This month’s folk song, “Leave Her, Johnny” (or “Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her”) was suggested by Advisory member Leslie Laurio, who always loves a good sea shanty. Leslie also found this helpful article explaining its meaning and history.
"The popular sea shanty, 'Leave Her, Johnny' was usually kept for the last day of a voyage as a way of communicating any grievances, knowing they would be soon leaving the ship (her)."
The song has been recorded over the years by various folk groups, but became more popular recently with the resurgence of interest in sea shanties.
Lyrics and Links
There are many variations and possible verses for this song (not all of them family-friendly). We recommend the lyrics (below) from this version by veteran folk musician Stan Rogers. An alternative would be to learn the with-lyrics version by Assassin’s Creed 4.
I thought I heard the old man say
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her
It's a long, hard pull to the next payday
And it's time for us to leave her"
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her!
Oh, the winds were foul and the work was hard
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
From the Liverpool dock to the London yard
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her!
Oh, the skipper was bad, but the mate was worse
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
He'd blow you down with a spike and a curse
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her!
It was rotten meat and moldy bread
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
You'd eat it or you'd starve to death
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her!
Well it's time for us to say goodbye
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
For now those pumps are all pumped dry
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her!
Video Links
Stan Rogers and friends, live performance from 1983
Assassin's Creed 4 (with lyrics)
The Longest Johns Mass Choir Community Project From the notes on Youtube: “It's so amazing to watch this video and see the faces of people still keeping Folk Music and Sea Shanties alive all around the globe! A huge thank you to everyone who took part, and remember to keep singing!”
No comments:
Post a Comment