Blow the Man Down Lyrics

About this shanty

"Blow the Man Down" is one of the most celebrated long-haul halyard shanties in the tradition, sung when sailors needed to haul the topsail halyards — the heavy ropes used to hoist the upper sails. Stan Hugill, the last professional shantyman, called it his personal favourite among all shanties he knew.

Hugill described it as originating in the Western Ocean sailing packets — the fast mail ships between Liverpool and New York — where it was the "war cry of the packet rats." The phrase "blow the man down" means to knock a man flat, a reference to the fist-first discipline aboard those hard-driving ships. He collected six distinct versions; the most widely sung Liverpool variant appears below.

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Lyrics

Long-haul (halyard) shanty

Come all ye young fellows that follow the sea,
To me way, hay, blow the man down!
And please pay attention and listen to me,
Give me some time to blow the man down.

I'm a deepwater sailor just in from Hong Kong,
To me way, hay, blow the man down!
If you give me some whisky I'll sing you a song,
Give me some time to blow the man down.

As I was a-walking down Paradise Street,
To me way, hay, blow the man down!
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet,
Give me some time to blow the man down.

She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,
To me way, hay, blow the man down!
So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now,"
Give me some time to blow the man down.

So I gave her my flipper and took her in tow,
To me way, hay, blow the man down!
And yardarm to yardarm away we did go,
Give me some time to blow the man down.

So I'll give you fair warning before we belay,
To me way, hay, blow the man down!
Don't never take heed of what pretty girls say,
Give me some time to blow the man down.

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Hanging Johnny — long-haul shanty
Stormalong — long-haul shanty
Blow Boys Blow — long-haul shanty
Drunken Sailor — stamp-and-go shanty