Drunken Sailor

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Mark Johnson


Barry Taylor
Information
Lyrics
As I've noted before, my father was a Navy captain. This song has nothing to do with him, of course, but it was a song I heard often in my youth. According to the The Burl Ives Song Book the song is representative of capstan chanties.

The shanty was a tune designed to aid sailors in their work. Additional verses could be created as necessary until the job was completed.

The capstan chanty was a moderate tune sung to raising the anchor. In order to raise the anchor bars were inserted into the capstan and sailors would walk around it, turning the capstan to raise the anchor. Sailors would stamp on the deck on the words "Way Hay and Up She Rises."

Chorus
Way, hay up she rises,
Way, hay, up she rises,
Way, hay, up she rises,
Earlye in the morning!

What will we do with the drunken sailor?
What will we do with the drunken sailor?
What will we do with the drunken sailor?
Earlye in the morning?

Put him in the scuppers with the hose pipe on him

Hoist him aboard with a running bowline

Put him in the brig until he's sober.

Make him turn to at shining bright work.

Other verses from The Book of Navy Songs
(If the verse is the same I did not repeat it)

Put him in a boat and row him over

Hoist him up to the topsail yardarm

Make him clean out all the spit-kids

That's what you do with a drunken sailor
(The last line of this verse is followed
by "Amen")
Information and first set of verses from:
The Burl Ives Song Book
Second set of verses from:
The Book of Navy Songs
See Bibliography for full information.