The Longest Johns formed in June 2012 after first singing together at a friend's barbecue. The original line up consisted of Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathan Darley and Dave Robinson. About a week later, they posted their first video on YouTube, singing "Haul Away Joe." They released their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, in 2013, the title track of which is still one of their most popular. Their first full album, Written in Salt, was released in 2016, featuring tracks such as Drunken Sailor, Old Maui and Randy Dandy-O.
In June 2018 they released their second album, Between Wind & Water, which contained the smash hit "Wellerman". This recording, as well as the one used in the bands' Sea of Thieves series "Open Crewsing" would go on to cause the viral sensation in the years to come.
In October 2019, the band announced that Anna Cornish would be leaving the band to focus on her other band, The Norfolk Broads.
In March 2020, they released a song titled "Flatten the Curve", urging people to stay indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2020, the band released their third studio album, Cures What Ails Ya. This album was the Johns' first album featuring a full array of instruments on half of the songs.
In March 2023, The Longest Johns released a collab album, The Longest Pony, featuring collabs with the Barcelona folk group, El Pony Pisador. The album features the song "Al Pirata Joan Torrellas" which sung only in Catalan.
On 1 May 2023, the band announced the departure of founding member Dave Robinson.
Banks of Newfoundland
The Longest Johns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you sail in them packet ships no dungaree jumpers wear;
But have a good monkey jacket all ready to your hand,
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her, with holystone and sand,
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
And I tell you well,
They suffered like hell on the way to Baltimore; (To Baltimore!)
They pawned their gear in Liverpool, and sailed as they did stand,
But there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
Well the mate he stood on the fo'c'sle head and loudly he did roar,
Come rattle her in, me lucky lads,
You're bound for America's shore; (America's shore!)
Come wipe the blood off that dead
Man's face, and haul or you'll be damned,
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her, with holystone and sand,
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
And now it's reef and reif, me boys, with the canvas frozen hard,
At each mountain pass every mother's son
On a ninety-foot tops'l yard; (Tops'l yard!)
Never mind about boots and oilskins,
But haul or you'll be damned;(Haul or you'll be damned!)
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland.
We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her, with holystone and sand,
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
And now we're off the hook, me boys, and the land is white with snow,
And soon we'll see the paytable and we'll
Spend the whole night below; (Night below!)
And on the docks, come down in flocks, those pretty girls will say,
Well it's snugger with me than on
The sea, on the Banks of Newfoundland.
We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her, with holystone and sand,
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her, with holystone and sand,
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
The song “Banks of Newfoundland” by The Longest Johns tells the story of Liverpool sailors sailing aboard packet ships to the fishing grounds of Newfoundland. The song opens with a warning to sailors, advising them to be well-prepared for the cold nor'westers they will encounter on the journey. The chorus of the song reinforces this warning, reminding sailors to constantly work hard and ensure their ship is well-maintained.
The verses describe the sailors’ difficult journeys to and from Newfoundland. It tells the story of Jack Lynch and Mike Murphy, who suffered on their journey to Baltimore, pawned their gear in Liverpool, and sailed without adequate clothing. The song also depicts the mate on the fo'c'sle head, encouraging the sailors to work harder and seize the American dream.
Line by Line Meaning
Me bully boys of Liverpool I'll have you to beware,
Pay attention, men from Liverpool. I have a warning for you.
When you sail in them packet ships no dungaree jumpers wear;
Don't wear dungaree jumpers when sailing in packet ships.
But have a good monkey jacket all ready to your hand,
Be prepared with a good monkey jacket.
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
The Banks of Newfoundland are subject to cold nor'westers.
We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her, with holystone and sand,
We'll clean and maintain the ship with holystone and sand.
Well we had Jack Lynch from Ballynahinch, Mike Murphy and some more,
We had Jack Lynch, Mike Murphy, and others from Ballynahinch.
And I tell you well, They suffered like hell on the way to Baltimore; (To Baltimore!)
They suffered greatly on their journey to Baltimore.
They pawned their gear in Liverpool, and sailed as they did stand,
They had to pawn their gear in Liverpool and sail as they were.
But there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
The Banks of Newfoundland are subject to cold nor'westers.
Well the mate he stood on the fo'c'sle head and loudly he did roar,
The mate stood on the fo'c'sle head and shouted loudly.
Come rattle her in, me lucky lads,
Pull the ropes, my lucky lads!
You're bound for America's shore; (America's shore!)
We're heading for the shore of America!
Come wipe the blood off that dead Man's face, and haul or you'll be damned,
Clean the blood off the dead man's face and start hauling or face consequences.
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland
The Banks of Newfoundland are subject to cold nor'westers.
And now it's reef and reif, me boys, with the canvas frozen hard,
We need to reef and reif with the frozen canvas.
At each mountain pass every mother's son On a ninety-foot tops'l yard; (Tops'l yard!)
Everyone is on a ninety-foot tops'l yard at each mountain pass.
Never mind about boots and oilskins, But haul or you'll be damned;(Haul or you'll be damned!)
Don't worry about proper clothing, just start hauling or face consequences.
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland.
The Banks of Newfoundland are subject to cold nor'westers.
And now we're off the hook, me boys, and the land is white with snow,
We're off the hook and the land is covered in snow.
And soon we'll see the paytable and we'll Spend the whole night below; (Night below!)
We'll soon see the paytable and spend the night below.
And on the docks, come down in flocks, those pretty girls will say,
Beautiful girls will flock to the docks to say:
Well it's snugger with me than on The sea, on the Banks of Newfoundland.
It's more comfortable with me than on the sea, on the Banks of Newfoundland.
We'll scrape her and we'll scrub her, with holystone and sand,
We'll continue to clean and maintain the ship with holystone and sand.
For there blow some cold nor'westers on the Banks of Newfoundland.
The Banks of Newfoundland are subject to cold nor'westers.
Contributed by Kennedy S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.