The Dead Horse

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Lesley Nelson
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The Dead Horse was a ceremonial shanty sung at the end of a sailor's first month at sea. It was to celebrate the end of the sailor's debt to the ship - when he started working for himself.

The dead horse metaphor is from the practice of horse-trading. When a deal was made there was no going back, even if the horse died right after the deal was struck. So you could be paying for something that was never any use.

Sailor's were traditionally paid a month in advance when they signed on. With the advance he could pay for boots, knives, weather gear, etc. However many agents took the advance money and shanghaiied sailors aboard , other sailors spent the money on drink and women before sailing, and some were cheated out of it by merchants. So very often the sailor had nothing to show for a month's work. Hence, the "dead horse."

For the ceremony sailors fashioned horses of shipboard scrap to drag around the deck. They hoisted them aloft and threw them into the ocean.

A poor old man came riding by
And we say so, and we hope so
 A poor old man came riding by
Oh, poor old horse.
Says I, "Old man, your horse will die."
And we say so, and we hope so
 Says I, "Old man, your horse will die."
Oh, poor old horse.
And if he dies we'll tan his skin
And we say so, and we hope so
 And if he don't we'll ride him again.
Oh, poor old horse.
For one long month I rode him hard
And we say so, and we hope so
 For one long month we all rode him hard.
Oh, poor old horse.
But now your month is up, old Turk
And we say so, and we hope so
 Get up, you swine, and look for work
Oh, poor old horse.
Get up you swine and look for graft
And we say so, and we hope so
 While we lays on and drags ye aft
Oh, poor old horse.
He's as dead as a nail in the lamp-room door
And we say so, and we hope so
 And he won't come worring us no more
Oh, poor old horse.
We'll use the hair of his tail to sew our sails
And we say so, and we hope so
 And the iron of his shoe to make deck nails
Oh, poor old horse.
We'll hoist him up to the fore yard-arm
And we say so, and we hope so
 Where he won't do sailors any harm
Oh, poor old horse.
We'll drop him down with a long, long roll
And we say so, and we hope so
 Where the sharks will have his body and the
Devil take his soul.
Related Links
From Songs of the Sailor
See Bibliography for full information.