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.
Men I've Known and Killed
The Longest Johns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a man I did meet
Tally-roo-ti-roo-aye-day
He sullied my name so I put him to sleep
Tally-roo-ti-roo-dye-day
Buried under the hill
Is a feller' I killed
I opened his throat for he looked at me ill
Tally-roo-ti-roo-dye-day
Hidden under my bed
There's a woman I wed
Tally-roo-ti-roo-aye-day
She was too hard to please, harder still now she's dead
Tally-roo-ti-roo-dye-day
Deep down under the sea
A crew of twenty-three
Tally-roo-ti-roo-aye-day
Those who've seem them now know from my banners to flee
Tally-roo-ti-roo-dye-day
So tell all who await
That are temper is great
Tally-roo-ti-roo-aye-day
Those who don't heed the word cast their hand to the fate
Tally-roo-ti-roo-dye-day
The song "Men I've Known and Killed" by The Longest Johns is a sea shanty that tells the story of a sailor who has killed several people throughout his life. The first verse talks about a man who blemished the sailor's reputation, so he killed him and buried him under his feet. The second verse talks about a person whom the sailor killed for looking at him wrong, and he buried him under a hill. The third verse talks about a woman that the sailor wed, but who was too hard to please, and he killed her and hid her body under the bed. In the last verse, the sailor speaks of a crew of 23 men who sailed with him, but all of them died under mysterious circumstances. The sailor warns that anyone who crosses him or doesn't heed his words will suffer the same fate.
The song touches on themes of violence, revenge, and power. The sailor seems to have little regard for human life, and he sees murder as a means to solve his problems. The repetitive chorus of "Tally-roo-ti-roo-aye-day" and "Tally-roo-ti-roo-dye-day" creates a haunting and eerie atmosphere, as if the sailor is recounting his murders with pride and satisfaction.
Overall, "Men I've Known and Killed" is a dark and chilling sea shanty that reminds us of the dangers of unchecked violence and power.
Line by Line Meaning
Buried under my feet
I am standing over the grave of a man I once knew
There's a man I did meet
I encountered this man at some point in my life
He sullied my name so I put him to sleep
He tarnished my reputation and so I killed him
Buried under the hill
Another man I killed is buried in this hill
Is a feller' I killed
I took the life of this man
I opened his throat for he looked at me ill
I killed him because he gave me a menacing look
Hidden under my bed
The corpse of a woman I married is concealed under my bed
There's a woman I wed
I was once married to this woman
She was too hard to please, harder still now she's dead
She was difficult to please when she was alive, but now that she's dead, it's even harder
Deep down under the sea
There's a crew of twenty-three men that I killed and buried at sea
Those who've seem them now know from my banners to flee
If anyone sees my ship's flag, they should run away because it's a sign that they might suffer the same fate as those crew members
So tell all who await
Spread the word to those who are expecting me
That are temper is great
Let them know that I have a great temperament
Those who don't heed the word cast their hand to the fate
If they ignore the warning, they are choosing their own destiny
Contributed by Stella E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.