Leave Her Johnny
Sean Dagher Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

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.

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 traditional sea shanty that has become a well-known and popular song among sailors and sea shanty enthusiasts. The song tells the story of the crew of a ship who have been out at sea for a long time and are tired and ready to go home. The old man in charge tells Johnny to leave the ship, as it's time for them to be paid and for them to move on from their current voyage. The crew members complain about the conditions on the ship, how the wind is foul, the sea is high, the grog is rotten, and the grub is awful. They are all relieved to finally leave the ship and head back to shore.


The song's lyrics have a universal appeal and can be interpreted in different ways. On the surface, it's a song about sailors who are ready to leave a bad voyage behind, but it can also be seen as a metaphor for life, where people are often stuck in situations they don't want to be in and need to leave behind. The song's chorus, "Leave her, Johnny, leave her," is a call to action, encouraging people to let go of what's holding them back and move on to something better.


Line by Line Meaning

I thought I heard the Old Man say:
The singer believed he overheard the captain say something important.


"Leave her, Johnny, leave her."
The captain wants the crew to abandon the ship.


Tomorrow you will get your pay,
The crew will be compensated for their work.


and it's time for us to leave her.
It's time to depart from the vessel.


Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high.
The weather conditions were difficult and dangerous.


"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
The captain reiterates that the crew must abandon the ship.


She shipped it green and none went by.
The ship sailed dangerously and nobody passed by safely.


And it's time for us to leave her.
The crew must evacuate the vessel as soon as possible.


I hate to sail on this rotten tub.
The artist dislikes being on this old, decaying ship.


"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
The captain insists that the crew must abandon the ship.


No grog allowed and rotten grub.
There is no alcoholic drink and the food is terrible.


And it's time for us to leave her.
The ship must be evacuated as quickly as possible.


We swear by rote for want of more.
The crew recites their duties without enthusiasm because they want something better.


"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
The captain insists that the crew must abandon the ship.


But now we're through so we'll go on shore.
Since the voyage is over, they will disembark and head to land.


And it's time for us to leave her.
The time has come to leave the ship.


"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
The captain repeatedly urges the crew to abandon the ship.


Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her!
The chorus emphasizes how important it is to leave the ship.


For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
The journey is taking too long and there's no favorable wind to help them along.


And it's time for us to leave her.
There's no more reason to stay on the ship, it's time to evacuate.




Contributed by John N. 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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