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

Hard On The Beach Oar
Johnny Collins Lyrics

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

TRACKS

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Comments from YouTube:

@dariuswilkins4984

5y↑18

It’s kind of interesting hearing a very British voice singing a very American folk song

@countryninja2374

10y↑6

Love this song my sisters and I wore out a CD we listened to this song so many times in the car

@billbeard7958

10y↑1

Nice!

@Snowyowlphotography

10y↑5

Hard on the Beach Oar
(usually known as Shawneetown)

Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Some rows up, but we floats down
Way down the Ohio to Shawnee Town
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Whiskey's in the jug, boys; wheat is in the sack
We'll trade them down in Shawneetown and bring the rock salt back
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Now the current's got her boys, And we'll take up some slack
Float her down to Shawneetown and we'll bushwhack her back
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

I got a wife in Louisville, and another in New Orleans
And when I get to Shawnnee Town gonna see my Indian Queen
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

The water's might warm boys, the air is cold and dank
And the fog it gets so damn thick you cannot see the bank
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Some rows up, but we floats down
Way down the Ohio to Shawnee Town
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

@anonanomalli

7y↑6

Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Some rows up, but we floats down
Way down the Ohio to Shawnee Town
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Whiskey's in the jug, boys; wheat is in the sack
Put on down to Shawneetown and bring the rock salt back
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Well now the current's got her boys, take in some slack
Float on down to Shawneetown and bushwhack her back
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

I got a wife in Louisville, another in New Orleans
And when I get to Shawnnee Town I'll see my Indian Queen
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

The weather's mighty warm boys, the water is thick and dank
And the fog is so damn thick you cannot see the bank
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

Some rows up, but we floats down
Way down the Ohio to Shawnee Town
Hard on the beach oar, she moves too slow
Way down to Shawneetown on the Ohio

@danbixler1568

I sing this as an19th century Irish river rat on the Ohio..my addendum..I got me a wife in Louisville..one or two in New Orleans..and when I get to Shawneetown..gonna marry my Indian queen