Blow the Man Down
Allen Robertson Lyrics
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Way aye blow the man down
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow him away
Give me some time to blow the man down!
As I was a walking down Paradise Street
Way aye blow the man down
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Way aye blow the man down
So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now."
Give me some time to blow the man down!
So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow
Way aye blow the man down
And yardarm to yardarm away we did go.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
But as we were going she said unto me
Way aye blow the man down
"There's a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea."
Give me some time to blow the man down!
But as soon as that packet was clear of the bar
Way aye blow the man down
The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
It's starboard and larboard on deck you will sprawl
Way aye blow the man down
For Kicking Jack Williams commands the Black Ball.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
So I give you fair warning before we belay,
Way aye blow the man down
Don't ever take head of what pretty girls say.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
"Blow the Man Down" is a traditional sea shanty that originated in the early 19th century. Alternative lyrics and variations to the song exist, but the Allen Robertson version of "Blow the Man Down" is one of the most popular versions. The song tells the story of a sailor who meets a pretty young damsel as he was walking down Paradise Street. He describes her as "round in the counter" and "bluff in the bow" which means she has a shapely figure. The sailor then proceeds to use nautical terms such as "took in all sail" and "yardarm to yardarm" to describe how he flirted with her. However, she tricks him and directs him to the location of a "spanking full-rigger just ready for sea" that is actually a trap set by the mate of the ship. The sailor gets beaten up by the mate, but still warns his fellow sailors to not take the words of pretty girls too seriously.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Let's all blow the man down together, my comrades!
Way aye blow the man down
Let's sing and work hard while we blow the man down.
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow him away
Let's keep blowing until we blow the man away completely!
Give me some time to blow the man down!
I need some time to work hard and sing along while we blow the man down.
As I was a walking down Paradise Street
While I was strolling along Paradise Street,
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.
I happened to meet a beautiful young lady.
She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,
She had full hips and a bulky upper body,
So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now."
I stopped in my tracks and exclaimed, "That's enough for me."
So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow
I followed behind her and tried to catch her attention,
And yardarm to yardarm away we did go.
We walked side by side together down the street.
But as we were going she said unto me
As we walked along, she spoke to me and said,
“There’s a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea.”
She told me about a brand new ship that was about to set sail.
But as soon as that packet was clear of the bar
As soon as the ship was out of the harbor,
The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar.
The ship's mate hit me with a wooden spar and knocked me to the ground.
It’s starboard and larboard on deck you will sprawl
You'll be sprawled out on the deck, facing either the right or left side,
For Kicking Jack Williams commands the Black Ball.
Because Kicking Jack Williams, who has control of the ship, demands it.
So I give you fair warning before we belay,
I warn you now before we come to a stop,
Don’t ever take head of what pretty girls say.
Don't believe everything that beautiful women tell you.
Contributed by Lillian R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.