Leave Her Johnny
Sean Dagher Nils Brown & Michiel Schrey Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I thought I heard the Old Man say
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her"
Tomorrow ye will get your pay
And it′s time for us to leave her

Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it′s time for us to leave her

Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
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
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it′s time for us to leave her

I hate to sail on this rotten tub
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
No grog allowed and rotten grub
And it′s time for us to leave her

Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it′s time for us to leave her

We swear by rote for want of more
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
But now we're through so we′ll go on shore
And it's time for us to leave her

Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her




For the voyage is long and the winds don′t blow
And it's time for us to leave her

Overall Meaning

"Leave Her Johnny" is a sea-shanty, a type of work song that was popular among sailors during the age of sail. The shanty was traditionally sung during the task of "bunting the bag" or stowing the anchor cable away. The lyrics tell the story of a ship and its crew that are preparing to set sail once again. The "Old Man" (captain) tells the crew to leave her (the ship) as tomorrow they will receive their pay and they must leave her behind. The voyage is long and the winds are not blowing, making it a difficult journey.


The crew complains about the state of the ship, saying that the wind is foul, the sea is rough, and the ship is "rotten." They also mention that they are given no grog (alcohol) and are fed "rotten grub" (bad food). The crew swears by rote (automatically reciting a pledge or oath) because they have no other choice, but they are happy to leave the ship behind and go ashore.


The song is an example of how sailors used music to make their work more enjoyable and to boost morale during long voyages. The melody is simple and easy to remember, allowing the crew to sing together and keep a steady rhythm while working. The lyrics convey the hardships and frustrations of life at sea, but also the camaraderie and loyalty that existed among sailors.


Line by Line Meaning

I thought I heard the Old Man say
The singer thinks he heard the captain say something important.


"Leave her, Johnny, leave her"
The captain told Johnny to leave the ship.


Tomorrow ye will get your pay
The sailors will be paid for their work.


And it's time for us to leave her
It's time to leave the ship behind and move on.


Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high
The weather was bad and the sea was rough.


She shipped it green and none went by
The ship was hit hard by a wave and nobody was able to avoid it.


I hate to sail on this rotten tub
The singer doesn't like sailing on this old and decaying ship.


No grog allowed and rotten grub
They aren't allowed to drink alcohol and the food is terrible.


We swear by rote for want of more
They repeat oaths they don't really mean because they don't have anything else to say.


But now we're through so we'll go on shore
They are done with the ship and are ready to go on shore.


And it's time for us to leave her
It's time to leave the ship behind and move on.




Writer(s): Traditional, Johnny Collins

Contributed by Juliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@edilebert

I thought I heard the Old Man say:
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her."
Tomorrow you will get your pay
And it's time for us to leave her

[Chorus]
Leave her, Johnny, leave her!
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her

Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
She shipped it green and none went by
And it's time for us to leave her

[Chorus]

I hate to sail on this rotten tub
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
No grog allowed and rotten grub
And it's time for us to leave her

[Chorus]

We swear by rote for want of more
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
But now we're through so we'll go on shore
And it's time for us to leave her



All comments from YouTube:

@Awgez24

You made the most memorable part of Assassins Creed 4.

@keil97

So good.

@SeanDagher

Why thank you!

@firebirdchild975

how did you ended up whit that project if i may ask

@lordberly

Bunyip swamp asking the most important question right there! yeah, sir... can you share some story with us pleaseee so I can die in peace XD

@SeanDagher

Hi, sorry for the delay in replying. Ubisoft has an office here in Montreal. A colleague of mine got the contract to produce the music and he hired me to do some of the singing.

37 More Replies...

@lxkrny

This man's voice is one of the best i've heard, It made AC4 fun to play, I rarely used fast travel because of the shanties.

@gorillazwiki

Alex K as do i mate mate such love for ac4

@SeanDagher

+Alex K Thanks! Glad you like it. Super fun repertoire to sing.

@saheliumd7182

I was glad that when a member of my crew fell to Spanish and English steel, that they never got the shanty man, a bottle of grog to you.

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