Neil and Roger had been singing together as a duo in West Yorkshire since 1966 whilst John burst upon the folk scene a little later in 1972 as a member of Hebric. John, who has a voice similar to Paul Robeson also sings with the local operatic society in Halifax and is a member of The Bradshaw Mummers who can be seen in quaint outfits throughout most summers at various festivals acting out the important chapters of English history. John sang lead bass with Northern Ballet at Leeds Playhouse for the winter season of Mozart’s Requiem. Meanwhile Joe Stead had begun a professional career in London in 1966 which eventually took him to various parts of the world and more recently the first Valparaiso Festival of the Sea in Chile. Joe has performed in concert in America with Pete Seeger twice and also sung at a garden party with Paul Robeson in London in 1958. Neil also sang in concert with Pete Seeger when he and Joe crossed the Atlantic with Paul Downes to perform in a concert in New Jersey to raise funds for the Delaware Valley River Project.
There are now two new members in the group. David Buckley joined Kimber's Men at the end of April 2006. David is an actor and a singer who has performed in musicals and with the Halifax Operatic Society. They found him playing the part of Captain Smith in 'Titanic the Musical'. David sings tenor harmony. He has recently written a song called 'I will always be there' which may become as popular as 'Don't take the heroes'.
In June 2007 Kimber's Men increased their number to 5 when 'Gaz' joined the quartet.
Leave her Johnny leave her
Kimber's Men Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh it′s time to come and get your pay
And it's time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her.
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
Now the voyage is done,
And it's time for us to leave her.
Now the winds blew hard and the seas rode high
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh she shipped it green and none went by
And it's time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her.
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
Now the voyage is done,
And the winds don′t blow
And it′s time for us to leave her.
It's mahogany beef and weevils in your bread
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh I wish old crackerhash Joe was dead
And it′s time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her.
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
Now the voyage is done,
And the winds don't blow
And it′s time for us to leave her.
Now the Mate is a bucko and the old man is a Turk
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
And the Bosun is a bastard with a middle name of work
And it's time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her.
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
Now the voyage is done,
And the winds don′t blow
And it's time for us to leave her.
Oh she's Paris bound and Parish rigged
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
And the whold damned crew is fever strick′d
And it′s time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her.
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
Now the voyage is done,
And the winds don't blow
And it′s time for us to leave her.
Now the rats have gone and we, the crew
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
And it's time by Christ that we went too
And it′s time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her.
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
Now the voyage is done,
And the winds don't blow
And it′s time for us to leave her.
And it's time for us to leave her.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her.
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
Now the voyage is done,
And the winds don't blow
And it′s time for us to leave her.
"Leave her Johnny leave her" is a traditional sea shanty that tells the story of sailors who have just completed a long voyage on a ship and Johnson is calling on his crewmates to abandon the ship. The lyrics reveal the sailors' weariness with life at sea and the difficult conditions they endure, such as hard work, limited supplies, and illness. The "Johnny" in the song is a generic name for any sailor, and the repeated phrase "leave her" is a reference to abandoning the ship.
The song also highlights the close camaraderie among the sailors and their solidarity in wanting to leave the ship together. They have been through tough times together and now want to move on to a new place and new experiences. The final verse suggests that the sailors' departure is long overdue, as even the rats have abandoned the ship.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought I heard the Old Man say
The Old Man is saying it's time for us to leave the ship.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Everyone needs to leave the ship.
Oh it's time to come and get your pay
It's time to get paid for our work on the ship.
And it's time for us to leave her.
We need to leave the ship behind now.
Now the voyage is done,
Our journey is over.
And the winds don't blow
There's no wind to take us away.
Now the winds blew hard and the seas rode high
The conditions on the ship were dangerous and unpleasant.
Oh she shipped it green and none went by
The ship was hit by waves and water went on deck.
It's mahogany beef and weevils in your bread
The food on the ship was bad.
Oh I wish old crackerhash Joe was dead
One of the crew members was disliked.
Now the Mate is a bucko and the old man is a Turk
The Mate and the Captain have different personalities.
And the Bosun is a bastard with a middle name of work
The Bosun was not well-liked by the crew.
Oh she's Paris bound and Parish rigged
The ship is headed to Paris.
And the whold damned crew is fever strick'd
The entire crew is sick with a fever.
Now the rats have gone and we, the crew
The rats have left, and it's time for us to leave as well.
And it's time by Christ that we went too
It's time for us to leave the ship.
And it's time for us to leave her.
We need to leave the ship.
And it's time for us to leave her.
We need to leave the ship behind.
Writer(s): trad arr kimber's men
Contributed by Annabelle H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@BruceCampbell0886
Sailor Santa is adorable.
@oldfart3216
adorable?
@feelsman7837
Unfortunately, he's passed. Rest in peace, Joe Stead.
@BOOMBOX6000
i hate you
@badussy
@@feelsman7837 aww no! I love him
@sliccmang8176
This comment still makes me giggle every time I see it
@Sammo212
Bravo. This is my favorite shanty and you guys nailed it. Cheers.
@gabe1ist
if this isnt played at my funeral i aint going
@bluestories7816
... im feeling good today so i wont talk of semantics
@patmoke3291
Lmao