Johnny Collins (born May 10, 1938, died July 6 2009) was a London-based fo… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Collins (born May 10, 1938, died July 6 2009) was a London-based folk singer specializing in traditional shanties and maritime music. Joined the British Army in 1956, where he learned to play the guitar while posted in London. Was posted to Singapore in 1959 where he began performing in bars and cabarets in his off hours. Was posted to Hong Kong in 1965 where he began performing large concerts with other folk performers in the British and U.S. military. He also performed on television and radio (including the "Voice of America in East Asia") and played venues like the Hong Kong Hilton. In 1967 he was posted again to Singapore where he began his own folk club at the Anophel Inn. Tom Lewis and Pam Ayres performed there, among others. He was demobilized in 1968, and he began to perform full-time.
In 1983 he and Jim Mageean, performing as a duo, won the Intervision Song Contest in Rostock, in East Germany. Later, in 1987, they were invited by the East German government to perform at a sea shanty festival in Berlin commemorating the city's founding. Although recent heath problems have slowed him down, Collins continues to tour and perform worldwide including in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland and France as well as making frequent appearances in his native country at Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races, and maritime festivals at Hull, Lancaster, Bristol, Dundee, Maldon, Portsmouth, Gosport, Greenwich and Chatham.
Partial discography
* Traveller's Rest (1973)
* Johnny's Private Army (1975)
* Make the Rafters Roar (1979) with Jim Mageean
* Free and Easy (1982)
* Live at Herga! (1982) with Jim Mageean
* Strontrace (1983) with Jim Mageean
* Pedlar of Songs (1993)
* Coming of Age (1996)
* Shanties and Sea Songs (1996)
* Now & Then
In 1983 he and Jim Mageean, performing as a duo, won the Intervision Song Contest in Rostock, in East Germany. Later, in 1987, they were invited by the East German government to perform at a sea shanty festival in Berlin commemorating the city's founding. Although recent heath problems have slowed him down, Collins continues to tour and perform worldwide including in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland and France as well as making frequent appearances in his native country at Cutty Sark Tall Ships Races, and maritime festivals at Hull, Lancaster, Bristol, Dundee, Maldon, Portsmouth, Gosport, Greenwich and Chatham.
Partial discography
* Traveller's Rest (1973)
* Johnny's Private Army (1975)
* Make the Rafters Roar (1979) with Jim Mageean
* Free and Easy (1982)
* Live at Herga! (1982) with Jim Mageean
* Strontrace (1983) with Jim Mageean
* Pedlar of Songs (1993)
* Coming of Age (1996)
* Shanties and Sea Songs (1996)
* Now & Then
Eliza Lee
Johnny Collins Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Eliza Lee' by these artists:
El Pony Pisador The smartest clipper you can find A-hey, A-ho, are you 'most…
The Dreadnoughts The smartest clipper you can find is, Ho-way,ho, are you 'm…
The Longest Johns Oh the finest ship that you will find is (Ho-way, ho,…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Johnny Collins:
Leave Her Johnny oh the work was hard and the wages low. Leave ger Johnny,…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@ChristianWandzala
As opposed to fishing for them online (and the version here does not seem to be anywhere) -- for those who'd like to see what's being sung here, the lyrics sound a bit more like this:
The smartest clipper you can find,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
Is the Margaret Evans on the blue star line!
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To me aye rig a jig in a jolting car,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
With 'Liza Lee all on me knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
Oh the Margaret Evans on the blue star line,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
She's never a day behind the time,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To me aye rig a jig in a jolting car,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
With 'Liza Lee all on me knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
Oh we're outward bound for New York Town,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
We'll dance them bowry girls around,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To me aye rig a jig in a jolting car,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
With 'Liza Lee all on me knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
Well we stowed our freight on the west creek pier
Ho eh, ho are you most done?
We'll head right back for some Liverpool beer,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To me aye rig a jig in a jolting car,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
With 'Liza Lee all on me knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
Oh I thought I heard the old man say
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
We'll leave that brig three points away
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To me aye rig a jig in a jolting car,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
With 'Liza Lee all on me knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
And when we're back in Liverpool town,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
I'll stand you's whiskeys all around!
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To me aye rig a jig in a jolting car,
Ho eh, ho, are you most done?
With 'Liza Lee all on my knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run....
* The use of "'Liza" was rather common for "Elizabeth"/"Eliza" etc etc. For quick example, cf. "Follow Me Up to Carlow", where Queen Elizabeth I is referred to as such *
@bakters
"Eliza Lee"
The smartest clipper you can find is,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
Shes the Margaret Evans on a blue sky line!
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To my aye rig a jig in a junting gun,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
With Eliza Lee all on my knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
Oh, we're outward bound for the west creek pier
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
We'll go ashore at liverpool pier,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To my aye rig a jig in a junting gun,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
With Eliza Lee all on my knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
And when we're over in New York Town,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
We'll dance their bowly girls around,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To my aye rig a jig in a junting gun,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
With Eliza Lee all on my knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
Oh the Margaret Tenans on the blue star line,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
Shes never a day behind the time,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To my aye rig a jig in a junting gun,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
With Eliza Lee all on my knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
Oh, when we're back in Liverpool town,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
I'll stand your whiskeys all around!
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To my aye rig a jig in a junting gun,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
With Eliza Lee all on my knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
To my aye rig a jig in a junting gun,
Ho eh, ho ah, are you most done?
With Eliza Lee all on my knee,
Clear away the track and let the bulgine run.
@nicodemisfinch6543
This song made me buy every Johnny Collins album.
@arkady714
Listening to this as part of my preparation for the Pensacola to Havana sailboat race. We set sail in 16 days.
@gadjox
Cool stuff! :) Best of luck to you
@madmadameminx
A year late, but I just found your comment. How was your race? It must have been thrilling.
@Philip_Recchia
Howd the race go?
@arkady714
@@Philip_Recchia Finished 3rd in a field of eight. Sailed four days on the Gulf of Mexico with good winds and no storms. Spent five days in Havana. The Cubans are the nicest people and their Spanish was clear as a bell. The quote of the trip came on the 2nd morning when I asked "what constellations did we see last night?" and was answered by a crew mate "All of them!" Thanks for asking.
@justforever96
From what I've found about this song, a "bullgine" is slang for a small dockside locomotive used on quays and such for loading ships. He's saying "clear away and lets get this thing loaded". The rest is about a ship. That's the best I've found so far, which isn't great, but it makes the most sense.
@nowthisis2stupid
justforever96 Bullgine or bulgine is actually slang for engine. This would have been from the time that steam engines were becoming more and more prominent on merchant and naval vessels alike. It's likely it could have been shared by railroaders and sailors alike. Seeing as bull, bullgine and bulgine are all specific to steam engines in particular. In my mind, this song is referring to clearing the way to let the ships bull run.
@rkt739
It's probably a dock-workers' shanty, like Roll the Woodpile Down.
@joeturner1597
Bulgine is the John Bull. First loco in America. It still runs. The chorus is about sex. Google John Bull loco and then Jaunting car images and all will become clear. Rig a jig is just a variant of jig a jig.