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.
Sugar in the Hold
The Longest Johns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Screwing cotton all the day.
But I′m stowing sugar in the hold below,
Below, below, below.
(HUH.)
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Well the J.M. White, she's a brand new boat,
Stern to stem she′s mighty fine.
'Can beat any boat on the New Orleans line,
Stowing sugar in the hold below.
(HUH.)
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Well the engineer shouts through his trumpet:
"Tell the mate we got bad news:
Can't get no steam for the fire in the flue,"
Stowing sugar in the hold below.
(HUH.)
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Well the captain′s on the quarter deck,
Scratchin′ 'way at his old neck.
He shouts out: "Heave the larboard lead!"
Stowing sugar in the hold below.
(HUH.)
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
"Sugar in the Hold" is a traditional sea shanty that describes the hard work and difficulties faced by sailors during the sugar trade. The song captures the essence of a sailor's arduous life at sea where they worked from dawn till dusk to transport sugar from one place to another.
The first verse of the song sets the scene, expressing the desire to be working with cotton in Mobile Bay rather than stowing sugar in the hold below. The chorus then follows, reiterating the phrase "stowing sugar in the hold below," which is the central theme of the song. The next verse talks about the J.M White, a new boat that is compared to other boats on the New Orleans line. The song then speaks of an engineer who can’t get steam for the fire in the flue and the captain, who is struggling with the navigation of the ship.
The lyrics represent the struggles of sailors and the hardships they faced while working on a ship. The task of loading and stowing sugar in the hold below was a laborious job that required a lot of effort and hard work from the sailors. The song shows how the sailors worked in difficult situations to transport sugar, which was one of the most valuable commodities of the time. The lyrics also highlight the importance of teamwork and communication between sailors to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I wish I was in Mobile Bay,
I wish I was in Mobile Bay screwing cotton all day.
But I'm stowing sugar in the hold below,
Instead, I'm stuck below deck stowing sugar.
Hey, ho, below, below
A chant to keep everyone in rhythm while working.
Well the J.M. White, she's a brand new boat,
The J.M. White is a new and impressive boat.
Stern to stem she's mighty fine.
She's well-built from stern to stem.
Can beat any boat on the New Orleans line,
She's fast and can outperform any other boat on the New Orleans line.
Well the engineer shouts through his trumpet:
The engineer shouts through his trumpet to get the message across.
"Tell the mate we got bad news:
The message is that they can't get any steam for the fire in the flue.
Well the captain's on the quarter deck,
The captain is on the quarter deck.
Scratchin' 'way at his old neck.
The captain is scratching his neck.
He shouts out: "Heave the larboard lead!"
The captain orders to heave the larboard lead.
Writer(s): Traditional
Contributed by Anthony L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@roywahaus875
I wish I was in Mobile Bay, screwing cotton all of the day
But I'm stowing sugar in the hold below,
Below, below, below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
Hey, ho, below, below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
The J.M. White, she's a new boat
Stem to stern she's mighty fine
Beat any boat on the New Orleans line
Stowing sugar in the hold below
The engineer shouts through his trumpet
"Tell the mate we got bad news.
Can't get steam for the fire in the flue"
Stowing sugar in the hold below
The captain's on the quarter deck
Scratchin' 'way at his old neck
And he cries out, "Heave the larboard lead"
Stowing sugar in the hold below
@RavenDravenek
(Verse 1)
Well I wish I was in Mobile bay
Screwing cotton all the day
But I’m stowing sugar in the hold below
Below below below
(Chorus)
Hey ho, below below
Storing sugar in the hold below
Hey ho, below below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
(Verse 2)
Well the J.M. White, she’s a brand new boat
Stern to stern she’s mighty fine
Can beat any boat on the New Orlean’s line
Stowing sugar in the hold below
(Chorus)
Hey ho, below below
Storing sugar in the hold below
Hey ho, below below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
(Verse 3)
Well the engineer shouts through his trumpet
Tell the mate we’ve got bad news
Can’t get no steam for the fire in the flue
Stowing sugar in the hold below
(Chorus)
Hey ho, below below
Storing sugar in the hold below
Hey ho, below below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
(Verse 4)
Well the Captain’s on the quarterdeck
Scratching ‘way at his old neck
He shouts out heave the larboard lead
Stowing sugar in the hold below
(Chorus)
Hey ho, below below
Storing sugar in the hold below
Hey ho, below below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
(Chorus)
Hey ho, below below
Storing sugar in the hold below
Hey ho, below below
Stowing sugar in the hold below
@lastbraincell6996
Wife is a foreign speaker who couldnt hear the soft 'd' in hold, paused the video and asked me.
"Why are they storing sugar in a hole?
What hole are they storing it in exactly...?"
>. >
"Hold."
"What?"
"Hold." Points to title.
@selenefrost6267
Considering how valuable sugar was and how far singing voices can travel you'd think this would be a risky song to sing
@TurtleTime26
Considering songs like these were sung by slaves, I think that was the point.
@bravosix5974
@@TurtleTime26 wasn't it pirates, sailors... Etc singing this
@Netdawg
@@bravosix5974 nope, it was slaves
@TurtleTime26
@@bravosix5974 I doubt pirates would be singing a song about working for a company.
@ashbubbles3784
@@TurtleTime26I also didn't think sea shanties would be so popular 300 years later, it is what it is
@louislobb4809
Last time I was this early John Paul Jones was a pirate
@thelongestjohns
You made me chuckle with this :)
@KingJellyfishII
Lmao this style of comment is great when the joke is appropriate
@crazyscottishhighlander3854
Louis Lobb I’m Scottish, that man did us proud! Always happy to screw over the English.