Hailing from the historic Gold Rush Country of America, the five member Bla… Read Full Bio ↴Hailing from the historic Gold Rush Country of America, the five member Black Irish Band of twenty years, have a musical style that is as timeless as the rugged landscape of the west, a tribute to the people whose lives were spent building the world we now take for granted. The band has a large compliment of traditional maritime and railroad music, as well as ethnic tunes in their repertoire. They excel at Irish & Scottish, Italian, and American folk music with an assortment of original songs and traditional western ballads. The bands musical style captures he spirit of the immigrants of this land, the men and women who tamed the Wild West.

Drunken Sailor
Black Irish Band Lyrics

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Weigh-hay and up she rises
Weigh-hay and up she rises
Weigh-hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!

What will we do with a drunken sailor,
What will we do with a drunken sailor.
What will we do with a drunken sailor,

Early in the morning?

Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Early in the morning!

Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Early in the morning!

Put him in a long boat till his sober,
Put him in a long boat till his sober,
Put him in a long boat till his sober,
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Early in the morning!

Stick him in a barrel with a hosepipe on him,
Stick him in a barrel with a hosepipe on him,
Stick him in a barrel with a hosepipe on him,
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,
Early in the morning!

Put him in the bed with the captains daughter,
Put him in the bed with the captains daughter,
Put him in the bed with the captains daughter,
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises,
Way hay and up she rises,

Way hay and up she rises,
Early in the morning!

Overall Meaning

The traditional sea shanty "Drunken Sailor" is a song that dates back to the early 19th century. It was most likely sung by sailors during their work duties to help the crew work together more efficiently, keeping them in rhythm while performing repetitive tasks like hoisting sails and hauling ropes. The song has a call-and-response construction with the lead singer asking a question while the crew responds with an answer. The ‘drunken sailor’ that is mentioned in the song is a common character in maritime folklore; he represents the excesses and dangers of drinking on board ships and the need for discipline on long voyages. The lyrics can be interpreted as a sort of warning against such behavior and a call for action to handle situation if it arises.

In the first verse, the sailor is drunk and stumbling around early in the morning, and the crew is left with the question of what to do with him. The following verses provide various comical suggestions for how to deal with the drunken sailor, ranging from shaving his belly with a rusty razor to putting him in a longboat until he's sober. The lyrics escalate in absurdity, with the final suggestion being to put him in bed with the captain's daughter.

The song is still an important part of maritime culture today and is often performed by modern sea shanty groups. It has also been used in popular culture in movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Line by Line Meaning

Weigh-hay and up she rises
Wake up and start working

What will we do with a drunken sailor
What should we do with this drunk sailor we have on our hands?

Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Humiliating the drunk sailor by shaving his belly with a rusty razor

Put him in a long boat till his sober
Locking up the drunk sailor in a long boat until he sobers up

Stick him in a barrel with a hosepipe on him
Forcing the drunk sailor into a barrel with a hosepipe on him to wake him up

Put him in the bed with the captain's daughter
As a last resort, put the drunk sailor in bed with the captain's daughter to sober him up

Contributed by Cameron G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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