Since the choir was established, they have managed to release 5 cds and done lots of concerts and performances. Some of the highlights of the past few years have been the Langesund International Shantyfestival, Festival Maritim in Bremen (Germany), Telemarkfestivalen in Bø and Bergenfest 2006, and they are currently doing well in Japan. Feedback from their concerts have been very good, and they think that the main reason for their “little success” is that they enjoy so much doing this, and also that they allow and encourage their guests to sing along!
Theyr mission and main directives is to bring forth a forgotten song tradition. At the same time they wish to give their audience, and themselves, a lot of fun, and experience the pleasure of salty folk music. With the old true sailors in mind, they wish to give the shanties all the power, humour and respect they deserve.
The most of their stuff is done a cappella, but they also include mandolin, flute, and guitar on some of their songs. As far as it is possible, they do their concerts without any microphones. "They did not use microphones while rounding the salty Cape Horn, so we should be able to do the same in a pub!!"
Band members: Håkon Vatle, Ronny Sætre, Rune Nesse, Vidar Vedå, Roald Kaldestad and Gisle Østrem
Johnny Come Down to Hilo
Storm Weather Shanty Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When a big buck man wid his sea boots on,
Says "Johnny come down to Hilo,
Poor old man!"
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her,
Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man.
She's a Badian beauty, and she says to me,
"Oh! Johnny come down to Hilo,
Poor old man!"
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her,
Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man.
O, was you ebber down in Mobile Bay,
Where dey screws cotton on a summer day?
When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man.
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her,
Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man.
Have you ebber seen de old PIantation boss
Wid de long tailed filly and de big black hoss?
When Johnny come down to Hilo,
Poor old man!
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her,
Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man.
I nebber seen de like since I been born,
When a big buck man wid his sea boots on,
Says "Johnny come down to Hilo,
Poor old man!"
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her,
Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man.
The lyrics of "Johnny, Come Down to Hilo" by Storm Weather Shanty Choir is a traditional sea shanty that tells the story of a man who is asked to come down to Hilo by a big buck man with his sea boots on. The song is sung in a call-and-response format where the lead singer sings a line, and the rest of the crew responds with another line. The lyrics of the song are reflective of the life of a sailor and their experiences while on a ship.
The first stanza describes the singer's amazement at seeing a man in sea boots who is asking for Johnny to come down to Hilo. The following stanzas talk about the singer's love for a girl across the sea, his experiences in Mobile Bay, and seeing an old plantation boss with his horse. The song ends with the same lines as the beginning, reiterating the call for Johnny to come down to Hilo.
The song is meant to be sung while working on a ship to keep the sailors motivated and to keep their morale high. It is a typical example of a sea shanty, which was a popular form of music sung by sailors during the 19th century. The song has been performed by many artists and adapted for different rhythms and styles.
Line by Line Meaning
I nebber see de like since I been born,
I have never seen anything like it before in my life
When a big buck man wid his sea boots on,
When a powerful man wearing sea boots
Says "Johnny come down to Hilo, Poor old man!"
Says, "Johnny, come to Hilo, you poor old man"
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her, Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
Oh, wake up that girl in the blue dress by shaking her
When Johnny comes down to Hilo, Poor old man.
When Johnny arrives at Hilo, he is called a poor old man
I lub a little girl across de sea,
I love a girl across the sea
She's a Badian beauty, and she says to me, "Oh! Johnny come down to Hilo, Poor old man!"
She is a beautiful woman from Barbados and she asks me to come to Hilo
O, was you ebber down in Mobile Bay, Where dey screws cotton on a summer day?
Have you ever been to Mobile Bay where they work hard in the hot sun?
Have you ebber seen de old PIantation boss Wid de long tailed filly and de big black hoss?
Have you ever seen the old plantation boss with his long-tailed filly and his big black horse?
When Johnny come down to Hilo, Poor old man!
When Johnny arrives at Hilo, he is called a poor old man
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her, Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
Oh, wake up that girl in the blue dress by shaking her
When Johnny comes down to Hilo, Poor old man.
When Johnny arrives at Hilo, he is called a poor old man
I nebber seen de like since I been born, When a big buck man wid his sea boots on, Says "Johnny come down to Hilo, Poor old man!"
I have never seen anything like it before in my life when a powerful man wearing sea boots calls Johnny a poor old man and asks him to come to Hilo
Oh! wake her, Oh! shake her, Oh! wake dat girl wid de blue dress on!
Oh, wake up that girl in the blue dress by shaking her
When Johnny comes down to Hilo, Poor old man.
When Johnny arrives at Hilo, he is called a poor old man
Contributed by Hudson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Addison Siemon
Elsker dette! Jeg lærte norsk for tre år siden, altfor glad for at dere synge norske sjømannsanger også. Kjempebra!
Storm Weather Shanty Choir
Tusen takk!
Mouse
Stellar lads!!!
Storm Weather Shanty Choir
Thank you!