Drunken Sailor
Encyclopedia
Drunken Sailor is a traditional sea shanty
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...

 also known as What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?

It begins with the question, "What shall we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?" (Or sometimes "What do you do," etc.) Each verse thereafter suggests a method of sobering—or castigating, or simply abusing—the sailor.

The song is #322 on the Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...

.

Origins

The air was taken from a traditional Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 dance and march tune, "Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile
Oró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile
Óró, Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile is a traditional Irish song, that came to be known as an Irish rebel song in the early 20th century.-History:...

"
(Translated as "Óró, you are welcome home") originally in dorian mode
Dorian mode
Due to historical confusion, Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different musical modes or diatonic scales, the Greek, the medieval, and the modern.- Greek Dorian mode :...

. The same tune has also been used for other songs, possibly Ten Little Injuns
Ten Little Injuns
"Ten Little Injuns" is a popular song written by Septimus Winner in 1870 for the minstrel trade. It was based on an 1870's minstrel skit about one John Brown whose Indian boy grows from "one little Injun" into "ten little Injuns," and then back to one, i.e.:...



The music was first reproduced in printed form in 1824–25 in Cole's Selection of Favourite Cotillions published in Baltimore. However, the lyrics were first published in 1891 under the title "What to do with a Drunken Sailor?". Another version appears in The Shanty Book, Part I, Sailor Shanties, by Richard Runciman Terry
Richard Runciman Terry
Sir Richard Runciman Terry was an English organist, choir director and musicologist. He is noted for his pioneering revival of Tudor liturgical music. He is often credited as R. R. Terry or simply R...

, categorised as a "Windlass and Capstan" shanty. He says of it: "Although mostly used for windlass or capstan, Sir Walter Runciman
Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman
Walter Runciman, 1st Baron Runciman was an English shipping magnate. Referred to by his grandson Steven as "a Geordie of Scots descent who ran away to sea at 11, was a master mariner by 21 and founded a shipping line", Runciman wrote several books based on his years at sea...

 tells me that he frequently sang to it for 'hand-over-hand' hauling. Whall gives it on page 107 under the title 'Early in the morning.' It is one of the few shanties that were sung in quick Time."

Recordings and performances

The song has been widely recorded under a number of titles by a range of performers including Blaggards
Blaggards
Blaggards are a four-piece Celtic rock band from Houston, Texas. The Houston Press described them as "Houston's only Celtic metal band" and "H-town's heir to the emerald throne of Phil Lynott and Shane MacGowan".- History :...

, Dschinghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan was a West German pop band, created in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. The name of the band was chosen to fit the song of the same name, written and produced by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Bernd Meinunger....

, Gina, Dale Haze and the Champions
Gina, Dale Haze and the Champions
Gina, Dale Haze and the Champions were an Irish pop group who formed in 1973 and remained a successful Chart act for the next two decades. They were one of the most popular club acts in Ireland, playing on the showband circuit until their split in 1992...

, Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage...

, the King's Singers
King's Singers
The King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...

, Quadriga Consort
Quadriga Consort
Quadriga Consort aka Quadriga Early Music Band is an early music ensemble from Austria. Founded in 2001 by harpsichordist Nikolaus Newerkla, the ensemble plays rearranged early British and Irish traditional music....

, James Last
James Last
James Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...

, The Swingle Singers
The Swingle Singers
The Swingle Singers are a mostly a cappella vocal group formed in 1962 in Paris, France by Ward Swingle with Anne Germain, Jeanette Baucomont, Jean Cussac and others. Christiane Legrand, the sister of composer Michel Legrand, was the group's lead soprano through 1972. Until 2011 the group...

, the Brobdingnagian Bards
Brobdingnagian Bards
-History:Marc Gunn, formerly of Austin Texas' alternative rock bands Skander and Breastfed, released a solo album featuring himself on autoharp and Andrew McKee on recorder in 1998...

, the LeperKhanz
LeperKhanz
The LeperKhanz are an experimental troupe of musicians that mix ancient sea shantys, Irish fiddle, reggae, classical, hip-hop, disco and rock. They originally formed in 2003....

, Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...

, Captain Bogg and Salty
Captain Bogg and Salty
Captain Bogg and Salty is a pirate-themed rock band from Portland, Oregon, and a representative member of the subgenre of pirate rock. The band is well-known for their live shows, performed in full pirate regalia...

, Terrorvision
Terrorvision
Terrorvision are an English rock band. They were formed in 1987 in Keighley, and initially disbanded in 2001...

, Authority Zero
Authority Zero
Authority Zero is a punk rock band from Mesa, Arizona. The band's style is rooted in reggae and skate punk, with Bad Religion, Pennywise, and Sublime cited as influences. The band also draws from Spanish/Portuguese influences.-History:...

 and the Hungarian Irish folk-punk band Paddy and the Rats, but probably the best known rendition is by The Irish Rovers
The Irish Rovers
The Irish Rovers is a Canadian Irish folk group created in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover". The group is best known for their international television series, and renditions of traditional Irish drinking songs, as well as early hits, Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn",...

. It also forms part of a contrapuntal section in the BBC Radio 4 UK Theme
Radio 4 UK Theme
The BBC Radio 4 UK Theme is an orchestral arrangement of traditional British airs composed by Fritz Spiegl which was played every morning on BBC Radio 4 between 23 November 1978 and 23 April 2006....

by Fritz Spiegl
Fritz Spiegl
Fritz Spiegl was born at Zurndorf, Austria, the son of an agricultural merchant and his Jewish wife. He became a musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector who lived and worked in England from 1939....

, in which it is played alongside Greensleeves
Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, a ground of the form called a romanesca.A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving A Handful of...

. It has also been recorded by David Thomas
David Thomas (singer)
Bass David Thomas was a member of the choir of King's College, Cambridge. He has since become a well known early music / baroque music singer, who has won particular acclaim for his performances of works by Monteverdi, Purcell, Bach, Handel, and Mozart....

 and features on the 2006 release Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys
Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys
Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys is a compilation album of sea shanties performed by a wide array of artists, ranging from Sting to Bryan Ferry, representing a variety of genres. The artists cover a large number of diverse songs of the sea, at times adding elements...

. The French rock band Noir Désir
Noir Désir
Noir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec...

 sing it in many concerts. The Irish Rovers traditionally end their concerts with an audience sing-along of the song.

Australian composer Percy Grainger
Percy Grainger
George Percy Aldridge Grainger , known as Percy Grainger, was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. He also made many...

 incorporated the song and lyrics into his song setting "Scotch Strathspey And Reel".

Don Janse
Don Janse
Don Janse was a famous vocal director and arranger from Old Lyme, Connecticut. He was best known for his work at the United States Coast Guard Academy, where he directed The Idlers from 1957 until his retirement in 1987. Over the years he entertained Presidents and Kings.In later years he directed...

 produced a particularly artistic arrangement in the early 1960s which has been included in several choral music anthologies. The arrangement was first recorded by The Idlers
The Idlers
The Idlers of the United States Coast Guard Academy are an all-male collegiate a cappella ensemble specializing in the performance of sea shanties and patriotic music.-Overview:...

. This arrangement has been performed by several collegiate groups over the years, including the Yale Alley Cats
The Yale Alley Cats
The Yale Alley Cats are an all male, undergraduate a cappella singing group at Yale University. The Alley Cats were founded in 1943, making them the third oldest underclassman a cappella group at Yale. The group’s early repertoire was based in jazz, but its current arrangements cover Motown, pop...

 on their Live from Europe Album.

This song has been recorded by Sam Spence
Sam Spence
Samuel Lloyd Spence is an American soundtrack composer best known for his work with NFL Films.-Biography:A former USC music instructor living and working in Munich, Spence was hired in 1966 to score the mini-documentaries that conveyed NFL highlights and personalities to fans in the...

 under the name "Up She Rises", and is frequently used as background music for NFL Films
NFL Films
NFL Films is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company devoted to producing commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries on the National Football League, as well as other unrelated major events and awards shows...

.

The music is also used in some part of the Battle Music "Those Who Fight" in Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...

 composed by Nobuo Uematsu.

The Belgian skiffle-singer Ferre Grignard
Ferre Grignard
Ferre Grignard was a Belgian skiffle-singer from Antwerp who surprised the world in 1965 with his international hits "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing" and "My Crucified Jesus".-Biography:...

 covered the song in 1966.

The song is covered by the band Authority Zero
Authority Zero
Authority Zero is a punk rock band from Mesa, Arizona. The band's style is rooted in reggae and skate punk, with Bad Religion, Pennywise, and Sublime cited as influences. The band also draws from Spanish/Portuguese influences.-History:...

 on their album 12:34
12:34
12:34 is the third album released by punk band Authority Zero. It was released on January 30, 2007 on Big Panda Records.-Reception:-Track listing:...

 (with occasional changing of the lyrics to "What do you do with a Drunken Zero").

Holly Near
Holly Near
Holly Near is an American singer-songwriter, actress, teacher, and activist for social change.-Early years:...

 recorded a version on her CD "Show Up" . The rewrite features the same tune with additional lyrics added that focus on the problem of alcohol addiction.

Cutthroat Shamrock recorded a variation called "Drunk'n Pirate" on their self titled album in 2006.

The German pop band Dschinghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan
Dschinghis Khan was a West German pop band, created in 1979 to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. The name of the band was chosen to fit the song of the same name, written and produced by Ralph Siegel with lyrics by Bernd Meinunger....

 has recorded a disco version of the song.

Variations and parodies

The main theme from the first movement of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Shostakovich)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102, by Dmitri Shostakovich was composed in 1957 for his son Maxim's 19th birthday. Maxim premiered the piece during his graduation at the Moscow Conservatory...

, Op. 102, mimics the song.

Malcolm Arnold
Malcolm Arnold
Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was ranked with Benjamin Britten as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...

 used the melody in his Three Shanties for Woodwind Quintet, Op. 4 (1943).

The Kingston Trio recorded "Early in the Morning" the chorus of which has the same tune but these lyrics: "When you lift your eyes and/see the sun a risin'/on the far horizon/early in the morning."

American band Firewater recorded a song entitled "Snake-Eyes and Boxcars" that borrows the melody but changes the central lyric to "What shall we do with a drunken failure?"

The Canadian band Tartan Terrors recorded a version titled "Drunken Scotsman" for their 2004 CD "Dressed To Kilt" wherein they combine existing and original verses that loosely make references to the members of the band.

Montreal band The Prowlers adapted the lyrics to suit the title "Drunken Skinhead" on their album "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow", released in 2001.

Folk singer Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald
Country Joe McDonald is an American musician who was the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock group Country Joe and the Fish.-Personal life:...

 adapted the chorus for his song Save the Whales.

The melody is often used in SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...

while in the Krusty Krab.

The song has also been used by Bleeding Hearts
Bleeding Hearts
This article is about the novel. For the plant known as Bleeding Hearts, see Dicentra spectabilis.Bleeding Hearts is a 1994 crime novel by Ian Rankin, under the pseudonym Jack Harvey. It is the second novel he wrote under this name....

 as the basis for 'Siren Songs' which was released in 2002 on their live acoustic album 'Anarcoustica'.

The City Shanty Band have rewritten the song with a modern city angle . It is renamed 'Drunken Banker'.

Russian band Aquarium recorded Russian version of the song with translated title and intro, and original verses (without repetitions).

The Office
The Office
The Office is a popular mockumentary/situation comedy TV show that was first made in the UK and has now been re-made in many other countries, with overall viewership in the hundreds of millions worldwide. The original version of The Office was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. It...

 character Dwight Schrute
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...

 sang this song as he thought he was steering the ship on the Booze Cruise episode.
  • International teaser of The Pirates! Band of Misfits
    The Pirates! Band of Misfits
    The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, known internationally as The Pirates! Band of Misfits, is an upcoming 3-D stop-motion animated film produced by Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation and set for release on March 28, 2012, in UK, and on March 30, 2012, in US. It is being...

    .

Further reading

  • Stan Hugill
    Stan Hugill
    Stan Hugill was a folk music performer, artist and sea music historian, known as the "Last Working Shantyman" and described as the "20th Century guardian of the tradition".-Biography:...

    , Shanties from the Seven Seas Mystic Seaport Museum 1994 ISBN 0-913372-70-6

Song text

Intro:
What'll we do with a drunken sailor,
What'll we do with a drunken sailor,
What'll we do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-aye in the morning?


Chorus:
Weigh heigh and up she rises
Weigh heigh and up she rises
Weigh heigh and up she rises
Earl-aye in the morning


Ending Chorus:
That's what we do with a drunken Sailor,
That's what we do with a drunken Sailor,
That's what we do with a drunken Sailor,
Earl-aye in the morning


Traditional verses:
1. Shave his belly with a rusty razor,(x3)
2. Put him in the long boat till he's sober,(x3)
3. Put him in the scuppers with a hawse pipe on him.(x3)
4. Put him in bed with the captain's daughter
Cat o' nine tails
The cat o' nine tails, commonly shortened to the cat, is a type of multi-tailed whipping device that originated as an implement for severe physical punishment, notably in the Royal Navy and Army of the United Kingdom, and also as a judicial punishment in Britain and some other...

.(x3)


Song Pattern:song starts with the intro it then proceeds to the Chorus
then it follows following pattern
Verse 1 (x3),Earl-aye in the morning?,chorus,
Verse 2 (x3),Earl-aye in the morning?,chorus,
Verse 3 (x3),Earl-aye in the morning?,chorus,
Verse 4 (x3),Earl-aye in the morning?, chorus
Ending Chorus

Thats what we do with a drunken sailor


Additional verses:
5. Beat him with a cat
Cat o' nine tails
The cat o' nine tails, commonly shortened to the cat, is a type of multi-tailed whipping device that originated as an implement for severe physical punishment, notably in the Royal Navy and Army of the United Kingdom, and also as a judicial punishment in Britain and some other...

 'til his back is bleedin'
6. Put him in the bilge and make him drink it
7. Truss him up with a runnin' bowline.
8. Give 'im a dose of salt and water.
9. Stick on 'is back a mustard plaster
Mustard plaster
A mustard plaster is a poultice of mustard seed powder spread inside a protective dressing and applied to the chest or abdomen to stimulate healing. In times past and present, the mixture was spread onto a cloth and applied to the chest or back. The mustard paste itself should never make contact...

.
10. Send him up the crow's nest
Crow's nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the mainmast of a ship or structure, that is used as a lookout point.This position ensured the best view of the approaching hazards, other ships or land. It was the best device for this purpose until the invention of radar.In early ships it was...

 till he falls down,
11. Tie him to the taffrail
Taffrail
A Taffrail is the aftermost railing around the stern of a ship, often, but not always, ornately carved. A taffrail log is an object dragged from the stern of the vessel to calculate the vessel's speed through the water...

 when she's yardarm under,
12. Soak 'im in oil 'til he sprouts a flipper.
13. Put him in the guard room 'til he's sober.
14. That's what we'll do with the drunken sailor.
15. Shave his balls with a rusty razor.
16. Make him the skipper of an Exxon tanker.
17. Give 'im the hair of the dog that bit him.

Variations:
1+. Keep him there and make 'im bale 'er.
2a. Pull out the plug and wet him all over,
3a. Shave his back with a rusty razor.
4a. Give 'im a taste of the bosun's rope-end.
6a. Heave 'im by the leg with a runnin' bowline.


Variation Of Chorus:
Hoo-ray and up she rises,
Hoo-ray and up she rises,
Hoo-ray and up she rises,
Earl-aye in the morning

External links

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