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.
Old Maui
The Longest Johns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We whalermen undergo
And we won't give a damn when the gale is done
How hard the winds do blow
For We're homeward bound from the Arctic Gound
With a good ship taut and free
And we don't give a damn when we drink our rum
Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
Once more we sail with a Northerly gale
Through the ice, and wind, and rain
Them coconut fronds, them tropical shores
We soon shall see again
For Six hellish months we passed away
On the cold Kamchatka sea
But now we're bound from the Arctic ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
Once more we sail the Northerly gale
Towards our Island home
Our whaling done, out mainmast sprung
And we ain't got far to roam
Our stans'l booms is carried away
What care we for that sound
A living gale is after us
Thank God we're homeward bound
Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
How soft the breeze through the island trees
Now the ice is far astern
Them native maids, them tropical glades
Is awaiting our return
Even now their big, brown eyes look out
Hoping some fine day to see
Our baggy sails running 'fore the gales
Rolling down to Old Maui
Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground
Rolling down to Old Maui...
The Longest Johns's song "Old Maui" is a sea shanty that tells the story of whalers on their journey back to Maui after months of being out at sea. The lyrics begin by describing the challenging life of a whaler and how they undergo toil and strife as they hunt whales. The song's chorus celebrates their return to Maui, as they're "homeward bound" and rolling down to Old Maui. The lyrics also describe the hardships they endured during their long voyage, including passing through intense weather conditions and sailing through the Arctic ground.
The second verse describes the excitement of the crew as they approach their island home after six long months at sea. They are relieved to be returning to Maui and to be done with whaling. The excitement of returning home is accompanied by the anticipation of seeing the "native maids" waiting for them. The song's final verse reiterates the crew's excitement about returning home, and how they eagerly look forward to the sight of the "baggy sails" that will take them there.
Overall, the song celebrates the whalers' hard work and perseverance, as well as their deep love for Maui and the people who live there. The Longest Johns have captured the spirit of this song beautifully through their use of acoustic instruments, harmonies, and rhythmic performance.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a damn tough life full of toil and strife
Being a whalerman is hard and riddled with difficulties
We whalermen undergo
We, as whalermen, endure through these hardships
And we won't give a damn when the gale is done
When the storm passes, we will not be affected by its effects because of our strength
How hard the winds do blow
The challenge posed by the harsh winds does not affect us
For We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground
We're on our way back home after being away for a long time
With a good ship taut and free
Our ship is in great condition, strong and agile
And we don't give a damn when we drink our rum
We enjoy ourselves and do not care about anything else when drinking rum
With the girls of Old Maui
We party with the women of the Old Maui island
Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
We're sailing towards Old Maui in high spirits
We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground
We're returning home from our whaling expedition in the Arctic
Once more we sail with a Northerly gale
We're sailing with the favorable wind towards our home
Through the ice, and wind, and rain
Despite the tough conditions, we are unfazed
Them coconut fronds, them tropical shores
We're excited to return to the islands with beautiful palm trees and sandy beaches
We soon shall see again
Our return to these beautiful islands is near
For Six hellish months we passed away
We've spent six difficult months on the sea away from home
On the cold Kamchatka sea
We've been navigating through the frozen Kamchatka sea
But now we're bound from the Arctic ground
We are on our way back home from the Arctic
Once more we sail the Northerly gale
We're sailing with the favorable wind towards our home again
Towards our Island home
We're sailing towards our home on the island
Our whaling done, out mainmast sprung
We've completed our whaling mission and our mast is now damaged
And we ain't got far to roam
We're not far away from our home
Our stans'l booms is carried away
Our other masts are also damaged as we face a strong wind
What care we for that sound
We don't care about the damage as we are very close to reaching our home
A living gale is after us
We're facing a strong wind, but it is in our favor
Thank God we're homeward bound
We're thankful to be heading back home
How soft the breeze through the island trees
Upon arrival, we enjoy the gentle breeze and beauty of the island
Now the ice is far astern
We've left behind the cold, icy conditions of the Arctic
Them native maids, them tropical glades
We're excited to see the beautiful native women and tropical forests of the island again
Is awaiting our return
The people and the beauty of the island are eagerly waiting for our return
Even now their big, brown eyes look out
The women of the island are eagerly anticipating our arrival
Hoping some fine day to see
They're hoping that the day of our return is near
Our baggy sails running 'fore the gales
Our sails are full and the favorable wind is currently pushing us towards the island
Contributed by Parker H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.