me behind
    I’ll stay on the shore but still gaze at the sea
    I remember the fallen and they think of me
    For our souls in the ocean together will be

    I remember the fallen and they think of me
    for our souls in the ocean together will be

  • Paddy Lay Back

    Twas a cold and dreary morning in December (December)
    And all of me money it was spent (spent, spent)
    Where it went to, I can’t remember (remember)
    So down to the shipping office went (went went)

    Paddy lay back, (Paddy lay back)
    Take in your slack (take in your slack)
    Take a turn around your capstan heave a pawl.
    Walk about ship, stations, boys, be handy (we’re handy!)
    We’re bound for Valparaiso ‘round the horn

    Well it seems there was a great demand for sailors (for sailors)
    For the colonies, for Frisco and for France (France France)
    Well, I shipped aboard the limey barque the Hotspur (the Hotspur)
    And got paralytic drunk on my advance (ad-vance)

    Well, I joined her on a cold December morning (morning)
    A-flapping of me flippers to keep me warm (warm warm)
    With the south cone hoisted as a warning (a warning)
    To stand by the coming of a storm (storm storm)

    Well, I woke up in the morning stiff and sore (sore)
    And I knew that I was outward bound again (again again)
    And a voice come a-bawling at the door (door)
    Lay aft men, and answer to your name (name name)

    Now it was on the quarter deck when first I seen ‘em (seen ‘em)
    Such an ugly bunch I never seen before (before before)
    Cause there was a bum and stiff from every quarter (quarter)
    And it made my poor old heart feel sick and sore (sore sore)

    So here we are, once again at sea, boys (at sea, boys!)
    The same old bloody story over again (again again)
    So stamp around the capstan, give a cheer, boys (Huzzah!)
    And join me singing this ol’ refrain (refrain refrain)

  • Hoist the Colours

    From Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End 2007

    The King and his men stole the Queen from her bed
    And bound her in her bones
    The seas be ours, and by the powers
    Where we will, we’ll roam

    Yo ho, all hands
    Hoist the colours high
    Heave ho, thieves and beggars
    Never shall we die

    Yo ho, haul together
    Hoist the colours high
    Heave ho, thieves and beggars
    Never shall we die

    Some men have died and some are alive
    And others sail on the sea
    With the keys to the cage and the devil to pay
    We lay to Fiddler’s Green

    The bell has been raised from its watery grave
    Do you hear its sepulchral tone?
    We’re a call to all, pay heed to the squall
    And turn your sail toward home

  • Joli Rouge

    by The Dreadnoughts 2019

    From France, we get the Brandy
    From Martinique, the rum
    Sweet red Cabernet from Italy does come
    But the fairest of ’em all, me boys
    The one to beat the day
    Is made from apples
    Up the mighty Saguenay

    So, follow me lads
    ‘Cause this ain’t no grog or ale
    One pint down, you’ll be swingin’ in the gale
    Five pints bully, you’ll be shakin’ in your shoes
    We’re half-seas-over on the Joli Rouge

    She’s called The Dreadnought cider
    She’s proper and she’s fine
    And when the day is over, sure, I wish that she were mine
    Or in the dark of winter, or on a summer’s eve
    Oh, one hand giveth and the other doth receive

    So, turn your sails over
    And bring her hard to port
    Find that little star and fly
    Straight into the north
    The wild sun upon your back
    The wind a-blowing free
    You’re rolling up the river boys
    To old Chicoutimi

    See, you can have the Mangers
    And pour it over ice
    Or you can have a Strong-bow
    If it’s sadness that you like
    Or join us up the river
    And we’ll set your heart aglow
    And how you’ll feel when the real
    Cider starts to flow

    [Chorus x2]

  • The Fox

    The fox went out on a chilly winter night
    With a ring-dong diddly-dong kai-roe-ee
    Prayed to the moon to give him light
    With a ring-dong diddly-dong kai-roe-ee

    Hey fa-lee fa-lai fa-le-ro
    Hey fa-la-ro la-ro-ee
    Up jumped John ringing on his bell
    With a ring-dong diddly-dong kai-roe-ee

    He ran ’till he came to a great big bin
    Where the ducks and the geese were kept there in

    He grabbed the grey goose by the neck.
    Threw a little duck right across his back.

    Old Mother Slipper Slopper jumped out of bed.
    Out of the window she popped her little head.

    John he ran to the top of the hill.
    Blew on his horn both loud and shrill.

    Fox he ran to his own den.
    There were the little ones eight nine ten.

    The fox and his wife without any strife.
    Cut up the goose with a fork and a knife.

  • Auld Triangle

    By Dick Shannon

    A hungry feeling
    Came o’er me stealing
    And the mice were squealing
    In my prison cell

    And that auld triangle went jingle-jangle
    All along the banks of the Royal Canal

    Oh! To start the morning
    The warden bawling
    “Get up out of bed, you!
    And clean out your cell!”

    Oh! the screw was peeping
    And the like was sleeping
    As he lay weeping
    For his girl Sal

    On a fine spring evening
    The like lay dreaming
    And the sea-gulls were wheeling
    High above the wall

    Oh! the wind was sighing
    And the day was dying
    As the like lay crying
    In his prison cell

    In the women’s prison
    There are seventy-five women
    And I wish it was with them
    That I did dwell

  • We All Lift Together

    By Keith Power for Warframe

    Cold, the air and water flowing
    Hard, the land we call our home
    Push, to keep the dark from coming
    Feel the weight of what we owe

    This, the song of sons and daughters
    Hide, the heart of who we are
    Making peace to build our future
    Strong, united, working ’til we fall

    And we all lift, and we’re all adrift
    Together, together
    Through the cold mist, ’til we’re lifeless
    Together, together

    [Repeat ad nauseum]

  • One More Day

    Traditional Folk Song, Roud 704
    Variant by Clayton Kennedy

    Oh, have you heard the news, me Johnny
    One more day
    We’re homeward bound tomorrow, Johnny
    One more day

    Only one more day, me Johnny
    One more day
    Oh, rock and roll me over
    One more day

    Don’t you hear the old man growlin’, Johnny
    Don’t you hear the mate a-howlin’, Johnny

    Oh don’t you hear the caps’n pawling
    Don’t you hear the pilot bawlin’, Johnny

    Only one more day a-howlin’, Johnny
    Can’t you hear the judies callin’

    Only one more day a-furlin’, Johnny
    Only one more day a-cursin’

    No more gales or heavy weather, Johnny
    Only one more day together, boys

    [Chorus x2]

  • Off to Sea (Go to Sea No More)

    Traditional Folk Song
    Variant by The Longest Johns

    [This variant has a changing chorus]

    When first I landed in Liverpool, I went upon the spree
    With money at last, I spent it fast, I got drunk as drunk could be
    But when my money was all gone, it was then that I wanted more
    But a man must be blind to make up his mind, to go to sea once more

    Once more, once more,
    go to sea once more
    But a man must be blind to make up his mind
    To go to sea once more

    And as I walked down London Road I met with a Rapper Brown
    I asked him if he’d take me in and he looked at me with a frown
    He said: “Last time you was paid off, to me you chalked no score
    But I’ll give you a chance and I’ll take your advance
    And I’ll send you to sea once more.”

    Once more, once more, send you to sea once more
    But I’ll give you a chance and I’ll take your advance
    And I’ll send you to go to sea once more

    I shipped on board of a whaling barque, we were bound for the Greenland seas
    Where cold winds blow through frost and snow, why Jamaica rum would freeze
    And worst to bear, I’d no hard weather gear, as I’d spent all my money ashore
    It was then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more

    No more, no more, go to sea no more
    It was then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more

    Some times we’re catching whales, me lads, some times we’re catching none
    With a twenty-foot oar stuck in your paw, from four o’clock in the morn
    And as the shades of night roll on and you rest on your weary oar
    It was then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more

    No more, no more, go to sea no more
    It was then that I wished that I was dead and could go to sea no more

    So come all of you hard weather sailing lads, who listen to my song
    When you get back from those long trips, I’d have you not go wrong
    Take my advice, drink no strong drink, don’t you knock on that brothel door
    But get married instead and spend all night in bed, and go to sea no more

    No more, no more, go to sea no more
    But get married instead and spend all night in bed, and go to sea no more

  • Northwest Passage

    by Stan Rodgers

    Westward from the Davis Strait
    ‘Tis there ’twas said to lie
    The sea route to the Orient
    For which so many died
    Seeking gold and glory
    Leaving weathered, broken bones
    And a long-forgotten lonely cairn of stones

    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

    Three centuries thereafter
    I take passage overland
    In the footsteps of brave Kelso
    Where his “sea of flowers” began
    Watching cities rise before me
    Then behind me sink again
    This tardiest explorer
    Driving hard across the plain

    And through the night, behind the wheel
    The mileage clicking west
    I think upon Mackenzie
    David Thompson and the rest
    Who cracked the mountain ramparts
    And did show a path for me
    To race the roaring Fraser to the sea

    How then am I so different
    From the first men through this way?
    Like them, I left a settled life
    I threw it all away
    To seek a Northwest Passage
    At the call of many men
    To find there but the road back home again

    [Chorus]
    And make a Northwest Passage to the sea

  • Here’s a Health to the Company

    Kind friends and companions come join me in rhyme
    Come lift up your voices in chorus with mine
    Come lift up your voices all grief to refrain
    For we may or might never all meet here again

    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

    Here’s a health to the dear lass that I love so well
    For her style and her beauty sure none can excel
    There’s a smile on her countenance as she sits on my knee
    There’s no man in this wide world as happy as me

    Our ship lies at anchor she’s ready to dock
    I wish her safe landing without any shock
    If ever I should meet you by land or by sea
    I will always remember your kindness to me

  • Goodbye, Fare-thee-well

    Oh, don’t you just hear the old man say?
    Goodbye, fare-thee-well! Goodbye, fare-thee-well!
    Oh, don’t you hear the old man say?
    Hurrah, me boys! We’re homeward bound!

    We’re homeward bound to Liverpool Town
    Where all them judies, they will come down

    And when we gets to the Wallasey Gates
    Oh, Sally and Polly for their flash men do wait

    And one to the other you’ll hear them say
    Oh, here he comes Johnny with his fourteen months pay!

    We meet these fly girls and we’ll ring the old bell
    And with them judies, we’ll raise merry hell

    We’re homeward bound to the gals of the town
    And stamp up me bullies and heave it around

    And when we gets home, boys, oh, won’t we fly ’round
    We’ll heave up the anchor to this bully sound

    We’re all homeward bound for the old backyard
    Then heave, me bullies, we’re all bound homeward

    Oh, heave with a will, boys, oh, heave long and strong
    And sing a good chorus for ’tis a good song

    We’re homeward bound, we’ll have you to know
    And over the water to England must go!

  • Randy Dandy-O

    Now we are ready to sail for the Horn
    Weigh hey, roll and go!
    Our boots and our clothes, boys, are all in the pawn
    To be rollicking randy dandy-oh!

    Heave a pawl, oh heave away!
    Weigh hey, roll and go!
    The anchor’s on board and the cable’s all stored
    To be rollicking randy dandy-oh!

    Heave away bullies, ye parish-rigged bums!
    Take yer hands out yer pockets and don’t suck yer thumbs

    Come breast the bars, bullies, heave her away
    Soon we’ll be rolling her down through the Bay

    Soon we’ll be warping her out through the locks
    Where the pretty young girls all come down in their frocks

    We’re outward bound for Vallipo Bay
    Get crackin’ me lads, ’tis a hell of a way

  • Sailor’s Prayer

    This dirty town has been my home
    since last time I was sailing,
    But I’ll not stay another day,
    I’d sooner go out whaling,

    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!

    Paid off m’ ‘score’ and then ashore,
    m’ money soon was flying,
    With Judy Lee upon my knee
    and in my ear she’s lying.

    With m’ new-found friends, m’ money spends,
    just as fast as winking,
    But when I make to clear the slate
    the landlord says: “Keep drinking!”

    With m’ payoff gone, m’ clothes in pawn
    and Judy set for leaving,
    Six months’ of pay’s gone in three days
    but Judy isn’t grieving.

    When the crimp comes round I’ll take his pound
    and his hand I’ll be shaking,
    Tomorrow morn’ sail for The Horn
    just as the dawn is breaking

    For one last trip from port I’ll ship
    but next time back I’m swearing,
    I’ll settle down in my home town,
    no more I’ll go seafaring.

  • Strike The Bell

    Out on the poop deck, walkin’ about
    Second mate Hawkins is so sturdy and so stout
    What he is thinkin’ of, he doesn’t know himself
    We wish that he would hurry up and strike, strike the bell

    Strike the bell second mate, let us go below;
    Look ye well 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.

    Down in the engine room, workin’ on the pumps
    Leftie’s gettin’ oily and he’s ready for his bunk
    He cannot find the spanner and he swears likе merry hell
    Wishin’ that the sеcond mate would strike, strike the bell

    Up in the wheelhouse, Jason leads the band
    Holdin’ a squeezebox in his cold and weary hands
    Plays a tune to tell us, ‘We’re sailin’ into hell’
    Wishin’ that the second mate would strike, strike the bell

    Down on the mess deck, Toby’s out of bed
    Ready for the dog watch with a tricorn on his head
    Thinks about Demelza, makes his poor heart swell
    Hopin’ that the second mate will strike, strike the bell

    Up on the main deck, Captain Cleave does stand
    On the hunt for mermaids with a spyglass in his hand
    What he is thinkin’ of, we all know very well
    He’s dreamin’ more of chasin’ tail than strikin’ the bell

  • The Thing

    While I was walking down the beach one bright and sunny day
    I saw a great big wooden box a-floatin’ in the bay
    I pulled it in and opened it up and much to my surprise
    Ooh, I discovered a (*boom-boom-boom*) right before my eyes
    Ooh, I discovered a (*boom-boom-boom*) right before my eyes

    I picked it up and ran to town as happy as a king
    I took it to a guy I knew who’d buy most any thing
    But this is what he hollered at me as I walked in his shop
    Ooh, get outta here with that (*boom-boom-boom*) before I call a cop
    Ooh, get outta here with that (*boom-boom-boom*) before I call a cop

    I turned around and got right out, a-runnin’ for my life
    And than I took it home with me to give it to my wife
    But this is what she hollered at me as I walked in the door
    Oh, get outta here with that (*boom-boom-boom*) and don’t come back no more
    Oh, get outta here with that (*boom-boom-boom*) and don’t come back no more

    I wandered all around the town until I chanced to meet
    A hobo who was looking for a handout on the street
    He said he’d take most any old thing, he was a desperate man
    But when I showed him the (*boom-boom-boom*), he turned around and ran
    Oh, when I showed him the (*boom-boom-boom*), he turned around and ran

    I wandered on for many years, a victim of my fate
    Until one day I came upon St. Peter at the gate
    And when I tried to take it inside, he told me where to go
    Get outta here with that (*boom-boom-boom*) and take it down below
    Oh, get outta here with that (*boom-boom-boom*) and take it down below

    The moral of this story is if you’re out on the beach
    And you should see a great big box and it’s within your reach
    Don’t ever stop and open it up, that’s my advice to you
    ‘Cause you’ll never get rid of the (*boom-boom-boom*), no matter what you do
    Oh, you’ll never get rid of the (*boom-boom-boom*), no matter what you do

  • The Lifeboat Prayer

    by Jon Heslop

    To those who venture on the sea
    Who ply their trade upon the deep
    They sail within fates countenance
    And pray their gentle lives to keep

    And should I be beset by gale
    Let me not drink the bitterest cup
    Yet if the wind and waves prevail
    Let not the deep swallow me up
    Let not the deep swallow me up

    When the call for rescue comes
    From those in peril on this day
    No matter how the storms may roll
    We cannot turn our heads away

    We must go where we are called
    Through wind and rain, through wave and foam
    ‘Tis not for glory nor for gold
    We bring poor sailors safely home

    We are like leaves upon the wind
    We are but men in love with life
    We are as feared as any man
    To venture ‘gainst the ocean’s strife

  • Mingulay Boat Song

    There are so many variations of this song, good luck!

    Heel y’ho boys, let her go, boys
    Swing her head round into the weather
    Heel y’ho boys, let her go boys
    Sailing homeward to Mingulay

    What care we though, white the Minch is?
    What care we, boys, for windy weather?
    When we know that every inch is
    Sailing homeward to Mingulay

    When the wind is wild with shouting,
    And the waves mount ever higher,
    Anxious eyes turn ever seaward,
    To see us home safe to Mingulay

    Wives are waiting, by the pier head,
    Gazing seaward, from the heather;
    Bring her ’round, boys, then we’ll anchor
    ‘ere the sun sets on Mingulay.

    Ships return now, heavy laden
    Mothers holdin’ bairns a-cryin’
    They’ll return, yet, when the sun sets
    Sailing homeward to Mingulay

  • Cape Cod Girls

    Cape Cod girls ain’t got no combs
    Haul away, haul away
    They brush their hair with codfish bones
    And we’re bound away for Australia

    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

    Cape Cod kids ain’t got no sleds
    Haul away, haul away
    They slide down the hills on codfish heads
    And we’re bound away for Australia

    Now, Cape Cod girls ain’t got no frills
    Haul away, haul away
    They tie their hair with codfish gills
    And we’re bound away for Australia

    Now, Cape Cod cats ain’t got no tails
    Haul away, haul away
    They lost them all in the northeast gales
    And we’re bound away for Australia

  • The Old Dun Cow

    Some friends and I
    In a public house
    Were playing cards one night
    Into the room the barman came
    His face all chalky white
    “What’s up?” says Brown
    “Have you seen a ghost?
    Have you seen your Aunt Mariah?”
    “Oh me Aunt Mariah be buggered!” said he
    “The bloody pub’s on fire!”

    “On fire!” says Brown
    “What a bit of luck
    Everybody follow me
    Down to the cellar, if the fire’s not there
    We’ll have a rare old spree!”
    So we all went down after good old Brown
    Booze we could not miss
    And we weren’t there 5 minutes or more
    ‘Til we were all half pissed

    And there was Brown, upside down
    Lappin’ up the whiskey off the floor
    “Booze! Booze!” the firemen cried
    As they came knockin’ at the door
    Don’t let them in till it’s all mopped up
    Somebody shouted “MacIntyre” (MacIntyre!)
    And we all got blue blind
    Paralytic drunk
    When the Old Dun Cow caught fire

    Then Smith went over
    To the port wine tub
    Gave it a few hard knocks
    Started takin’ off his pantaloons
    Likewise his shoes and socks
    “Hold on!” Says Brown
    “We can’t have that!
    You can’t do that in here!
    Don’t go washin’ your trotters
    In the port wine tub
    (Seattle:) When we’ve got all this Rainier beer
    (Orig:) When we’ve got all this Lite beer”

    Just then there came an awful crash
    Half the bloody roof gave way
    We were drowned in the fireman’s hose
    Still, we were going to stay
    So we got some tacks
    And our old wet slacks
    And nailed ourselves inside
    And we sat there swallowin’ pints of stout
    Till we were bleary-eyed!

    Then there came from the old back door
    The vicar of the local church
    And when he saw our drunken ways
    He began to scream and curse
    “Ah, you drunken sods! You heathen clods!
    You’ve take to a drunken spree!
    You drank up all the Benedictine wine
    And you didn’t save a drop for me!”

    Late that night, when the fire was out
    We came up from the cellar below
    Our pub was burned, our booze was drunk
    Our heads was hanging low
    “Oh look!”, says Brown with a look quite queer
    And a twinkle in his eye
    (Seattle:) “We gotta get down to (the local pub)
    (Orig:) “We gotta get down to Murphy’s Pub
    It closes on the hour!”

  • Drunken Scotsman

    Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left a bar one evening fair
    And one could tell by the way he walked that he’d drunk more than his share
    He fumbled round until he could no longer keep his feet
    Then he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street

    Ring-ding diddle-diddle-ai-di-oh
    Ring die-diddly-ai oh Ho!
    He stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street
    (Repeat last line of verse)

    Around that time two young and lovely girls just happened by
    And one says to the other with a twinkle in her eye
    “See yon sleeping Scotsman both strong and handsome built
    I wonder if it’s true what they don’t wear beneath the kilt!”

    They crept up on that sleeping Scotsman quiet as could be
    And lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see
    And there behold, for them to view, beneath his Scottish skirt
    Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth

    They marveled for a moment, then one said, “We must be gone
    Let’s leave a present for our friend, before we move along”
    As a gift they left a blue silk ribbon, tied into a bow
    Around the bonnie star, the Scotsman’s kilt did lift and show

    Now the Scotsman woke to nature’s call and stumbled toward a tree
    Behind a bush, he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees
    And in a startled voice he says to what’s before his eyes
    “O lad I don’t know where you been, but I see you won first prize!”

  • Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate

    Safe and sound at home again,
    let the waters roar, Jack.
    Safe and sound at home again,
    let the waters roar, Jack.

    Long we’ve tossed on the rolling main,
    now we’re safe ashore, Jack.
    Don’t forget yer old shipmate,
    fallee rallee rallee rallee rye-ee-oh!

    Since we sailed from Plymouth Sound,
    four years gone, or nigh, Jack.
    Was there ever chummies, now,
    such as you and I, Jack?

    We have worked the self-same gun,
    quarterdeck division.
    Sponger I and loader you,
    through the whole commission.

    Oftentimes have we laid out,
    toil nor danger fearing,
    Tugging out the flapping sail
    to the weather earring.

    When the middle watch was on,
    and the time went slow, boy,
    Who could choose a rousing stave,
    who like Jack or Joe, boy?

    There she swings, an empty hulk,
    not a soul below now.
    Number seven starboard mess
    misses Jack and Joe now.

    But the best of friends must part,
    fair or foul the weather.
    Hand yer flipper for a shake,
    now a drink together.

    [Chorus x2]

  • Byker Hill

    If I had another penny
    I would have another gill
    I would make the piper play
    ‘The Bonny Lass of Byker Hill’

    Byker Hill and Walker Shore
    Collier lads for evermore
    Byker Hill and Walker Shore
    Collier lads for evermore

    The pitman and the keelman trim
    They drink bumble made from gin
    Then to dance they all begin
    To the tune of the “Elsie Marley”

    When first I went down to the dirt
    I had no cowl nor pitshirt
    Now I’ve gotten two or three
    Walker Pit’s done well by me

    All the boys from Walker Shore
    Drink half a pint then eighteen more
    All the way they rant and roar
    To the tune of the “Elsie Marley”

    Geordie Charlton had a pig
    He hit it with a shovel and it danced a jig
    All the way to Walker Shore
    To the tune of the Elsie Marley

    If I had another penny
    I would have another gill
    I would make the piper play
    ‘The Bonny Lass of Byker Hill’

    [Chorus x2]

  • All For Me Grog

    Traditional Folk Song, Roud 475
    Variant by The Longest Johns

    And it’s all for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
    It’s all for me beer and tobacco
    Well I’ve spent all me tin with the lassies drinking gin
    Far across the western ocean I must wander

    Where are me boots, me noggin’, noggin’ boots,
    They’re all gone for beer and tobacco.
    For the heels they are worn out and the toes are kicked about
    And the soles are looking out for better weather

    Where is me shirt, me noggin’, noggin’ shirt,
    It’s all gone for beer and tobacco.
    For the collar is all worn, and the sleeves they are all torn,
    And the tail is looking out for better weather.

    Well I’m sick in the head and I haven’t been to bed,
    Since first I came ashore with me plunder
    I’ve seen centipedes and snakes and me head is full of aches
    And I’ll have to make a path for way out yonder

  • Roll Northumbria

    ‘Twas late ’65 at the old Wallsea Yard
    She was commissioned to haul the black tar
    We built the Northumbria there on the bar
    Roll Northumbria roll
    +
    For when the Egyptians, they closed the Red Sea
    A call came on high from the powers that be
    To build the royal monster right down on the quay
    Roll Northumbria roll, me boys
    Roll Northumbria roll

    And it’s one for the hot sun above
    Two for the empire we love
    And it’s three for the fire that burns down below
    Roll on Northumbria
    Roll Northumbria roll

    Carpathia, Vengeance, Celestial call
    She was the tanker to outsize ’em all
    From the banks of the Mersey to the Port of Hulal
    Roll Northumbria roll
    +
    And fair Princess Anne threw a bottle of wine
    And watched as the giant set down in the Tyne
    What lay ahead could no mortal divine
    Roll Northumbria roll, me boys
    Roll Northumbria roll

    So come all you good workmen, beware the command
    That comes down on high from the desk of a man
    Who’s never held steel or torch in his hands
    Roll Northumbria roll
    +
    For atop a wild breaker the cracks in her frame
    Spilled ‘er black guts all across the wild main
    She limped away through an ocean of flame
    Roll Northumbria roll, me boys
    Roll Northumbria roll

    [Chorus x2]

    Roll Northumbria roll
    Roll on Northumbria
    Roll Northumbria roll

  • Santiana

    Oh, Santiana gained the day
    Away Santiana
    “Napoleon of the west” they say
    Along the plains of Mexico

    Well, heave her up and away we’ll go
    Away Santiana
    Heave her up and away we’ll go
    Along the plains of Mexico

    She’s a fast clipper ship and a bully good crew
    And an old salty Yank for a captain too

    Santiana fought for gold
    Around Cape Horn through the ice and snow

    ‘Twas on the field of Molly-Del-Rey
    Well, both his legs got blown away

    It was a fierce and bitter strife
    The general Taylor took his life

    Santiana, now we mourn
    We left him buried off Cape Horn

  • Valparaiso in a Rowboat

    Windsor is a lovely port we’re proud to sing about
    There’s a warehouse full of whisky, though the Yankees do without
    And when Customs asks us where we’re bound, we ship our oars and shout:
    “We’re bound for Valparaiso in a rowboat”

    Pull your oars! We’re on our way!
    With a thousand quarts of whisky bound for Valparaiso Bay
    And we haven’t no intention for to see the U. S. A.
    We’re bound for Valparaiso in a rowboat

    Some say that for an ocean trip our craft is very small
    But we bold Canadian lads don’t fear a little Cape Horn squall
    And a deep sea schooner’s just too big to shoot Niagara Falls
    We’re bound for Valparaiso in a rowboat

    We’ve sailed for Valparaiso twenty seven times this week
    But every time we’ve gotten to the mouth of Muddy Creek
    We’ve had to jettison our cargo ’cause the oarlock sprung a leak
    We’re bound for Valparaiso in a rowboat

    Now some sing of Vancouver, of St John and Halifax
    But those salty water cities, they have nothing Windsor lacks
    We’ve a doryload of whisky and the muscles in our backs
    We’re bound for Valparaiso in a rowboat

  • Dem Deer

    Hope you don’t mind when an old man sings
    Helps me to keep my mind on t’ings
    So when I go where de animals thrive
    I sing dis song on de treacherous drive

    Dem deer dey’re here, den dey’re dere
    Dey’re here, dey’re dere, dey’re everywhere
    Dem deer dey’re here, den dey’re dere
    Dey’re here, dey’re dere, dey’re everywhere

    At dawn in fields & coniferous groves
    Bucks & does come alive in droves
    Just when you tink dat de coast is clear
    Dere in de road is a whitetail deer

    In venison-land as de day goes by
    Deer lay low when de sun is high
    Sun goes down & de night draws near
    Twilight brings out de whitetail deer

    Bucks bed down where de tall grass grows
    Fawns dey doze where de doe does doze
    Dose does doze dere, dose does doze here
    And dose are de habits of de whitetail deer

  • Rattlin’ Bog

    Oh ho, the rattlin’ bog
    The bog down in the valley-o
    Oh ho, the rattlin’ bog
    The bog down in the valley-o

    And in that bog there was a hole,
    A rare hole, a rattlin’ hole!
    (Introduce new object)
    And the — in the —
    (Repeat down the object list)
    Hole in the bog,
    and the bog down in the valley-oh

    Flea
    Feather
    Bird
    Egg
    Nest
    Twig
    Branch
    Limb
    Tree
    Hole
    Bog

  • Hand Me Down

    by Nancy Kerr

    Hand me down some changing rhyme
    Some embraces never bind
    Oh hand me down your dancing line
    Then I’ll know I’m home
    Then I’ll know I’m home

    When I arrived in this old town
    Hand me down, oh, hand me down
    When I arrived in this old town
    Some forty voices they gathered round
    And I was coming home
    I was coming home

    Some go ahead, some stay behind
    Hand me down, oh, hand me down
    Some go ahead, some stay behind
    We navigate by the souls we find
    And I am coming home
    I am coming home

    I’m navigating by one more star
    Hand me down, oh, hand me down
    I’m navigating by one more star
    It’s shining bright to show I’ve come this far
    And I am coming home
    I am coming home

  • If I Were A Marryin’ Man

    If I were a marryin’ man,
    I’d marry a piper’s daughter.
    If I were a marryin’ man,
    I’d marry a piper’s daughter.

    ‘Cause she’d blow hard,
    and I’d blow hard,
    and we’d blow hard together.
    Blowin’ hard in the middle of the night,
    Blowin’ hard forever!

    If I were a marryin’ man,
    I’d marry a plumber’s daughter.
    If I were a marryin’ man,
    I’d marry a plumber’s daughter.

    ‘Cause she’d lay pipe,
    and I’d lay pipe,
    and we’d lay pipe together.
    Layin’ pipe in the middle of the night,
    Layin’ pipe forever!

    If I were a marryin’ man,
    I’d marry a farmer’s daughter.
    If I were a marryin’ man,
    I’d marry a farmer’s daughter.

    ‘Cause she’d raise cock,
    and I’d raise cock,
    and we’d raise cock together.
    Raisin’ cock in the middle of the night,
    Raisin’ cock forever!

    I first heard this from Jimmy Kelly in Princeton, BC, Canada in 2025.

  • Tails and Trotters

    By Judy B. Goodenough

    Little piggy hollered in the middle of the night,
    “Tell me now, Mama, I wanna get it right.
    What’ll I be when I get big?”
    “Hush,” said his mama, “You’re gonna be a pig.

    “That’s how it is when you get older,
    “You’re bacon, butt, and picnic shoulder.
    “All my sons and all my daughters
    “Are hocks and hams and tails and trotters.”

    “Oh, no,” said the piggy, “That’s mighty hard,
    “There’s more to me than loin and lard.
    “I can walk and talk, I’m young and strong.”
    “Hush,” said his mama, “Not for long.”

    “Oh, no,” said the piggy, and he started to howl,
    “There’s more to me than cheek and jowl.
    “I’m pink and pretty, I can sing and dance.”
    “Hush,” said his mama, “You’ll never get a chance.”

    “Oh, no,” said the piggy, “I’ll show you all.”
    He went under the fence and over the wall.
    He ran and he ran till the moon went down;
    He ran and he ran till he came to a town.

    With a kink in his tail and a wink in his eye,
    He put on a hat and he put on a tie;
    He parted his hair, bought a diamond ring,
    And nobody noticed anything.

    “Oh, see,” said the piggy, “I’m one of you.”
    And everyone said, “How true, how true.”
    He paid his money and he lived in style;
    Sometimes he sang with half a smile:

    He’s a big boar now, he’s executive pork,
    And he eats his vittles with a knife and fork;
    He often thinks of the lonesome tune
    His mama sang by the light of the moon:

  • Get Drunk and Yell

    by Bevan Bartlett

    (I start verses on G#4)

    V1 (Bevan Bartlett)
    Gather round me my friends and I’ll sing you a song
    And I’ll try not to make it too mournful or long
    Although these are the songs that I do love so well
    All my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    (I start the chorus on C5)

    Get drunk and yell, get drunk and yell
    Down by the pump station, but we’re too drunk to smell
    Get drunk and yell, get drunk and yell
    All my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    Archie Stapleton
    On jolly occasions such as these here
    Some like to sip slowly on three percent beer
    But three’s not enough as they gladly will tell
    For my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    Dylan Brown
    The songs that we sing tell a sorrowful tell
    Songs of killing a man or of hunting a whale
    I like songs of Gil Brenton or Frobisher as well (?)
    But my friends they would rather just get drunk and yell

    Seamus Lahey
    It’s the end of the night and it’s time to move on
    I’ve drunk my last beer and I’ve sung my last song
    But as I go to leave and to bid them farewell
    All my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    Lily Xie
    The sky’s always gray in this city of rain
    The coffee is stale, yet the price is insane
    We could move somewhere sunny, bid this place farewell
    But my friends, we would rather just get drunk and yell

    And the people are dour, meeting new friends is hell
    Whom I’ve met, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    Rob Ely
    I’m up in the bleachers intent on the game
    To follow the action’s the reason I came
    If they’d pay attention it sure would be swell
    But my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    V6 (Peter Rothbart)
    As winter arrives and the solstice draws near
    We spread season’s greetings and holiday cheer
    But there’s no Let It Snow, Deck The Halls, or Noel
    For my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    V7 (Peter Rothbart)
    We’re in lotus pose at the yoga retreat
    I focus my breathing and center my chi
    I’ve got balance to find and desires to quell
    But my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

    V8 (Peter Rothbart)
    We’re drifting through space on the Enterprise D
    After fighting the Borg with the rest of Starfleet
    While I’m making repairs to the starboard nacelle
    All my friends, they would rather just get drunk and yell

  • Who here?

    Who here drinks at the sea port?
    One last time before we go to sea
    Who here drinks at the sea port?
    I tell you, sir, indeed I do

    Bound away next morning
    Bound for old cape horn again
    Who here drinks at the sea port?
    I tell you, sir, indeed I do

    Who here drinks at Jules Mae?

    Who here drinks at St. Andrews?

    etc…

  • Come Fare Away

    Jean Ritchie

    (I sing this starting on D#4)

    Bright is the morning and brisk is the weather;
    Steady the wind o’er the sweet singing sea.
    Proudly, the tall ship arides in the harbor;
    Come fare away with me.

    Marnie, come fare away,
    Come fare away with me;
    There’s an island of dreams
    Over the rolling sea.

    Sails at the ready, we’re bound for Newfoundland;
    Hasten, my darling, and do not delay.
    Trees tall and green there, and fish by the millions;
    Come fare away with me.

    Leave your belongings, for things do but bind us;
    Hemmed in, the life here it won’t do for me.
    Fretting and trouble, we’ll leave them behind us;
    There is a land that’s free.

    Lace on your stout shoes of good highland leather;
    Bring a warm shawl and a cup for the tea.
    There’ll be a new life, we’ll build it together;
    Come fare away with me.

    ComeFareAwayDownload

  • Down Trinidad

    Oh tell me master stevedore, how you stow your cargo?
    Way-hay-hay sing Sunnydore
    Oh tell me master stevedore, how you stow your cargo?
    Bound down Trinidad to look for Sunnydore

    So booch free me bully boys, a burton in the archway
    Way-hay-hay sing Sunnydore
    Said booch free me bully boys, a burton in the archway
    Bound down Trinidad to look for Sunnydore

    Oh Trinidad, Oh Trinidad you pretty little harbour
    Oh Trinidad, Oh Trinidad you pretty little harbour

    What will you do with Sunnydore if ever you should find her
    Roll her in the grass my boys, all among the clover

    Well tell me mister barber, how do you shave your customers?
    I take ’em by the noses and scrape ’em neath the chin-e-os

    So hoist em high, an let em dry, the old man’s all in clover
    Said hoist em high, an let em dry  come rock an roll me over

    So tell me mister stevedore, how you stow your cargo?
    Oh tell me mister stevedore how you stow your cargo?

    Bound down Trinidad to look for Sunnydore
    – down Trinidad to look for Sunnydore
    – down Trinidad to look for Sunnydore

  • The Soldier and the Sailor

    (I start this on D4, G4)

    A soldier and a sailor was a’walking one day
    Said the soldier to the sailor
    I will teach you to pray
    And if we have one prayer
    May we also have ten
    May we have a bloody litany
    Said the sailor Ah-men
    May we have a bloody litany
    May we have a bloody litany
    May we have a bloody litany
    Said the Sailor Ah-men

    Now the first thing that we’ll pray for
    We shall pray for some beer
    Oh glory, oh glory, that will bring us good cheer
    And if we have one pint
    May we also have ten
    May we have a bloody brewery
    Said the sailor Ah-men
    May we have a bloody brewery (x3)
    Said the sailor Ah-men

    Now the next thing that we’ll pray for
    We’ll pray for some cash
    Oh glory, oh glory, we throw a big bash
    And if we have one pound
    May we also have ten
    May we have the Bank of England
    Said the sailor Ah-men
    May we have the Bank of England (x3)
    Said the sailor Ah-men

    One more thing that we’ll pray for
    Is a company fine
    A chorus of voices, not just yours and mine
    And if we have one song
    May we also have ten
    May we have a shanty sing-a-long
    Said the sailor Ah-men
    May we have a shanty sing-a-long (x3)
    Said the sailor Ah-men

    Now the last thing that we’ll pray for
    We will pray for some peace
    From Norway to Chile
    From China to Greece
    And if we have one year
    May we also have ten
    May there never be another war
    Said the sailor Ah-men
    May there never be another war
    Said the sailor Ah-men

  • Where the Coho Flash Silver

    From Port Hardy one morning I cast off my line
    The sea was all smooth and the weather just fine
    And for Castle Rock, I was headed away
    To where the coho flash silver all over the bay
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay

    It was just before dawn when I reached the fish ground
    So I lowered my poles and I let my lines down
    I lit up my pipe and I waited and prayed
    To see the Coho flash silver all over the bay
    See the Coho flash silver all over the bay

    Well the sun came up shining and so did the fish
    All the bells were ringing, what more could I wish,
    And the gurdies were humming, I was making it pay
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay

    Well they bit all that morning ’til just after noon
    They’re so hungry they’d strike at an old leather shoe,
    This must be heaven, to myself I did say
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay

    When I tied up that night they asked “How did you do?”
    And I showed them silver darlings, two-hundred and two
    They said, You’re high liner, the best here today,
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay

    Now there’s doctors and lawyers and bankers and more
    Your wheelers and dealers with big deals galore
    But let me be a troller and king for a day
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay
    Where the Coho flash silver all over the bay

  • Lay of the Old Settler

    Roud 4746

    I’ve traveled all over this country
    Prospecting and digging for gold
    I’ve tunneled, hydraulicked and cradled
    And I have been frequently sold

    And I have been frequently so-o-old
    And I have been frequently sold
    I’ve tunneled, hydraulicked and cradled
    And I have been frequently sold!
    (repeating the last two lines of the previous verse)

    For one who gained riches by mining
    Perceiving that hundreds grew poor
    I made up my mind to try farming
    The only pursuit that was sure

    So, rolling my grub in my blanket
    I left all my tools on the ground
    And started one morning to shank it
    For the country they call Puget Sound

    Arriving flat broke in midwinter
    I found the land shrouded in fog
    And covered all over with timber
    Thick as hairs on the back of a dog

    I staked me a claim in the forest
    And sat myself down to hard toil
    For six years I chopped and I labored
    But I never got down to the soil

    I tried to get out of the country
    But poverty forced me to stay
    Until I became an old settler
    Then nothing could drive me away

    And now that I’m used to the climate
    I think that if a man ever found
    A place to live easy and happy,
    That Eden is on Puget Sound

    No longer the slave of ambition
    I laugh at the world and its shams
    As I think of my pleasant condition
    Surrounded by acres of clams

  • Shallow Brown

    Traditional Folk
    Variant 2025

    Fare thee well, my Juliana
    Shallow, oh, shallow brown
    Fare thee well, my Juliana
    Shallow, oh, shallow brown

    For I’m bound away to leave you
    Yes I’m bound away to leave you

    Going to ship on board a whaler
    Going to ship on board a whaler

    And it’s shallow in the morning
    Just as the day was dawning

    Yes, our packet leaves tomorrow
    And it fills me heart with sorrow

    For I’m bound away to leave you
    But I never will deceive you

    O you are me only treasure
    And I love ye still full measure

    Fare thee well, my Juliana
    And it’s goodbye, my Juliana

  • What’s the Life of a Man?

    What’s the life of a man any more than a leaf?
    A man has his seasons so why should he grieve?
    Although in this world we appear fine and gay,
    Like the leaves we must wither and soon fade away.

    As I was a-walking one morning at ease
    A-viewing the leaves as they hung from the trees,
    They were all in full motion appearing to be
    And those that were withered, they fell from the trees.

    If you’d seen those trees just a few days ago
    They were all in full motion, appearing to grow.
    A frost came upon them and withered them all,
    And the rains came upon them, and down they did fall.

    Go down to the graveyard, and there you will see,
    Those that have passed like a leaf from a tree.
    When age and affliction upon them did call,
    Like a leaf they did wither and down they did fall.

  • Lowlands Away

    Traditional
    Adapted by Clayton Kennedy, Nils Brown, and Seán Dagher, 2014
    Adapted 2025

    I dreamed a dream the other night
    Lowlands, lowlands away, my John
    My love, she came, dressed all in white
    Lowlands away

    I dreamed my love came in my sleep
    Her cheeks were wet, her eyes did weep

    She came to me at my bedside
    All dressed in white, like some fair bride

    And bravely in her bosom fair
    A red, red rose, my love did wear

    She made no sound, no word she said
    And then I knew my love was dead

    Then I awoke to hear the cry
    Oh, watch on deck, oh, watch, ahoy!

  • Bold Riley

    Traditional Folk Song
    Variant by Kate Rusby

    Oh the rain, it rains all day long
    Bold Riley-o, Bold Riley
    And the northern wind, it blows so strong
    Bold Riley-o has gone away

    Goodbye my sweetheart, goodbye my dear-o
    Bold Riley-o, Bold Riley
    Goodbye my darling, goodbye my dear-o
    Bold Riley-o has gone away

    Well, come on Mary, don’t look so glum
    Come white stocking day you’ll be drinking rum

    We’re outward bound for the Bengal Bay
    Get bending, my lads, it’s a hell of a way

    Our anchor’s weighed and the topsail is set
    Farewell to the lasses we’ll never forget

  • The Hanging Tree

    Book by  Suzanne Collins
    Song by James Newton Howard
    Variant 2025

    Are you, are you
    Coming to the tree?
    Where they hanged a man
    They say who murdered three
    Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be
    To meet once again under the hanging tree

    Are you, are you
    Coming to the tree?
    -Where a dead man called out
    For his love to flee
    Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be
    To meet once again under the hanging tree

    Are you, are you
    Coming to the tree?
    -Where I told you to run
    So we would both be free
    Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be
    To meet once again under the hanging tree

    Are you, are you
    Coming to the tree?
    -Wear a necklace of rope
    Side by side with me
    Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be
    To meet once again under the hanging tree

    Are you, are you
    Coming to the tree?
    Where they hanged a man
    They say who murdered three
    Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be
    To meet once again under the hanging tree

  • Jug of Punch

    Traditional
    Arrangement by The Clancy Brothers, 1959
    Variant as heard in Seattle, WA, 2025

    One pleasant evening in the month of June
    As I was sitting with my glass and spoon
    A small bird sat on an ivy bunch
    And the song he sang was the jug of punch

    Too-ra-loo-ra-loo, too-ra-loo-ra-lay
    Too-ra-loo-ra-loo, too-ra-loo-ra-lay
    A small bird sat on an ivy bunch
    And the song he sang was the jug of punch
    (Repeat last two lines of the verse)

    What more diversion can a man desire
    Than to sit him down by an alehouse fire
    Upon his knee a pretty wench
    Aye, and on the table a jug of punch

    Let the doctors come with all their art
    They’ll make no impression upon my heart
    Even the cripple forgets his hunch
    When he’s snug outside of a jug of punch

    And if I get drunk, well the money’s me own
    And them don’t like me they can leave me alone
    I’ll tune my fiddle and I’ll rosin my bow
    And I’ll be welcome wherever I go

    And when I’m dead and in my grave
    No costly tombstone will I crave
    Just lay me down in my native peat
    With a jug of punch at my head and feet

    [Chorus 2x if desired]

  • Bright Morning Stars are Rising

    Traditional
    Variant heard at Northwest Folklife 2025, Seattle, WA

    Bright morning stars are rising
    Bright morning stars are rising
    Bright morning stars are rising
    Day is a breaking in my soul

    Oh where are our dear Mothers…
    Day is a breaking in my soul

    Oh where are our dear Fathers…
    Day is a breaking in my soul

    Some are gone to the river praying…
    Day is a breaking in my soul

    Some are gone to heaven shouting…
    Day is a breaking in my soul

    Bright morning stars are rising…
    Day is a breaking in my soul

  • Mollymauk

    by Bob Watson

    Lyrics referenced from The Stranded Wailers:
    https://www.thestrandedwailers.com/mollymauk

    Now the southern ocean is a lonely place
    The storms are many and the shelter’s scarce
    Down upon the southern ocean, sailing
    Down below Cape Horn
    +
    Over troubled waters and the restless skies
    You’ll see those mollymauks rise and dive
    Down upon the southern ocean, sailing
    Down below Cape Horn

    Won’t you ride the wind and go, white seabird
    Ride the wind and go, mollymauk
    Down upon the southern ocean, sailing
    Down below Cape Horn

    Now the mollymauk glides on them great, white wings
    And lord, what a lonesome song he sings
    +
    He’s got no compass and he’s got no gear
    And nobody knows where the mollymauk steers

    He’s the ghost of a sailor, or so I’ve heard say
    His body had sank and his soul flew away
    +
    He’s got no haven and he’s got no home
    Bound evermore to wheel and roam

    When I gets too old and I sail no more
    Set me adrift far away from shore 
    +
    You can cast me loose and set me free
    I’ll  keep that big bird company

  • Astoria’s Bar

    Song by Mary Garvey

    It’s not very far to Astoria’s bar
    But a very long journey it can be
    It can start at the mouth of the mighty blue river
    And end at the bottom of the sea.

    And the river still shines and shimmers in the light
    As it did in my grandfather’s day
    When they rowed all night and fished in the morning
    And lived in Willapa Bay.

    When the tide is rough, so very, very rough,
    So rough that you cannot stand;
    It drives the little fish right into the nets,
    And the boats right into the sand.

    In the mist and the rain, the labor and the pain
    We know what the fishing here is worth
    It is worth more than gold as we suck ’em from the hold;
    It is worth all the treasures of the earth.

    It’s not very far to Astoria’s bar
    But a very long journey it can be
    It can start at the mouth of the mighty blue river
    And end at the bottom of the sea.

  • The Prickle-Eye Bush, The Gallows Tree

    • Adapted from “The Prickly Bush” (Bronson 95.17), sung by Heywood Sumner, Somerset, collected in English County Songs, Broadwood & Maitland, 1893
    • Adapted from “Hangman” (Bronson 95.12), sung by Mary Drain, Arkansas, 1942, collected by Vance Randolph (Vol. I, 1946, p. 146)
    • Adapted from “The Prickle Holly Bush” (Bronson 95.20), sung by Walter Lucas, Dorset, 1951
    • Adapted from Bellowhead, 2015
    • Variant by Lixie, 2025

    Oh, that prickle-eye bush,
    It pricks my heart full sore,
    And if ever I get out of this prickle-eye bush,
    I never will get in it any more!

    Oh hangman, stay your hand
    Oh, stay it for a while
    For I think I see my mother coming over yonder stile

    Oh, mother- have you brought me gold?
    Or silver to set me free?
    Or have you come to see me hung
    By my neck from the gallows tree?

    No- I have not brought you gold
    Or silver to set you free
    For- I’ve just come to see you hung
    By your neck from the gallows tree

    Oh, that prickle-eye bush,
    It pricks my heart full sore,
    And if ever I get out of this prickle-eye bush,
    I never will get in it any more!

    [Repeat for “father”, “sister”, “brother”]

    Oh hangman, stay your hand
    Oh, stay it for a while
    For I think I see my true love coming over yonder stile

    Oh, true love- have you brought me gold?
    Or silver to set me free?
    Or- have you come to see me hung
    By my neck from the gallows tree?

    Yes- I have brought you gold
    And silver to set you free
    For- I’ve not come to see you hung
    By your neck from the gallows tree

    Oh, that prickle-eye bush,
    It pricks my heart full sore,
    And- now that I’m out of this prickle-eye bush,
    I never will get in it any more!

    And- now that I’m out of this prickle-eye bush,
    I never will get in it any more!

    The 1951 recording of Walter Lucas:

  • Fathom the Bowl

    Traditional folk song
    Adapted by The Watersons, 1966
    Variant 2025

    Come all you bold heroes, give an ear to me song
    I’ll sing in the praise of good brandy and rum
    There’s a clear crystal fountain near England shall roll
    Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl

    I’ll fathom the bowl, I’ll fathom the bowl,
    Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl

    From France we do get brandy, from Jamaica comes rum
    Sweet oranges and apples from Portugal come
    But stout and strong cider are England’s control
    Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl

    My wife she do disturb me when I’m laid at my ease
    For she does as she likes and she says as she please
    My wife she’s a devil, her heart’s black as coal
    Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl

    (Alternatively)
    My love he do disturb me when I’m laid at my ease
    For he does as he likes and he says as he please
    My love he’s a devil, his heart’s black as coal
    Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl

    My father he do lie in the depths of the sea
    No stone at his head, but what matters to he?
    There’s a clear crystal fountain near England shall roll
    Give me the punch ladle, I’ll fathom the bowl

  • The Wellerman

    Traditional Folk Song
    Adapted by Nathan Evans and Santiano, 2021
    Variant, 2025

    There once was a ship that put to sea
    The name of the ship was the Billy O’ Tea
    The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
    Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (Huh!)

    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

    She’d 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 (Huh!)

    Before the boat had hit the water
    The whale’s tail came up and caught her
    All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
    When she dived down low (Huh!)

    No line was cut, no whale was freed
    The captain’s mind was not of greed
    And he belonged to the Whaleman’s creed
    She took that ship in tow (huh)

    For forty days or even more
    The line went slack then tight once more
    All boats were lost, there were only four
    But still that whale did go (Huh!)

    As far as I’ve heard, 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

    [Chorus x2]

  • Row on, Row on

    Traditional
    Adapted by Ninebarrow 2018
    Variant by Lixie 2025

    I start this song on C4 -> F4 (F major)

    Clouds are upon the summer sky,
    There’s thunder in the wind.
    Pull on, pull on and homeward hie,
    Ne’er give one look behind.

    Row on, row on, another day
    May shine with brighter light.
    Ply, ply the oars and pull away,
    There’s dawn beyond the night.

    Bear where thou goest the words of love,
    Say all that words can say.
    Changeless affection, strength to prove,
    But speed upon the way.

    Like yonder river would I glide
    To where my heart would be,
    My barque would soon outsail the tide
    That hurries to the sea.

    But yet a star shines constant still
    Through yonder cloudy sky,
    And hope as bright my bosom fills
    From faith that cannot die.

    Row on, row on, God speed the way,
    Thou canst not linger here.
    Storms hang about the close of day,
    Tomorrow may be clear.

  • Whup! Jamboree

    Traditional Folk Song
    Adapted by the Dreadnoughts, 2019
    Variant by Lixie, 2025

    Oh, the pilot, he looks out ahead
    With the hands on the cane, heavin’ of the lead
    And the old man roars to wake the dead
    Oh, come and get your oats, my son

    Whup! Jamboree, Whup! Jamboree
    Oh ya long-tailed black mare comin’ up behind
    Whup! Jamboree, Whup! Jamboree
    Oh, come and get your oats, my son

    And now we pass the lizard lights
    At the start, me boys will heave in sight
    Soon we’re abreast of the Isle of Wight
    Oh, come and get your oats, my son

    And now when we get to the black wall dock
    And them pretty young girls come out in flocks
    With their short-legged drawers and long-tailed frocks
    Oh, come and get your oats, my son

    And now the bar-ship is in sight
    We are picking on down to the old rock light
    Gonna get the ol’ stick taped tonight
    Oh, come and get your oats, my son

    Well, then we’ll walk down limelight way
    And with all the girls we will spend our pay
    We’ll not see more ’til another day
    Oh, come and get your oats, my son

    And soon we’ll see old Holyhead
    A-no more salt beef, no salt bread
    I catch my Jenny and it’s off to bed
    Oh, come and get your oats, my son

    [Chorus x2]